Photo by Adam Ryan Morris
So-Called Amateur Night
My Twitter account pretty much froze up from all the messages I got today from SURG Restaurants. If you eat at one of this company’s businesses (Umami Moto, Ryan Braun’s Graffito, Charro) on New Year’s Eve, you’ll get a $20 SURG gift certificate. Desperate to know more? Click here. Now, I want to talk about Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub. I don’t have a menu. You don’t really need one. You could just go in, sit down, have a drink and listen to the server tell you what chef Dan Van Rite is working on in the kitchen. He’s got some tricks up his sleeve and they involve these words: Tomahawk chop, dry-aged rib eye, Taylor Bay scallops (click this link and you won’t want anything else). I’ve convinced you, right? Yes, you’ll need a reservation. (222 E. Erie St., Suite 100, 414-727-9300)
Party On
One New Year’s Eve years ago, the evening’s entertainment was the movie Open Water, about a couple on a scuba-diving trip in the Caribbean. They’re left in the middle of the ocean, while hungry sharks circle underneath them. The hoped-for ending where this couple is saved never comes. My siblings and I looked at each in horror, reaching for the only balm we could think of – another bottle of wine. Then, another. OK, so I wasn’t driving. This was all about responsible drinking. The next morning, my sandpaper tongue met a gallon of water. Perhaps that vat of grease some hangover guides suggest was what I really needed. It’s what restaurants would like you to think, no? So without further ado, I offer you a list of local restaurants – in no particular order and bearing no stamp of critical approval – serving New Year’s Day brunch.
INdustri Cafe (524 S. Second St.): All-you-can-eat lumberjack brunch: scrambled eggs, biscuits and country sausage gravy, cheese blintzes, grits, cinnamon rolls, etc. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.$15.95 per person. 414-224-7777
Riverwest Co-op (733 E. Clarke St.): Super-yum brunch stuff like bibimbop, pancakes (banana cakes shown in photo), veggie scramble, biscuits and gravy, et al. From 12 p.m. $4.50-$6.95. 414-264-7933
Pfister Hotel (424 E. Wisconsin Ave.): 40 items, including made-to-order pasta, carving and omelet stations and “decadent” (their word) dessert display. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Adults $39.95; kids 5-12 $13.95; children 4 and under free. Reservations: 414-935-5942
Juniper 61 (6030 W. North Ave.): Regular brunch menu available, as well as specials. (And champagne-y drinks). 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations taken for 6 or more: 414-727-6161
Cafe Centraal, Cafes Hollander (two locations), Cafe Benelux and Trocadero: All open for Hangover brunch. Centraal and Troc open at 9 a.m.; Benelux and the two Hollanders at 8 a.m. Want more info and the addresses? You just need to click this.
Stack’d Burger Bar (170 S. First St.): Mimosa brunch featuring the regular brunch menu (steak and eggs, smoked beef brisket and lobster hash) and some holiday specials. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $5-$15. 414-273-7800
Comet Cafe and sister restaurant Honeypie (1947 N. Farwell Ave. and 2643 S. Kinnickinnic, respectively): Brunch, as they both do every week. Plus, they’ll be packed! From 9 a.m. 414-273-7677 and 414-489-7437
Look for Dish on Dining on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
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If you spot a restaurant opening or closing, post it on the comments section of my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com
