The menu at this restaurant located in a renovated 1855 building utilizes ingredients from Twisted Willow Farm. Plates range from “almost famous” meatloaf and baby-back ribs to Asian BBQ Atlantic salmon.
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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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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…
The best seat in the house is at the kitchen counter, where you can watch your crab cakes, chopped salad and NY strip with Delmonico potatoes being prepared. The leather booths offer a little more privacy, and the bar, live entertainment and a nifty bar menu. Other standouts: fried surf clams and herb crumb-crusted halibut.
Menu of small and large plates, including scallops and a burger. Dim sum cart offers a selection of dumplings.
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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Founded by James Beard Award-winning chef Sanford D??Amato; owned by JBA winner Justin Aprahamian. Unsurpassed for service and impeccable food. The global cuisine incorporates products from a long list of Wisconsin farms. The chefs prepare everything in-house, including butchering, preserving and canning. Elk, duck, fresh fish are all good choices. Offers surprise tasting and exploration menus. Desserts (a dozen offerings) is compulsory.
An easy little east-of-Oakland spot to roll into for apps at the bar or a more organized affair in the cozy white-tablecloth dining room. Beer dinners are becoming Tess’ claim to fame. The cozy, private garden patio makes a lovely setting for a summer night.
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Located inside the Hyatt Regency, this American restaurant has all the classics and then some. Start off with some Wisconsin cheese curds or avocado toast for an appetizer and then choose between scrumptious burgers, sandwiches or heartier meats for the main.
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Appetizers, two sandwiches, pastas and a smattering of entrées, like pork chops in a beurre blanc cream and eggplant alla parmigiana. Recipes for the meat lasagna – flavorful and rich, with a terrific beef sauce foundation – and other staples come from Fazzari’s cousin in Italy. My top pick: chicken in Marsala-mushroom cream sauce over penne.
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With a wide variety of delicious Asian cuisine, Benihana definitely makes for a special night out. Some delicious offerings include specialty sushi rolls, sashimi/nigiri, steaks and chicken, seafood and house specialties like the hibachi supreme.
When it comes to Chinese lunch buffets, China Gourmet is renowned for the freshness of its selection. Food is prepared in smaller batches and replenished often. Crab rangoons, mu shu crepes and steamed chicken dumplings are just a few of the terrific options not to be missed.
Open For Lunch, Outdoor Dining, Food Truck,
Group Parties, Open For Lunch, Reservations Taken, Sunday Brunch,
The Swingin’ Door Exchange inhabits a red-awninged space under one of the city’s most majestic venues, the Grain Exchange Room. The dig’s first incarnation as a bar – called the Exchange Tavern – began in the 1930s. The owner of the neighboring barbershop took over the place in ’67, renaming it the Swingin’ Door. Nowadays, the Door still gets its patty melt and Friday fish fry on, but it’s rolling with the times – packing in a hodgepodge of the hungry, from bike couriers to number-crunchers. Read more…
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A convenient stop before a show at the Rep, Pabst or Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The best table at this sixth-floor restaurant (inside the Intercontinal Hotel) has a large window with views of the busy intersection of Kilbourn and Water. Order the Big Boy burger (cut into quarters) as an appetizer, then sink into the beer-braised short ribs.
This spot is ripe for anyone looking for mealtime bliss. The textures and colors of this hotel restaurant add a modern atmosphere.
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