Tea Triumph
These five years have gone by fast, if you think of them in relation to a birthday – Anaba Tea Room’s birthday. To celebrate the milestone, Anaba is having a special one-day event. Come down to the shop – located inside the Garden Room store – on Dec. 5th for a bite to eat, and you’ll get a 50-percent discount on your food. All bulk tea and tea merchandise will be reduced 5 percent for that day. If you’re into tea and haven’t been to Anaba, there are riches to be found, including a huge selection of Milwaukee-based Rishi teas. A Rishi rep will also be in the house to serve samples and answer questions. The date, once again, is Friday, Dec. 5th. If you thinking of lunching, the menu includes soups, salads (smoked salmon, Vietnamese shrimp), tea sandwiches (cucumber or prosciutto and avocado) and several desserts and sweets. (2107 E. Capitol Dr., 414-963-9510)
Open Sesame
If checking out new places is your M.O., this weekend marks the official opening of 500 Café (500 N. 29th St.). The French-inspired spot will be open for lunch and dinner, serving shrimp or catfish and grits, Cajun chicken sandwich and “wing zings.” The specialty cocktail is a banana split martini. Friday evening’s Grand Opening kickoff features live music, an appearance by a radio personality (Jammin’ 98.3’s Earl Stokes), complimentary appetizers and samples of cocktails like the aforementioned martini. Opening event hours: 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 5th. After that, the cafe hours will be Mon-Thurs 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Price range: $5-$15.
Cupcakes Rule
I have a great idea for a cupcake to enter in Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee’s Christmas Challenge. It’s the stollen cupcake. I won’t be entering it, but I would challenge any bakers out there to make the ultimate stollen cupcake. I think stollen (which unfortunately is not on my list of favorite holidays baked goods) has the potential to be great. And a stollen cupcake, no less? Loyal readers of this column may remember an earlier writeup (Sept. 4th, to be exact) of the Iron Cupcake events at Fratellos Restaurant in the Third Ward. Co-creator Sandy Ploy, the self-described Cupcake Queen, has an Internet page devoted to her passion: http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/.
So the Christmas Challenge is this Monday, Dec. 8th (5:30 p.m.). If you’d like to participate as a baker, just let Ploy know by e-mail: ironcupcakemilwaukee@gmail.com. If watching and judging are more up your alley, all you need to do is show up at Fratellos for the event. The winning baker will not only bask in the glory of victory. He or she will pick up a $25 giftcard to Fratellos, 102 N. Water St., 414-414-271-1740.
Chocolate Bath
Would you like a salted caramel truffle pop? A Black Forest Chruffle? Maybe “yes” to the first question and “not sure” to the second. Weekend nights are when CLEAR, the lobby lounge inside the InterContinental Milwaukee Hotel, rolls out its Chocolat Bar. Basically, we’re talking gateaux (cakes), tarts, bon bons and truffles, which you can eat to your heart’s content on Friday and Saturday nights (7 p.m.–midnight). The concept has been going on for a while, but of course the selections are bound to expand and evolve. For instance, the hotel’s executive chef Robert Ash is talking up a new item – chocolate-covered Nueske’s bacon on a stick with a peanut butter ganache. A few sentences back, I mentioned the Chruffle. What in heaven’s name is that? It’s a truffle (in flavors like butter pecan and dark chocolate) created by the same Milwaukee company that makes the Cholive (a cream-filled chocolate confection originally destined to float inside a chocolate martini). Your options don’t end there. You can dip fresh fruit, brownies and pound cake into bittersweet fondue; drink Kahlúa out of an edible chocolate cup; or be boring and just have a cappuccino. Prices: $1.75 up to $15. 139 E. Kilbourn Ave.
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, Dec. 11th. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
