Dish on Fridays
Have you wondered why you’re getting the Dish on Dining e-mail blast on Fridays, instead of Thursdays? I’ve been pushed to a new prime time slot. (This is not a result of the writers’ strike, honest.) Unless you hear differently from me, I’ll be posting my column on Fridays. Now on to more important matters….
Luna Bar
A few nights ago, a colleague of mine was drawn to the curious orange lights shining brightly in a new Third Ward development not far from the Milwaukee Ale House. Following the RiverWalk from Water Street south to West Seeboth, he made his discovery – Cafe Luna and Lounge (106 W. Seeboth St., 414-403-0686). It’s an after-dinner/dessert lounge that’s actually a bit more than that. There’s live music – Thursdays to Saturdays. Owner Megan McCormick calls the musical mix “genre jazz.” Right now, Luna is open just in the evenings, starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through Sundays. McCormick offers a selection of desserts – pecan bourbon pie, carrot cake, Heath bar pie – to enjoy with a coffee, cocktail or glass of wine. In the future, McCormick expects to have cheesecake, cheese plates, mini quiches and ethnic pastries. Luna isn’t open in the morning yet, but once people start moving into the condos surrounding her business – that would be the First Place on the River condos – you’ll have a new morning spot for pastries and caffeination. Once the sun goes down, look for the orange lights.
A Season of Change
It’s been years since Tess, the little East Side bistro, made substantial changes to its menu (2499 N. Bartlett Ave., 414-964-8377). Close to five years, as a matter of fact. But change is in the air. That means the rollout of many new appetizers and entrées. (Note to Tess fans: a few signatures have hung on, including the fish stew, risotto and seared beef tenderloin with Madeira-Portobello mushroom sauce and wasabi whipped potatoes.) Owner Mitchell Wakefield has also lowered the prices by a few bucks. Here’s how the new menu is shaking out. Appetizers range from cauliflower gratin ($8) to taro-stuffed shrimp with mango compote ($9). (Taro is a tuber, similar to a potato.) There’s a new salad – duck confit with arugula, French beans, crispy potato and Granny Smith apple ($9). Of the entrées, the newbies include wild rice-stuffed rainbow trout ($20), lemon zest and port wine ravioli ($17), Maple Creek duck breast with tarragon rice pilaf ($19) and pan-seared scallops with Maytag blue cheese mousse ($21). If sweets are your thing, the dessert menu has been almost completely reconcepted. Grilled chocolate chip banana bread, cinnamon-raisin bread pudding and chocolate pot de crème with arbol chile crème anglaise are brand-spanking new.
What Ales You
Great name for this beer: Dead Guy Ale. The drink, created by Oregon microbrewery Rogue Ale, was inspired by the Mayan Day of the Dead (All Souls’ Day), not the Grateful Dead, the beer’s producer claims. You’ll get to know a lot more about Rogue Ale if you attend the first event in Milwaukee ChopHouse’s Beer Dinner Series. It’s a five-course meal, each course paired with a different Rogue Ale beer. The first course, crab-stuffed shrimp with brown-butter ale sauce, is served with Hazelnut Brown Nectar. The juniper salad in Course #2 comes with Juniper Pale Ale. Course #3 is blood orange sorbet with Imperial India Pale Ale. The fourth course is a prime flat-iron steak with shiitake risotto cakes. Its drink accompaniment will either be Moriomoto Black Obi Soba Ale or Kells Lager. The last course is a chocolate stout mousse tower served with Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m. $65 per person. Call the ChopHouse for reservations: 414-226-2467. Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 633 N. Fifth St.
Cold Weather, Warm Food
A few issues ago, I reviewed a restaurant in Washington Heights called Meritage (5921 W. Vliet St., 414-479-0620). (Owner/chef Jan Kelly spent several years heading the kitchen of now-closed Barossa.) Having her own place means Kelly can be as creative as she wants with the menu, changing it as often as she likes. And that brings me to Meritage’s winter menu, set to come out next Tuesday (Jan. 15). What I’m seeing in my crystal ball: a barbecued short rib sandwich with sweet potato fries, root vegetable tart and braised pork crostini. In the entrées category, we have beef tenderloin with blue cheese gremolata, butternut squash ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce, and a hanger steak with chickpea salad and mint-cilantro pesto. Fish specials are available nightly. Interested? Hours are Tues-Thurs 4:30-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4:30-11 p.m. Sun brunch 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
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, Jan. 17. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
Also check out Colleen Heather Rogan’s weekly Shopping column and our Events Editor Evan Solochek’s picks for the best events in arts and entertainment in This Weekend.
