Out of Sauce
Those beastly prices at the pump. Are you eating out as much as you used to? When gas hit $4 a gallon, restaurateur Mike Killey says the area around his Pewaukee business, Great Northern BBQ Co., “became a ghost town.” In June, Killey closed the two-year-old (2177 Silvernail Rd., Pewaukee), but hopes to offer his dry-rub, pit-smoked barbecue concept – similar to Scott McGlinchey’s now-gone Q: Real American Food – in a catering capacity some time down the road. And when that happens, I’ll let you know.
Sunset on the Lake
Discovery World Museum has a new discovery. It’s called Live at the Lakefront, a new summer outdoor-music event à la Jazz in the Park. The free concert runs weekly, on Wednesday nights, through Aug. 13. The cool part is where it happens – on the lake side of the museum, at the 350-seat Rotary Amphitheater. If you can score a few of those seats – and they’re available on a first-come, first-serve basis – lucky you. If not, bring a blanket and some chairs and find a spot on the lawn. I can envision the contents of a picnic basket – some Brie, a baguette, a couple bottles of wine…. Whether or not you can pull the basket together beforehand, Bartolotta Catering will have assorted picnic food for sale – steak sandwich wraps, burgers and brats ($3-$5), plus chips, cookies and brownies. And maybe, most important of all, a cash bar (from wine to martinis). Two concerts are left this summer: Aug. 6 (The O’Bros) and Aug. 13 (Blarney with the Glencastle Irish Dancers). 5:30-9 p.m. 500 N. Harbor Dr.
Feast of Fruit
In the August issue of Milwaukee Magazine, you can flip to a review of Bunkers Nostalgic Lounge & Eatery in West Allis (or ’Stallis, as some of us like to call it). Bunkers takes its name from co-owner Scott Bunker, whose name also graced a bar’s signage back in the ’80s and ’90s, in a space not far from the new Bunkers (7420 W. Greenfield Ave.). Scott’s old place has been gone for eight years. The new Bunkers subsists on a diet of nostalgia, from the food (rumaki, patty melts) down to the music (nothing newer than the ’80s, from what I hear). The back patio is where Scott will host a wine tasting in a few weeks. The wine-color breakdown is four whites and two reds. If you want to buy a few bottles of the featured wines to take home, they’ll be available at wholesale prices. As far as food is concerned, apps will be served between courses. And if you see someone there who looks like a chef, it’ll probably be Jimmy Jackson, owner of the Jackson Grill (37th and Mitchell). Jackson is the VIP of the event, the evening’s special guest. Reservations are required. Call 414-258-1982. Aug. 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: $31 per person.
Spud and Sizzle
As I write this, two Milwaukee Magazine employees are stuffing their faces, dipping into every reserve of skill and cunning, in a race against time – a race to be the victor in a grueling potato-eating contest at Wisconsin State Fair Park. One of the brave contestants is our very own Sports Nut, Howie Magner. (I couldn’t think of a way I could conceivably take part in this challenge without putting my identity at risk.) State Fair might be on your mind this weekend. Or perhaps, the Third Ward’s Summer Sizzle, which runs Friday and Saturday (Aug. 1 and 2) on Broadway, in the vicinity of Buffalo and Chicago streets. The fest’s calling card is live jazz, and among the acts performing is Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Terence Blanchard (Fri, 9 p.m.). Here’s what’s in store for you if you’re planning to grab a meal at the fest: the Big Pig Gig (offering pulled pork, barbecued chicken, ribs, roasted corn); Debbie Jo’s Catering (turkey legs, brats, burgers); Milwaukee Ale House (jambalaya, gumbo, Muffaletta sandwiches); Harley-Davidson Museum’s Motor Restaurant (a turkey-and-Swiss “walking stick,” peach cobbler); Nate’s Crepes (self-explanatory); and Babe’s Ice Cream. Festival hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
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. 7. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
