READ MORE BEST OF MILWAUKEE 2023

Moving Forward    

BY ANN CHRISTENSON

When the ballyhooed news came through the wire that the next season of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” would be filmed in Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Madison, specifically – one of the first questions in my head was why. I’m a lifetime member of the Milwaukee Restaurant Scene Fan Club, and yet even I sometimes fall victim to inferiority complex thinking. 

First-timers to our city are inevitably surprised to find a dining scene worth bragging about. They never expect it because beer, brats and cheese get in the way. That’s our reputation, but it won’t, hopefully, be our only legacy. We have a growing, diversifying, persevering dining scene, with recent James Beard Awards, to boot. The support-local message is strong – we’re not a city overrun by chain restaurants. Our scene shines brighter than ever; Bravo just finally took notice.     

Along with this evolution – just drive around the mushrooming Deer District and you’ll get a taste – we had to say goodbye to some dining establishments this year. Losing the Filipino food truck Meat on the Street in spring felt like a sucker punch. But brother-sister owners Matt and Alexa Alfaro said they simply couldn’t see running the business in their long-term future. And this summer, Red Light Ramen called it quits after almost 10 years of serving bowls of the Japanese noodle dish. Bay View’s charming Lazy Susan shut down in April, nine years after opening. Its former digs were expected to be replaced in summer by food truck Heirloom MKE’s first, much-yearned-for brick-and-mortar. But the unexpected happened: A fire destroyed Heirloom’s truck, forcing them to pivot (remember that pandemic-defining word?), ask for help from the community and work even harder to fulfill their dream.  

Maybe the inferiority complex isn’t so terrible. It’s made us all work harder. All eyes are on us. But we’re nothing if not prepared.  

Ann’s Dish List… 

1. Chicken Maqlouba

LEBNANI HOUSE | 5051 S. 27TH ST.

An Arabic word for upside down, this knockout dish comes to the table hidden inside a lidded vessel. The server lifts off the top, flips it over onto a serving dish and voila – an aromatic, beguilingly good jumble of stewed meat, rice and vegetables.  

2. Supreme Croissant

MATILDA BAKEHOUSE 

Lamination – folding butter into dough multiple times to create layers – makes a croissant flaky. This wheel-shaped version in varied flavors, available at a few local coffee shops and farmers markets, is deliciously worthy of its name. matildabakehouse.com 

3. Roasted Cauliflower  

BELFRĒ KITCHEN | 606 N. GENESEE ST., DELAFIELD

It’s not just the tender but firm cauliflower. It’s everything with it – herbed compound butter, Grana Padano parm, fresh chives, toasted breadcrumbs and pine nuts. The bacon lardon add-on is mandatory.

4. Focaccia 

CA’LUCCENZO | 6030 W. NORTH AVE., WAUWATOSA

This spongy, tender Italian flatbread has never looked or tasted better – drizzled liberally with extra-virgin olive oil – than at this low-profile pasta-centric spot. 

5. Sixty-Five

MAHARAJA | 1550 N. FARWELL AVE.

Everything about this fusion-Indian app makes it soar – the light coating on the tender pan-fried chicken and the mellow red chili-garlic sauce. 

6. Steak Bagel 

CONFECTIONATELY YOURS | 1920 N. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DR.

A rich, morning-brightening sandwich combining a seasoned steak patty, a folded omelet and melty cheese sauce. 

7. Hundred Acre Farms Salad 

TRE RIVALI | KIMPTON JOURNEYMAN HOTEL, 200 N. BROADWAY

My new go-to features Milwaukee-grown mixed greens, shaved carrot, Persian cucumber, cherry tomatoes and shallots tossed with a flavorful, perfectly balanced champagne vinaigrette. 

8. Pupusa  

PUPUSERIA LOS ANGELES | 5900 W. NORTH AVE

A specialty of El Salvador, this thick masa pancake can be stuffed with cheese, refried beans or pork before being cooked on a griddle. This North Avenue Market spot serves it the traditional way, alongside cabbage slaw and tomato salsa.   

9. Carnitas  

CARNITAS DON LUCHO | 565 W. LINCOLN AVE.

Don Lucho makes huge vats of this succulently braised, confit-like pork, selling it by the pound  and in tacos with cilantro and onion. Perfection.

10. General Tso’s Cauliflower

DANDAN | 360 E. ERIE ST.

This vegetarian riff on the deep-fried Chinese-American chicken dish has been on DanDan’s menu since the beginning, and it just never gets old. A flavor and texture tour-de-force, it has sweetness, tang and a tantalizing bite. 

Editors’ Picks 

Las Virellas Food Truck  

ZÓCALO FOOD PARK | 636 S. SIXTH ST. 

If you’ve never eaten Puerto Rican food, some of its menu calling cards are fried plantains, roast pork and pigeon peas and rice. It’s comfort food, and Las Virellas specializes in it. Owners/Puerto Rico natives Carolin and Mildred Virella offer various combo plates, with their masterpiece being the “El Batey,” a marvelous sampler for four to six diners that includes pork, plantains in various guises, peas and rice, and fried mozzarella balls with guava sauce. 

Hot Dish Pantry  

4125 S. HOWELL AVE.

Pierogis are not the sexiest creation but Hot Dish – whose brick-and-mortar opened this spring – makes these Polish dumplings unusual and craveable. There’s also a tot casserole to die for, but we’re here for the pierogis, in flavors like crab Rangoon, loaded baked potato and (perhaps their best) aloo chaat – an Indian-influenced version stuffed with chaat masala chickpeas, cauliflower, potato, cilantro and pomegranate seeds, the whole darn thing topped with mint cilantro yogurt and crispy lentils.

Ono Kine Grindz

7215 W. NORTH AVE., WAUWATOSA

Owners Guy Roeseler and David Lau gave their restaurant a moniker that’s Hawaiian for “Delicious Specialty Foods.” Importing the majority of its goods from Hawaii, that couldn’t be more apt. You can buy grocery items like macadamia nuts, hot sauces and nectars, but you need to pick up a meal here. Along with ahi poke (so fresh and simple), try the char sui chicken with purple sticky rice and kohlrabi slaw. Dynamite! 

Gordo’s Bubble Waffles  

2301 S. HOWELL AVE.

Inspired by the spongecake-like treat that’s all the rage in Hong Kong, Gordo’s goes for over-the-top deliciousness by filling the waffle (which looks a bit like bubble wrap) with ice cream, whipped cream, candies, cereal crunch and more. 100% gluttony. 

The Trade’s Rooftop Patio  

420 W. JUNEAU AVE. 

We’ve got other rooftops open to the public, but none have quite this view of the city. The deck on the southeast side of The Trade hotel’s ninth floor (home of the Italian restaurant Il Cervo) captures the lively glory of the Deer District, swanky high-rise apartments, City Hall and more. A spectacular spot to watch the sun go down.  

Supernova Coffee & Doughnuts  

275 W. WISCONSIN AVE. 

Since moving into 3rd Street Market Hall in 2022, Supernova has been expanding waistlines through the magic of deep-fried dough. Run, don’t walk, for an original glazed yeast-raised or confetti old-fashioned cake doughnut. They also do fritters (so good!) and monkey bread on the weekend. Be still, my heart.

Sherman Park Grocery Store  

4315 W. FOND DU LAC AVE. 

Supported by a grant from Milwaukee’s Fresh Food Access Fund, the grocer opened in summer 2022 with a mission to supply the area with healthy foods close to home – a need especially pressing as the closest supermarket is miles away. 

Funky Fresh Spring Rolls  

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

It seemed like just yesterday when TrueMan McGee was only selling his spring rolls (which come in flavors like buffalo chicken + kale) at farmers markets. Then came a retail counter inside the Sherman Phoenix and a food truck. In 2022, McGee announced his partnership with Palermo Villa Inc., making these unconventional rolls more widely available, in frozen form, on a local, regional and, at some point, national level. Frozen Funkys are currently sold in Sendik’s, Piggly Wiggly, Woodman’s and other retailers across Wisconsin. 

Readers’ Choice