EatWisconsin

Moving Day

2006-10-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Eat Wisconsin is moving today. The new direct link is https://eatwisconsin.wordpress.com/ but www.eatwisconsin.net will soon forward to that address as well. Some posts from this blog will be transferred, most likely any restaurant reviews and beer reviews and thats about it. The content on the blogger site will remain if for some reason someone wants to read it.

I lied

2006-10-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted that I was killing this blog. After a moment of clarity I have decided to keep EatWisconsin going. I wasn't sure what direction to take the site but I thought of some ideas and I think it might make the site more interesting.

I am going to transfer the blog over to WordPress, because it is superior to Blogger. I may merge Wisconsin related posts over there as well.

I also intend on keeping www.eatdrinkandlisten.com open as well. Thats the site that I was going to replace Eat Wisconsin with.

Sorry for all of the confusion.

Tyler Florence Sellout?

2006-10-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tyler Florence has always been an intriguing celebrity chef to me. On one hand he seems like he is a genuinely nice guy who would be a lot of fun to hang around. On the other hand he has always had this sort of cheesy persona and it seemed as if he was on TV for his looks and down-to-earth persona and not his culinary resume, but we all know that is how the Food Network works. Oh, and he talks way to fucking fast. Last week I noticed he was on an Applebee’s commercial touting the new menu items he created for the chain. I am not so sure how I feel about this. My gut reaction was “what a fucking sell-out!” but then I thought about it more and I guess it is kind of cool that he is coming up with new menu items for a place that everyone has access to. My biggest issue is these celebrity chefs, like Tyler who go on and on about sustainable agriculture, buying seasonal and local ingredients, and how independent restaurants are superior to chains and then you see him shilling for Applebee’s (or Burger King like Rick Bayless did).

The menu items seem interesting enough and if I was at Applebee’s (a place I visit maybe 1 or 2 times a year) I would probably give one of them a try. And I must say that if Applebee’s backed up to my house with a truck full of money, I’d probably do the same thing.

Podcast Review - The Good Beer Show

2006-09-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have found another Podcast to get excited about. Its called the Good Beer Show (GBS)and it is absolutely genius. Based in Muncie, Indiana and hosted by Jeffrey T Meyer along with his professional beer drinking buddies (as he lovingly refers to them as), the GBS is about 30 minutes of beer tastings and discussions, great local and independent music, and sometimes interviews with brewmasters and band members. The show is light-hearted and doesn't take itself seriously, much like another favorite podcasts, Gastrologica. Jeffrey T is a hop head, as are some of his friends, which is anothe reason I like the show. Plus I am a huge fan of indie and punk music, which is what is usually featured in between beer discussions.

I fell in love with the show upon hearing the show into...which features Jeffrey T Meyer saying "Hey buddy, what did you just put in your cart? I see you're drinking football beer (referring to the bland Miller/Budweiser style beers). I knew this show and I would get along just fine. The show is usually recorded at the Heorot, a beer hall in Muncie. There is a lot of background noise from chatter among bar patrons to the occasional breaking glass. You really feel as if you are there clinkin' and drinkin’ with Jeffrey T and his friends.

From one Jeffrey T to another, keep up the good work GBS!

Two Brew Review - Lakefront Pumpkin Lager * Sprecher Oktoberfest

2006-09-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Aaahhh Fall. The weather gets colder, days get shorter, and the trees start turning colors. Fotball takes up weekends and seasonal brews fill my refrigerator. Fall is probably the best time for seasonal beers with Octoberfest style lagers being the most prominent, though my favorite fall beer has always been Lakefront's Pumpkin Lager. Today I will discuss two of the beers currently taking up space in my fridge, the aforementioned Pumpkin Lager and Sprecher Octoberfest.

First, every year since before I could even legally drink beer I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Lager. I have tried all kinds of different pumpkin ales and lagers and none comes even close to this one, which has just the right amount of Pumpkin and Spice. The beer is medium-bodied and easy drinkin’. Though many people often say “this is good but I couldn’t have more than 1 or 2, I could easily down a sixer of this stuff. It goes down as smooth as Guinness. There is even a hint of creaminess like you find in an Anderson Valley Cerveza Crema, though not as pronounced…almost adding the whipped cream finish to the pumpkin pie flavor. Of all Lakefront's Seasonal Brews, the Pumpkin Lager is definitely the best.

Next up is Milwaukee's other microbrewer, Sprecher with their Oktoberfest offering. Sprecher Oktoberfest is a good example of an American version of a German Oktoberfest beer, not a lot of carbonation or hop notes, but a medium-bodied malty, almost sweet flavor. The bottle touts its long finish, which I did notice. Though I think its a decent version of an Oktoberfest, but Capital Brewing's Oktoberfest has a more aggressive malt taste, which I prefer.

It should also be noted that two Wisconsin Breweries have beers that ranked in Men's Journal's top 25 beers in America. At number 17, Sprecher's Hefe Weiss, which I must admit is my absolute favorite Weiss beer. It is far more flavorful and complex then most of its German counterparts and is the first beer I reach for on hot Summerfest Days. Ranking at 25 is New Glarus Yokel, which is an unfiltered lager. I must admit that my exposure to this beer is very limited. I bought a six pack once, and it is really good, but when I look at New Glarus, I am usually buying their Hearty Hop Pale Ale, Fat Squirrel or the easy drinkin' Spotted Cow

The complete list can be found here.

The New Emeril

2006-09-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Rachel Ray launched another TV show, though this time its on network TV. Its called "Rachel Ray," and it highlights everything that is wrong with cooking shows. Ok, I haven't seen it but I have seen enough of the overly-caffeinated Ray to know exactly what this show is about. Over the past few years it seems that Rachel has eclipsed Emeril Lagasse as the darling of the Food Network. And like Emeril, she has her own catch phrases. Instead of Emeril's macho "BAM" Rachel uses "Yum-O" and while Emeril thinks that "pork fat rules" Rachel likes the healthier taste of "EVOO," which stands for extra virgin olive oil. In case you don't know she always follows the phrase "EVOO" with the description of her acronym by adding "that's extra virgin olive oil." I always thought that acronyms were created so you don't have to read out the lengthy description. Then again I am not raking in millions of dollars telling suburban housewives how many different applications there are for McCormick's Grill-mates seasonings.

I am not denying the supreme power that Ray hold over her legions of fans. She has about six 30-Minute Meal books and many stories have been told about how people are going into grocery stores looking for the products Ray uses on her show, even though the labels are fake and are thrown on the various cans, jars, and bottles to hide the true manufacturer. Food Network has indicated that they receive hundreds of calls asking where they can find these made-up products.

I guess my problem is not necessarily with her, but with what the Food Network has done to food television. She just happens to embody all that is wrong with the network. There are not too many shows worth watching and the network really doesn't bring in much new material, just recycles network stalwarts like Alton Brown (who I like), Rachel Ray, Emeril, Bobby Flay, Paula Deen (shit, her fucking kids even got a show, which sucks balls), Giada DeLaurentis, and Mario Batali (who I also like) into new show formats. They added George Duran, who is really entertaining and probably gets my vote for funniest guy on the Food Network but over the past 2 years they have lost some of the better personalities, Anthony Bourdain and Sara Moulton, because I assume Boiurdain was too scary for their target audience and Moulton was actually teaching people about different styles of cooking and not out shilling for her own line of pots and pans or coming up with some catch phrase. She probably wouldn't put her breasts on display as Giada so proudly does either, which probably didn't help her cause.. So essentially the food network is not really that concerned with developing new talent or new ideas, they just want to keep promoting their own. How many fucking shows does that jerk-off Bobby Flay have anyhow? Iron Chef, Boy Meets Grill, Throwdown, Food Nation, BBQ With Bobby Flay plus the numerous specials he is involved with. Like there is nobody else on earth that can grill except Mr. Flay? Come on. And the new shows they have like Guy's Big Bite, and Party Line with the Hearty Boys (both of which feature reality show winners) really suck. And am I not the only one who wants to punch Dave Liberman in the face? What a tool.

So who do I like? Well 10 food shows on TV (not limited to Food Network) that I enjoy:

1. Boy Meets Grill – Yes I am a hypocrite. I just ripped Flay but I must confess he really makes some kick ass food and his food features my favorite types of ingredients, cilantro, chilies, chipotle, avocado, citrus and other southwest ingredients.
2. Pretty much anything with Alton Brown is entertaining. I liked Feasting on Asphalt because I am also a motorcyclist.
3. Cookin' In Brooklyn with Allan Harding.
4. License to Grill with Rob Rainford
5. The Kitchens of Biro
6. BBQ University with Steven Raichlen
7. Napa Style or Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
8. Molto Mario
9. Ham on the Street with George Duran
10. Iron Chef and Iron Chef America.

The common theme in most of these? You learn something. Almost every episode of Iron Chef includes some ingredient or technique that I have never heard of. Mario Batali is one part historian one part chef. Each ingredient or recipe has a specific reason that it was used and what region it comes from. Alton Brown is a great teacher as well. Rob Rainford has some of the easiest recipes with great results, same with Flay (on that show only). I guess I want my food television to teach me something like PBS or the Discovery Channel does, where the Food Network wants to entertain first, teach second and that is the root of the problem.

Brew Review: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

2006-09-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dogfish Head brewery consistently puts out some of the most flavorful and interesting microbrews. From the apricot and hop flavors of the Aprihop to the coffee and chicory boldness of the Chicory Stout, they are always pushing the envelope. Some are hits and others are misses, but if there is one thing this brewery knows, its how to please the hop-heads, which I am. Their pale ales are some of the best in the country and their offerings of 60, 90, and even 120 minute ales are all very good. The 60 minute is a great easy-drinking IPA, unlike the 120 which should be enjoyed like a fine wine. It still has a fairly aggressive hop bite with Warrior, Amarillo and a mystery hop and it has decent balance of hop bitterness and caramel notes from the malt. It is not the best IPA I have had, but is certainly is a top 10 contender.

Quick Review - Rochester Deli

2006-09-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I grabbed lunch at one of my favorite Waukesha establishments, The Rochester Deli. The have more than quadrupled their dining area with the addition of a large dining room. Despite the fact that it was almost 2 pm on a weekday, the place was packed. I was busy on some home projects so I grabbed a pastrami sandwich to go. After my experience with that shithole Mr. Pastrami’s I wanted some decent juicy pastrami. Rochester Deli delivered! The pastrami, while not piled high like Katz’s was flavorful and well marbled with just the right amount of mustard added. There wasn’t a hint of dryness. It was served on great rye bread with a pickle and a potato salad (you can choose from one of their salads or chips) If you want some awesome pastrami that isn’t over-salted and dry, you must try the Rochester Deli. They also have great Rubens, breakfast omelets, and a unique Friday fish fry. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Rochester Deli
143 W. Broadway,
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
http://www.rochesterdeli.com/

Introducing Mini-Reviews

2006-09-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

When I go somewhere and eat something good I try to write up a nice long winded review. Since writing reviews takes some time, I am now going to do mini-reviews for places where I eat for lunch, breakfast and dinner but don't feel inspired to write a full review.

Chain Restaurant Eats

2006-08-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone eats at chain restaurants once in a while, even the most pretentious Riverwest or Bayview Hipster has probably eaten at a chain in the last month. They are inevitable. With that being said there are some chains that I really like. Number one on the list is Buffalo Wild Wings (the chain formerly known as BW3). I love this place. I love their wings, the great tasting selection of sauces, and the awesome beer selection. I love meeting friends there for happy hour and sporting events. Call it a guilty pleasure, but it is probably my favorite chain and one of the best places for wings around.

Second on the list is Qdoba, though 90 percent of the time I order the same exact thing: a chicken mole burrito, black beans, and habenero salsa with sour cream and cheese. Its awesome and has been one of my favorite chain meals for at least 5 years.

Next up, PF Changs. I have never eaten anything bad here and to tell you the truth, most Chinese places in town wish they could be this good. There are exceptions, but we are served such crappy Chinese food at 75 percent of the places in town, it’s a refreshing change. You can actually taste the ingredients and identify the meat in your entree. The King Pau chicken is excellent and the Beef ala Sichuan is very very tasty (and hot as hell). The availability of brown rice is an added bonus.

Houlihan’s is another chain that shed its cookie-cutter Applebee’s style décor and menu for a more contemporary twist on the sit-down chain restaurant. I read in a recent Food Arts magazine that they hired an up and coming chef and gave him free reign to update the tired image of this chain. The results are pretty good. The menu is very impressive and most everything I have tried is awesome. The salads make awesome entrees with my favorites being Ahi Tuna, Calamari, and BBQ Salmon. What I enjoy most is that I can get a good, somewhat healthy lunch near by place of employment, which is essentially a culinary wasteland. Watch for a review on EatWisconsin in the coming weeks.

NYC Day 3

2006-08-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, my trip was a month ago and I haven't posted day 3. Day 3 we woke up pretty hungover from our late night. It was almost 11 by the time we got moving. We wanted something different, not typical hangover food so being in the heart of Chinatown (which is actually a misnomer - it should be Asia-town because of all the different ethnic groups represented here) we decided to try Nha Hang Pho Viet Huong, a Vietnamese restaurant near our hotel. The menu was huge, like s Greek restaurant with page after page of interesting stuff. Deciding on one or two items was going to be quite a chore. We all had some Vietnamese iced coffee which was presented in its own little brewing vessel. It was so think it looked like syrup...and it took a while for the water to filter through the grounds but when it was done, you mixed it with this condensed milk and were rewarded with one of the strongest and best tasting coffees you will ever experience.

I opted for the Mi Vit Riem Dong Co, which is essentially Pho with duck and mushrooms and an order of Bo Nuong Lui, which are charcoal grilled beef skewers with sesame seeds. My friends ordered some spring rolls, a traditional Pho, and some frog leg curry. Of all of the items, I enjoyed the beef skewers best. They were full of flavor and were served with a sweet dipping sauce. We devoured them. The spring rolls were also excellent. My pho was satisfying and I loved the duck leg and the mushrooms, but honestly the broth was a little weak. I tried to make up for it by adding some sirhacha, hoisin, and the basil, which helped but couldn't hide its lack of depth. Pho Tru Trinh in Milwaukee's broth was much better. My friend's traditional Pho (with tripe, flank steak, meatballs, tendon, etc) was good, but the broth was also lacking. The frog curry was a pain in the ass to eat, but there were a ton of frog legs and the flavor was great with a decent amount of heat. Probabaly the best of the 3 entrees. It was a good hangover cure (I credit the coffee and the broth).

My friends then wanted to tour the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Having been there twice, I ventured off on my own and visited record stores and other sites all afternoon, essentially riding the subway and getting off at places that sparked my interest. I did a ton of walking and found some really cool neighborhoods and stores. While walking through the Village, I spotted a Gray's Papaya and decided a snack was in order. I couldn't believe the prices, I spent under 3 bucks in Manhattan and got 2 dogs and a papaya drink. The drink smelled kind of strange, but it tasted refreshing given the blistering heat. The dogs were pretty decent with this sort of sweet onion concoction on them. It was a perfect mid-afternoon snack and I can see why so many people love these dogs. I could have easily chowed down about 4 more.

I wandered around a nearby store called Gourmet Garage, where I sampled cheeses, dips and other assorted goodies then headed down to Battery Park to meet my friends. We ate some mediocre pizza near ground zero and grabbed a cab back to the hotel, then on to the airport. Three days is not enough to really enjoy New York City and though I have been there two other times I regret not going to Central Park on this trip. I also wanted to check out Brooklyn, but there simply was no time.

At the airport we joked about all of the animals we consumed on the trip. Here is what we came up with:

Beef
Pork
Duck
Rabbit
Fish (salmon, tuna, snapper, yellowtail)
Clams
Lobster
Snails
Lamb
Frog

2006-08-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

I was recently tagged with a meme by Yulikna of Yulinka Cooks. I then had to do a google search for find out exactly what a meme is. Its an idea that is passed from blog to blog, kind of like crabs, without the itching and embarassing trip to the drug store. I guess the idea is to let people get a glimpse into the personality of a blogger. I kind of had an idea of what it was when I saw a post on Haverchuck's site listing the 5 foods to eat before you die. I replied with my list this morning, then read Yulinka's post and found out about my being tagged. Anyhow here is my list of foods that people should eat before they die:

1. A Johnsonville, Usingers or Kelment's (though Johnsonville is my fave) bratwurst with onions, mustard and washed down with a fine Wisconsin Beer.

2. Speed Queen shoulder and outside dinner.

3. Katz's deli pastrami (I have only eaten it once, but I cannot stop thinking about how good it was..it will change your impression of Pastrami)

4. Onglet (Hanger) steak with red wine and shallot sauce and a side of frites (french fries) served at most good French restaurants (Lake Park Bistro's is awesome, though the best is Les Halles in NYC)

5. Foie Gras - Not in a pate, but a nice seared chunk of foie with some kind of a fruit based sauce to cut through the richness. It is unlike anything you have ever eaten. And it will piss off the folks at PETA.

My list on Haverchuck listed A steak taco from the Taco and Burrito Place on Broadway in Chicago at number 5. While this taco is phemonenal, I had to repalce it with foie gras after some thought

Yulinka also mentioned bloggers listing 5 foods that I haven't eaten but really want to, though I wasn't tagged with that. Nonetheless I am going to list them:

1. Fresh figs (I have searched every gourmet store in the area and have never seen one. Once I get the opportunity I will eat this.

2. Jamon Iberico from Spain. I have never had this and it has recently been approved for import to the US, but the price is obnoxious, which makes me want it more.

3. Veal sweatbreads. Never had the opportunity and as far as I can tell only 1 place in Milwaukee serves them - the Social. I can buy them in the store and make 'em myselef, but I'd like to have someone make them for me so I can at least get an idea what they are like.

4. Fresh truffles. I have had oils and butters, but never had a fresh truffle shaved atop anything.

5. Unaged french raw-milk cheeses - the ones the US won't let into the country unless they are aged for 60 days.

EatWisconsin Update

2006-08-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have fucking had it with Blogger deleting portions of my posts. It happens almost weekly. I think its time to start using a different blogging program.

Eat Wisconsin Weekly Roundup

2006-08-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Milwaukee Considers a Foie Gras Ban?
Well not really, but it seems the Journal is trying to stir up this topic that hasn’t even been a blip on the radar in our area. I am guessing they want a Trotter-Tramanto war of words like they had in Chicago. Let’s hope our lawmakers have more sense than to bow to the ridiculous, misguided, self-serving demands of a small but vocal minority. Mark Belling spke briefly on this yesterday and in a rare moment I found myself agreeing with him...until he tried to tie it into the global jihad threat.

Review of Palmer’s Steakhouse in the Journal
When I was younger one of my favorite restaurants was the Cobblestone Inn in Hartland, WI. It was my family’s “special occasion” restaurant and it was great. Great steaks, walleye, duck, and other supper club fare. I was last there about 4-5 years ago and had a great filet mignon with blue cheese. Then they closed and some people put in some pizza joint, ruining the interior of a great restaurant. Thankfully it failed and has been taken over by Palmer's Steakhouse. No its not that (Charlie) Palmer though I think the choice of the name Palmer's is suspicious. Maybe they figure the connotation with Charlie Trotter Steak is enough to draw more people. Anyhow, the review can be found here.

Trader Joe's is coming.

The Journal discusses the store here. I am loking forward to this. Though a lot of their stuff is nothing but Aldi products with fancier packaging, they have great prices on gourmet cheese, olive oils, vinegars and all kinds of great products. I too am suckered in by 3 buck Chuck.

Best thing I ate this week:

Pretty mediocre week in terms of food. I made fajitas with Steve Wasser of Gastrologica’s marinade recipe (with soy sauce), which were pretty awesome, but I think that the rib tips that I had smoked back in July and thawed this week take the cake. Smoked food stores great in the freezer and it was great to enjoy these without spending 6 hours manning the smoker.

Worst thing I ate this week:

Considering I ate a breakfast Tornado off one of those hot dog rollers at Speedway for breakfast, you'd think it'd be an easy choice. Actually I enjoy those things, unlike Mr. Pastrami. The sandwich I ate there sucked ass.

Next week in Undelicious:

Smokin' butts - I will document a day of smoking pork shoulder and some other goodies for my fantasy football draft (this may come the following week, depending on my schedule)

Review of Michael's Italian American Restaurant fish fry and an interesting new addition to Waukesha's dining scene.

Mazo's Fine Foods - The best burgers in town?

2006-08-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

I had never even heard of Mazos until about a month ago when a local publication (I think it was the Shepard Express) mentioned the phenomonal burgers offered up at Mazo's at 27th and Oklahoma (just a few blocks south of Pho Tru Trinh, reviewed here 4 weeks ago). Upon reading the article, I did some internet research and apparently Mazo's burgers are described as many as the "Best in the City." A discussion and photos even were topics at eGullet, where posters ohh-ed and aahh-ed over the pictures of the burgers in the thread. As I mentioned in the post on Katz's Deli in NYC, I am skeptical of any place that people claim has the best (insert food item here) in the city/state/country/world. My experience at Katz's emboldened me. I was ready to go forward and try another so-called "best" restaurant.

Mazo's is in a nondescript small building across the street from the more famous Leon's Custard. I used to drive by this place almost weekly and it never even caught my eye. I should warn you, Mazo's doesn't take credit cards. I noticed this on a menu posted outside and had to go to a nearby ATM to fetch me some cash. A frest set of 20s in my pocket and I was ready for some food. I ordered a cheeseburger with fried onions and mushrooms. You get to choose 2 sides. I think the selections include fries, cole slaw, soup, cottage cheese, and something else that sounded lame. I got fries and the soup. My choices were chicken noodle, navy bean, and beef vegetable. I am not a fan of any of those kinds of soup. People rave about chicken noodle and how its this great comfort food. Fuck that. If I want comfort food, I want clam chowder, beer cheese, or a nice bisque. Despite the fact that its August and I don't care for it, I ordered beef vegetable. It was good, but a bit greasy. The chunks of meat were good, but were few and far beteen. I am guessing that someone who likes beef vegetable would have enjoyed this.

My burger and fries arrived soon after I was done with my soup. The burger was decent sized (1/4 lb or more) and I could smell the fried onions. The frieswere hot and crinkle cut, one of my personal favorite cuts. They were excellent and seasoned with seasoning salt. My first bite of the burger filled my mouth with meat, bun, butter (yes its a butter burger), melted American cheese, onions and mushrooms and I have to say it was delicious. Each bite provided little resistance and I enjoyed it immensely.

So how does Mazo's stack up to institutions like Solly's, Kopp's, and Culver's butter burgers? Really good, if you ask me. I think that I like Solly's a little bit better, even though they are smaller, but its close. Its a tad better than Kopp's and much better than Culver's. I need to admit that as good as butter burgers are, I prefer pub-style burgers. I would say the best burger in the City is served at The Wicked Hop. I like to order it with Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Jalapenos and wash that puppy down with a cold pint of Bell's Oberon or Stella Artois. I cannot fathom going there and not ordering that. I do need to get to Sobleman's, which sources tell me is outstanding (and they have fried jalapenos on the burger). Nonetheless, if you want a really good Milwaukee-style butter burger, Mazo's is your place. Just typing this is making me hungry.

Mazo's Fine Foods can be found at 3146 S 27TH StMilwaukee, WI 53215 (414) 671-2118

We're Number One! We're Number One!

2006-08-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Many people in Milwaukee probably tossed back a couple of pints of their favorite beer last night in celebration of our ranking as the nation’s drunkest City by Forbes magazine. Others are out doing damage control saying the ranking is flawed or that we need to throw more money at programs to educate people about the dangers of binge drinking. That usual suspects, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving will come out and rip the drinkers in the state trying to shame us into abstinence. They will say that this ranking just encourages kids to drink. They will rip the culture of drinking, try to get beer banned from events, and try to ruin everyone’s fun. What they will never ever admit is that you can never stop underage drinking and you will never stop college kids from partying on a regular basis.

As much as I enjoy Milwaukee’s (and Wisconsin in general) reputation as a heavy drinking state, I do believe the factors used in determining the rankings are flawed. First, they call the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion “binge drinking. I do not consider that binge drinking, I consider that a normal night out. Using that definition I binge drink once a week. I am guessing that most Wisconsinites agree with me. I am not saying that in jest either. If I am out for 4-5 hours five drinks seems about right. Five beers in 5 hours is hardly what I could consider a binge. Five beers in five hours and you are likely under the legal limit. To me a binge is what I did in college. Things like dedicating an entire Saturday to “case day” where each of us would buy a case of cheap ass beer (think Huber bock or Milwaukee’s Best) and attempt to finish it in the course of a day (we never failed to accomplish our goal). Binge drinking is the 100 shot club, 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes then going out for the evening afterwards. Bing drinking is what you do at bachelor parties and other people’s weddings, especially those with open bars.

Maybe I am looking at this through Sprecher Amber colored glasses, but as much as people like to claim that drinking is ingrained In Wisconsin’s culture, I would argue that we are not a State full of drunks. I feel that for the most part, we are a state of responsible drinkers. We enjoy having 3-4 beers for happy hour or enjoying a couple with our dinner. Drinking an overpriced Miller Genuine Draft in a wax cup is what makes watching baseball fun. Remember that Simpsons episode where Homer gave up drinking, went to a baseball game, and proclaimed “I never realized how boring this game is.” My sentiments exactly.

Mr. Pastrami's

2006-08-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe my pilgrimage to the Legendary Katz's Deli in NYC has me ruined for life. After eating their Pastrami, I am hooked. That taste still lingers in my gastronomic memory and I just can't shake it.

Today I decided that I would take a trip to Mr. Pastrami's in Milwaukee with a coworker. We both ordered pastrami (with a name like Mr. Pastrami's, you almost have to don't you?). After a long wait of about 10 minutes we were informed there was only enough pastrami for one sandwich. WHAT??? Mr. Fucking Pastrami's ran out of Pastrami at 12:20? That would be like Taco Bell running out of tacos. We ordered a Cuban and decided to split each sandwich. Ten more minutes (we are up to 20 now) later we received our sandwiches and my order of tater tots (a guilty pleasure of mine), which I heard one employee call out a request for no fewer than 3 times before someone actually began frying them. Twenty minutes at a counter-service place at lunch is unacceptable, especially considering how empty the place was. With the exception of 1 (maybe 2) people, the employees seemed to have no clue as to what was going on.

I was willing to endure the heat, the strange smells, and the wait for a great pastrami sandwich. Unfortunately that sandwich never came. What I did recieve was a very bland sandwich with some very dry pastrami, lacking in any depth of flavor. It was very bland and dry (I thought I would mention that again because well...it was fucking dry). Many Milwaukee publications rave about this sandwich. Milwaukeeans need to get their ass to Katz's before this place gets another drop of positive ink.

My recommendation is to stay away. This place sucks. I will likely never set foot in this place again. Oh, the Cuban was serviceable. Not great, but not offensive, though Dijon mustard on a Cuban is a big no-no. Not to sound like a know-it-all Dennis Getto clone, but you need to use plain yellow mustard.

This place is located at 3216 S. Howell Ave in Milwaukee should you dare try it.

2006-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

I used to write a blog called “Beer City Blog” where I commented on all kinds of happenings in Milwaukee. I grew bored with that but every once in a while I need to get some non-food related commentary off my chest. This week I needed to comment on WISN radio.

Mark Belling and that asshole programming manager Jerry Bott are crying because WISN lost the broadcast rights for Marquette Basketball. Bott questioned why they would leave for one of the worst rated stations in the City. Nice jab, you asshole. You completely dropped all sports programming from your shitbag station and fucked over the best sports talk show host in the state so you could have 24 hour angry white male conservative talk and then you cry when Marquette bails on you. For those who don’t know, Bott bumped Steve “The Homer” True’s 6-8 pm show (which had been on air for around 15 years) to 9pm so they could air that prick Sean Hannity’s syndicated radio show. True soon left the station for 1510 WAUK.

Belling’s criticism of the decision was very similar however he is so full of himself that he believes they bailed because he criticized Marquette when they wouldn’t change their name back to the Warriors. Look you weasel-faced loser, you are not the center of the universe. Contrary to your belief you are not the reason everything happens in Milwaukee. In fact, most WAUK hosts also ripped Marquette’s naming decision. He then took a shot at Steve True, calling him a Marquette Whore. Um, assface Steve True is an employee of Marquette when he broadcasts games. He would get fired if he ripped them, as would most employees if they ripped their bosses in public. Belling should stick to what he knows best, telling brain dead white suburbanites how to think and chasing after skanks at Victor's. (a side note, about 30 minutes after I originally posted this, Homer dropped another Victor's jab). You see Belling looks like a weasel. He has a face for radio, which means he has to hang at Victor's, where people of all ages go to hook up. I am guessing he plays the odds...if he goes there every night eventually someone will be druunk enough and desperate enough to sleep with him.

Look this decision makes the most sense. WAUK is the best sports station in the City (WSSP sucks ass) and they should try to get as many sports as possible. They may not be the highest rated AM station, but they will likely gain a ton of new listeners as a result of this. People will follow Marquette to whatever radio station broadcasts them.

Yesterday's journal had a nice snippet on the exchange.

NYC Day 2

2006-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

By the time we woke up and got ready, our heads still hurting from the beer and our wallets still hurting from the price of beer at Yankee Stadium, it was almost 11AM. We couldn't decide on what to eat, so I suggested Chelsea Market.

I walked around the market with my friends and pointed out the various places to eat. It was truly food overload with seafood, Italian specialties, Thai food, lots of soups, breads, sushi, and just about anything else you can imagine. I decided to go for the sushi and a bowl of clam chowder from the Seafood Company. It took forever because a bunch of fucking foodies were taking some tour and their sampling of soups happened to occur just seconds before I got there, so I had to wait. I went to the sushi counter and ordered some combo with 5 nigiri sushi with yellowtail, salmon, and tuna and a tuna and avocado maki roll. It was very fresh and they didn't skimp on the fish. The pieces were very thick, with minimal rice, just the way I like it. I went back and finally got my Clam Chowder, which was pretty good, but nothing outstanding. I then went to Amy's Bread and got a prosciutto twist, which was sourdough bread with chunks of prosciutto. It would make a great bread to dip in Olive Oil or to make a nice sandwich or bruschetta with. It was awesome. My desert consisted of some samples from Buon Italia and a small cup of Jimmy’s hazelnut gelato. I was stuffed.

A side note on Buon Italia. If I lived near here I would be in this place a lot. They have so much delicious looking Italian stuff it is amazing. Truffles, cheeses, oils, nuts, sauces, pastas, etc. Of all the cool places in Chelsea Market, this one is my favorite.

Dinner was at the original Les Halles on Park Avenue, made famous by Celebrity Chef and Author, Anthony Bourdain. I had also been here before, but one of my friends really wanted to go. We ordered some wine. It was a St. Estèphe, Ch. Phélan Ségur Bordeaux. It was 60 bucks for the bottle and it was awesome. DISCLAIMER: I know very little about wine. I enjoy it immensely but couldn't tell a 20 dollar bottle from a 100 dollar bottle (I’d bet there are people who claim to be wine experts who couldn’t either. I estimate 75 percent of self-proclaimed wine experts are full of shit. I’m not talking about professional wine people, but Joe and Sally Foodie down the street who try to impress people with their wine collection). Nonetheless, this wine exhibited what I enjoy in a red, a nice bold taste with a definite spiciness. It would pair nicely with my choice of entrée, Steak Frites.

The server brought us a great basket of breads, including some tasty whole wheat bread. This stuff was served with some delicious real butter. Next up was appetizers. One friend and I split an order of Escargots. They were prepared the traditional way in the little ceramic serving plate with holes for each snail and garlic butter sauce. They were very tasty, but somewhat smaller than other escargot dishes I have had (Lake Park Bistro’s are much larger). We really enjoyed dipping some of the bread into the holes to mop up all of that sauce. My other friend had the French Onion Soup. It looked amazing and he indicated that it tasted as good as it looked.

For entrees, I ordered the aforementioned Steak Frites, which is a Hanger/Onglet steak with some excellent fries and a red wine shallot reduction. It was cooked to medium rare and it was perfect. A slightly crispy exterior gave way to a glistening pink warm center. The sauce provided a sweet and acidic balance to the richness of the meat. One friend ordered the braised rabbit legs with olives, which were also outstanding. It was my first time eating a rabbit and I was impressed with the flavor. My other friend had the cassoulet, which was also very tasty, with a very strong herb essence. It is great comfort food. I sampled bits of each of the meats and beans and they were all cooked to perceftion. The flavor of the sausage, duck confit, pork belly each stood on their own My friend didn’t finish his pork belly in the cassoulet, so I speared it with my fork and claimed it as my own. It melted in my mouth and I wanted more.

This is my second visit to Les Halles and I can honestly say I love this place. Great French bistro cooking, affordable prices, and a lively, un-stuffy atmosphere. I have the Les Halles cookbook and now I need to move beyond the Onglet recipes and start cooking some rabbit and cassoulet.

After dinner we headed to Rocky Sullivan’s bar a block away and drank a lot of Guinness. We were then escorted by some friends to some bars in the Village, then to LeSouk, a middle-eastern hookah bar in Alphabet City. It was awesome. Hookah smoke permeated the air and though I hate smoking, I tried some of their flavored tobaccos. I was rewarded with a smooth, cook flavorful smoke. My favorite was the apple mix. We also had some of the best hummus I have ever eaten. It was smooth and creamy, not chunky like so many supermarket brands. Then again, I was filled with Hookah smoke, wine, Guinness, and several bottles of Moroccan beer, so take it for what its worth.

Next up: Day 3 including a visit to a New York institution and some interesting eats in Chinatown.

EatWisconsin Weekly Roundup

2006-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Every week I will post a handful of great articles, podcasts, recipes, or postings that I feel deserve your attention. This was supposed to be posted last Friday, but I forgot about it.

Getto Watch
Dennis Getto reviews Rip Tide

Chorizo Mania Continues to Sweep Milwaukee
Nancy Stohs, capitalizing on Milwaukee's 2 week-long love affair with Chorizo (hey we love "new" sausages) posts some great Chorizo recipes including some standouts from La Estacion in Waukesha. (If you get a chance, try one of their chorizo tacos, they are awesome).

So its come to this, a Podcast Clip Show
Chef Mark Tafoya celebrates his 50th podcast with a show filled with messages from other podcasters, clips from previous shows as Mark takes a trip down memory lane. The ReMARKable Palate is one of the better food related podcast and easily the most diverse podcast with everything from recipe tips, cooking demos, soundseeing tours, and interviews.

Barrage of Whole Foods Promotion Begins
OnMilwaukee posts an article (obviously written with the assistance of a press release) about the long-awaited Whole Foods being built on Milwaukee 's East Side. The "Talkback" feature is filled with a lively debate about the need for another upscale grocery store and anti-Whole Food ramblings. Most of the posters are hipsters trying to act too cool for Whole Foods. Look, if you want to support your local stores like Outpost and Beans and Barley, that is great but don't knock those of us who like a little variety. There is plenty of room in the marketplace for locally owned and chain stores.

Best thing I ate this week:

Filet Mignons with Pale Ale Reduction and Bleu Cheese made in my kitchen. Recipe Below

What you need:
Filet Mignons
Cumin or Adobo Seasoning
Ancho Chili Powder
Kosher or sea salt
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Pale Ale (about ½ cup)
Butter
Blue, gorgonzola, stilton or some other pungent veined cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Season filets with Penzey's Adobo seasoning (Cumin would be ok), Ancho chili powder and Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Put a small amount of canola oil and a pat of butter in a skillet (please don't use non-stick). When it is hot, add the steaks and leave them alone until nicely caramelized. Flip over and let the other side caramelize.
Place in oven for about 5 minutes (internal temp of 130 degrees)
Remove from oven and from pan and let rest, covered with foil) for about 5-10 minutes.
Add pale ale to the pan and scrape up the bits of fond with a wooden spoon, add butter to taste. (I would also have added shallots, but I was out of them). Set aside.
Turn oven to broil setting.
Place some cheese atop the filets and return to the pan with the Pale Ale Sauce. Place under broiler until cheese melts (keep and eye on it as it happens pretty quickly).
Set filets on serving plates and spoon the sauce around the base of the steaks.

The pale ale with its hearty hop notes added a nice bitterness which was balanced with the butter in the sauce. Shallots would have added a nice sweetness, but as I mentioned, I was out of them. Serve with starch and veggie. I served with rice and French green beans. I think that a nice mashed potato would have been great with the Pale Ale Sauce.

Gloating

2006-08-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yours truly won the Gastrologica Chili Cookoff contest. I was going to post this before, but I was ignoring my posting duties at that time. Anyhow, here is the link: Gastrologica Chili Cookoff Recipe

Its just a recipe that my wife and I have developed over the past year or so. I am not a professional cook unless you count a stint at Ponderosa cooking "steak" (I use the term loosely) or a job as a grill cook at some half-assed attempt an an "nice" restaurant in college. Oh and I did learn the art of pizza making working at a pizza parlor...and I did work at my college dorm cafeteria as a cook, server, and student manager where I mastered the art of making large vats of industrial grade brown gravy and pasta sauce...and how could I forget how I got my start, working the line at McDonalds. Shit, I do have a lot of restaurant experience.

For those who don't know, Gastrologica is a food website/e-magazine (don't call it a blog or Steve Wasser will kill you) and a weekly podcast featuring Steve Wasser, culinary hack and Dan Cincis, Executive Chef at the Calabasas Country Club in California. It is one of the most entertaining podcasts out there and they even offer an uncensored version called Playing With Fire. If you listen closely, you will hear an occasional "Fuck You Jeff" as I encouraged them to quit fucking censoring their show.

Whirlwind weekend in NYC – Day 1

2006-08-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I were in New York on our annual pilgrimage to a major league baseball park. This year's destination was Yankee Stadium. We had two nights in New York, so our eating would be limited. Nonetheless I figured with dinner, lunch and breakfast I would get to visit some great places. Our first stop, the famous Katz's Deli.

To quote the great Public Enemy I "don't believe the hype" of most places until I try them. Usually when someone says that someplace has the best something or another; I usually figure that it is their favorite, but not necessarily the best. Katz's has received universal acclaim for their pastrami, so I was less skeptical than usual, but I wanted to see if it was any better than the Rochester Deli in Waukesha, which I think is excellent and which Dennis the Menace (Getto) said "(Chef/Owner) Dan's hand-carved corned beef or pastrami is as good as that served at the best delis in New York." That's a pretty strong claim; could Katz's be that much better?" Read on to find out…

One we arrived we checked our bags into the hotel and walked about 15 blocks to the Legendary Katz's Delicatessen. On my first visit to Manhattan I had tried a Rueben, but I forgot what restaurant it was at (some deli near Times Square). It was good, but not memorable. That was before I became extremely interested in food and cooking. At Katz's I knew what I was ordering at least a year before I even set foot in the restaurant; Pastrami. The stuff is legendary and I needed to see what all of the fuss was about. Many words have been penned in describing the pastrami at Katz's. Steven Shaw (aka The Fat Guy) from eGullett said this of Katz's "The best pastrami, end of story. People who think otherwise don't understand pastrami." With a review like that from someone who knows an assload more about food than I, how could I order anything else.

As I stepped up to the counter, I was overwhelmed with the smells of pastrami and corned beef. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and was presented with a sample plate with a couple small slices of pastrami to sample while I waited for my sandwich to be assembled. Holy shit was this stuff good. It’s not too often that you try something and a smile appears on your face. Most over-hyped foods rarely live up to their reputation. This one exceeded it. It was smoky, spicy and best of all, moist and well-marbled. I cannot explain how good this tasted! Most pastrami I have had (with the exception of the Rochester Deli in Waukesha) is somewhat dry and not all that pleasant to eat. Not this stuff. I cannot lie; it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten, anywhere. The only condiment I added was a touch of mustard. Though it is a large sandwich, I managed to finish it. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving even the most miniscule morsel of this wonderful meal on a plate.

If anyone is ever in New York, you absolutely need to go and try the pastrami. Don't believe me, go to their website and click on the "Worth a 1000 words" tab. Stare at the pastrami then surf over to Midwest Airlines and book your flight.

The rest of the day was spent at Yankee Stadium at numerous bars. My eating was limited to some pretty good pizza in Times Square and some overpriced mediocre pizza at the Yankee Game. After blowing through at least 50 bucks each on beer at Yankee Stadium, the budget wouldn't allow for more eating.

Day 2 posting featuring Chelsea Market and Les Halles coming tomorrow.

Marcel Biro on Restaurant Guys Radio

2006-08-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

Marcel Biró and his wife Shannon Kring Biró owners of Biró, and O' in Sheboygan will appear on Restaurant Guys Radio, which one of the better food podcasts on the net. It’s actually a live radio show that they upload as a podcast, but it is very fun and informative. Other guests have included Thomas Keller, Tom Colicchio , and Ruth Reichl among several others. Look for Marcel to speak about German Cuisine and his expansion plans. Marcel and his wife Shannon Kring Biro have also co-authored Biró: European-Inspired Cuisine and the great PBS series The Kitchens of Biró. For those who have never watched, it is a very interesting look at cooking and the restaurant business. The first segment is Marcel discussing the ingredient and showing how to cook it in a "studio" kitchen. Then he goes to the restaurant and you see him and the other chefs preparing the item and several others in advance of dinner service, then there are interviews with the customers to see if they liked it. There are deviations from this format, which also keeps the show interesting.

More links:
Biro Internationale (restaurants, books, tv show, cooking school, and culinary travel information.
Restaurant Guys Radio

Pho Tu Trinh Review

2006-07-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

For years I have heard about pho, the Vietnamese dish with noodles, vegetables, and meat in an aromatic broth made with oxtails, beef, star anise, cinnamon, fish sauce, and ginger. Along side the pho, you are usually served limes, bean sprouts, jalapenos, thai basil, cilantro and various other accouterments which you add to your soup as you eat it. Meat, cilantro, jalapeno? I love these things. So why is it that I have never tried this stuff? I guess the opportunity never presented itself. I do not live near any Vietnamese restaurants and the thought of going to one for dinner had really never crossed my mind. The other day I had enough. I was sick of reading about the wonderful symphony of textures and flavors. What really enticed me was an online chat with the Journal’s restaurant critic, Dennis Getto. While I think a lot of his reviews give mediocre restaurants rave reviews, he has never steered me wrong when reviewing Asian restaurants (Side note: Getto’s been here forever. I guarantee every restaurant has his photo on the wall in the kitchen and rewards for sporting him. I think in many places he gets star treatment that other diners don’t receive, leading to the favorable reviews. This is not his fault, but diners need to be aware of this). In the online chat he recommended one place, Pho Tu Trinh, located at 2344 S. 27th St..

The restaurant is small and somewhat difficult to spot while traveling down 27th Street. There are a couple of off-street spots and plenty of on-street parking. When I entered there were a bunch of Vietnamese guys playing cards at a table and one guy eating. I was promptly seated and presented with the menu. If you don’t know the language, the menu can be intimidating. The dish names are in Vietnamese with the only American description being the meat products inside. I stared at the pages of the menu for a couple of minutes and decided on the house special, which was a Pho dish with all kinds of meat (fat brisket, meatball, skirt steak, eye of round, tendon, and tripe. While the thought of tendon and tripe scared the shit out of me, I figured I would order the Pho as is.

While I waited for my food, the guy seated at the table next to me received his bowl of Pho. I immediately smelled the fragrant broth as the waiter walked by my table. Soon after was brought a large bowl filled with the fragrant steaming broth and chunks of meat floating among noodles and chopped scallions. On the side there was thai basil, some other leafy herb, a lime, some fresh slices of jalapeno, and a mound of bean sprouts. The waiter also showed me the array of sauces and encouraged me to try the sweet sauce (tasted like Hoisin sauce to me) and the hot sauce (which was just a bottle of Sirhacha). I added them both to my Pho, gave it a stir with the chopsticks, and added basil, lime, jalapeno, and some of the bean sprouts.

Let me tell you, it was love at first taste. The broth had a depth of flavor that quite honestly; I have never had in a soup. Each taste revealed different ingredients. Some tasted of Star Anise and ginger others of the distinctive taste of a fresh jalapeno or cinnamon. The soup became hotter as I ate it as the jalapeno (with seeds) slowly released its essence into the soup. I refreshed the soup often with lime and Thai basil. Most of the meat in the soup looked strange (when you boil red meat it takes on a pork-like appearance. However the taste was great. I especially liked the fat brisket because in addition to the flavor of the broth, the flavor of the meat held up well. What I could have done without is the tripe and tendons. I tried both of them and basically thought “what’s the point?” Neither of them tasted offensive, in fact neither of them tasted like much at all but the texture (especially the tendon) was a bit strange. The tripe was chewy and easily mixed in with the noodles, I just didn’t like the texture of it. The tendon also lacked any offensive flavor, but the texture was kind of glutinous and chewy. I ate most of the tripe and avoided eating anymore tendon. Despite my misgivings about these items, the meal was excellent. I really enjoyed getting to the bottom of the bowl only to discover there were more chunks of meat that I hadn’t found yet.

For those who may be intimated by Southeast Asian cuisine Pho may sound too exotic for American palates. However when you really get down to it, Pho is loaded with stuff we Americans love: noodles, broth, and beef. Think of it as Asian comfort food along the lines of beef noodle soup. It’s not spicy unless you like it that way and if you stick with meats like brisket and flank you will not be disappointed. Another thing you will not be disappointed in is the price. I think my entire meal including an extremely large bowl of Pho and a soda set me back a whopping 8 bucks.

Pho Tu Trinh also offers several appetizers. I watched as one diner enjoyed two types of rolls, a spring roll with an almost transparent wrapper and some fried rolls. They also offer several Vietnamese sandwiches which are only 3 bucks each. On my next visit, which will be very soon, I will have to try some of the other items along with the Pho.

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. I now know why everyone raves about Pho. If you don’t go here, you are an idiot.

Other resources:
Journal Article on Pho Tu Trinh
Pho entry in Wikipedia
A great article from Viet World Kitchen

EatWisconsin goes to the Big Apple?

2006-07-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a trip to new York to entice people to visit my site called EatWisconsin, huh?Nonetheless I am going to NYC this weekend. Some of the places on the itinerary for this visit include: Katz’s Deli (is the pastrami really that good? I guess I will find out), Les Halles (made famous by Anthony Bourdain) and somewhere good for pizza. Besides those three stops, everything else we will play by ear. I have already been to Les Halles but a friend of mine would really like to check it out. I also need to have a bagel with lox. It wouldn't seem like a trip to NY without that tasty brekfast staple.

Welcome to the launch of EatWisconsin

2006-07-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the launch of EatWisconsin. I have been on hiatus, busy with the usual summer activities and house projects, but I am back, reinvigorated, and ready to post. On the day that I decided to get started up again, the Milwaukee Brewers and Klement’s announced they are adding a 5th racing sausage at Miller Park. As the Journal announced “Chorizo, a tasty Mexican sausage, will join fellow meaty friends Hot Dog, Bratwurst, Polish and Italian as the newest member of the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages team.” For years the sausages were the only thing worth cheering for at Brewer games. While the play on the field over the past year or so has produced some new excitement, the sausages get the crowd on their feet.

Some predictions, facts, and observations:

1. The Chorizo will win its inaugural race.
2. Right-wing talk show hosts and bloggers will say that this is being done for politically correct reasons because of the ongoing immigration debate.
3. I guarantee that there will be no fewer than 5 jokes by the same conservatives questioning whether the Chorizo is a legal resident or an illegal immigrant. That’s just the kind of pricks they are. They are never happy unless they can paint things in racial terms.
4. How much do you want to bet that 75 percent of the fans at Miller Park will ask “What in the hell is a chorizo?” the first time the sausage lines up to race.
5. Chorizo goes great with Mussels. For an easy recipe sauté a couple of chopped shallots, a chopped jalapeno, and some chorizo. Add a can of chopped tomatoes, a ½ bottle of Mexican beer, and a bunch of mussels. Cook until they open, salt and pepper to taste, garnish with some lime and chopped cilantro. Serve with crusty bread.
6. Does Miller Park even sell Chorizo? If not, they really should. Chorizo taco stand anyone?

The Great Brat Debate

2006-06-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

For my first real post after the announcement of the launch of EatWisconsin I figured I would begin with a discussion of something near and dear to the hearts of most meat consuming cheeseheads; the bratwirst. Ever since I had my first taste of a bratwurst I have heard people argue about all aspects of brat purchasing, cooking, and eating.

First, what kind of brats to purchase. This is a matter of personal taste. The main brands I really enjoy are all Wisconsin brands: Usingers, Klement's though there are several butchers that make some incredible sausages. One of my all time favorites is the Onion and Pepper Cheese Bratwurst made and sold at The Lake Tomahawk Meat Market in Northern Wisconsin (Their beef jerky is still the best I have ever had). Their regular bratwurst are also very good. I have a friend who always requests that I bring back the Onion and Pepper Cheese Brats whenever I am up north. Like most things, selecting a brat is a matter of personal preference.

All things being equal if I am standing in a grocery store I will usually reach for the Johnsonville Beer n' Brats or Johnsonville Original. I grew up with these two items and they provide everything I want in a brat. With that being said, I have never had a Usinger's or Klement's that I haven't enjoyed. Usingers also has a tremendous lineup of sausages with offerings from all over the globe. Their Italian and Hungarian Sausages are out of this world, but that is a matter for another posting, lets stay focused on brats. The only advice I can really give you: NEVER BUY PRE-COOKED BRATS!! Now I know most will not listen. We live in an era where convenience is king and laziness in meal preparation the norm. Precooked brats are indeed convenient, but they don't really taste that great. For the most part, the texture is way off and comes closer to the consistency of a hot dog. If you must buy pre-cooked brats go for the Old Wisconsin brand. I find that once grilled they best replicate the true taste of a brat cooked from raw. Old Wisconsin also has some great summer sausage and snack sausage. As for the pre-grilled brats (I guess you just microwave them) I have never tried them so I will refrain from comment for now. If they taste anything like pre-cook breakfast sausage or bacon I would avoid.

When it comes to cooking method there are really two camps in the great brat debate: to parboil or not. If you have ever been to a picnic, tailgate, or backyard barbeque you have likely heard a couple of beer soaked idiots engaged in a drunken debate over how to property make a bratwurst. I am here to tell you that both methods, when executed properly, can make for excellent bratwurst and either one can yield tremendous results. For a long time I was a strict par boiler. In fact I took it a step further. The night before I was going to grill I would par boil the brats in a bath of dark beer, onions, and peppers. I would then remove the brats, onions and peppers and place them in a sealable container or bag. I would then dump another bottle of dark beer into the container. Letting the brats soak up the beer overnight fills them with a pronounced beer flavor but not one that overpowers the flavor of the sausage. Oh and you really shouldn't boil the brats, just keep the beer at a low simmer. It really should be called par-simmer. Hardcore boiling action can result in burst casings, which really sucks. My only two complaints about par-boiling are 1) that you have to spend about 20-30 minutes doing it ahead of time and 2) that some of the fat boils out of the brats, making them a tad less juicy and flavorful on the inside.

With that being said, I also discovered that if you take a brat and grill it over medium heat, carefully turning it to ensure even cooking and to not puncture the skin, you will end up with a great crisp casing that "snaps" when you bit into it revealing a juicy flavorful inside that fills your mouth with delicious juices. So direct grilling also works great. If you really want the beer flavor without par-boiling I have two recommendations. First, use the beer infused brats, my favorite is Johnsonville Beer n' Brats. There is a hint of beer taste, though not as much as you get with par boiling. The best method, and one that works great when having a picnic, tailgate, or backyard gathering, is to get a deep (at least 3-4 inches) disposable aluminum pan. Fill it with a couple of beers, fill yourself with a couple more, add some peppers and onions if you wish, and let it sit over low heat on the grill. Put all of your cooked brats and other sausage products into the bath of beer and let your guests help themselves. The beer keeps them hot and you get the great taste of a brat that has spent the entire cooking process over a flame but is still full of beer goodness.

I checked the Big Three (Johnsonville, Usingers and Klement's) websites to see their cooking tips. The results are as follows:

Usingers: Recommends par-boiling but says direct grilling is ok but stresses the importance of a fully cooked sausage.
Johnsonville: Recommends direct grilling from the raw state. No mention of par-boiling (might get them in trouble with the Sheboyganites)
Klement's: Direct grilling

As for toppings, that's a whole other argument that likely ensues within minutes of the end of the parboil debate. The folks in Sheboygan shun sauerkraut while others think adding ketchup is blasphemy. My take on this: put whatever the fuck you want on your brat. You are the only one that has to be satisfied with the brat. Don't let the Brat Nazis dictate your enjoyment of a delicious bratwurst. Nobody tells anyone what to put on their hamburger or what to put in their chili so why do they feel the need to mess with your sausage mojo?

Honestly I do not really have a favorite set of condiments for brats. I mix it up. Sometimes I want kraut, mustard and onions and other times I want nothing but the bratwurst to savor the flavor of the sausage. Sometimes a streak of spicy brown mustard is all I need. Folks in Sheboygan, Wisconsin serve two bratwurts on a buttered Sheboygan roll (a round hard roll), which is both filling and delicious (though the butter is really not necessary). Like par boiling vs direct grilling, condiments are a matter of personal preference and anyone who tells you otherwise is an asshole.

With all of these arguments over brat selection, cooking, and eating there is one thing that all brat connoisseurs can agree on: the only thing to drink with brats is ice cold beer. Make that ice cold Wisconsin beer (microbrew or macrobrew). Drinking Budweiser while eating a brat may get your Wisconsin citizenship revoked. Drinking wine with brats is a disgrace. As for why people in and near Sheboygan call it a brat fry when you are actually grilling....well that's a can of worms we will leave closed for now.

Other resources on this subject:
Bratwurst Wiki
The Bratwurst Pages

Blogger Sucks

2006-06-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Brat post is being fixed. Blogger fucked it up as it does with any post that is over 2 paragraphs long.

Exciting changes at Undelicious

2006-06-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

First, I have decided that the name Undelicious is probably not the best name for a food blog. For those who don’t get the Simpson’s reference, a word like Undelicious conjures up visions of eating shitty food or nasty entrails like the idiots who are on Fear Factor. The goal of this site is to celebrate that which is delicious not that which is undelicious. I also want to create more of an emphasis on the State of Wisconsin with postings and articles on Wisconsin restaurants, farmer’s markets, recipes, ingredients, and anything else food, beer, or wine related. The scope of this site will not solely be on Wisconsin as I intent on writing about food related items in my travels out of state. Nonetheless I wanted the name of the site to reflect the content and with that I would like you to introduce you to

www.eatwisconsin.net (nothing there yet)

I wanted a .com address but some lady from Monticello Wisconsin has registered it.

This week in Undelicious

2006-06-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have 4 postings that are in draft form and should drop this week:

-Review of Louts restaurant in Oak Creek
-La Estacion Review
-The Great Bratwurst Debate
-America's Test Kitchen Blowhards

Benny’s Seafood Review

2006-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

When I first saw Benny’s Seafood, located in a strip mall in Delafield, WI, I thought it was a seafood store. I was excited as western Waukesha County doesn’t have a great source for fish. I later read in the Journal that it was actually a restaurant. Dennis Getto seemed to have a pretty big boner for this place, which isn’t saying a whole lot. Nonetheless we gave it a try a few weeks ago.

The décor is definitely that of a seafood place, with netting and strong nautical theme. We waited at the bar for about 20 minutes for our table. The beer selection is awesome with a whole lot of microbrews. We were asked if we could be seated at a 6-top rectangular table with another couple at the opposite end, which was fine with us. They touted their freshly shucked oysters, which I had a craving for so I ordered a ½ dozen as an appetizer. The arrived with some lemon and some cocktail sauce. I prefer mine unadulterated, but these may have been a couple of days old. They were still fresh, but the lemon added an extra bit of freshness. They were very good.

Dinners are served with soup or salad and my wife and I opted for the clam chowder, which quite honestly was some of the best I have ever had in Wisconsin and I would hold it up to some of the great chowders I have tasted on the East Coast. Filled with a significant amount of chopped clams, the soup was the perfect consistency.

The menu is broken down into preparation types, grilling, oven, pan fried, and house specials. I opted for the house special Soft Shelled Crabs with a rosemary, garlic, caper sauce. My wife tried the Mahi Mahi Almondine from the oven. The soft shell crabs themselves were fried to perfection and were very fresh and flavorful. As for the sauce, I could barely detect it. I definitely couldn’t taste any rosemary. I opted for the rice as my side, hoping that the sauce would add some flavor to it. The lack of sauce resulted in me having a nice pile of bland rice. The sautéed veggies were very good, but that is pretty hard to screw up. Benny’s can now get added to the endless list of places that serve boring bland rice. I think if this dish was covered with a more substantial sauce, like a Remoulade, and some decent rice it would have been good.

My wife’s Mahi Mahi was very bland and a wee bit overcooked, but not to the point of being tough. She opted for the garlic mashed potatoes, which were actually quite impressive. The pineapple glaze, much like my sauce, was undetectable and when I ate a piece that had some glaze on it, my wife was shocked as she was convinced they had forgot it. We are both sauce freaks and were therefore very disappointed in these meals because, while cooked ok, the taste was really boring.

I think with some fine tuning this place could really kick out some great meals but for now, take your seafood desires elsewhere. The service was ok, but the waitress passed by our empty beers about 5 times before asking if we wanted another drink. She also didn't appear to know that much about the menu. I am guessing she really doesn't care too much for seafood. I believe it was the owner who seated us and he was extremely gracious and definitely appreciative of the people in his restaurant.

Roux Brothers Review

2006-05-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a chance to check out Roux Brothers, a tiny counter service (there is no seating) Cajun restaurant at the corner of Oakland and Capitol Drive in Shorewood. As I waited for my friend outside I could smell the wonderful aromas wafting out into the sidewalk encouraging passers-by to stop in. I was encouraged as a steady stream of customers entered the restaurant as I waited. I ran into a guy I new through a mutual friend and he told me that the food was outstanding.

A few years ago Cajun food was all the rage in Milwaukee. There were Cajun restaurants popping up all over and many non-Cajun restaurants added gumbo and jambalaya to their menus with varying degrees of success.. Many of these places flat out sucked with mediocre flavors in what equated to watered down Cajun food to please the palates of Milwaukeeans. All but a few remain and those that do have a much wider offering than Cajun specialties and are popular because they have incredible food. Luckily, Roux Brothers delivers some excellent food at great prices.

Inside the place isn’t much bigger than a walk-in closet. The walls on one side are lined with a dizzying array of hot sauce, bloody mary mix, and some Cajun/Creole food products like Café du Monde coffee with Chicory, Beignet mixes, Hurricane mixes, and pre-made roux, which I was intrigued by, but decided to pass. I think that buying pre-made roux is cheating. It seems like something that Semi-Homemade chick on the Food Network would do. I opted for the Shrimp Po-Boy for which the cashier handed me a spoon. My friend tried the ½ muffeletta sandwich which was giant, even for a ½ sandwich. He had enough for dinner and another meal. I think a full sandwich would feed a family of four.

I soon realized why he gave me the spoon, there was about a half a pound of shrimp covered with a great Remoulade sauce and some fried green tomatoes. It was very big and very messy. I appreciated the spoon as I used it to eat some of the contents to make the sandwich more manageable. The bread was nice and soft, but strong enough to hold up to all of the food crammed into it. The taste was incredible. The shrimp were perfectly cooked (they were either boiled or steamed) and the fried tomatoes added that obligatory po-boy crunch. I think they have an oyster po-boy but they were sold out last night. That is definitely next on my list. My friend said his muffeletta was also very good.

There are several other sandwiches to choose from including a Cajun BBQ pork, an alligator sausage, and a Cajun chicken sandwich. They have some chicken wings, which the guy I ran into earlier said were very hot but extremely flavorful and very addictive. There is also gumbo, which I could smell while waiting, some entrees like crawfish etouffe and red beans and rice.

I would highly recommend this place as it is inexpensive (my sandwich was 7.50 and well worth it) and it has a bit of something for everyone. I can’t wait to come back and try some other menu items. The only thing that sucks is that there is no seating inside or out. There is a little plaza surrounding a nearby bus stop and it would be great if they could convince Shorewood to let them put some tables out there.

Red Robin is coming to the Milwaukee area.

2006-05-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Milwaukeeans have a huge inferiority complex. Many residents often look to other places, mostly Chicago and the suburbs and wonder why we don’t have certain chain restaurants as if the quality of a City should be measured by how many PF Changs we have per capita. When a new chain announces its intentions of coming to Milwaukee it often makes the front page in the Milwaukee Journal. In recent years we have seen the openings of Krispy Crème, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano’s, Carrabas, Pedro’s Mexican, and the aforementioned PF Changs. Every single one of these places are packed most nights of the week. Wait times at Maggiano’s and Cheesecake Factory are up to 2 hours on a Friday or Saturday. People like to eat at these places as if it is some kind of a status symbol, a measuring stick to compare us to more upscale places like Chicago. (Disclosure, I love PF Changs, it is easily better than 90 percent of the Chinese places in town but don’t tell anyone).

Red Robin is the latest chain to push its way into Milwaukee (Greenfield, actually) and I think the restaurant is slated to open later this year. This Midwestern chain describes itself as a gourmet burger place. While on a motorcycle trip in Oshkosh this weekend, my dad and I decided to check thie restaurant out. When you walk in its just like every other chain sit-down, an enthusiastic staff and a bunch of wacky posters on the wall. Real original. Nonetheless, the place was packed and people seemed to be having a good time. They had a pathetic beer selection (think Miller and Bud products) but I will give them credit for having New Glarus Spotted Cow and some Leinenkugel’s selections. Burgers were served either medium well or “with a little pink” which was greatly appreciated by my dad and I. I ordered a Bleu Ribbon. Which was basted with a tangy steak sauce and topped with crumbled Bleu cheese with onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes and zesty Chipotle mayo on an onion bun. My dad went with the traditional cheeseburger. They are served with steak cut fries that while quite tasty with some ketchup would be even better with a splash of malt vinegar. Anyhow, while the burger was decent tasting, I was not terribly impressed. I couldn’t taste a hint of chipotle in the mayo and it definitely wasn’t “zesty,” as the menu described. I don’t want to get off topic, but when is the Chipotle craze going to die down? I remember a few years back when the only place to get Chipotle flavor was in the little cans of Chipotle in Adobo sauce and even those were hard to find around here. Nowadays you can’t escape it. Even the fast food chains are jumping on the Choptle craze.

Getting back on topic, the burgers were served, as my dad called it “McDonalds hot,” which was to say that it was served at a temperature of a Big Mac, which are usually served warm. I suspect that they just have one guy making a bunch of patties and then the add toppings as orders come in, so the burger may have been sitting for a few minutes. The meat kind of had that fast-food consistency. I guess if you are looking for a good place to take the kids, Red Robin would be okay but if you wanted a true gourmet burger there are a ton of bar & grills in the area that make way better burgers with “gourmet” toppings. Given Milwaukeeans tolerance, and even preference for the mediocre food masquerading as fine cuisine I have no doubt in my mind that this restaurant will be packed most nights of the week.

Undelicious Cheese Sampler #2: Don Bernardo Manchego

2006-05-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all time favorite cheeses. It is readily available at many fine cheese stores and almost everyone I know who gives it a try really enjoys the rich nutty flavor profile. It is a sheeps milk cheese, which gives it a very distinctive flavor and full body richness that lingers in your mouth after you eat it. The rind has an interesting pattern as a result of the presses used in the cheese making. I find that the rind has a very good, yet different taste than the cheese and it is entirely edible at least with this brand (Others I believe have a thick rind that wouldn’t be pleasant to eat).

I have made burgers and sandwiches with Manchego, but I really prefer to enjoy it as part of a cheese tray. It would pair well with a lighter red wine and some olives, and Spanish tapas bar almonds (recipe follows)

Tapas Bar Almonds

To make these get about 1-2 cups depending on how much you want) of blanched almonds (they will not have the brown skin on them). Coat the bottom of a sauté pan with some quality olive oil. Add the almonds and heat, tossing occasionally until lightly browned. Drain the nuts on a paper towel, but do not completely pat them dry. Put in a bag or plastic container with a cover and add some smoked paprika and fine sea salt. Shake to coat and serve immediately. If the spice is not sticking to the almonds add a little olive oil and shake again. Taste them and adjust by adding more salt or smoked paprika.

Undelicious Grilling Tips

2006-05-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year where every publication from Gourmet to Hustler publishes a grilling issue and every newspaper publishes the same grilling tips year after year aimed at the people who only cook burgers, brats, and dogs on the grill. In order to provide you, the proud and few Undelicious readers with the skills for a lifetime of grilling, here is my list of tips:

1. Under no circumstances should you ever use a spatula or other instrument to press down on a hamburger patty to release the juices in a half-assed attempt at lowering your fat intake. If you want a low fat burger, you can make some kick ass “burgers” with ground turkey and some decent spices. If you want a burger, eat a burger in all of its juicy glory. I cringe when I see self proclaimed weekend warrior grill masters doing this. If someone ever attempted this at my house, I would inform them for every second that they press down on a burger, I get to place their hand on the grate and press down for the same amount of time. Leave the burgers alone. The only time I feel it is appropriate to mess with them is if you use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature and after a few times you should be able to determine doneness by touch. Use the damn spatula for flipping and slapping your buddies and/or spouse or significant other on the ass when they least expect it.

2. For goodness sake, please season that meat or veggie. I have seen so many people just lay a burger or a chicken breast on the grill unseasoned. Sure you can add salt and pepper later, but the taste won't be the same. If you are grilling an un-marinated chicken breast and don't plan on slathering it with some kind of sauce at the end of grilling, use some kind of spice mixture. McCormick's makes a Montreal Chicken seasoning which adds a great deal of flavor to bland boring chicken breasts. Cajun rubs and Italian spice blends can also add a lot of flavor. Have fun with chicken breasts. They are inexpensive and are like a bland canvas waiting for you to paint them with flavor. No matter what kind of herbs, rubs, or spices you add, I guarantee it will be 100 times better than a plain breast. Penzey’s spices has a huge array of spices, herbs, and blends from curries to Cajun. I seriously must have over 100 different canisters of their stuff in my pantry and almost every one would be great on chicken.

3. Know when to apply sauces or glazes and marinades. Marinades are always done before hand. I recommend that you make your own because those store bought marinades are often filled with corn syrup and sugar. While the marinade may have decent flavor, chances are it will burn on your grill because of all that sugar. You probably have all of the ingredients for a great marinade in your cupboard or fridge. Things like soy sauce, orange juice, balsamic, sherry, rice wine, and red/white wine vinegars, garlic, lemons, limes, cilantro, ginger, bourbon, and beer make excellent marinades.

For a great quick marinade mix up some soy sauce,5 spice powder, rice wine vinegar(or white wine vinegar), grated or powdered ginger, crushed garlic, lime juice, and cilantro and marinade salmon tuna, scallops, or chicken (fish, shrimp and scallops should only be marinated for about a half hour, chicken can marinade overnight). Don’t fret if you don’t have all of the items, play around with what you do have. Add some honey, crushed red pepper or shallots. Do make sure you taste your marinade before you add the protein. If it seems to salty, add sugar or honey, too sweet add some salt or something with acidity like lime juice or vinegar. After marinating grill the protein and if you really want to get fancy, reserve some marinade before you add the meat and reduce it so it coats the back of a spoon. Then add the sauce to the protein when plating or baste it at the end of grilling for a nice glaze. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives and cilantro and serve with a good basmati or jasmine rice and some sautéed bok choy or some grilled vegetables.

4. Seafood and grilling are an excellent combination. Many people are afraid to cook seafood in any manner and even more are afraid to attempt to grill it. Seafood can get pretty expensive and the thought of burning it on the grill scares many people off. If you do things correctly grilled seafood is about as good as it gets. There is nothing better than a great grilled salmon filet or an ahi tuna steak served rare and topped with sauce or homemade salsa. I love grilling salmon, placing it atop some homemade guacamole or just chopped avocado and black beans (seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, and cilantro), then creating a salsa/sauce out of grilled leeks & tomatoes mixed with lime juice, cilantro, salt and cumin. Another easy recipe is to take inexpensive farm raised catfish filets, season with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice and grill, top with a homemade corn salsa. Scallops and shrimp are also excellent on the grill. Try starting with the inexpensive fish such as cod, haddock, catfish, or whitefish and work your way up to things like salmon, scallops and tuna.

5. Most cookbooks lie. Never under any circumstances trust a “doneness chart” provided with your thermometer or in 99 percent of home cookbooks. Also, do not count on grilling times provided in all cookbooks. Every single grill is different and every piece of food is different. The only way to determine doneness is by sight, by touch (which requires some practice) or by temperature. If you use the FDA recommended temperatures you will ultimately end up with overcooked food. This is one of the reasons so many home cooks get frustrated when cooking. These charts do not count for the residual heat that continues to cook meat for anywhere from 5-15 minutes after you have removed it from the oven. The FDA says a steak is medium rare when at 145 degrees. Well if you yank it off the grill when it hits that temperature, it could add as many as 5-10 degrees and your steak is now into medium range. I always pull my steaks off the grill around 130-133 degrees (depending on thickness), set them on a plate, top with a small pat of butter, and cover with tin foil. Wait 5 minutes (use this time to set up your plates, add starch and veggies and get another beverage). When the 5 minutes is up, place the steak on the plate, pour some of the juice and butter mixture from the steak plate on top of the meat and enjoy one of the best tasting steaks you have ever cooked for yourself. Even worse than trusting most temperature charts is basing your grilling on set times. A recipe may say cook for 5 to 7 minutes on one side, flip, cook additional 5 minutes. What if it is windy? What if your grill isn’t as powerful as others? What about the thickness of the meat? Have you brined your pork, chicken, or turkey? All of these factors will have an impact on cooking times but most cookbooks don’t account for them. Trust your eyes, touch, and instant read thermometer.

Here is what I would recommend for temperatures (I believe I learned this from Cooks Illustrated) Meat (veal, lamb, beef): Rare-125, Med.Rare-130, Medium- 140, Burnt and inedible-155-160.
Pork: Medium-145 (always pull tenderloin or pork loin at this temp) or 160 for well done. Pork shoulder is a different story, which I will cover in a different post.
Chicken: 160-165
Fish: Until it is just about ready to flake (if you wait until it flakes the residual heat may overcook it). Ahi Tuna is best served rare and almost still cold in the middle.

6. There is no such thing as grilling season. Many people put the grill away sometime in September or early October and bring it out Memorial Day weekend. With the proliferation of gas grills, there is no reason to not grill out 12 months a year. I honestly cannot think of a two-week period that went by where I didn’t grill at least something, even in the dead of winter. I simply move my grill closer to the house, shovel a path, and I am set to grill year round.

7. Don't limit your dinner to the grill. Many people figure if they are grilling, there is no need to use other cooking methods for their dinner preparation. Don’t be afraid to turn on your stove or grill side burner to cook up some rice, couscous, or to create a sauce for your grilled veggies or protein. Often times I will make up vinaigrette or sauce in the food processor and simply drizzle it over the food when plating. Mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli or beans, or roasted cauliflower also make great side dishes for grilled food.

8. Try to determine cooking times for each item (proitein veggie, starch) and put them on the grill in the correct order. Many home cooks throw everything on at the same time and what they end up with is overcooked proteins and undercooked veggies or undercooked protein and burnt veggies. Determine what will take the longest (usually proteins or potatoes) and start that first, add the other items at the correct times to ensure that everything is done at once. If you are resting your meat (and you should be) you have a few extra minutes to finish cooking your veggies if your timing was off.

9. Quit being such a chickenshit, get adventurous. Wow, you grilled up another killer platter of brats and burgers. A trained chimp could do that if given the chance. A good rule of thumb is that if it tastes good sautéed or roasted, chances are it tastes better grilled. I cook on the grill about 50 percent of the time in the winter and about 75 percent of the time in the warmer months. Pork tenderloins, oysters, roasts, fish, vegetables, polenta, fruit, burgers, turkey, duck, you name it and someone somewhere has grilled it. Many people fear making Duck a la Orange in the oven because it is a very involved process. Steven Raichlen, author of several excellent grilling books has a grilled version that will amaze you with its simplicity and incredible taste. It involves a great basting sauce and shoving a can of orange soda up the duck’s ass…er…I mean cavity.

10. Always have backup propane or charcoal. Nothing sucks more then returning to the grill only to discover the flame has extinguished or the coals are down to ashes and realizing that you have no more charcoal or propane. I always have a full LP tank on standby and as soon as one is empty, it gets exchanged the next day. It will save you the hassle and embarrassment of having to finish your food in the oven, on the stove or even worse, the microwave.

A Long Winded Review of Zin

2006-05-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Note: This post is unusually long but dinner here was so good that it deserves the extra words.

As I have stated in previous posts (here and here) Fishbones in Delafield, Wisconsin is one of the best restaurants in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It would easily make my top 10 list. After eating at Fishbones several times, we finally found a weekend when we could try out Zin, the newest restaurant venture by the team of restaurateur Dennis Sobczak and chef Jesse Sousa. There were four of us, so I was excited at the prospect of trying four different entrees and a couple of appetizers.

When we arrived a happy customer was smoking out on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant (smoking is thankfully not allowed in the bar or restaurant, a decision that the owners recently made). The guy says hi and demands that we try the Osso Bucco, claiming that it was amazing. We walk in and were told it would only be a short wait for a table. The bar is very cool looking with an old fieldstone wall. The entire restaurant is stunning with lots of touches that make you feel like you are on the East Side or even New York. It definitely doesn't feel like Delafield. The tap selection is ok but could be improved upon. I ordered Sierra Nevada pale ale, though I think a local microbrew like a Tyranena Headless Woman IPA or a Lakefront Cream City Pale Ale would have been a better choice, but what do I know about stocking a bar. The beer was cold and fresh and that is good enough for me. My dining companions had wine or mixed drinks, which they all seemed pleased with.

After a short 15 minute wait (not bad for a Saturday at 7pm) we were seated upstairs. It was very hot, almost uncomfortably so. However within a few minutes it quickly cooled down to a comfortable level. Someone else must have said something. As we perused the menu my eyes wandered around the room at other diners and what was on their plates. My wife saw some incredible looking seafood dish with lobsters and shrimp and asked the stranger what it was. She informed her it was the baby lobster and shrimp with mushroom risotto. She added that it was delicious. While we were trying to decide on our entrees, we opted for two appetizers. The fried calamari and the crab stuffed shrimp were the two that we could all agree on. We also ordered a large Caesar Salad.

The waitress brought back a large platter of calamari rings and a marinara sauce. The calamari had been battered in a Seirra Nevada pale ale. A dash of salt was all that was needed to make the calamari’s taste come to life. They were excellent and really didn't need any sauce as they were great by themselves. The crab stuffed shrimp were medium sized and there was a fair amount of crab inside. They were cooled perfectly and the crab was extremely sweet. We devoured both appetizers.

The Caesar Salad was pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary. One touch that I apperceived was the anchovy filets spread across the top of the salad. Nobody at the table wanted them so I took them all. With the anchovy, the salad was above average. I think I would have preferred the one of the other salads, which include an Avocado Chop, Goat Cheese, or Roasted Pistachio and Apple.

We all opted for different main courses. I wanted the Halibut and Saffron Risotto, which Dennis Getto called some of the best he has ever had, but the waitress convinced me to try the special of the night, which was a filet of Corvina, a white sea bass from California that I had never heard of. The fish was covered with a shrimp and tomato concasse and set atop a mound of the best tasting cannellini beans I have ever head There was a distinct flavor of pork in them, so I assume they were cooked with a pork hock or some other flavorful chunk of pig. The fish was perfectly cooked with a delicate mild flavor, which kind of reminded me of snapper. The shrimp and tomato concasse added just the right touch to the fish. The waitress indicated that they may be adding this to their regular menu as it is always a hit as a special.

My wife had the tortelloni stuffed with lump crab, roasted garlic and Ricotta and Asiago cheese with a Gorgonzola cream sauce. The oversized tortelloni were packed full of tender succulent crab, not the small cheap stringy bits you find in many stuffed pastas. The Gorgonzola sauce was restrained enough not to overpower the delicate crabmeat. My sister-in-law opted for the baby lobster and shrimp with a herbed mushroom risotto. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the baby lobster, about the size of a large shrimp, was delicious. The shitake mushrooms added an earthy element to the creamy herbed risotto.

Taking a cue from the satisfied patron outside, my father-in-law ordered the Osso Bucco Milanese. The huge portion arrived with Fontina country mashed potatoes and braised vegetables. They even supplied a small spoon so diners can scoop out the delicious marrow from the bone. The meat was fork tender and the diced vegetables were soft without being mushy. In his review, Dennis Getto, who in one paragraph praises the mashed potatoes by stating "The taste of the cheese and potatoes delivered a welcome detour from the garlic-mashed potatoes served at so many other places," goes on to say about the exact same potatoes that he wasn't as excited about them when paired with the Osso Bucco. He wanted risotto, which is traditionally served with Osso Bucco. I think that Zin should be commended here. There were so many veggies in the sauce that they would have mixed with the risotto and the taste of the saffron would have been lost. But Getto, true to form, had to impart his know-it-all commentary into the review. Diners don't be swayed; the potatoes were a perfect match to this rendition of Osso Bucco. We managed to save enough room for dessert, a chocolate fudge cake, which was dense and delicious.

The wine selection was unpretentious and offers a wide array of wines, which are listed by their flavor profile, which helps diners select the most appropriate wine for their dinner. Given the name of the restaurant, and impressive list of five Zinfandels (most places around here have one token Zin on the list), it was hard for me to pass up a glass of my favorite type of wine but I figured the bold spicy taste would interfere with my delicate fish entree. I opted for a lighter Echelon Pinot Noir, which was flavorful but mild enough to go very well with the Corvina and shrimp and tomato concasse.

All I have to say is that Zin really is as the owners describe it "Zincredible." Classy enough for a romantic night out but casual enough to grab a bunch of friends for a fun evening of dinner and drinks, Zin is sure to be pleasing the palates of Waukesha County residents for years to come.

Related Links:
A Foodspot Page
Official Website
Fishbones

Undelicious Cheese Sampler #1: Whiskey Blue

2006-05-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

People are always trying to cram different flavors into cheese. For years cheesemakers have managed to add beer, mushrooms, leeks, peppers, herbs, wine, sausage, bacon, and just about anything tasty into a wide variety of cheeses. It should have came as no surprise to me when I saw Whiskey Blue cheese at Sendik’s (Capitol Drive in Brookfield). I would have probably have passed this cheese by as I tend to like unadulterated cheeses (though a good chunk of brie with mushrooms finds its way into my fridge once in a while) but they had samples and it was on sale. This unique cheese is a blend of unpasteurized Wisconsin blue and Kentucky Bourbon. One taste and I was hooked. The initial taste is that of a creamy blue, similar to Maytag. As the cheese melts away your mouth is awash in the distinct taste of Bourbon, though subtle hints of the cheese lingers. It is unlike any cheese I have ever tried and I definitely would recommend it to anyone who likes a strong creamy blue or gorgonzola. I could imagine this tasting incredible melted onto a grilled filet mignon or in a steak salad. Given pork’s affinity for bourbon flavors, I think topping a bourbon brined pork chop with a Whiskey Blue walnut butter would yield great results.

Another Milwaukee Food Blogger?

2006-05-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

While reading Ann Christenson's weekly "Dish On Dining" I saw that there was a new food blog in Milwaukee called Taste of the Town. Edited by Audra Shalles, who was relocated from Dallas Texas. While a little Google investigating did reveal that she is actually doing the blog for Visit Milwaukee, much like the Play In The City blog, so I would guess you are not going to find the ranting and harsh criticism that I dish out, which is fine. I am guessing that Visit Milwaukee issued some kind of a press release and that is how Milwaukee Magazine "discovered" her blog. Maybe I need more publicity. Perhaps I should take a cue from Steve Wasser of Gastrologica and print up some business cards and leave them where the foodies lurk...Milwaukee Public Market, Metro Market, West Allis Farmer's Market and Outpost.

There is plenty of space for all kinds of different food blogs. I do miss Adventures of A Foodie, who retired at the end of 2005. Looking back at his posts, with all of the sweets that guy ate, I would guess maintaining the blog wasn't too great for the waistline. Anyhow his archives are still available and he has reviewed a ton of restaurants. I guess I kind of thought of Jason as Wisconsin's version of the Amateur Gourmet.

I am a little bitter that she actually won the MKE Blog of the Week. I was nominated one week, but lost. Bastards!

Leinenkugels - Selling The Northwoods Image

2006-05-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Breweries are always trying to sell an image. Pabst still has the image of a working class beer, but it has recently become the beverage du jour of the hipster crowd in the Midwest. Bud Light in my opinion has the image of people who like to get drunk but hate the taste of beer. Coors Light and Budweiser have managed, whether intentional or not, to project the image of drunken wannabe jocks (anyone who has sat in the bleachers at Wrigley can attest to that). Microbreweries still like to project an image, but not as much as the big breweries. That is probably because they can stand on the great taste of their beers. There was a great article in today’s Journal about the Leinenkigel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin today. It kind of touched on this northwoods image that they have successfully created. When I am up in Minocqua, Wisconsin it almost seems like I have to buy Leinie’s (as the locals call it) to get the full Northwoods experience, though a nice 12 pack of Point Special works as well. It is rare that you enter a northwoods restaurant, bar, or supper club without seeing Leinenkugel’s on tap. and

The thing with Leinie’s is that they are actually producing really excellent brews that kind of fill the space between the microbreweries and the major brewers. I would put them in a category with the Boston Beer Company (brewers of Sam Adams). I think that Leinie’s, who has been owned by Miller since the 80s, has actually helped the microbrewery industry in Wisconsin. These beers act as a gateway beer. My parents, whose idea of a good beer in the past was Coors or Michelob, now like all kinds of microbrews because they got hooked on Leinie’s Red, Northwoods Lager, and Creamy Dark (my personal favorite). They have also managed to get Miller Lite-type drinkers to try their Honey Weiss, which despite tasting nothing like a Weiss beer, is pretty good and refreshing on a hot summer day. What gets lost in all of their beers is the fact that their flagship beer, Leinenkugel’s is actually really good as well. I would it up against Budweiser, MGD, High Life, or Coors any day.

Foie Gras Ramblings

2006-05-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

Over at the Culinary Podcast network there was a Culinary Roundtable discussion on Foie Gras, which inspired this post. Not since Dirk Diggler unfurled his junk at the end of Boogie Nights has an organ been so controversial. In general all of those participating in the discussion were very much aware of the controversy and none of them took a completely barbaric tone. What I think is lost in any discussion about veal, Foie Gras, or any animal for human consumption is the fact that in the end the animal is going to be killed and eaten.

Let me start by saying that I have only had Foie Gras twice in my life. Once it was mixed into a pate, which I though was just so-so and the second was served as part of a duck entrée that I ordered at Brasserie at 53 & Lexington in Manhattan. I actually never thought about ordering foie and when I saw it as part of a dish that featured duck confit and a seared duck breast, I figured it was a good time to finally try this controversial treat.

Those on the pro-Foie Gras side like to argue that overeating is what the ducks do naturally before migration. I heard an interview on the Restaurant Guys with Michael Ginor of Hudson Valley Foie Gras where he kept on saying over and over that the ducks voluntarily come up to the feeding tubes at feeding time. Those on the other side argue that the ducks are trapped in a cage and the tube is shoved down their throughts. They claim that the ducks tear out their own feathers and cannibalize each other as a result of severe stress. Many of them die well before slaughter (side note: I have heard that a higher percentage chickens die before slaughter than Foie Gras Ducks) Whether or not any of this is true is kind of irrelevant as I think that you can only look at your own personal beliefs and make a decision. Which brings me to the only logical solution, let people decide. Slowly people are letting our personal freedoms being taken away from us. It may be Foie Gras today but what will it be tomorrow? Veal? Eggs? Milk? Milk you say? Well anyone who has a clue about female anatomy or dairy farming knows that in order for a cow to produce milk, it needs to be kept pregnant. Should we really be allowed to enjoy something that is supplied as the result of forced pregnancy on cows? Anyone ever see the conditions that chickens raised for food or meat live in? Chickens crammed into cages so small they can’t turn around doesn’t sound that humane to me. Sounds silly, I know but this is how groups like PETA force their agenda on us.

Foie Gras is an easy target because only gourmands and rich people eat it. Sally Soccer Mom could care less if they ban Foie Gras but if they banned chicken or eggs she would freak out. The only people who care about the current war on Foie Gras are people who produce, cook, or consume it. I would say that in a poll of 100 Americans, only 50 percent would have even heard of Foie Gras and maybe 25 could actually tell you what it is. Ask the same 100 people who won the last season of American Idol and 90 percent could tell you it was Carrie Underwood (I actually had to google this as I honestly didn’t know). It has always been really easy to enact social change when you pick a so-called luxury item that the general populace doesn’t care about. I remember in the 80s when veal came under attack. That has seemed to die down, but you know as soon as they have really made a dent in the Foie Gras industry, veal is probably the next thing in their crosshairs. After all it is something that most of the population doesn’t eat and those who do don’t eat it very often. Maybe they have some veal parmesan at their favorite Italian restaurant or some veal mixed into their meatloaf or meatballs, but not enough to really get up in arms about it. That is how PETA works. Start with a luxury item (foie), move on to something that only a small segment of society eats with any regularity (veal) and then go after the bigger items like chicken and beef.

My opinion on foie is that like with other controversial food products such as veal is to let the consumer decide. If the practice becomes so horrible and unpopular, let the market will take care of the so-called Foie Gras problem.

Getting back to my first taste of Foie, I imagine this is what smoking crack is like. You have one taste and then you want more. Indeed, I ate my slice of seared Foie Gras as slowly as possible because it was like nothing I had ever eaten before. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The duck breast was described on the menu as a Long Island Duck Breast and Confit with foie gras, Berry compote, and orange-coriander sauce. The entire meal was outstanding. The breast was served medium rare and the berry compote provided the perfect sweet and tart balance to the rich meat. The confit was wrapped in what seemed to be a spring roll wrapper forming a duck stuffed straw. The orange coriander sauce was an awesome dipping sauce for these straws, which also had cilantro (aka coriander) inside. But back to the Foie Gras. There are not a whole lot of meals that I have eaten so slow as to savor every bite (a NY Strip steak served at Aureole in Vegas was another). Since that night in Manhattan I have had an urge to eat Foie Gras. Living in Milwaukee it has been very easy to resist this urge as there are so few restaurants that serve it (maybe 5) that I haven't even had an opportunity to order it. I have looked at a few stores but the price combined with the fear of cooking something that could completely melt and be lost forever is holding me back.

The Search for Oysters in A Beer and Brat Town

2006-05-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

I would like to make the following declaration:
If you are going to buy oysters in the shell in the Milwaukee area there are two and only 2 stores that you should even consider purchasing them. Milwaukee is not an oyster town. There are some restaurants that have great fresh oysters (Benny’s Seafood in Delafield is a new addition to that list) but the number of stores that have fresh, quality oysters is 2. You will see oysters, typically Bluepoint, at many local grocery stores, including some newer Pick n’ Save stores (a rant about those bastards will be posted soon) and even at every upscale grocer. I don’t care how nice they look sitting on that shaved ice next to all of that other fish, do not even think about buying them unless you are at these two stores:

Empire Fish – By far the best source for oysters and the price is nothing short of amazing when compared with anywhere else. They run around 6-7 bucks a dozen and it is a rare occasion that you get a bad oyster. Most stores charge 80 cents to 1.00 each and 2 out of 3 are inedible. If you are getting oysters I don’t care where you are in the metro area, take the drive to Empire. They also have some great fresh fish (though sometimes the selection is not as interesting as it is at Sendik’s or Grasch Foods).

Sendik’s Fish Market in Whitefish Bay – Do not take this to mean that you can go to any Sendik’s and get great oysters. Only the fish market has quality oysters and they are usually reasonably priced. I haven’t been there in a year but they usually have 2-3 varieties.

If you chose to go elsewhere, do so at your own risk. Believe me. I have tried oysters from almost every “upscale” market and from a few Pick n’ Save stores (including Metro Market) and they are nothing short of terrible. Even lemon or hot sauce cannot rescue them. If you buy and eat oysters from anywhere but Sendik’s Fish Market and Empire Fish, do not post here when you spend the evening sleeping on the cold, hard bathroom floor clinging to the toilet. (Side note: The reason I wrote this post was because I had terrible some oysters last night (1 of 6 was edible) from a upscale store that shall remain nameless because they are a great place for just about everything else. I have e-mailed them to let them know about the problem I encountered.)

When buying oysters, your fishmonger should gently tap any oysters to make sure they are still alive. If you go to somewhere like Pick n’ Save the “fishmonger” is usually just some employee who couldn’t tell a catfish from an Ahi tuna steak. They are usually somewhat clueless and they will just grab the first twelve oysters they see. This is a bad thing, trust me. When you get home, double check the oysters and make sure they are closed or close with a gentle tap on the top of the shell. If the oyster sounds hollow and doesn’t close, throw it away. It is dead and has probably lost all of its liquor.

Serving and Eating
If you shuck oysters, use an oyster knife. If you don’t have one, use an old crappy knife and a flathead screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to pry open the oyster at the hinge, then insert the knife and wiggle it around to fully open the oyster and loosen the bivalve from the shell. A good oyster knife will serve both of these functions. Serve oysters on the half shell over crushed ice with some dishes of horseradish, lemon and cocktail sauce. Have a bottle or two of your favorite hot sauce. To be honest, I prefer oysters with nothing but the liquor in the shell. I think that the clean taste of a freshly shucked oyster can’t be beat, If your oysters are somewhere between that stage of fresh and not-so-fresh (but still edible) I recommend a small squeeze of lemon or a dash of hot sauce to improve the flavor. I recommend that you have those accompaniments for your guests. If you want some great sauces, try Man's Best Friend. They are made in Wisconsin with great ingredients and some interesting flavor combinations.

Other Ideas
Another good thing is to open the oysters and top them with some goodies and place under the broiler for a few minutes. I usually use combinations of whatever I have left in the fridge including tomatoes, shallots, green onions, bacon, pancetta, prosciutto, spinach, parmesan cheese, roasted peppers and garlic. Make sure your ingredients are very finely chopped. Top with breadcrumbs and broil until lightly browned. Grilling is also an option and Steven Raichlen has a great grilled oyster recipe in “How To Grill”

Links and Contacts
Empire Fish is located at 11200 Watertown Plank Road in Wauwatosa. They can be reached at 1-800-236-4900 ext. 301.

Sendik’s Fish Market is a stand alone store next to their grocery store at 500 East Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay. They can be reached at 414-962-9525, by e-mail at sendiks@sendiksmarket.com.

A Few Good Oyster Resources on the Web
http://www.theperfectoyster.com/
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0298/oyfacts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster
http://www.epicurious.com/features/illustrated_guides/oysters/index

Updates soon

2006-05-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with work and household projects that I have been neglecting this blog. For the 2 of you who read it, I am truly sorry. I don't know how all of these bloggers find time for updates, let alone podcats. Anyhow I have notes and rough drafts for the following topics:

1. Restaurant Reviews
- Yokoso Sushi
- Benny's Seafood in Delafield
- Fish Fry ramblings and rantings

2. Recipes
- Grilled chicken tacos with grilled tomato and leek salsa
- Mussels with beer, jalapenos, and chorizo (or, what happens when Anthony Bourdain and Rachel Ray mate.....I'll explain in detail)
- Salmon with Guacamole, and grilled tomato sauce

3. General Comments and rantings
- Is the Milwaukee Public Market doomed?
- Why Pick N Save sucks ass
- Why Graash Foods kicks ass.

4. Quest for best wings and bar food - I attempted to start this last year but was too busy moving and getting married. This summer I will tool around Wisconsin on my motorcycle sampling bar fare whenever possible. My goal is to get a guide of all the great chicken wing recipes and spectacular bar food.

Food Podcasts

2006-03-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

My new obsession is food podcasts. I stumbled upon the Culinary Podcast Network a few weeks back and downloaded some of the podcasts I thought were interesting. I expected long winded, poorly produced ramblings about food that I would probably regret downloading. I was proven wrong. What the CPN has done is accumulate the best and most interesting podcasts related to food and drink and created a one-stop source.

Of all the great podcasts at the CPN, the best one is from Gastrologica (podcast can be found HERE or on the CPN) which is hosted by Steve Wasser and Chef Dan Cincis. They are funny, entertaining, and full of information. Even though I already know about many of the techniques and equipment they talk about, they present it in such a manner that I cannot help but listen. I would highly recommend giving them a listen. This week's rant about Rachel Ray is classic.

I’m sorry brisket, please forgive me.

2006-03-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Last night I had an epiphany and its name was brisket. I have never really understood why BBQ aficionados had such a fascination with the brisket. Every brisket I have had has been overcooked, tough, and dry. The only brisket that I have truly enjoyed was didn’t even come from the BBQ universe. It was from Benji’s Deli in Shorewood. So last night I met some friends at Q – Real American Food for dinner. We had some of their smoked BBQ chicken wings (more on those later) and I had a ½ slab of Kansas City ribs. I was getting full so I offered to share my ribs with my buddies. One friend gave me a slice of his brisket and when I really looked at it I could tell it was different. It glistened with moisture and almost looked like a slice of juicy NY Strip Steak. Most brisket I’ve had has been dry and gray. One bite and I became a brisket convert. It was great. A crunchy crust and a tender, juicy, smoky inside. Though Q offers four great sauces to go with their meats, this brisket needed nothing though I admit to trying a bite with some of their Sprecher BBQ sauce.

Now I am infatuated and interested in brisket. Once it warms up, that is the first thing I am slapping on my smoker.

MKE Online Review - Skylight Room at Bjonda

2006-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

About a year ago I took a cooking class taught by Ryan Whiteman of Bjonda and the Skylight Room in Wauwatosa. He taught the class how to make some of their menu items. I have to say I was blown away with the food he prepared. The best of which was a tuna tartare with some wasabi crème freche. I can still taste the fresh rich flavor of the fich offset with the kick of wasabi. He also prepared a scallop and asparagus with truffle oil which was also incredible as well as some of the best pork tenderloin I have ever tasted. I have recreated these at home a few times but have yet to visit Bjonda or the Skylight Room. In fact I haven’t been in this place since it was Jolly’s on Harwood. After reading the review on MKEonline (who have yet to respond to my e-mail trying to get onboard as a threeview reviewer) I realize that I need to eat there soon.

Some other good reviews for Bjonda:

Jsonline Review

Milwaukee Magazine

Clarence Mertz is an ass

2006-03-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Who is Clarence Mertz you ask? Well he is public enemy number 1 to the legions of brat eaters in Wisconsin. You see Mr. Mertz is leading a campaign to end Sheboygan Wisconsin’s annual Brat Eating Contest because as he claims, it is a “disgusting event” and promotes gluttony and over eating. I think eating contests are disgusting too so that is why I avoid them. But avoiding them is not what Mr. Mertz wants. Instead of staying home boring his grandchildren with tales of how it was in the old days like a normal 84 year old, he wants to ensure that nobody else can enjoy the contest either and wants to hold an advisory referendum to see if the public wants it banned. He claims that the vote would be 10:1 in favor of ending the event. Not only is Mr. Mertz a jackass, he is delusional. Here in Wisconsin we are bombarded with complaints about how high our taxes are and how government wastes money on useless things and this old coot wants to spend public dollars to hold a non-binding referendum on whether people should be allowed to stuff their faces with brats every summer. Tell you what Clarence, you can bankroll the referendum, staff the polls with your friends and hold the election at the next Brat days because I am sure Sheboygan has far better things to do with taxpayer dollars than ban a brat eating contest that is held by a private club, the Jaycees. Of course it should be no surprise to anyone that Mr. Mertz is a former attorney. I am so sick of people who think their job is to tell the public what that can and should enjoy. I am sure this grumpy old bastard is the same type of person that tries to get offensive TV shows banned instead of simply turning the channel.

I am thinking that I will get a booth at next years festival and sell t-shirts with his photo with a big “X” through his face. Only the “X” will be made of two bratwurst crossing each other. Lets hope the City does what everyone else does when an old person talks on and on about a bunch of nonsense. Just ignore them.

Brussels sprouts that you actually want to eat.

2006-03-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Brussels sprouts. One of te most hated vegetables. Mention this vegetable to most and you will watch as their face scrunches up as if you had crapped on a plate and handed them a fork. That is probably because people have had steamed, over cooked, under seasoned Brussels sprouts and that has ruined them. Here is a quick and easy (even easier with my shortcut) recipe that creates excellent sprouts every time.

What you need:

Fresh Brussels Sprouts (as many as you need or want
Flur De Sel, Gray Salt, or your favorite fancy salt (use kosher if you must)
Pepper
Kosher salt
Water
High quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Take a decent size pot (depending on the number of sprouts) and fill it ¾ with water. Add some kosher salt (a couple of pinches, again depending on how much water you use) Bring the water to a boil. While waiting for the water, slice the sprouts in half.

When the water comes to a boil, add the sprouts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove sprouts and plunge into ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a fry pan heat some olive oil or your favorite sauté oil (this doesn’t need to be the high quality kind). Add the sprouts face down and sauté (don’t touch them!) until caramelized on the bottom (the cut side) Flip over and sauté for another minute or two until browned on the round sides. Remove from pan and plate them. Drixxle with a high quality olive oil (I have recently become hooked on some great California oils. I love the freshness of an oil that was recently bottled, unlike some imported oils. Pope Creek Ranch unfiltered oil which I absolutely love (so much so that there are only a few tablespoons full left in the bottle). After you drizzle the sprouts with the oil, add some freshly ground black pepper and then some of the gourmet salts. I have been using Penzey’s French Gray Sea Salt, which I carefully sprinkle on each sprout. Eat and enjoy. Then call your mom and tell her that you were wrong all along, you do love Brussels sprouts!

To mix it up a little you can add some balsamic vinegar, herbs and spices, soy salt or other flavors to match your main dish before you sauté the sprouts. You can also use different oils. I recently tried a chili oil with great results. Try grilling or roasting them instead of the saute' too.

Demise of a crappy restaurant.

2006-03-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

One of my earlier posts was a review of a restaurnt that I was extermelly excited about but ultimately ended up being very disappointed with. I visited their website today to see if maybe they had changed their menu or lowered prices and now I find that Passport Point is Closed.

I feel bad for the owners but honestly, you cannot keep a crappy restaurant alive when you are charging obnoxious prices for mediocre (at best) food. Yeah, I really want to pay 17 bucks for a pecan crusted boneless chicken breast. I hope that someone takes this space and makes it into a place that will thrive. Downtown is just dying for a nice independent restaurant/lounge.

Brew Review: New Glarus Road Slush Stout

2006-03-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

There is much dispute over who the best Wisconsin Microbrewery is. I used to be in the Lakefront/ Sprecher Camp. After all they were the first and they consistently pump out excellent brews. In recent years I have shifted my allegiance to New Glarus. They continually put out sensational seasonal and regular brews and are always adding something new. That is not to say that all of the other breweries aren't exellent as well. I don't think there is a microbrewery in Wisconsin that doesn't have at least 1-2 beers that are great.

I was in a New Glarus bar a few years back when they were testing out their Squirrel Nut Brown Ale and I think that was the time I started to lean towards their brews. Their Hearty Hop is the best Pale Ale put out by a Wisconsin Brewery (I find Cream City to be a little lacking in the hops for my tastes, the same goes for Sprecher’s). Last night I was exited to see that a local bar had a new New Glarus beer, Road Slush Stout. My mouth was watering as I watched the jet black brew fill the glass. One sip and I was in love. This stout was delicious without being overbearing. It has a great balance between the chocolate malt and the oatmeal. It is not extra malty as many other Chocolate and/or Oatmeal Stouts are, but It drinks very well. It is the perfect beer for the winter months, though I wish this would have been released before Christmas because it would have been a great beer to enjoy on Christmas Eve.

New Years Resolution

2005-12-28T07:52:00.000-08:00

I resolve to update my site more.

I plan on adding some features like a post on the best thing I ate this week.

More restaurant Reviews

More recipes

Look for it in 06.

Michael's Italian American

2005-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday I visited Michaels Italian American Restaurant in Waukesha with my parents. I had never been there despite its close proximity to our house. When we arrived the parking lot was packed with cars as was the adjacent street. I feared a long wait. When we entered the restaurant we only waited 10 minutes for a table (if we wanted smoking we would be seated immediately).

I opted to start my meal with a tomato mushroom soup. The powerful taste of tomato dominated the soup which made the presence of the mushrooms almost undetectable. I could see them floating in the soup, but the taste was entirely lost amongst the tomatos and spices. That being said, this was a great tomato soup. They would be better served just calling it tomato soup. Although then I would have never ordered it. Maybe they discovered that people were more likely to order tomato soup if it has something in it. I’ll be the first to admit that I would order Tomato Spinach Soup, Tomato Ravioli Soup, or Tomato Chicken soup but not Tomato Soup. I guess I am just a soup snob. I will never order chicken noodle in a restaurant either. The other option was the obligatory Friday Clam Chowder, which I am eager to try the next time I visit.

While my parents had a taste for pizza, I wanted more of an entrée. I opted for the Veal Marsala, one of six veal entrees on Michael’s menu The menu describes this entrée as “tender veal slices sautéed with button mushrooms, hint of garlic, marsala wine and veal demi-glace. Served with hand-crafted linguini and our special blend of seasonings” I would have to say that this was one of the best veal dishes I have had. Each bite of the tender veal exploded with the flavors of marsala and mushrooms. I have had veal marsala where the sauce is way too watery (Trattoria diCarlo in Oak Creek comes to mind) or too thick and flavorless. This was a perfect consistency bursting with flavor. The veal was also served with squash and zucchini that were perfectly sautéed. Typically restaurants don’t do this correctly and the result is usually overcooked and watery or undercooked vegetables. These were lightly browned and a dash of salt was all they needed to bring out their flavor.

I tried a piece of the pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, and sausage. It was decent but the crust was too bready for my liking. If I were strictly going for pizza, I would give the edge to Matteo’s, just down the street. Dinners were served with a great loaf of bread and butter.

Overall I would recommend this restaurant based on the strength of the veal entrée. There are numerous other entrees that I look forward to trying.

Ratings:
Ambiance: 7/10. The Décor was old school Italian restaurant (think dark reds) mixed with the comfort of a supper club.
Food: 7/10. The veal was great, the pizza average.
Service: 8 out of 10.

Michael's Italian-American Restaurant

1400 S. Grand Ave. (corner of Grand and Sunset)

Waukesha, WI 53186

Phone: (262) 549-0406 Fax: (262) 549-3236

Oh no, he talking about Dennis Getto again!

2005-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

This time I want to give him credit. He has made my mouth water for steak. His review of Yanni's Steakhouse downtown was really well written. I figure if I can rip him when he makes me mad, I sould sing his praises when he does a good job.

Read the article by clicking here

All I have to say is that I must try this place.

Rum Soaked Jerk Ahi Tuna

2005-11-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune to have an extra chunk of Ahi in the freezer from a recent dinner I made. It was purchased from Empire Fish in Wauwatosa, WI so it was some pretty good stuff. Anyhow I was growing tired of my usual Ahi recipes which all had an Asian influence so I decided to try something different. I wanted something spicy and sweet so I decided on using a jerk seasoning. I wanted a light marinade as well and opted for Malibu Coconut Rum instead of the usual soy sauce. Anyhow the tuna turned out awesome and I think it will be a while before I go back to using soy sauce marinades. Rarely do I like to talk up my own creations and even more rare is the occasion when I get a recipe perfect on the first try.

Ingredients

1-2 Ahi Tuna Steaks
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 teas of grated ginger (or ¼ tbs dried)
Jerk Seasoning (I always use Penzey’s)
Salt and pepper
Jamaican style hot sauce (Try MBF Sauces, they rule)
1 teas of honey
1 teas Mirin
½ teas of rice wine vinegar
1 teas of soy sauce
1/2 cup of Malibu or other coconut Rum

Take the Ahi steaks and if you want, cut them into long rectangles with the same height and width (see picture). This way when you slice the tuna you have nice square pieces. This step is strictly optional but I like it because you get more of that jerk coated crust with each bite.

Marinate the tuna in about ¼ cup of the Malibu Rum for about 30 minutes. Rotate the tuna every 8-10 minutes to ensure even marinating. I suppose you could also put the tuna in a Ziploc bag with the rum and not worry about flipping the tuna.

Take the tuna out of the marinade and discard the tuna flavored rum. Rub the tuna on all sides with jerk seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat a pan to high with about 1 tbs of your favorite oil. I used canola to not overpower the delicate taste of the tuna. Sear the tuna for about 30 seconds on each side. If you like your tuna more done than rare, adjust cooking times accordingly. Set tuna aside.

Add the remaining rum (1/4 cup) to the pan. You may need to flame it off but I didn’t. The sugars in the Malibu will begin to bubble and caramelize as the alcohol burns off. As that time you want to remove from the heat and add the ginger, honey, mirin, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. I also added some more jerk seasoning to the sauce. You will want to taste the sauce to ensure you have the right balance of ingredients. My measurements are just an estimate of what I put in there. You also should add your favorite Jamacian style hot sauce (one with habaneros or scotch bonnet peppers). A friend of mine has his own hot sauce company called Man’s Best Friend Sauces. He makes a wide range of great sauces with some pretty unique ingredients. These are not your run of the mill sauces. Anyhow I used one of his Mutt Sauces, which is a sauce that he makes with leftover peppers and other ingredients from his main sauces. This was MBF Mutt #35, which is a great medium heat sauce with tremendous flavor. Ok, enough of the plug for his sauces. Anyhow I used about 1 teaspoon of the Jamacian hot sauce but you should adjust to your taste.

Let this sauce simmer on low until it thickens. Return the tuna to the pan and flip it around so it is glazed with the sauce. This should only take 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat.

Thinly slice the tuna and arrange on the plate however you wish. Drizzle some of the remaining sauce on the tuna and sprinkle with the cilantro. Enjoy one of the best Ahi dishes I have ever tasted.

This would go great with some other Caribbean dishes like fried plantains, black beans and rice or coconut rice. Unfortunately I didn’t have any of that stuff so I served mine with some brown rice and asparagus. Since I didn’t want to mess with the flavor of the tuna I just steamed the asparagus in the microwave and added some Penzey’s grey salt. I was surprised how great something so simple could taste. The grey salt brought out the flavor of the asparagus better than any of the seasonings I typically use.

Dennis the Menace

2005-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Holy shit! I cannot contain myself. Dennis Getto is at it again. He reviews Carabba’s Italian Grill in today's Jounral Sentinel and is crying because they use Romano cheese instead of Parmesan. What is his fucking obsession with Italian Restaurants and cheese? He also essentially compares the difference between Romano and Parmesan to the difference between cheddar and limburger. What?!?! I would argue that 9 out of 10 Americans couldn’t tell the difference between Parmesan and Romano, but 10 out of 10 could tell the difference between Limburger and Cheddar. Getto also complains about the fact that the servers grate the cheese for you. He claims restaurant managers are probably afraid you'll use too much and cut into their profit margins if the customer is allowed to put their own cheese on. No, they do it because they want you to have freshly grated cheese. They will let you pile the cheese as high as you want…just don’t say stop until you get what you want. Do you really want to use some cheese that is left on the table that every dirty little kid has stuck their hand in?

Also, he has to drop his obligatory know-it-all bullshit on readers again. In reviewing the Spiedino di Mare he says: “My main objection to a dish called Spiedino di Mare ($16.49) was its name. In Italian, a spiedino is some sort of roll-up and in Milwaukee, the word usually refers to beef rolled around a seasoned breadcrumb filling. Italian fish roll-ups are usually bread wrapped around an oyster. Carrabba's dish didn't even come close to the latter. This was a plate of eight shellfish - four scallops and four shrimp, rolled in crumbs, grilled, and then topped with lemon-butter sauce. The resulting flavor wasn't bad, but this was no spiedino."

What part of “shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce” described in the menu didn’t you understand. If you wanted true Spiedino di Mare you should have read the fucking description, realized it was not what you wanted, and ordered something else. But then you couldn’t spew out your elitist food snobbery garbage. Nobody who goes to a chain Italian restaurant is really looking for authentic Italian. They are looking for Americanized Italian.

Oh and why does someone who complains about the crappy tastes of Milwaukeeans when they vote for the Olive Garden as best Italian continue to review more and more chain Italian restaurants? Does he simply like to point out the “errors” these chains make in the names of entrees to make himself feel better? My point is that if it tastes good, eat it and don’t worry about what it is called. You could call Sol Fire's Steak Frites "Turd steak and fries" and I would still order it because it tastes good

My weekend was saved!

2005-10-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

Shit - blogger accidentially deleted this post. What the hell?!?!?!

This was supposed to be a review of Botanas. I will retype it later on. Anyhow it kicks ass.

Please revoke my Passport

2005-10-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

We recently moved from Wauwatosa to Waukesha. It has been somewhat of a culture shock. We are used to having tons of good restaurants within a short distance after living on the East Side of Milwaukee and in Tosa. We are encouraged by the renaissance that downtown Waukesha is experiencing. Without it I don’t know that we would have moved here. I was delighted when I read this summer that a new restaurant called Passport Point would be opening downtown. There is already one good upscale restaurant near downtown and that is Eric’s Porterhouse. This Friday we decided to venture out an try somewhere new. I had a bar in mind but when we walked by it seemed empty and nobody was eating. Not a good sign. My backup was Passport Point.

When I checked out their website and menu I had a hunch that this was mediocre restaurant trying to sell itself as a place for upscale international cuisine. Something seemed off. The tag line on the website and menu was "A Chef's Tour." The prices seemed obnoxiously high for what appeared to be average offerings. A Southwest Pasta dish with fettuccini and shrimp for 20 bucks and Pecan Chicken for $17 seemed very overpriced, especially considering a couple bucks more would get you a entrée at Ristorante Bartolotta and a couple dollars less would get you an incredible meal at Sol Fire. Despite my perception of the menu and prices I decided to give it a try. Perhaps we would discover a gem within walking distance to our house. We were promptly seated and I was encouraged by the fact that about 60 percent of the tables were occupied. Our server stopped by and told us about the specials which included a traditional fish fry with beer battered cod, a coconut crusted Mahi Mahi, and Talipa with fruit salsa. I love Mahi Mahi and coconut encrusted stuff so it was a no-brainer. My wife ordered the traditional fish fry and we decided to share them with each other. We were offered our choice of starch and soup or salad. We both opted for the twice baked potato and clam chowder.

Soon after placing our order our server brought out a bread basket and our soups soon followed. The clam chowder had a bit of a spicy kick, which I appreciated. It was not too thick and was loaded with clams. It was delicious and I eagerly anticipated how our entrees would fare. Unfortunately the chowder was the just about the last good thing we would taste that evening. The Mahi Mahi crust was good but was somewhat thick. The fish on the inside was terribly overcooked. When you overcook fish it becomes chewy and the delicate flavors are lost. The twice baked potato looked like it had some panko bread crumbs on it and it was flat on top, not stuffed and fluffy like you would expect. The panko (if that is what it was) wasn’t even toasted, just kind of dumped on there. I couldn’t tell if there was any cheese inside. It tasted like bland garlic mashed potatoes crammed back into the skin. Technically they were twice baked but the result was definitely half-assed. The vegetables were sautéed zucchini and squash. They were ok but nothing too outstanding. Overall the dinner was pretty bad.

On to the fish fry. Fish fries shouldn’t be too hard to master. Take fresh fish, batter it, fry until lightly golden, eat. Somehow they managed to fuck it up. My measure for the success of a fish fry isn’t very complicated. If it tastes as good or better than Culver’s fish fry, it is good. You see, Culver’s chain of fast food restaurants creates a perfect everyday Fish Fry. The fish (Cod) is always cooked perfectly; the tartar sauce is great, cole slaw is good (a rarity among most fish fries) and the French fries are excellent. If a fast food establishment can mass-produce such a good fish fry, I believe a bar or restaurant should have no problem doing the same. I am by no means one of those suburban asswads who votes for Red Lobster as the best seafood restaurant (I’d vote for Scotty’s Crab House) and Olive Garden as the best Italian (Carini's La Conca d'Oro if my fave). People like that should continue to eat at those shitholes so people like me who enjoy independent restaurants don’t have to wait 2 hours for a table. But I digress. What I am saying is that my bar for quality isn’t really set that high.

Unfortunately Passport Point must have mistaken my bar for a limbo stick. How low can you go? Very low apparently. The smallish pieces of cod looked like something out of a Mrs. Paul’s box. The fish inside was also way overcooked and didn’t even appear to look like a filet inside. It was mealy and falling apart and not in the good “flaking apart” way that you like to see. It was so terrible my wife couldn’t eat more than a few bites. We are not usually complainers but we informed the server (who was awesome) that the fish was overcooked when asked how our meals were. They also provided a comment card, on which we made our complaints known.

This place reminds me of Indigo at 60th and Vliet Street. They have a neat name, great location, interesting décor (more so for Indigo) and good beer and wine selection. However both are mediocre to bad restaurants masquerading as fine cuisine. Just because you have interesting names, high prices, and a variety of items found on the menus of upscale restaurants doesn’t mean shit if your kitchen cannot cook them properly. My measure of a good upscale restaurant is if I can reproduce a dish better in my own kitchen, it isn’t worth spending my money. How this place can charge upwards of 20 bucks an entrée for bad food is beyond me. We should have just gone to the empty bar or Culver's to eat.

We went to Dicsount Liquor and got some Port and Lakefront Pumpkin beer so the night was not a total loss.

Vote for me!

2005-10-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

For some unknown reason I was chosen to participate in the MKE Newspaper blog of the week contest. Now if I could only fix the damn formatting with my links. Hey voters, please understand that I am still working on getting this going. I will hopefully begin using Moveable Type or some other blogging software and get my own web domain name. If this becomes a popular site I would like to add some additional cynical correspondents.

Nonetheless you should vote for me because nobody likes to pay for a shitty meal…but enough about Indigo and Passport Point…vote by clicking here

Undelicious - Week of October 19th

2005-10-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Watch for the following posts this week:

Dining Review - Botanas
Dining Review - Passport Point (Waukesha)
Sushi Smackdown (Lunch Version) - Who has a better sushi lunch Japanica or Koyto.
Beer Review - Lakefront Pumpkin 2005

Great Wine...Just a Stone's Throw Away

2005-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin is not really known for its wines despite the fact that we have upwards of 30 wineries throughout the state (Click here for a map). Maybe its just too tough to look past the incredible Microbreweries and Artesian Cheese makers. Anyhow on my recent honeymoon we had occasion to travel to the Stone’s Throw Winery in Door County. As you walk into the winery, located about 4 miles east of Egg Harbor, you are greeted with one of my favorite signs ever. It outlines the winery, tasting, and what you will find inside. There are also two lines on this sign that led me to believe this was my kink of place they read something along these lines:

“Children are allowed if they behave and stand by their parents side”
“We do not have Cherry Wine. Cherries are for pies, grapes are for wine”

The intent of the first sign is obvious. The second sign I assume is the result of Door County tourists coming and asking for cherry wine and walking out when informed that they do not have any (several wineries in Door County specialize in cherry wine). The sign hopefully clears up any confusion though I would wager they probably get 20 people a week who don’t read the sign and ask for cherry wine. I for one am not a huge fan of other fruit based wines. Maybe it comes from my early years in college when I would make apple and cherry wine from sugar, yeast, and juice from the UW-Milwaukee dorm cafeteria. A few glasses and you were drunk for about 6 hours, hangover for 24.

Stone’s Throw offers a $3 tasting. You get a great chardonnay-style wine glass with the Stone’s Throw Logo and the chance to sample 4 or 5 wines. They provide a sheet with a description of the wines and encourage (as any good winery should) you to go from light to dark. I tried the Chardonnay, Rose’, Big Mouth Red, Cabernet, and Port.

The Chardonnay ($17) was really enjoyable. I love Chardonnay when you can taste a hint of Oak and I like it even more when there is a creamy finish (an affordable bottle of Yellow Tail is a perfect example of what I like in a Chardonnay), this hit the mark on both fronts.

Prior to my visit the only Rose’ I had was an Italian brand so disgusting that I dumped the remainder of the bottle down the sink. I figured the best way to see if it was the style of wine that I hated or if I had only uncorked a crappy bottle was to give it another try. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the Rose’ d’Beatrice. It was somewhat fruity tasting but not sweet at all. It tasted like summer. I guess I do like Rose’. Enough so that we bought a bottle ($10)

Moving on to the Reds, I tried the Big Mouth Red, which was a delicious, full bodied red. It had the peppery bite of a Zinfandel, which I loved. I almost used one of my allotted tasting samples for another glass, but decided to buy bottle instead ($18).

The Cabernet ($20) was only average. It wasn’t bad it just didn’t do much to distinguish itself from other Cabs. Maybe the Big Mouth Red spoiled me.

Finally the moment I had been waiting for arrived. The Port! I absolutely love Port and was excited to see how Stone’s Thow Port ($22) would stack up. I was even more excited because it was a Zinfandel (my favorite wine style) based Port. It was pretty good. It had a bit of a strong aftertaste and didn’t finish as smooth as some other similarly priced Ports but I really enjoyed it. It would make the perfect after dinner drink in the dead of winter.

I didn’t have any here, but their Old Vines Zinfandel rivals any California Zin. The nearby Mission Grill (see review elsewhere on this site) offers this and several other Stone’s Throw Wines.

My only complaint is that they don’t offer a cracker or pretzel or hunk of bread to help cleanse the palate between tastings. The first couple of sips of each wine were a bit off because I could still taste the previous sample. Oh, and it would have been nice if our tasting glasses were rinsed out before they wrapped them up for us. I was surprised to find a sticky red wine residue in my glass when I unwrapped it a week later.

If you are stuck in Door County on a rainy afternoon I would highly recommend killing an hour at the Stone’s Throw Winery. They also have occasional concerts and other events, which I hope to be able to attend in the future. There is a small food section as well with many great wine-related food items. Try a bottle of Sarah's Dipping Sauce. Grilled salmon glazed with this stuff is incredible. Also try the Volpe’ mozzarella and prosciutto roll. Prosciutto and basil wrapped in a creamy mozzarella. Goes great with any of their white wines.

Stone's Throw Winery

3382 County Road 'E' (Intersection of A & E)

Egg Harbor, WI 54209

Toll Free: 877.706.3577

Related Links:
Wisconsin Winery Association
http://www.wiswine.com/index.cfm

WTF is a Flying Hicca?

2005-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am not really sure but they do provide a definition on their website. If you live in Tosa or Washington Heights and complain about the lack of nice places to dine in the area, especially along Vliet Street, shut your yap and go to The Flying Hicca at 5000 W. Vliet Street (across from Wick Field). It was dead on a recent Friday night and that is unacceptable for a place that kicks this much ass. I have not had this much fun dining in a long time. Its not a sit-down fine dining establishment but it is an affordable wine bar with a great selection of wine, cheese, and other delicious salads and sandwiches. I will not give a full review but we had a great 3-cheese platter, a prosciutto sandwich, and one of the best spinach and strawberry salads I have ever eaten. We also had a couple glasses of reasonably priced wines and they will even let you buy a bottle off their shelves for an extra 6 dollar corkage fee.

Stay away from the half-assed Indigo with their shitty sweet potato fries, stale, freezer burnt rolls, and inedible rice pilaf and spend far less money at the Flying Hicca.

The Flying Hicca

5000 Vliet St.

Milwaukee, WI 53208

414.431.1390

Getto strikes again.

2005-09-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

The 2 people who actually look at this site realize that I cannot stand one aspect ofr Dennis Getto's reviews in the Journal-Sentinel. He likes to pepper his reiews with comments not meant to educate the diner about a restaurant, but rather show off his alleged culinary knowledge. In his review of Metro Bar and Café, Getto couldn’t help but show off his culinary knowledge of a bar staple when speaking of Metro’s buffalo wings:

“One other appetizer, boneless Buffalo wings ($6.95), struck me as odd. While the sauce was traditional Buffalo in flavor, the "wings" themselves were homemade, breaded nuggets. Traditional Buffalo wings aren't breaded, and half the fun of eating them is gnawing the meat from the wing bones.”

Well, if you read the fucking menu it says BONELESS fucking WINGS!!! Ok it didn’t say fucking but that is what I would be yelling at him as I beat him over the head with the Metro menu. He loves to order something, ignore the description, and then complain because it isn’t authentic. Getto should know that any self respecting wing-head would never ever even think of ordering something called “boneless wings” if they wanted a true wing experience. Oh and as for the breaded comment, many places do bread them and they kick major ass. Give me a breaded wing with killer sauce over some un-breaded one with some shitty homemade ass-sauce any day! Oh and what the fuck are you doing ordering wings at the Metro?

Riverwalk Bistro Review

2005-08-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we attended the Jazz Festival in Milwaukee’s Riverwalk Bistro which is the third restaurant to occupy the space at 223 N. Water Street. This restaurant is hoping to break the failures that caused the demise of Onyx and Borrego’s before it. With the exception of some very minor service glitches, this one may finally take hold.

Upon entering the interior is long and narrow and it kind of reminded me of a darker version of Sauce, one of my favorite restaurants in the City. We were promptly seated and were given the choice of outside, bar, or dining room seating. We chose the dining room. I love the wine list at this place. It is simple and very inexpensive for those seeking a bottle. Many of the wines are priced at $22 a bottle, with the most expensive being 30 bucks (sparkling wine excluded) The descriptions of the wines really help people like me who are not wine experts. I chose the Altos Malbec, which was perfectly described as “A wine of extraordinary charm, featuring wild cherry, red berries, anise and tropical spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. It has intense purple-violet color with soft, appealing tannins” The wine was excellent. Let me confess that I rarely match food with wine the way you are supposed to. I love deep, dark, spicy red wines like Zinfandel. I knew I was going to order a light and delicate fish, but I still chose a bold red wine. Our appetizer was their Bruschetta. It was very mediocre. It featured olive tapenade and goat cheese, two things I absolutely love. The problem was that there was barely a hint of goat cheese and the dish was completely overpowered by the tapenade. I love olives, but I had hoped for a great balance between tomato, bread, olive, and goat cheese. The tomatoes were very average and given that tomatoes are in season now, I was disappointed at the bland ones featured in this dish. If I wanted shitty tomatoes, I would go to Pick ‘n Save and buy them myself. This dish was a complete disappointment and as you read on, it is somewhat surprising giving the greatness of the full entrées. According to some recent reviews in OnMilwaukee.com and in the Shepard Express, we should have chosen the calamari instead.

My fiancée had the Bourbon Street Crab Cakes, which is misleading because there was no crab in there (we asked before we ordered). Instead they are made from Crayfish and are drizzled with a Cajun Remoulade. Why they don’t call them Burbon Street Crawfish Cakes is lost on me. Despite the misleading name, they are awesome. There is a significant amount of breadcrumbs, but it is needed because the crawfish tails are almost wholly intact. Plus the breading is perfectly seasoned. These really remind me of my favorite crab cakes in the City, which are served at Scotty’s Crab House. My fiancée was a bit leary of ordering these and only did so because I offered to trade dishes if she hated them. She really enjoyed them, so I had to eat my own entrée, which was the special of the day, Grilled Halibut with a basil apricot butter.

Each of the entrees came with the starch of the day and the vegetable of the day. I really like this concept because you could end up with different things each time you visit. The potatoes were excellent mashed (or is it smashed) with garlic and some other spices (I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and our waitress really didn’t know. I believe some paprika was in them. The veggie of the day was perfectly cooked broccoli which tasted even better when I placed some of the basil apricot butter on them.

Service was so-so. I think our waitress was new and she had to deal with this whiny couple next to us who we could overhear making tip deductions each time she served them something. “Oh that’s a dollar off her tip because she handed the bill to the wrong person” “She gave us the wrong bill! That’s another dollar.” I was so glad when they left. It took a long time for her to get our wine orders even though there weren’t a ton of people there.

If you are in the Third Ward and are looking for someplace with reasonable prices and good food, the Riverwalk Bistro would be a great choice. I am looking forward to trying their Sunday brunch. They have the crawfish cakes featured in their Eggs Benedict dish.

Décor/Ambiance: 7/10 The décor is modern and stylish, yet it feels really warm and cozy. I imagine the bar would be a great place to stop for a drink to escape the chill of winter.
Food: 6.5/10 The Bruschetta is what is dragging this down from a 7.

Service: 5/10 The service was ok, I am sure with time it will get better.

Fishbones Review

2005-08-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

I discovered Fishbones in its infancy as a restaurant about 5 years ago. My girlfriend at the time (now fiancée) and I were in Downtown Delafield and wanted to go to Carpenter’s Pub for a sandwich. We were saddened to see that it was closed so we took Milwaukee Street, which wraps around Nagawicka Lake and takes you from the quaint downtown area of Delafield to the poorly planned, shitty, overbuilt, suburban area of Delafield. We were on our way to the Water Street Brewery when we spotted Fishbones. It was in what used to be a dive bar on the shore of the lake. When I was in college we would park near there and get a boat ride out to this island where we could party all night long without fear of the police busting us. We decided to give it a try and since then it has become one of my favorite restaurants in the area. We visited it again on Saturday night and like all other visits, we were not disappointed.

We walked in and were immediately seated, which is surprising given the popularity of this place. We were not terribly hungry, so we skipped appetizers and opted for a salad. I had the house Caesar, which contained the perfect amount of dressing and the typical Caesar ingredients. It was good, but nothing spectacular. My fiancées salad was the house salad, which had red and green leaf lettuce with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, Daikon radish, and fresh Romano cheese tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette. It was pretty tasty, but I think adding some Gorgonzola or Bleu cheese would have balanced the sweetness much better than the Romano. Fishbones’ appetizer list is extensive and unique. We have tried a few and they are pretty good. I really like the Bone's Trio, which is a combination of Crawfish Spring Rolls, Fried Catfish Strips, and Creole Chicken Quesadillas.

Our entrees arrived shortly after we ate the salads. I opted for the special, which was a sautéed Red Snapper with a goat cheese Beurre Blanc sauce served over rice, Bok Choy, Asparagus, and Carrots. The fish was cooked to perfection and my worries over mixing something as strong as goat cheese with a delicate fish like snapper were put to rest as they had achieved the perfect balance of the tanginess of goat cheese with the sweetness of the fish. The only think I didn’t like was the white rice served with it. It was more of a pilaf, which I am not a fan of. I would have preferred regular sticky rice or even mashed potatoes (wasabi mashed would have worked well with the Bok Choy). Despite the rice, I loved this dish.

My fiancée ordered the Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with a saute of snow pea, spinach, and Shiitake mushrooms with a spicy mango sauce and drizzled with a pomegranate glaze served on a bed of dirty rice. The fish arrived perfectly crusted and the swirls of the two contrasting sauces almost looked like caramel and strawberry toppings for ice cream. The fish was a little overdone, which was disappointing, but it was still very tasty. The sauces were great however I didn’t find the spicy mango sauce to be very spicy at all. The rice on this entrée was a little better. The sautéed spinach was outstanding and the Shitake mushrooms had an earthy overtone that balanced nicely with the sweet sauces.

The owners of Fishbones have a new restaurant in Delafield called Zin. We actually ended up eating at Fishbones because all I knew about the restaurant was that it was owned by the Fishbones people and it was in Downtown Delafield. I didn’t know the name or location. Based on my information we couldn’t find it. Now I know the name and location and cannot wait to try their “Italian Cuisine with a California flare.”

Ratings (out of 10):

Décor/Ambiance: 7/10 The décor is bright and festive. My only complaint is that it is noisy.

Food: 8/10 This place never disappoints. Slightly overcooked Mahi-Mahi prevents this from getting a higher grade.

Service: 9/10 The service was great. Our waitress knew the dinner menu as well as the wine and beer list and was very attentive and friendly.

Just so you aren’t wandering around Delafield like we were, their other place called Zin and can be found here:

Fishbones
1704 Milwaukee St

Delafield, WI 53018

Phone: (262) 646-4696

Fax: (262) 646-4657

ZIN

629 Main St.

Delalfield , WI 53018

Phone: (262) 646-5959

Forty8 Review

2005-07-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

I usually visit a restaurant twice before I go around telling friends and family that it is a great place. After my first meal at Forty8 located at where else but 48th & National Avenue in West Milwaukee I resisted the urge to tell everyone that they had some of the best seafood in the City. After a visit last week I can now proclaim that Forty8s seafood selections are incredible.

On our first visit it wasn’t very crowded because it was a Wednesday night. We were seated at a table in the corner of the restaurant. I was surprised to find that the restaurant was more of a bar that serves food than a restaurant. Their regular menu is rather uninspiring, with the exception of the appetizers. The rest of the menu featured sandwiches and burgers. Inside the menu is a separate sheet that lists an impressive number of specials. This is the menu that you want to order from. It changes monthly but you will find many items make appearances every month.

We started off with some Lakefront Riverwest Stein beer and ordered the Grilled Crab Stuffed Avocado. It is an avocado, stuffed with Backfin lump crabmeat, tossed with fresh mango, peppers, and onion; served with Mornay sauce &basil oil. I expected to see two avocado halves and was somewhat disappointed with the amount of crab in proportion to the amount of sauce and avocado. Nonetheless this original dish was outstanding. The basil oil and Mornay sauce provided a nice balance to the crab, peppers, and mango. Even after we finished off the crab meat we were using our forks to pick every last bit of pepper out, making sure to drag it through the delicious sauce.

For my entrée I ordered the pecan crusted Chilean Sea Bass and my fiancée ordered some crab cake special that featured two regular crab cakes and two stuffed crabs. The Sea Bass was perfectly sautéed resulting in a crunchy crust and moist flaky flesh. The sauce was a hazelnut orange sauce that seemed to be cream based. There was a faint hint of orange and a little more pronounced hazelnut flavor. I think they probably used hazelnut oil. The sauce was also drizzled on some angel hair pasta. A sizeable portion of sautéed veggies including yellow squash, zucchini, and carrots was also included. The sauce blended very well with the angel hair pasta and the vegetables were simply sautéed in extra virgin olive oil and a touch of salt and they tasted outstanding.

My fiancées crab cakes were equally impressive. The two cakes were pretty sizeable and were drizzled with a great Remoulade. I expected the stuffed crabs to simply have the same filling as the crab cakes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an entirely different mixture. The crab meat was the smaller (non lump) kind that you would find for 2-4 bucks at the grocery store, but was blended with breadcrumbs and spices and baked to perfection.

Our second visit was not as great as the first, but that is primarily our fault. We went on a Friday night on the same night the the Brewers were playing so it was packed. We were told it would be a 45 minute wait and we were pleasantly surprised that within 2 minutes of ordering drinks at the bar, we were seated. The wait was only 5 minutes! We were seated near the bar so we constantly had waitresses passing by our table. We also were kind of annoyed that people waiting for tables were kind of standing right next to us. It is very hard to carry on a conversation and enjoy a meal when you feel like you are being watched.

Nonetheless, with one minor exception the food proved to be as good as our first visit. We ordered the Fortygreat Crab cakes with a spicy Remoulade and wasabi dressing. The cakes were prefecly cooked, crunchy on the outside and moist and loaded with crab. The dish had multi-colored peppers sprinkled on top creating an impressive presentation, which tasted as good as it looked.

I ordered the stuffed monkfish, which was loaded with shrimp and crab. The fish was delicious and the mild taste of monkfish blended well with the red pepper cream sauce and the stuffing. I made sure to incorporate a bit of everything in each bite because the flavors fit perfectly together. It was served with sautéed veggies that were great, but a little too salty. My fiancée ordered the Grilled salmon filet topped with forty8's own tomato, caper and arugula salsa. It was served with with spinach tortellini filled with roasted vegetables, smothered in Mornay sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella stuffed cherry tomatoes. The tortellini was huge and tasted great. The tomato stuffed with the fresh mozzarella was nothing to write home about and I kind of wonder why it was even included with the dish. The salmon was overcooked and somewhat dry, which was surprising considering Forty8s mastery of fish dishes. Besides that, everything else was great. It was served with grilled peppers and asparagus that were so simple and flavorful that I wished I had a whole plate of them. They were just grilled, drizzled with olive oil and salted. I don’t think I have ever had grilled veggies that were so perfect. So our only complaint was the dry, overcooked salmon.

Service on our 2nd visit was a bit slow, but expected given that it was a Friday night. It was annoying to have people watching us eat and I think next time I would come on a weeknight.

Ratings (out of 10):

Décor/Ambiance: 4/10 It’s a no-frills bar and it can get a bit crowded. I would rather have them spend money on good ingredients than interesting décor. They really need a larger space.

Food: 7.5/10This place has seafood mastered. If the Salmon wasn’t overcooked, this would me an 8 or higher.

Service: 7/10The service good, but a bit slow…but that is to be expected on a Friday

Forty 8
4823 W. National Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53214

Phone: (414) 389-9350Fax: (262) 364-3365

Best Burgers Ever

2005-07-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

If you like spicy food and you like hamburgers, you will love this simple recipe. I cannot take credit for inventing it. That honor goes to my friend Aaron. He kept telling me how good they were, but I never really believed him because when I lived with him all he ate was Hamburger Helper and frozen pizzas. A while back I was making burgers and had a small handful of ground round left over. Not enough to make a burger, but too much to throw away. I drenched it in the Sriracha Asian hot sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper, and grilled it up. When I tasted it I was amazed. It was hot as hell, yet not overwhelming. The flavor of the burger came through and the sugars in the sauce caramelized the exterior of the burger, resulting in one of the juiciest, tastiest burgers I have ever tasted.

The only modification I have made from Aaron’s recipe is to season the exterior with some Penzey’s mild Cajun seasoning. You could use hot, but it is simply overkill. The Sriracha does a good enough job providing heat.

What you need:

Ground round (not to fatty, not to lean)
Sriracha hot sauce
Salt, Pepper and Cajun Seasoning (or seasoned salt like Lawry’s)
Buns
Cheese
Fire

Take whatever amount of beef you have and put it in a bowl. Squeeze a ton of hot sauce over the meat and mix with your hands or a fork. The meat should be drenched in hot sauce. If necessary, add more. You want to add enough to make sure that the meat has reached the point of saturation. If you want to try the meat, cook up a mini meatball sized hunk of meat and taste it.

Make patties, season, cook, enjoy.

Fujiyama Review

2005-07-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

When I think of West Allis, the first thing that pops into my mind is mullet headed idiots squawking their tires every time the light turns green, not great dining destinations. However in the recent years West Allis has become a hotbed of culinary options. Crawdaddy’s, The Painted Parrot, and the recently opened “Q” anchor the eastern end of Greenfield Avenue. The newest dinning destination is not found on the up and coming “downtown” area but in a strip mall on Highway 100. It is a sushi and hibachi restaurant called Fujiyama and it is outstanding.

The first two times I ordered carryout from Fujiyama and ate it at home. I figured even an average sushi restaurant would be a great addition to the west side. Much to my surprise this place is way above average, bordering on great. The first takeout order consisted of a California roll, a Spider Roll, an order of the Sashimi appetizer, and a Sunshine Roll, which is one of their specialty house rolls.

The California roll was pretty good, but not a great indicator of how good this place really is. California rolls are for first timers or people who are too scared to eat raw fish, so they are pretty uninspired. I typically order the sashimi appetizer when I eat sushi because it is usually around 8-9 dollars and gives you a great overview fresh fish. This one had yellowtail, tuna, salmon, and some imitation crab. The fish was incredibly fresh and I couldn’t get enough of the melt-in-your-mouth salmon. A slight dip in soy sauce and wasabi was all that was needed to bring out the incredible flavor of the salmon. The yellowtail and tuna was also outstanding. I could have done without the imitation crab. It wasn’t bad, but it seemed kind of dumb to include imitation anything with the other three real fishes. The spider roll was incredible. The soft shell crab was perfectly fried and was a bit thicker than you usually see in a roll. Moving on to the specialty roll, it was filled with cooked salmon, crunchy tempura batter, and avocado. The outside was was wrapped in the same delicious raw salmon found in the sashimi appetizer and topped with the most incredible spicy creamy orange sauce, scallions and masago, which is very small flying fish roe. On our second carryout we essentially ordered the same thing, replacing the California roll with a spicy tuna roll, which was the perfect balance of heat and freshness. The only thing we noticed was that the Sunshine Roll had changed slightly. The masago had been replaced with more of the fried “crunch”. The replacement worked well, but I think I enjoyed the salty element that the masago added. My fiancée was pleased with the replacement because she wasn’t sure what the orange masago was until I told her after we had finished the roll.

Last Friday we decided it was time to dine in at Fujuyama. While the food remained impeccable, the service was interesting. We placed an order for an array of items including edamame, the sashimi appetizer, the Sunshine roll (which as you can probably tell is our favorite item on the menu), another specialty roll called the Scorpion King roll, and a spicy salmon roll. After a short period of time the sashimi appetizer appeared. The fish was extremely fresh and delicious. However the edamame, which usually is the first thing they bring out, was nowhere to be seen. About 10 minutes later our rolls (or at least some of them) arrived. We had the spicy salmon and the Sunshine roll but the Scorpion roll and the edamame were nowhere to be found. I became somewhat annoyed and found it difficult to enjoy what was in front of us because I kept scanning the dining room looking for our waitress to alert her that we were missing two things, plus my can of Saparro was getting pretty low and we had no water. She was nowhere to be found. 10 minutes into dinner the edamame arrived. It was very good. Lightly salted and perfectly cooked. Still no Scorpion roll. We were getting full, so we weren’t too concerned about it. Finally it arrived. It was essentially a Spider roll with some raw tuna in it. It was pretty good, however the crispy crab overpowered the tuna and it seemed like overkill. Next time I would probably stick with the regular Spider roll and save the tuna for something where its delicate flavor can shine.

While the food at Fujiyama is some of the best sushi in town, the service could use some help. Maybe after they are in business longer they will work out the kinks. I am just happy to have a sushi place for us west side residents. If I can ever get over my sushi fixation I may try the Hibachi grill.

Ratings (out of 10):

Décor/Ambiance: 8/10
For being in a strip mall in the ‘Stallis this place is very nicely decorated.

Food: 9/10
The sushi at this place rivals other more well-known places in town.

Service: 3/10
The service was erratic and unorganized. The waitress never stopped by to see if we needed anything.

Fujiyama

2916 S 108th St.

West Allis, WI 53227

Phone: 414-755-1977

Getto Reviews Bravo!

2005-07-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Getto has set me off again. Today he reviewed Bravo! which is some Italian Chain in Brookfield Square. He spent the entire article ripping the restaurant then gives them 2.5 stars. Read the article yourself and let me know if you think this place deserves a 2.5 based on his review. Oh and in an earlier post I mentioned how he likes to boast about his culinary expertise and I ripped him for complaining because some place asked him if we wanted cheese with his seafood dish. Well he pulled that one out again, complaining about parmesan on his Mahi Mahi. If you look at the menu it says the fish is parmesan encrusted. Again, if you order something and you know it has cheese, don’t complain about it and ramble on about how cheese on fish is unheard of.

Avocados

2005-06-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

There are not many things that I enjoy eating more than a perfectly ripened avocado. I usually go to Aldi (see footnote) and buy 3-4 a week. Typically we slice them up and put them on grilled meats or I whip up a quick batch of guacamole. When I am in a salad mood, I make a simple vinaigrette with Olive Oil, Orange Muscat Vinegar, Salt, and Cumin and toss sliced avocados and greens. One of my favorite things is very simple and delicious Black Bean and Avocado salad than can even double as a dip. The recipe follows:

1 can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (more if you like it)

1-2 seeded, chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp of cumin

Juice of one lime

kosher salt to taste

1-2 avocados, cut into small cubes

Mix it all together and let sit for a minimum of 1 hour to let the flavors blend.

2005-06-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

1 teaspoon of each of the following dried spices: thyme, rosemary, oregano, tarragon, parsley, and lemon pepper mix (I always use Penzey’s spices, they are cheaper and fresher than anything you will find at a grocery store)
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 yellow pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
1 red pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
Feta Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)

Mix all spices, salt, water, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Put chicken in a container of some sort. Pour marinade over chicken and let marinate 4-6 hours or overnight.

Feta Yogurt Sauce

1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
Cayenne pepper to taste
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Mix everything except parsley, garnish as desired. If you leave it in the fridge for about 1 hour the flavors blend together much better.

When you are ready to cook, place all of the veggies in the bag with the marinated chicken. Shake it up and make sure everything is coated. Start your grill and let the bag of food sit until the grill is nice and hot. Now you can kebab everything up, which is nice when you have guests, but I just lay down a couple of grill grates and throw everything on there. It is much easier and you get more even cooking because you can move everything around.

When everything is done cooking, put it in a bowl or a platter and serve with the yogurt sauce. I think next time I will either try an Indian or Southwestern twist on this recipe.

Dennis Getto's Top 30

2005-06-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have love-hate relationship with Dennis Getto. On one hand he is the go-to authority on dining in the state. His reviews can make or break a restaurant. On the other hand, he is fairly easy on most restaurants and I have found that some places he raves about are pretty average. Also, he drives me nuts with his petty jabs at restaurants that make “traditional” dishes and add their own touches. He seems to do this to let the readers know that he does have some culinary training. This review of Trocadero has 2 of them alone. In fact he actually titled the review “Dishes are misnamed or misleading, but brunch is a hit” Here is what he said “Another item in the misnomer category was a soup called pistou ($5.50). In French cooking, pistou is made with white beans and lots of fresh basil, olive oil and garlic. Trocadero's version was made with garbanzo beans and tasted only a little of basil. The soup wasn't bad, but it wasn't pistou.” Some of Gettos other offenses:

He ripped Yokoso for putting a bit of wasabi on the rice before placing the fish on top. This is fairly common at sushi restaurants yet Getto called it “annoying” and gave the restaurant 2 stars (it deserves better)

He ripped Bjonda for serving a raw quail egg with one of their dishes. Well if you didn’t want a fucking raw quail egg then why in the hell did you order a dish that had one with it? Its one thing to complain about food but another to complain about something that you saw on the menu and still ordered.

I can‘t remember what restaurant it was but he ripped a server for having the audacity to ask if he wanted freshly grated parmesan cheese on a seafood pasta dish. Getto claimed that Italians would never put cheese on fish. Last time I checked were not in Italy and some people like parmesan cheese on their seafood pasta dishes, I know I do. Oh yeah Dennis we also live in Wisconsin where we put cheese on everything. Just because you don’t want it doesn’t mean that nobody else should be offered that option. Another case like the quail egg where Getto could have just said “no thanks” when offered the cheese and left it at that. Instead he had to show off his so-called culinary knowledge and dedicate a paragraph to chastising the place for such a cardinal sin.

I could go on and on but I will get back to the top 30 list…..of the 30, I have visited eleven (11) of them. Below I provide a brief snippet of my opinion of these restaurants.

Cubanitas – The Cuban sandwich is great as are the empanadas but the main dishes are nothing spectacular. The pork tenderloin was kind of dry.

Au Bon Appetit – I haven’t been there in years but I remember the food being great…and cheap.

Polonez – I think it’s because I am not a fan of Polish food, but I hated this place. With the exception of some polish sausage, everything was bland. You would have a hard time getting me to go back there. The service however was outstanding and the huge selection of Polish beers kicks ass.

River Lane Inn – Great service, ok food. Scotty’s Crab House, Forty8 or Fishbones does fish way better than this place but they are all surprisingly absent from this list.

Lake Park Bistro – This is one of my favorite places in the City and it deserves any and all accolades it receives. One of the best overall dining experiences you will find in the City. Everything from salads to desert is incredible.

Barossa – It was good, but not great. I had some lamb chops. The side of peas and sweet potatoes was outstanding, the lamb was very average. If I can make something better than a restaurant it doesn’t deserve to be in the top 25. The Chicken EOS is great…but come on…how tough is it to cook chicken?

Roots – It deserves a spot on this list, but still isn’t as great as everyone makes it out to be. The meals are decent but not outstanding. My medium-rare steak arrived medium well. Maybe I am just holding a grudge. The best view in the City can be found here and the Roots cellar is a great place for cocktails.

Jakes – A Milwaukee institution. Some of the best prime rib you will find anywhere. Very deserving of this spot. With the trend toward hip and trendy clones of New York and Chicago eateries, it is great to know that Jake’s is still going strong.

Cempazuchi – Outstanding regional Mexican food. I haven’t been there in 2 years but I love this place.

Rey Sol – Kick ass mole but a lot of mediocre dishes. Not deserving of a spot on this list.

Osteria del Mondo – I have only been here once but I loved the food here. Great atmosphere and even better cuisine. The fried calamari were some of the best in town.

Restaurants that are missing in my opinion:

Japanica - Some of the best sushi in town, but nobody talks about it because it is not downtown (its in a strip mall in Greenfield) or owned by Omar Shaikh. However the newly opened Fujiyama in West Allis is also outstanding. If they keep up the good work, they will give Japanica a run for its money.

Speed Queen – Why should a restaurant be excluded just because you get your food through a drive-through window? The pork shoulder is one of the best meals available in the City.

Sol Fire – One of my favorites. The steak frites with the wine/barbeque sauce is to die for. The plantain encrusted marlin, jerk chicken, and Costa Rican Fish Tacos are also incredible. This place deserves a place atop any “Best of” list. It is shameful that they were snubbed.

Tess – Unpretentious, affordable and best of all, delicious. I thought they were on the list last year. I guess they got bumped. In an online chat today, Getto claims that he is worried about Tess’ ability to maintain the quality of service and food with their large patio in the summer. Ok so you snubbed a place not because their service and quality was bad but because you were worried that it may suffer??!??! Give me a break!

Forty8 – Maybe because it looks more like a bar that Getto ignored this place but the seafood here is outstanding. Everything is done to perfection. The crab stuffed avocado appetizer is unique and delicious. The pecan sea bass with hazelnut cream and the crab cakes are also great!

Fishbones – Maybe Dennis ignored this place because it is way out in Delafield. This place works magic with seafood and the long waits for tables on the weekend are well worth it.

Carini’s La Conca d'Oro – Some of the best Italian food in the City and Dennis ignores them. The signature dish, La Conca d'Oro, with spaghetti with shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, and calamari is one of my favorite Italian dishes anywhere.

Farmer's Market Article in MKE

2005-06-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

MKE (The Journal Sentinel’s attempt to compete with the almighty Shepherd Express) had a great article on Milwaukee Area Farmer’s Markets this week. The article, which can be found here discuses how to shop at one of the many Farmer’s Markets in the area, provides recipes, and tells readers what is in season in each of the months that most markets are running.

My personal favorite is the Madison Farmer’s Market held Saturday mornings on the Capitol Square. If you don’t want to drive to Madison, check out the West Allis Farmer’s Market located at 1559 South 65 Street in the heart of West Allis. Also, click here for a comprehensive list of Wisconsin Markets. All of this talk has me itching for the Milwaukee Public Market, which is slated to open in July. I can hardly wait!

Pomegranate Sauce

2005-06-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

My fiancée and I have recently discovered POM, a brand of pomegranate juices that while prohibitively expensive, are delicious and very nutritious. A bottle of POM runs about 4 bucks for what I believe is about 12 to 16 oz of pomegranate juice either straight up or mixed with tangerine, blueberry, orange, or mango juice. Anyhow the delicious taste of Pom inspired me to seek out other ways to enjoy this fruit. I searched the internet and found all kinds of recipes for pomegranate enhanced dishes, most of which involved Pomegranate Molasses, which is really only pomegranate juice reduced to a thick syrup. I was pleased to find it at Sendik’s (a local gourmet grocery store) for a mere $3.50, a full 50 cents cheaper than the juice. Being a fan of duck breasts I decided to make pan seared duck breasts with a pomegranate sauce. I figured that the sauce would work very well because of duck’s affinity for tart sauces to balance the rich taste from the higher fat content.

I found a recipe on the Food Network site for something called Narshrab, which is a Middle Eastern pomegranate sauce. Tweaking this sauce (as I often do) to accommodate for ingredients at hand and personal taste I came up with the following:

My Version of Narshrab (Middle Eastern pomegranate sauce)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbs of honey
Pinch of salt (kosher, of course)
½ teaspoon of sugar.
Some chopped jalepeno or red pepper flakes to taste (I didn’t either, but I imagine that they would add another dimension to the sauce so I recommend them)

Put all ingredients except cilantro into a microwave safe dish. Heat for about 1½ minutes on high, just enough to dissolve sugar. Stir and add cilantro. (I am thinking that finely chopped chives would be great here as well).

Pour over your choice of meat (I would recommend poultry or pork). This sauce is awesome. It would make a great replacement to the shitty cranberry gel that most people serve at thanksgiving.

Despite the delicious sauce, the duck breasts I made turned out crappy. I will not go into any great detail as to what I did with the breasts because I am not sure what went wrong. (Yes I scored the skin and yes I cooked them over medium heat to render out the fat) I have made duck breasts on one other occasion and they turned out great that time so I am perplexed as to why these kind of sucked. As for seasoning the meat, I used ground coriander, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.

Grilled Lettuce?!?!

2005-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of Steven Raichlen and his kick ass grilling books. If you have never seen them, go out and buy “How To Grill” right now. It is the best grilling book ever. Every single recipe that I have tried (over 25 and counting) is outstanding. Anyhow he discusses grilling lettuce, endives to be particular. I was making his Tangerine Soy Tofu (not sure if that is the correct name) and I have a couple of endives. I looked at his book and saw a grilled lettuce recipe but it was more of an Italian style and I was making an Asian style dish so I went to the internet and found a recipe on Epicurious for Endives with Orange Vinaigrette. I tweaked it a bit and here is my version:

Grilled Endives with Orange Vinaigrette

1 navel orange
1 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
½ teaspoon of Orange Muscat vinegar (I got mine at Trader Joes)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
2-4 Belgian endives
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sprinkle of toasted sliced almonds.

With a microplane remove about ½ teaspoon of zest from orange . Squeeze enough juice from orange to measure 1 tablespoon. In a bowl whisk together zest, orange juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well.

Halve endives lengthwise brush all over with remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Season endives with salt and pepper and grill, cut sides down, on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 6 minutes. Turn endives and grill until just tender, 6 minutes more. (Alternatively, endives may be grilled in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.)

Serve endives drizzled with vinaigrette and toasted sliced almonds

It was outstanding and very easy to make. It is one of those simple, easy and delicious vegetable recipes that will become a regular staple. I can imagine mixing up the ingredients to match whatever style dish I am cooking. Replacing the white wine vinegar with fig infused balsamic and some raspberry vinegar and adding some chopped garlic and topping with toasted pine nuts for an Italian style dish or using some jalapeños, chili powder and some cilantro and topping with some homemade guacamole. The possibilities are endless. I will post future endive experiments as I make them.