Taste of the Town

Support Local Radio at Food Slam

Show your support for local radio station WMSE  by purchasing a ticket for Food Slam 2007, at The Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design on Friday, October 5, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Twenty-six restaurants are slated to offer a variety of food for your tasting pleasure. Participating restaurants include some my favorites like La Merenda, Maxie’s Southern Comfort, and Simma’s Bakery.  Other plates not to miss will be provided by Sabor, Anonna’s Bistro, Beans & Barley, and Nanakusa.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. All proceeds will benefit listener-supported 91.7 FM, WMSE. Get full details here, as well as a complete list of participating restaurants.

Alterra Opens in Wauwatosa

Yes! Yesterday Alterra opened a location in Wauwatosa, just blocks from my house. I am so excited about being able to walk down and grab a cup of my favorite coffee any time I want. Scott and I stopped in yesterday on our way to look at cars and picked up a tropical smoothie for him and a hot cup of joe for me. The line was a little long, but we didn’t mind.

                        

The new location sits in Locker’s Pointe, on the corner of North Avenue and Swan. Along with Alterra, you’ll also be able to score some lovely flower arrangements from Locker’s as well as a nice array of chocolates and other candies from Chocolaterie Stam, a Dutch sweet shop. Men take note: This little development could come in handy next time you need to make a good impression on your lady!

                        

Let Them Eat Crepes

IHOP’s “crepe fever” commercials make me wince. No self-respecting French person I know would ever load up a crepe with such vast amounts of syrup-soaked fruit, cream cheese, and sugar-laden whipped topping. And you shouldn’t either.

I recommend you either make your own or go to the cozy Cream & Crepe Cafe in Cedarburg and order the Crepes Parisien. The paper thin “Parisien” crepes are served hot with just a tiny bit of butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Perfect for splitting with a friend alongside steaming hot cups of coffee

If you need something more substantial, you could opt for one of the entrée crepes which are offered with a variety of toppings that range from broccoli and carrots to hot corned beef and sauerkraut. And if you just can’t resist overwhelming your wonderful little crepe with an overabundance of sweet stuff, you’ll be happy to know the dessert crepes are available with everything from chocolate mousse to frozen vanilla custard topped with red cherries.

Non-crepe fans will be glad to know sandwiches and salads are also available. But seriously, who would pass up a good crepe? These simple, yet sophisticated flat cakes are always easily savored – especially when someone else is doing the cooking!

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Cream & Crepe Cafe
N70 W6340 Bridge Road
Cedarburg, WI 53012
Phone: (262) 377-0900

Indian Summer Festival

Candi gave me a t-shirt for my birthday that said “Pale is the New Tan.” Fitting, now that I live here in Wisconsin where a great many people are melanin challenged, like me.

In fact, while she was visiting, Candi couldn’t get over how pale a lot of people looked for the middle of August. (She is from Dallas, remember. Being toned and tan is a must there!) It’s unfortunate that she couldn’t stick around long enough to go with me to the Indian Summer Festival, where due to the Native American blood coursing through their veins, a great many people roaming the grounds were blessed with the kind of beautiful golden-hued skin that I would now have to spend a small fortune on tanning products to maintain.

Actually, I hadn’t really planned to go to the festival. But when I went by Trader Joe’s to pick up some of their frozen orange-ginger chicken (I’m seriously addicted to that stuff!), one of the ladies there raved about how much she always enjoyed the Indian Summer Festival. Later I was getting my hair cut at the cool new shop my stylist just opened in the Third Ward and noticed a ton of people making their way to the entrance, so I decided I might as well check it out.

Turns out Indian Summer felt a lot like all the other festivals. Maybe because so many of them are in the same location (Summerfest grounds.) or because I didn’t make it to the actual pow wow. Naturally, there were some general differences: Tribal dancers decked in an array of colorful feathers, music, interesting Native American arts and crafts, and of course, different food.

 

The most popular item seemed to be the “Indian Taco,” large pieces of fry bread mounded with beans, chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and cheese, which was available at almost every other food vendor. Finding I really preferred just the taste of the fry bread. I ordered some of that next.

Although it’s incredibly simple to make – I learned to make fry bread in a fourth-grade Indian Art class if that tells you anything – the warm, flat, all-purpose bread is absolutely delicious drizzled with a little honey. Sugar addicts can sprinkle on a mixture of sugar and cinnamon for a little more kick. But I'm not sure I'd advise that addition, considering that one paper-plate-sized piece of fry bread already contains a whopping amount of calories and fat!

Other food items available were the burger and brat on fry bread (This is Wisconsin. Can’t leave out the brat!!) , buffalo burgers, and a wild rice dish. One of the most authentic choices in my opinion included the ever-present roasted corn, which I didn’t even touch because every time we grill I always throw on corn, and to be honest, I’m a little tired of it by now.

                        

All in all though, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. And with the cool breeze blowing gently through the air, it also served as a reminder that soon, summer will officially be over and the chilly days of fall will be upon us.

Hitting Rock Bottom

The last time I hit a Rock Bottom was in Denver, six years ago. And then, only because it was probably the one place still open in the area. Or wait. Was I in Cincinnati? That’s the trouble with chain restaurants; it’s hard for any location to retain a distinct place in the mind.

However, Milwaukee’s Rock Bottom Brewery possesses a feature that should make it both appealing and memorable: An outstanding riverfront location with a large, attractive patio overlooking the water.

                         

Said patio is an awesome place to grab some lunch, bask in the slowly-shortening days of summer sun, and watch boats cruise by, especially if you are sitting in Diedre’s section. This girl is quite possibly one of the most pleasant servers I’ve ever had in this city.

Seriously, ask to sit in her section and be sure you tip her really well. (Note: Nobody made me say that. I’m just reminding those of you who may have a few rounds before the bill shows up to throw in a little extra even when your tip-tallying skills may feel foggy!) Also, if it’s a nice day, think about going a little early. We stopped by shortly before noon today and while we had no problem getting a table, within thirty minutes more than two-thirds of the patio tables were full.

Like most brew pubs, the menu here consists of a somewhat expanded and glorified version of typical bar fare. Appetizer selections include the usual buffalo wings, quesadillas, nachos, and a sampler platter. Other items include soups, salads, pasta, pizza, steak or chicken dishes, and of course, the burger.

As I may have mentioned to you earlier, I almost always order a burger whenever I’m eating somewhere that contains any reference to “brew” in its name. Sure, I have made the occasional creative foray into the pasta or salad section, but I always found that to be a mistake. You may have had very pleasant dining experiences involving sirloin steak or grilled snapper at brew pubs (And if so, please let us know where!), but I always found myself wishing I’d stuck to the plain and simple burger.

Thus I ordered a Brew Burger with fries and a side of BBQ baked beans. And Scott had the massive Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla, made with five different cheeses, chipotle seasoned chicken, a dash of walnut pesto, and some pico de gallo. He swears it was good, and we’ll have to take his word for it; I couldn’t eat another bite after consuming a mere half my burger and all the fries.

                      

As for the beer, I can’t report firsthand on that either. I will tell you that most beer fans I know would encourage visitors to first take advantage of some of the other brew pubs in town, like maybe the nearby Milwaukee Ale House, before heading over to the Rock Bottom Brewery. But definitely don’t discount the Rock Bottom just because it’s part of a national chain. The beer is certainly decent and, for those focusing more on food, the menu features a lot more items that actual incorporate brew as one of the ingredients. Plus, there’s that patio. You have to love the patio. Unless, of course, it’s January . . .