Dog Days
I’ve got a hot dog buddy in my office. We sometimes talk dogs – good ones we’ve had, unusual ones we’ve seen. I’ll admit that I don’t cover hot dogs – or sausages – a lot. I’d love to see some more unusual kinds hit the market here. (Like Biker Jim’s Dogs in Denver, where you can get Alaska reindeer sausage and an elk-jalapeno-cheddar brat. Don’t get me started on scrumptious sounding foie gras hot dogs, although a Chicago business owner was fined in 2007 for serving hot dogs laced with duck liver pâté.) What I really want to talk about here is straight-up hot dogs and their good buddy, the hamburger. Entrepreneur Mazen Muna has opened three locations of The Dogg Haus in Milwaukee. The original opened on Brady Street (1433 E.) in 2005. Its siblings – a Marquette University-area location on Wells Street and a spot on East Wisconsin Avenue – arrived in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Muna moved beyond hot dogs when he took over the old Bella’s Fat Cat at 1233 E. Brady St. Muna’s opened The Burger Joint in early June. He’s kept the cost down (burgers run $2.99 to around $3.59) and the topping options plentiful. You can smother your burger with jalapeno peppers, black olives, fried onions and six kinds of cheese. It may be a burger joint, but it isn’t just a burger joint. Chicken wings come in a mild or spicy batter, and with one of 10 different sauces. For the cheese fanatic, there’s grilled cheese, chili cheese fries and fried cheese curds. Plus frozen custard in cone and sundae variations, because a sweet fix follows a savory one.
Market Fresh
If you’ve driven past Beans & Barley on a recent Thursday and wondered what all the commotion was about – the vendors, the crowds of people – it’s the East Side Open Market (every Thursday through Oct. 9). Each week has a theme. On Aug. 14, the focus is American Indian Heritage. As you shop for produce and handmade items, the American Indian Center will provide visual and aural entertainment in the form of a drum and dance circle. Former UW-Milwaukee chef Victor Zamora will do two food demos (at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.). Check him out making bison-wild rice casserole in the first demo, and bison NY strip steaks and venison sausage in the second. Market hours are 3-7 p.m. 1901 E. North Ave.
The Sound of Sipping
Ignore the warnings that fall is coming. As long as I still need a fan blowing in my cubicle, I’m hanging on to the season. And besides, there are still festivals going on all of this month. For example, the Milwaukee Wine Festival (Aug. 22-23), which touts wine samplings, seminars, food, live music and cooking demonstrations. If all you want to do is sample wine, more than 150 varieties from around the world will be there for the tasting. Restaurateur Sandy D’Amato and Dream Dance executive chef Jason Gorman will conduct demos on both days. Rounding out the list of restaurants offerings food are The Capital Grille, The Knick, Mason Street Grill, Kil@wat and Milwaukee ChopHouse. Where will you find it? At the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr. Aug 22, 4-10 p.m.; Aug. 23, 2-9 p.m. Call 888-210-0074 for tickets. And read more on the event at www.milwaukeewinefestival.com/.
Slice It Up
I had a dream about Classic Slice Pizza the other night. In the dream, I was being chased by a giant slice of pizza from this Bay View counter-service/delivery business. Why I wanted to get away, I have no idea. I should have been running toward the pizza. (Do I really dream about food? Absolutely.) Classic Slice (2797 S. KK Ave., 414-238-2406) serves some of my favorite pizza in Milwaukee. (It’s the crust, I’ll telling you. Thin, with a great chewy end crust that I rip off and eat before tackling the rest of my slice.) In this lovely stretch of summer weather, it’s a shame to think of sitting inside at a table eating ’za. Classic Slice has positioned some tables on the sidewalk for alfresco dining. Those $3.50 slices I’ve mentioned in the past will probably cost you a buck or so more than that, because who really wants just a one-topping pizza? And come to think of it, who wants just one slice? Though, I warn you, their giant slices may chase you down in your dreams.
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, Aug. 14. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
