German Landing
Achtung, fräulein, wanderlust. That about exhausts my personal German dictionary. Oh, wait. Doppelgänger. That’s one of my favorites…. The kitchen staff at Roots Restaurant and Cellar are thumbing through their German cookbooks (they’ve even got an old one from Mader’s) for their rad-sounding Winter World Tour menu, offered in addition to the regular menu. Interestingly, rather than being a set menu, WWT is loosely formatted. For all of this month, the World Tour is through Germany. The soups and nightly specials have a German feel. For instance, the soup might be beer and onion. The entrée special? Perhaps a veal schnitzel with horseradish spaetzle and mushroom-caper cream. Each month through April 2012 has a different emphasis. January is Spain; February is Italy. March? South America. And April: Pacific Northwest. Three- and four-course menus ($40 and $50, respectively) (1818 N. Hubbard St., 414-374-8480)…. Roots’ German menu got me thinking about glühwein. That is mulled German wine served hot. (Those of Scandinavian descent call their mulled wine Glögg.) Don’t the holidays make you think about mulled wine? No? Well, skip to the next paragraph then. VIA Downer (2625 N. Downer Ave., 414-501-4510) is featuring gluhwein three nights a week (Thursday-Sunday) until the end of January. The restaurant is also close to rolling out a new lunch menu. It, co-owner John Rossetto tells me, includes new sandwiches (Italian beef), simpler appetizers and a whole mess of $7.95 specials. Like… a 12-inch one-topping pizza with a soda, or lunch-size portion of pasta with Bolognese (or Alfredo, etc.) sauce and a side of bread. More changes, too, which I will talk about in a few weeks.
Closing Time
Restaurants are not, as we all know, impervious to the sands of time. The Walker’s Point restaurant Marchese’s Olive Pit (1100 S. First St.) has gone down the restaurant road of no returns. At this moment, I’m looking at a photo of the Doc’s Garden (a Marchese’s pizza) featured in our Best Pizza feature (in March 2010) and am feeling empty. Marchese’s offered some tantalizing ’za.… Also taking on past-tense status is Waukesha’s Brown Bag BBQ (701 N. Grandview Blvd.), whose half-slab of ribs charmed Cheap Eats writer Evan Solochek in one of his blogs last summer. Marchese’s run lasted not quite five years; Brown Bag, less than one year.
Six-course Supper
Comet Cafe and Honeypie have held their Secret Supper Clubs – five or so courses, local ingredients, craft beers. The “secret” just makes it more mysterious. Well, Classic Slice North Ave. is doing its own Supper Club. It’s not, as you can imagine since you’re reading about it here, a secret. And it doesn’t include pizza (for which Classic Slice is known). The six courses at this Italian-themed dinner include braised fennel salad, arancini, fresh homemade pasta, seared tenderloin with greens, and semifreddo. (If you prefer or need a vegetarian main course, it’ll be cannellini bean cassoulet; there will be also be a seafood option as main course.) When will this happen? Tuesday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m. Only 30 seats are available so call soon for a reservation! 414-270-1880. Cost: $40 ($35 for vegetarians). Extra $20 for wine pairings. (1609 E. North Ave.)
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
