Sharing plates (small and large). Menu changes often
Former Eddie Martini’s chef Jason Tofte offers up diverse shareable plates – such as friend chicken drumstick and meatloaf and mashed potatoes – in a warm, informal setting.
When Jason Tofte helmed the kitchen of Eddie Martini’s, he suited up in a white chef’s coat, cooked on the line and rarely ventured out to chat with patrons. That changed when the 18-year Tosa steakhouse vet left to run Waukesha’s The Steaming Cup with his wife, Cristina. The Cup came with a sizable built-in clientele, and serving up lattes with hummus wraps required interaction with customers. Read more…
Think of this high-end restaurant and adjacent bar as restored old Cream City brick building meets Ernest Hemingway-esque hunting lodge. The service aims to match the expensive house dry-aged steaks. Steaks are a menu highlight.
“Fine dining” has more than once been pronounced close to death’s door. Despite those claims, there’s still life in the concept. But what constitutes fine dining has changed, in keeping with broader lifestyle trends of the last 15 years or so.
The center of this open, modern space is a wood-burning hearth, used for everything from bread-baking to roasting meats and fish. High marks for shareable menu items like roasted parsnips, sunflower seed risotto and whole chicken with BBQ carrots. Open for Sat-Sun brunch as well.
When I talked with co-owner Miles Borghgraef by phone a few months before Birch + Butcher’s opening – in Barry Mandel’s North End development on Water Street – the carpentry was finished, light fixtures installed and Borghgraef and his crew were christening the wood- burning hearth at the center of his kitchen.
Kindred’s opening menu starts in its small but share-able way, with lemongrass mussels, piri piri fried chicken leg, duck confit flatbread, parsnip gnocchi, fontina-stuffed lamb meatballs with spicy tomato sauce and edam cheese croquette. Read more…
Think about dessert first. The pies (honeypie to banana cream), cupcakes and other sweets are all made in-house. Take a seat in a booth under photos of somebody’s relatives and have a pasty, mac and cheese or a Wisconsin grass-fed beef burger. Now back to that other topic – pies.
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Seasonal cuisine incorporating local foods is the mantra of this beautifully restored occupant of Walker’s Point’s “Restaurant Row.” The steamed pork buns are a must. Also offers hands-on cooking classes.
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The epitome of down-to-earth Bay View warmth and insouciance. Well-chosen wines and craft beers, and clever, well-balanced cocktails. The seasons dictate the menu to a certain degree, but you can count on the fabulous meats (chicken, lamb) cooked on the French rotisserie.
The Walker??s Point resto that inhabited an old German bar long before the area??s renaissance. Owner/chef Peggy Magister has a rapt audience that finds nothing crazy about her menu of chorizo-stuffed dates, parsley-crusted halibut, and soy-braised short ribs.)
You’ll find morel mushrooms on occasion. And lots of rich preps of duck, lamb, beef and fish. If you don’t mind a little heat, the few seats at the kitchen counter (in view of the chefs) are the most entertaining spots in the house. Read more…
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Menu of small and large plates, including scallops and a burger. Dim sum cart offers a selection of dumplings.
Entertainment, Reservations Taken,
Friday Fish Fry, Open for Breakfast, Open For Lunch, Outdoor Dining, Reservations Taken,
Eclectic menu of casual fare such as flatbread pizzas, jumbo wings, burgers and sliders, sandwiches (Reuben, filet mignon tacos) and chopped salads.
Friday Fish Fry, Open For Lunch, Reservations Taken,
Group Parties, Open For Lunch, Outdoor Dining, Reservations Taken,
Entertainment, Friday Fish Fry, Late Night Dining, Outdoor Dining, Reservations Taken,
