Gone, In One Way
In 1992, Au Bon Appetit made Milwaukee
Magazine’s list of best new restaurants. Chef Rihab Aris, donned in her
signature red toque, served poulet (chicken) Basquais, ratatouille and chocolate
mousse with great aplomb in her small Brady Street digs (1016 E.). At the end of
October, the restaurant closed for good, but Aris and business partner Costi
Helou still have their wholesale and catering business, headquartered inside the
Third Ward’s Phoenix building (219 N. Milwaukee St., 223-3222). Au Bon’s hummus,
baba ghanoush (eggplant dip) and falafel are sold in grocery stores like
Sendik’s, Pick ’n Save and Outpost Natural Foods.
Late-night People
Earlier this month, Roots Restaurant
busted out a new small-plates menu in the lower-level Cellar (1818 N.
Hubbard St., 374-8480). It looks good, and not just because it’s 4 p.m. while
I’m writing this and I need a snack. Here’s some of what I’m seeing: mango-white
bean tamales with pomegranate mole, cumin-dusted tuna with purple sticky rice,
carved duck breast with Maytag blue/celery root gratin, green tea rice pudding
with daikon slaw and black bean purée. Many items are in the $3-$5 range, but
prices go up to $12. Starting December 3, the small-plates menu will be
available in the Cellar Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 p.m.-1 a.m.
Chop Changes
Birthday, anyone? Mine’s not for months yet. But
Milwaukee ChopHouse has its five-year fete coming up in January (Hilton
Hotel City Center, 633 N. Fifth St., 226-2467). I haven’t heard anything about
B-day cake, but the powers-that-be have pumped up the menu. You like crab legs?
You can now order Alaskan king crab legs, macaroni and cheese (made with Boursin
and Maytag blue cheese) and the “Chop Bar Trio,” an appetizer trio that features
all mini sizes of yummy things – crab cakes, burgers and tenderloin sandwiches.
I almost forgot to mention “The Carpaccio Rocks.” That would be a “sizzling hot
rock delivered to your table with thinly sliced raw filet, capers, truffle oil
and breadsticks.” Because people love to cook their own food, that’s exactly
what you’ll be doing.
Now, That’s a Deal
What does a dollar mean to you? The other
night, I heard some people talking about a one-buck burger. Not a fast-food
burger, mind you. This burger is the Tuesday night special at Bar Louie,
which opened a few months ago in the old Brew City Bar-B-Q pad (1114 N. Water
St., 847-1492). You can order your half-pound meal from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. It
comes only with lettuce, but for a quarter more, you can order toppings like
bacon and tomato. Note that the new Bayshore Town Center will have a Bar Louie.
No word on whether the one-buck burger will be offered in that location.
Can’t get enough dining? I chat about restaurants every Friday with Jane
Matenaer and Kidd O’Shea on “The Mix.” Listen between 8 and 9 a.m. on November
17. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
And check out our calendar editor Julie Sensat Waldren’s picks for the best
events in arts and entertainment on This Weekend.
