Look for the next Dish on Dining column on Thursday, Nov. 29.
Turkey Hotline
White or dark meat? I’m an equal opportunity turkey eater, which is to say I will take the oft-ignored (in my family) thigh and leg meat, as well as the coveted breast. I remember one year, protesting the stereotypes associated with Thanksgiving, some friends and I grilled the best steaks we could find. And gave thanks. Some people, for one reason or another, don’t cook on turkey day, which is their right. And that’s where the restaurants come in. I checked in with a few to see what they have going next Thursday.
• Mason Street Grill (Pfister Hotel, 425 E. Mason St., 414-298-3131): The regular menu is available, as is a prix fixe menu ($32.50) that includes soup and chopped salad, turkey with sausage stuffing and pumpkin cheesecake. Open 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
• Polonez (4016 S. Packard Ave., St. Francis, 414-482-0080): turkey with stuffing, mushroom soup, potato pancakes, hunter’s stew, roast beef in gravy, sweet potatoes, banana crepes. Adults $16.95; children 12 and under $8.95. Two seatings: 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
• Karl Ratzsch’s (320 E. Mason St., 414-276-2720): Entrée choices vary. Roast turkey with old-fashioned dressing and cranberry sauce (adults $21.95; children $15.95). Or roast duck with dressing and wild rice blend, $26.95. Sauerbraten with red cabbage and potato dumpling, $26.95. Open 1-6 p.m.
• Golden Mast Inn (W349 N5293 Lacy’s Ln., Okauchee, 262-567-7047): Dinner served family style. Rolls, soup or salad, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Regular menu available, too. Adults $22.95; children $12.95. Open 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Pandl’s in Bayside (8825 N. Lake Dr., 414-352-7300): Sit-down meal (entrées include turkey and 10-12 other items) with salad bar. Open 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
Hotel Waukesha
This winter and spring, restaurateur Andy Ruggeri will have his hands full in downtown Waukesha. The hotel he and a business partner are developing is a few weeks from the start of construction. The 22-room Clarke Hotel (314 W. Main St.) will house a fine dining restaurant called The Black Trumpet. Ruggeri hopes for spring 2008 completion of the hotel. His latest news is that Dean Schmitz, chef de cuisine at Andrew’s in the Delafield Hotel (415 Genesee St.), is leaving the Delafield restaurant to join former Andrew’s owner Ruggeri as chef at the Black Trumpet. With all of this going on, Ruggeri has decided to close his 7-year-old Ruggeri’s Ristorante (515 Wells St., Delafield) at the end of January. The last day of operations is Jan. 31.
Star Secrets
Odessa Piper founded L’Etoile Restaurant in Madison in 1976. She sold it to Tory and Traci Miller in 2005. Tory is executive chef; his sister, Traci, handles the business operations. L’Etoile (French for “The Star”) has always been about ingredients from sustainable (often Wisconsin) sources. Where am I going with this? Tory, whom Piper hired as chef de cuisine of her restaurant a few years before she sold it, is coming to the Milwaukee Public Market (400 N. Water St.) to cook and share some of his techniques and recipes. It wouldn’t be easy to take the reins of a long-running, high-profile restaurant. Tory, who studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York, obviously is a talent. Sunday, Dec. 9, 1-2:30 p.m. Cost: $30. Call 414-336-1111 to register.
Cups of Knowledge
Jean Vitrano brews tea just a few blocks from my office. She’s the proprietor of Brew City Tea (140 N. Jefferson St., 414-273-2387), a charming little place that I don’t get to often enough. When I look at her e-mail newsletter, I realize how much there is to learn about teas and herb infusions. Vitrano is doing a tea tasting this Saturday (Nov. 17, 2 p.m.) at her shop. It sounds like a good primer for people who are new to tea. She’ll focus on tea basics and how various leaves become tea. And there will be teas to sample – white, green, black and oolong. $30 per person. Call to reserve a spot, or check out Vitrano’s Web site: www.brewcitytea.com.
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, Nov. 29. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.
Also check out Colleen Heather Rogan’s weekly Shopping column and our Events Editor Evan Solochek’s picks for the best events in arts and entertainment in This Weekend.
