Pleasures at the Plaza
You know about the attributes of patios on a rooftop or with a water view. But courtyards have their charms, too. Take the patio at Cafe at the Plaza Hotel. You access it through a door inside the art deco lunch counter/dining room. The tables, covered by green umbrellas, are surrounded by greenery. This year, the patio was treated to new bluestone and brick pavement. As for the food, chef Karen Bell has been offering weekend specials on her breakfast and lunch menus – things like crab and asparagus eggs Benedict, and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with polenta, poached eggs, pea pesto and mushroom crostini. The regular menu has a few new items, too, including blueberry cornmeal pancakes with orange blossom-honey butter and chai-spiced French toast with strawberry rhubarb compote. Hours: daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (1007 N. Cass St., 414-272-0515)
CLEAR Views
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| Spicy tuna tartare tacos from CLEAR. |
CLEAR Bar & Lounge is the lobby-level space at the Intercontinental Milwaukee Hotel that hosts some interesting weekly events. On Tuesdays, just outside the bar, they have an indoor bocce ball court (5:30-7:30 p.m.). On weekends, there is the Chocolat Bar at CLEAR, 8 p.m.-midnight. The bar has expanded its selection of craft beers. Among the 11 new selections is O’so Hop Whoopin from O’so Brewing Company in Plover, Wis. If you’re there for Happy Hour – Mon-Fri 4:30-6:30 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. – you can nibble on ham and cheese sliders ($5), chipotle chicken quesadillas ($4) and flatbreads topped with roasted garlic cream, smoked bacon and three Wisconsin cheeses ($4). (139 E. Kilbourn Ave., 414-935-5943)
Hamachi in the House
So Jazz in the Park runs Thursday nights in Cathedral Square Park. Just a few blocks from there is Umami Moto, which is offering its own reason to come Downtown on Thursday nights. The restaurant’s Asian Tapas & Sushi Thursdays offers such delights as salmon tartare, tofu press-umami lasagna, tilefish satay ($5-$7) and all manner of nori rolls – unagi berry (with blueberry sauce, sesame seeds and avocado) and the Hamachi Bomb (pink peppercorns, hamachi and scallions), $6-$10. A DJ is on-site, too. Hours: 5-11 p.m. (718 N. Milwaukee St., 414-727-9333).
Sunshine and Cyril
I have a thing for Cyril Colnik. He’s the late Milwaukee artisan blacksmith whose collection of wrought-iron masterpieces is on display at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. I don’t get to the museum much to admire his work, but the reopening of Café Sopra Mare is certainly impetus to stop in. Sopra Mare is a summer, Sundays-only affair. Live music goes on in the Mercury Courtyard. Admission to that is free. Bella’s Cafe offers pastries, coffee and tea for sale. A continental breakfast is served on the second-story balcony for $19 per person. If you just want to come for the music and a coffee, Sopra Mare runs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (live music, ranging from a bluegrass quartet to guitar and mandolin duo, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) You can make brunch reservations, too. Call 414-271-3656. Incidentally, regular museum hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Sundays through the end of September. (2220 N. Terrace Ave.)
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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
