Metro Morphed
Feeling fresh? If the walls could talk at Hotel Metro’s Bar and Cafe, it would make comments pertaining to the spruced-up decor. Wow, look at this new banquette, the leather couches, the private dining room! The hotel powers have also been tinkering with the food. The new dinner menu comes out this Thursday (Jan. 26), and the overall feel is classic American grill-ish. Some choices you will find: grilled chicken Caesar, seafood Cobb salad, four steaks (blackened prime rib, a 24-ounce Porterhouse), potato chip-crusted Chilean sea bass, baby-back ribs, chicken piccata, whiskey pork chops. The lunch menu is changing, too. The new should hit tables in early February. Dinner entrées $19-$36. (411 E. Mason St., 414-225-3270)
Burger Bastion
Bacon blue burger, California burger, “Loser” burger. Are you sensing a Sobelman’s write-up? Burger man Dave Sobelman, of Menomonee Valley burger joint fame, has stepped back from his Tallgrass beef focus at his East Side restaurant, changing both the menu and removing “Tallgrass” from the name (1952 N. Farwell Ave., 414-273-4727). Sobelman’s East Side Grill, as it’s now called, still offers a Tallgrass burger (made with grass-fed beef). The rest of the menu looks more like the Menomonee Valley Sobelman’s restaurant – 10 Angus beef burgers, plus a bunch of patties for people who don’t want beef (e.g., fried chicken, fish, turkey, bison and veggie). Burger prices: $5.50-$8. Next on the agenda is a new exterior sign. Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Battle of the Beans
This is a load of beans. I’m referring to Milwaukee’s Chili Cook-Off, a local Super Bowl of chili competitions. What it entails is some 30 restaurants competing for a title of supreme greatness in categories like “best traditional chili” and “most unique.” A few examples of the competitors: INdustri Cafe, Old German Beer Hall, Hamburger Mary’s, Cafe Manna, Brocach Irish Pub and Trysting Place Pub. The 2012 event is this Sunday, Jan. 29. Location: Potawatomi Bingo Casino’s Expo Center (1721 W. Canal St.). Convenient, since you can play some slots afterwards… Admission includes eight 3-ounce chili samples. Advance tickets: $12; call 414-687-5365.
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
