East Side lovers of pad thai and Massamun curry have a secret: Thai A Kitchen, which has held steady, if unobtrusively so, at 2851 N. Oakland Ave. since 2002.
It currently focuses completely on carryout (the dining room has not reopened since COVID – nor are there plans to reopen it, says owner Toua Vang). It also operates only on weekdays – Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-8 p.m – a business model that Vang Says helps keep menu prices affordable.
You just need to get past their more old-fashioned ordering process. Place your order by phone (414-962-8851, from the menu posted on their page, facebook.com/ThaiAKitchen) and pay at pickup.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Walk through the door and there’s Van – the affable person who took your phone order – ready to complete your transaction. Regarding the menu, I’ve yet to find something I don’t like, whether that’s chicken satay with two sauces or tom yum gai (tomato-based chicken soup) or laab (a vibrant salad) or pad thai – which comes in two styles.
The difference is the sauce. One of them has a sweet, tamarind base, the other (which I prefer), called New Pad Thai, has a savory, soy sauce base. Portions are very generous; also, I order “no spice” and there’s still a hint of heat. Entrées $12-$18.
March 17 begs for a new designation – Reuben Roll Awareness Day. The feast of St. Patrick must be observed with a Reuben sandwich-ized egg roll – a delicacy first served (so we think) at a Mader’s Restaurant event in 1990. I like the one at O’Lydia’s (338 S. First St.), where the salty, tangy appetizer is served with Thousand Island dressing.
More Baked Goods, Less Gluten
Traci Morgan-Hoernke ran her gluten-free bakery, MOR (a Swedish word for “Mother”), out of the Lincoln Warehouse in Bay View for a handful of years, some of them COVID years. Now, Morgan-Hoernke has a new, less visible space at 5504 W. State St. that’s geared for pre-order pick-up – of muffins, breads, granola, soups and other staples, but she does have items available if you drop in.
Many are also dairy- and or egg-free. One of the yummiest treats she makes is popovers – light, crisp and fluffy and available in flavors like baked apple, and caramelized onion/goat cheese. She releases a new pre-order menu every Sunday, with hours on Fridays (11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m.-1 p.m.).
“The reason my bakery exists, my commercial kitchen exists,” she says, “is to bring as many people to the table and have them feel welcome, because nobody enjoys not feeling like they should be present, right?”
After a dinner service hiatus that lasted months, Elsa’s on the Park (833 N. Jefferson St.) kicked it back into high gear at the end of 2024 – but returned with a very scaled-back menu missing fan favorites like the pork sandwiches, au poivre burger and chicken wings. Among the new are chicken schnitzel, a Sicilian sandwich, pizzas (Alsatian to Bianco) and sundaes made with frozen custard from sister business Kopp’s. • BBQ is back at the Milwaukee Public Market (400 N. Water St.) in the form of David Alan Alan’s Smokehouse & Saloon, known at their flagship Mukwonago restaurant for smoked St. Louis-style ribs, burnt ends and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. • Lemongrass by EE-Sane (1505 N. Farwell Ave.) – run by the granddaughter of the founders of EE-Sane Thai Restaurant – offers traditional but modern Southeast Asian food. It also has served as ground zero for EE-Sane while that restaurant, open since 1998, closed for a recent kitchen renovation.
