Summer Eating
Any day now, it’ll be beach weather. I have fragmentary memories of dragging sand pails and inner tubes down to Atwater Beach in Shorewood. As I got older, we’d go to Bradford Beach, which felt like the other end of the world. The Beach House was/is the fresh mint in the Mojito, so to speak. The elegant building completes that stretch of lakefront. Life, as you may have heard, has returned this summer to the Bradford Beach House. Todd Gawronski, along with entrepreneurs Scott Johnson and Leslie Montemurro, have injected some energy in the house, and I don’t think you need to like sand and Coppertone to get into it. Why I’m mentioning the Beach House here is it’s open for real basic, real-good-sounding food – brats, hot dogs, pizza, (chicken and beef) tacos, popcorn. On the liquid-refreshment side, there’s Alterra coffee, homemade watermelon lemonade and Fuel Cafe iced cappuccino. Forget your swimsuit? You can buy one there. For food, it’s a simple system of walk-up window and picnic tables, some greenery and piped-in music as a backdrop. Hours: daily (weather depending), 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through Labor Day. Check out the beach event schedule: www. bradfordbeachjam.com.
Natty Neighborhood
Meritage, Washington Heights’ bright light, is getting all ready for summer (5921 W. Vliet St., 414-479-0620). Owner Jan Kelly told me about the setup – a big wooden deck at the (quiet) rear of the building with patio/lounge furniture, some sweet hanging lights, a big box elder tree. Kelly also has her sights on a fountain, which will complete what she’s calling her “garden patio.” It wasn’t open when I called her a few days ago, but just like I said about beach weather, any day now. Right. Kelly, who established her local rep as head chef of the old Barossa, is not married to a menu. As proof, she shifted the dining offerings into spring/summer gear a few weeks ago, adding moussaka pasta shells (ground lamb, feta and spinach in a saffron-cream sauce), curried chicken salad on a crisp wild rice waffle and a halibut tostada with black beans, grilled tomato salsa and cabbage slaw (all entrées in the $12-$20 range). Did I ever mention I get hungry while I’m writing this column? Starved.
Dad Is Rad
Father’s Day. What do you do for the big guy? We – my siblings and I – used to give my dad golf balls for Father’s Day. Sometimes soap-on-a-rope. Times have changed. To wit: On June 15th,The Wicked Hop will run its usual Sunday brunch, but it’ll also use that occasion to fete Dad. The Third Ward bar-restaurant (345 N Broadway, 414-223-0345) is giving each dad a free cigar, a pint of beer and, beyond the normal menu choices, the option of ordering one of two dishes that will surely make a father’s mouth water: the Three Pigs Plate (bacon, ham and sausage with choice of eggs) and Southern chicken with waffles. Reservations are advised. Brunch: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Big Night
If you’re reading this on Thursday (June 5), it’s the last night to get your Downtown Dining Week on. In a nutshell, this event is one week of affordable dining at 30 Downtown restaurants. The establishments have a special menu for DDW patrons – three-course, at a fixed price, for lunch ($10) and dinner ($20). You don’t need to sign up for anything, but give your joint a call first (especially if the restaurant is near Cathedral Square Park. Jazz in the Park starts tonight). The complete list of restaurants is on the Web site for Milwaukee Downtown Bid 21 (Web address pasted below). Examples: Butch’s Steak House locations, Coquette Cafe, Eagan’s on Water, Karl Ratzsch’s, Libiamo, Osteria del Mondo, Swig, Third Ward Caffe andYanni’s. Check out the info on Milwaukee Downtown’s site. It’ll let you download a PDF of the lunch and dinner menus at each restaurant:
http://www.milwaukeedowntown.com/categories/12-diningweek
Can’t get enough dining? I chat about restaurants every week with Jane Matenaer and Kidd O’Shea on “The Mix.” Listen between 8 and 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 12. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
Also check out critic Paul Kosidowki’s picks for the best events in arts and entertainment in Culture Club.
