Second Crum
Busy times for Lisa Crum. The baker – whose enticing array of treats is on display at C. Adams Bakery in the Milwaukee Public Market –
hopes to open her new Mequon location by early November. The second
business will serve two purposes – bakery and cafe. Its official name
and address: C. Adams Bakery & Logan’s Cafe (10942 N. Port
Washington Rd.). (The second half of the business is named after Logan
Laack, a 20-year-old former C. Adams employee, who passed away in 2009
after a heart transplant.) In Logan’s Cafe, Crum plans to serve
breakfast – “home cooking, but more upscale,” describes her mother,
Mary Crum. The cafe, says the elder Crum, is partly in homage to Laack,
who loved the morning meal. Lisa Crum will continue to operate the
bakery – known for fudgy brownies to Danishes to cake “bites” – at the
Milwaukee Public Market (400 N. Water St.). However, her mother says
the baking headquarters will eventually move to Mequon. As for the
opening, Lisa Crum will debut the bakery first, with the cafe arriving,
they hope, soon after.
Mequon Margaritas
Speaking of Mequon, the new location of Jalapeño Loco – in the old Alpine Village
digs on Highway 57– had no shortage of Margarita-swilling patrons last
weekend (10401 N. Cedarburg Rd., 262-238-1300). No big surprise since
new restaurants don’t materialize that often in the North Shore. Owners
Hugo and Janet Saynes were focused on getting the packs of patrons
passing time in the bar to tables in the dining room. The Sayneses have
hung colorful Mexican paper cutouts in that open, high-ceiling room to
lighten it up. But it still has the heavy feel of a Germanic beer hall.
Last weekend, the air was thick with the smoke from sizzling fajita
plates. My 12-year-old dining companion cheerfully washed down his Pancho Villa – a cheese enchilada, beef chimi and ground beef taco
– with a glass of strawberry lemonade. The chicken tinga tostada
special was, well, mellow flavored. More fire would have come from
Hugo’s Insane Special – sautéed shrimp or chicken in a habanero blue
cheese sauce. House specials include mole Oaxaqueño (choice of meat in
a sauce made from blended chiles, nuts and fruit: $14.25) and chiles en
nogada (a poblano pepper stuffed with pork, plantains, almonds and
chopped apples, pears and peaches: $13.50). The couple’s other
restaurant is near Mitchell airport, at 5067 S. Howell Ave.
Baking Buddy
Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop is
famous, thanks to reality TV. The Hoboken, New Jersey, cake shop is run
by Buddy Valastro and his extended family. In 2009, Valastro got his
own show on cable station TLC, so that all the histrionics associated
with decorating cakes – and really, more importantly, working with four
sisters and three brothers-in-law – happens (or is conjured up) when
the cameras are rolling. Valastro is currently on his “Bakin’ With the Boss” tour, and it’s stopping in Milwaukee on Nov. 11 – 7:30 p.m. at the Riverside Theater (116
W. Wisconsin Ave.). The fourth-generation baker will do a live cake
demo and Q&A. If you’re interested in tickets ($25.50-$45.50),
check this out. Also, the Bartolotta restaurant Bacchus
is offering a pre-show dinner on Nov. 11 (5-6 p.m.). The three-course
meal includes a dessert featured in Valastro’s new cookbook, Cake Boss. Cost $45 per person (meal only). Call 414-765-1166 to reserve a spot at Bacchus (925 E. Wells St.).
Look for more Dish on Dining on Thursday!
Wait! Don’t stop reading. I’m on Twitter! Follow me @ann_christenson
If you spot any restaurant openings or closings, post it on the comments section of my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com.
