Pie Against Pie
I like to watch a TV show called “Pushing Daisies.” The offbeat humor is only one reason I’m into it. I also watch it for the pies. The protagonist, Ned, is a pie baker, and there has been more than one episode where I was seduced by an apple pie with Gruyère cheese sprinkled on top. My gosh. You may have heard that the Food Network’s Bobby Flay paid a visit to the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago last month for his “Throwdown!” show. The way the show works is Flay drops into a restaurant, bakery, taqueria or whatever and challenges the staff to a cook-off. In Mukwonago, Flay put his pie-baking skills up against those of the venerable farm (home of the pie in a paper bag). Who won the challenge will be revealed on the Nov. 20 show (“Throwdown!” 7:30 p.m., the Food Network). Apple pie is one of those classic, feel-good desserts that can stand on its own. Though there’s always room for tinkering. Are you ready for this? A colleague sent me a link to an apple pie experiment that some would say has gone awry. I say it has potential. Check it out in all of its bacon-lattice glory: http://elicooks.wordpress.com
A Hint of Beer
The fall weather is, quite frankly, giving me a taste for beer (unusual since I tend to favor wine). At any rate, it’s hard not to look at Hinterland’s upcoming beer dinner menu without feeling a little parched. It’s six courses for $60, and starts with hamachi sashimi served with a pale ale. That course is followed by seared diver scallops with water spinach and goat milk cheddar (washed down with a raspberry rye beer). Next: braised veal cheeks with ancho-chile barbecue sauce, rice beans and Nueske’s smoked bacon with an amber ale. I’m going to keep the following three courses a secret. The dinner is Wednesday, Oct. 29th at 6 p.m. Call immediately if you’re interested: 414-727-9300. And FYI: Hinterland’s four-course, $40 tasting menu is again brightening up Monday nights. Might be an antidote for the early-week blahs. (Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub, 222 E. Erie St.)
Cheeks and Feet
Speaking of veal cheeks – if you read the Hinterland blurb, you’ll know what I’m talking about – I recently ran across a recipe on forbes.com for veal cheeks braised in Madeira and served with slow-roasted beets and potatoes Anna. Mmm. Consider cheeks the overlooked meat parts. Or perhaps not. James Beard Award-winning chef Adam Siegel recently prepared veal cheeks on his menu du chef at Lake Park Bistro (3133 E. Newberry Blvd., 414-962-6300). Juan Urbieta, executive chef at Ristorante Bartolotta, isn’t doing cheeks, but he is making interesting use of the unusual on his current seasonal menu, inspired by Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. One dish is handmade potato ravioli with braised European wild hare ragu. Another course on that menu, which runs at least through the end of October, is slow-braised, sausage-stuffed pig’s trotter with stewed lentils. Pig’s trotter is otherwise known as pig’s feet. (7616 W. State St., 414-771-7910).
Autumn Eating
Among fall menus, few are more creative than chef John Raymond’s at Roots Restaurant and Cellar. Raymond’s take on the fish fry has walleye fingers with garlic pickle aïoli, rye cup, cabbage confit and lemon drops ($16). His inspiration has been coming in the form of the American comfort food of decades past. For instance, the heirloom apple, radicchio, golden raisin and celery salad with walnut aïoli sounds like Waldorf salad redux. Other interesting fall dishes: warm frisée salad with pork belly croûte and braunschweiger dressing; and peanut barbecued pork ribs with pork belly-black bean fried rice and kohlrabi kimchee. I’m becoming a little obsessed with pork belly. (1818 N. Hubbard St., 414-374-8480)
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, Oct. 30. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
