Taste of the Town

MKE's "Blog of the Week" is . . .

My readers rock!

Thanks to each of you who took a moment to cast your vote(s), Taste of the Town has been voted MKE's "Blog of the Week."

Check out the article here and as you do, know that I am somewhere raising a toast to each of you!

Art, Fashion, and Cuban Cuisine, all in One Night

Three times a year several of the museums and a number of local galleries in and around the Historic Third Ward and East Town open their doors for "Gallery Night" and invite art fans to check out their shows for free.

We focused our attention on the Third Ward, making stops at the Troy Folliard Gallery, the Coalition of Photographic Arts, and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (very cool stuff here), as well as a couple of others.

I then mumbled something about needing to catch the “wearable art exhibit” and lured Scott down to Lela, a fabulous little boutique that my stylin' pal Kacy introduced me to.

Lela carries local lines as well as items from more well-known designers like Trina Turk, and also offers a treasure trove of thoughtfully-selected vintage finds. While there, I fell in love with the French-inspired creations being modeled by live models as well as a beautiful robin’s egg blue dress that conjured up images of Grace Kelly.

Having worked up quite an appetite traipsing around the Third Ward, we then hopped in the car and headed downtown in search of Cubanitas, a fantastic little spot located at 728 N. Milwaukee Street.

After handing the keys to the valet (This area is one of the few places offering valet service and being a fan of high heels, I do so love to valet!) we walked into the warm confines of Cubanitas which was pulsating with the rhythmic sounds of a high octane Latin beat, and packed with people.

Thankfully, the watchful hostess quickly noticed a couple leaving a tiny table near the bar and offered to clear it. 

I sat down gratefully and didn’t even need to open the menu to know what I wanted: A Cuban Sandwich made with roasted pork, Virginia ham, Swiss cheese, and a thinly sliced dill pickle pressed between slices of specially made Cuban bread spread with mustard- aioli, as well as a side of Platanitos Maduros, thank you very much. Actually, if I had opened the menu, I would have spent forever deliberating because I absolutely love Cuban food.

And Cubanitas offers a great selection of classics, including picadillo filled empanadas, tamales, Lechon Asado, (roasted pork served with a side of mojo, white rice and your choice of beans), Yuca con Mojo; and Ropa Vieja (the name means “old clothes” but don’t worry, it’s actually a tasty shredded beef dish).

You can also score some amazing desserts like flan or key lime pie, as well as a power packed cup of cafe cubano (espresso expertly blended with sugar). And that - if you ask a caffeine junkie like me - is a tiny work of art in itself.

"Slow Food" in Milwaukee

I recently read a book by Rod Dreher that piqued my interest in Slow Food. The Slow Food movement encourages people to slow down, savor every bite, and make the connection between where your food originates and how it arrives on your table.

Turns out the Slow Food movement is building momentum here in the Milwaukee area.

Check out this recent article in the Shepherd Express and stay tuned for a related posting on Taste of the Town.

Eat for the Arts on April 26

If your passion for the arts rivals your love of good food, don’t miss an opportunity to show your support for both.

On Wednesday, April 26, several of Milwaukee’s most mouth-watering restaurants will donate a portion of your dining dollars to the 2006 United Performing Arts Fund campaign.

Participating restaurants include: Bjonda, Milwaukee Ale House, Milwaukee Chop House, Nanakusa Japanese Restaurant, Riverwalk Bistro, Roots Restaurant and Cellar, Sake Tumi, Sauce, The Social, The Tracks, Vivo Urban Grill, The Wicked Hop.

Find out more at http://www.upaf.org/.

Bjonda: Comfortably Chic Option for Delish Dining

Lately I’ve been craving all things lemon – lemon pie, lemon bars, lemon ice, lemon zest on the tortellini pasta tossed with asparagus and pesto sauce . . .

So it’s no surprise I was completely smitten with the limoncello-flavored Sza Sza martini at Bjonda last Thursday night.

Tucked into a corner of Wauwatosa Village just minutes from downtown, Bjonda’s comfortably chic atmosphere, sensational cuisine, dynamic drinks, and attentive staff sparkle as brightly as the much-coveted Harry Winston engagement Ben Affleck once presented to J-Lo.

But unlike the "Beniffer" affair, I can’t imagine this business every going south. Bjonda has way too much going for it.

Like for instance, the fact that it lends itself well to special occasions when you want to wine and dine the one you love (or just really like a lot), need to impress special guests, or want to sample new taste sensations by reserving the special “Chef’s Table” and letting the chef whip up something special for your tasting pleasure. 

It serves equally well as a great spot for more casual moments when you get together with friends for drinks (Hint: hit the bar in the Skylight room or head out to the patio in warmer months. For winter, cozy up with your pals in the sleek “fireplace room.”)

Since we were a little early for our 7:30 reservation, we stopped in the Skylight room for drinks.

I sampled the aforementioned Sza Sza, and tried to persuade Scott to order the other martini Bjonda is known for, the Pomegranate. But he eschewed the red cocktail in favor of the more "manly" Jack and Coke.

We caught up on the events of the day while the bartenders mixed all manner of luscious looking liquid libations for the small crowd on hand, and plates of gourmet microburgers, frites and other bite-sized munchies passed by on trays around us.

Help Me Get "Blog of the Week"

Taste of the Town has just been nominated to be in MKE's "Blog of the Week" contest.

How cool is that?

Please take a quick moment to cast your vote here and help me score the top spot!

All votes must be cast by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26.

Thanks!

April Custard Flavor Honors Kopp's Founder

A lavish Easter lunch and a late-returning flight to Milwaukee couldn’t deter me from making a run to Kopp’s Frozen Custard last Sunday. 

Once a year – for only one Sunday in April – Kopp’s breaks out their special recipe for Imperial Torte.

Made with caramel, rum and nougat flavors, then sprinkled with French pastry crust and chocolate flakes, the Imperial Torte custard was created in honor of Kopp’s founder, Elsa Kopp.

Elsa was born in Munsingen, Germany and came to the United States in 1929, at age 18. She opened the first Kopp's Frozen Custard stand in 1950, at 6005 W. Appleton Avenue, as a way to support her family after her husband became disabled with Parkinson's disease.

Over the years, Elsa experimented with the basic custard mix and began creating tasty new treats which paved the way for the likes of today's delectable flavors.

Although Elsa died in 2003, at the age of 92, her legacy – and her landmark contribution to the local custard scene - lives on.

Mo's Irish Pub and a Concert that Rocked

Swung by Mo’s Irish Pub for a quick bite before The Strokes concert on Monday. Feeling adventurous, my friend Kacy and I decided to forego their great burgers for some Emerald Isle flavored foodstuff.

After much consideration, I ordered the Corned Beef Boxtie.

It had been a couple of weeks since I’d hung out with Kacy, so we chatted incessantly about important things (Easter plans, must-try-restaurants, my recent obsession with anti-aging skin products, etc.) while waiting for our food.

Much to my surprise, the boxtie arrived looking much like an enchilada! Only instead of chicken or beef, this was filled with corned beef and cabbage.

As we sampled our Irish eats and “happy hour” progressed, the tables and barstools around us started to fill up with people imbibing in pints of Guinness and other assorted pub fare.

We debated on whether or not to stay at Mo's and have some of the Black and Tan Brownie for dessert, but in the end, we skipped up to Twisted Fork, on the Eastside

Twisted Fork always serves us excellent dessert options and that evening was no different. We split a most decadent brownie topped with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream and lush berry sauce then jetted over to the Eagles Ballroom, arriving just in time to see The Strokes take the stage and totally rock the house.

Dinner and . . . the Theatre?

When the temps dipped below 20 degrees back in the frosty winter months, many evenings found Scott and I doing dinner and a movie. But not your typical dinner and a movie date.

Since we were still adjusting to the cold, we felt compelled to maintain a state of semi-hibernation and mostly ordered take-out (which Scott picked up on the way home) and proceeded to watch movies, rented directly from cable.

It was a lazy but warm existence.

Now, however, the sun has finally graced us with its presence, some mystery flowers are pushing up outside our house, and it’s time to go out for dinner and a movie.

Or, even better, to put a new twist on things and do dinner and the theatre. More accurately, dinner theatre.

Broadway Baby Theatre claims to be the longest running dinner theater in Milwaukee. Noting that their production of Beau Jest received a good review from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel theater critic, we decided to check it out.

Frankly, I was a little worried when we pulled in the parking lot and I caught a glimpse of the building. But once we got past the slightly funky exterior everything was fine. Inside the walls were adorned with large portraits of silver screen stars, the stage set looked inviting, and the tables were covered with crisp white cloths and crimson napkins.

We scored a great table – right in the middle of the room so we had a great view of the stage and the crowd. There was a full house and although several other couples were about our age, the majority of the crowd was comprised of the 55-plus set.

We couldn’t help but overhear a lot of people commenting about some of the past shows they’d seen at the Broadway Baby Theatre. Obviously, they have quite a following of “regulars”!

In fact, our waitress said she herself had been there for fifteen years.  “The shows are always great and the food is good too,” she told us.

She then quickly brought our drinks and gave us a run-down of the night’s specials.