Gazpacho
This cold Spanish soup – a chunky mix of tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers and onions – is a garden in a bowl. At Amaranth Bakery & Café, co-owner Stephanie Shipley features gazpacho often in these warm months, and you can’t get more local than the tomatoes she grows in her own garden. 3329 W. Lisbon Ave.
Popsicle
Picking a favorite flavor of Pete’s Pops’ frozen treats is hard, but OK – salted watermelon. Make that horchata. Or wait, sweet corn blackberry swirl! The pops are easy to track down – find them at home base (3809 W. Vliet St.), “pop sheds” in Bay View and West Allis, a new window in Grafton, and carts at farmers markets and special events all across town.
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Smashed Cucumbers
Composed of 95% water, the cucumber is almost pure hydration. DanDan’s delectably juicy and crisp smashed cucumber salad adds the dimension of tangy spice (black vinegar and red chiles), which also sends a message to the body to cool off. 360 E. Erie St.
Barbecue Platter
BBQ and summer are a combo made in warm weather heaven. It just feels like a picnic. Double B’s baby back ribs are all tender, meaty, sticky good, served with a coleslaw equal parts creamy and crisp, cornbread and your choice of side. 7412 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis
Burrata
While the strawberry arugula salad garnish is quite nice, that ivory blob of decadent cheese is clearly the star of this dish. To the uninitiated, burrata is fresh mozzarella done better – a mozzarella shell containing mozzarella curds, ricotta and cream. The toasted crostini at Heirloom MKE makes it almost a meal. 2378 S. Howell Ave.
Lao Cuisine
Alex Hanesakda, a MKE chef known for his Lao BBQ pop-ups under the name SapSap (which, in the Lao language, means Delicious Delicious) – finally has a Milwaukee home, at Zócalo Food Park. Hanesakda’s cooking pays homage to his heritage, and the food truck menu is gonna be hot! Mamma’s egg rolls, smoked brisket fried rice, three kinds of banh mi (fried chicken, charred pork and charred steak), lemongrass dill Lao sausage, Lao fried chicken wings and more.
636 S. Sixth St.
Naan Melt
Indian flatbread makes a fluffy, dense but light base for this warm, nummy vegetable sandwich called The Yogi at Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare – crushed chickpeas with kale, crispy red and green cabbage, and sweet chili sauce. 207 W. Freshwater Way
Yuca Fritas
French fries and ketchup? Take a hike. This fried snack made from yuca (a starchy root vegetable) yields crispy coated, pillowy wedges that are impossible to stop eating, especially with the bright, herby chimichurri sauce served for dipping at La Cocina del Sur. 701 E. Keefe Ave.
