Taste of the Town

On 'Cue

I’m a shameless carnivore. Just mention the words “steak” or “ribs” and I immediately start to salivate. I can’t help it. I grew up in the South. I’m well aware there must be a number of vegetarians and vegans amongst our ranks, but I personally don’t know any.

No, by and large, we Southerners are a meat-lovin’ lot. And there’s nothing we love more than a big platter of tasty barbecue.

Preferably obtained from a time-tested establishment where the parking lot is filled with lots of Ford F-150s (usually a sign you are in the right place) and whose name more than likely contains a combination of somebody’s name plus “Bubba.” Alternately, there is the procurement of seasoned ‘cue lovingly slow-smoked in your own back yard according to a secret family recipe that nothing, and I mean nothing, will cause you to divulge.

While some say that the best barbecue is that on the plate in front of you, I beg to differ. Barbecue styles vary from region to region, and I find some more to my liking than others.

Anyway, when searching out a place to score a primo protein fix in this region, people sang the praises of Saz’s State House. That’s the place to go, they said.

So there we went.

I felt kind of excited sitting at our little table in the corner, ordering my first plate of Midwestern made ribs. Then, upon seeing my side item choices I felt . . . how shall I say . . . consternation?

Trader Joe's Coming to Milwaukee

“Two-buck Chuck” aficionados take note: These bargain bottles will soon be available in Milwaukee. Trader Joe’s is scheduled to open a location in the Bayshore area. Yes! I love this cool but quirky grocery store. Get more info about its upcoming arrival here.

Lasting L'Amour and Eddie Martini's

It’s official. Scott and I have finally passed the first year mark in marriage.

To celebrate our anniversary, we made reservations for Eddie Martini’s.

As my regular readers know, I love the swank 1940’s supper club vibe this classic steakhouse has going for it. The atmosphere hangs heavy with an appealing blend of understated glamour that conjures up images of silver screen sirens and their cocktail swilling counterparts hanging in Hollywood hot spots of decades past.

But instead of being decked out in evening gowns and tails, the crowd here is clad in an assortment of everything from LBDs (Little Black Dresses) and dark suits to bright tropical print golf shirts and designer jeans.

I love that kind of anything decent goes attitude. After much agonizing, I myself selected a LBD acquired during my Dallas days and we were out the door.

Being a little early, we had a glass of wine at the bar while waiting for our table. Eddie’s has a superb wine list from which Scott selected a big bold cabernet and I (DO NOT MAKE FUN OF ME!) chose a glass of dry rosé.

I had to laugh when one of the wait staff jokingly told me I was probably one of only four people in Wisconsin drinking rosé.

Blame it on MySpace

Thank goodness I did not get into MySpace.com sooner. I would have never accomplished ANYTHING.

I don't know how it happened, but I logged in to see if I could find one of my old friends and now I'm absolutely obsessed with creating my own profile and looking up people I know or used to know.

Don't play innocent. I know you're doing it too. I just hope you are not wasting as much time as I am. Or maybe I should hope you are wasting countless hours of your life doing searches and reading comments left for other people, because then you'd probably be much more willing to extend some sympathy to me for being such a posting slacker these past few days.

I know you probably thought my brief silence could be attributed to something incredibly important and life changing, but there you have it: MySpace.com has beaten my time-management system to pieces. And it doesn't help that other distractions like dirty laundry, an empty fridge and a half-finished travel adventure book also loomed large.

Anyway, I promise to carve out a few semi-quiet, MySpace-free moments during the next twenty-four hours so I can at least give you the scoop on the fantastic meal I had Saturday night. Check back soon to find out where we went!

Three Cherry Tart (Or, Why Can't I Produce a Decent Pastry?)

As if I didn’t like cherry season enough already, now I find out that in the state of Wisconsin you can actually vie for the title of Cherry Queen.

It appears this title comes complete with a big fat tiara, the one thing I have secretly coveted ever since second grade when I first became cognizant of its deep meaning (namely that the wearer is prettier than anybody else sharing the stage).

I don’t care what kind of sarcastic comments we may emit while watching a newly crowed Miss America shakily reach up to steady her headdress then strut down the walkway with her big bouquet of roses and regal wave. Deep down many women, especially those of us raised in more southern latitudes, still harbor a secret wish to plunk that rhinestone-covered, silver-plated piece of headgear on our own carefully coiffed ‘do and wave to the adoring masses.

While I certainly don’t have a shot at ever being crowned queen of anything other than my own little universe, I can still indulge in some of the superb fruit harvest represented by Wisconsin’s very own tiara toting Cherry Queen, right?

Bearing that in mind, I picked up a quart of the dark burgundy Bing cherries, as well as some of the sweet, lighter yellow and red Queen Anne's popping up at fruit stands in nearby Door County and making their way to markets all over Wisconsin.

Despite a less than stellar track record with pastries, I envisioned myself created a stunning cherry tart from the freshly procured fruit.

I was aided in my delusion of grandeur by an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel containing a superb-sounding recipe as well as a lovely photo of the finished product.

It sounded so simple.

How easily the sugar-starved mind is deceived!

New Bling and Lunch at Glorioso Brother's Grocery

Call me superficial, but I absolutely adore gifts. Especially sparkly ones. Knowing this, my husband is having something of the sparkly nature crafted for me at Out of Solitude over on Brady Street, in honor of our upcoming anniversary.

After dropping by yesterday to try on the wax cast and make sure it fit (it did, perfectly), we found ourselves in need of some lunch.

That decided, we walked down the street to Glorioso Brother's Grocery.

This tiny Italian grocery’s shelves bulge with a variety of pasta, olive oils, and roasted peppers. Bags of almonds and walnuts rest near the door, nestled near packages of figs. Further in, bundles of crisp breadsticks are tucked neatly next to an entire wall filled with cheese.

Actually, it was cheese I was looking for the first time I ever wandered in this place. I was looking over the Parmesan selection, and one of the guys working there turned my attention to the nearby deli case saying, “I can grate some for you. It will be much fresher.”

He zipped behind the counter, grated a tiny bit and handed it to me on a little piece of wax paper. “Go ahead. Taste.”

He was right. It had a lot more flavor. I bought some and was surprised when I dropped by a month or so later and he remembered me. “I grated parmesan for you, right?”

How to Eat a Cream Puff

While brats and beer rank near the top of the list here in the Badger State, there is one other item that Wisconsinites hold near and dear to their heart: The Cream Puff.

Last year alone 372,335 of these oversized confections were sold at the State Fair. A massive building was constructed and outfitted with huge glass windows for the express purpose of showcasing the cream puff making process. Crowds watch with rapt attention as a team of professionals expertly bake, slice, and stuff the finished puffs with an exorbitant amount of whipped cream.

People line up by the hundreds to score six packs, some stocking up for other family members, others buying several six-packs for the office. Cream puffs are serious business. And so is the way they are eaten.

Apparently, there is a very precise method in which these confections must be consumed. Let me break it down for you:

1. Pick up cream puff.

2. Pull halves apart.

3. Rub halves together to distribute cream evenly.

4. Eat one half at a time.

Long time connoisseurs assure me this procedure immensely enhances the cream puff eating experience. But I’m not so sure.

Maybe I’m just biased.

At the risk of being permanently ousted from the state, I have to tell you I’m not a big fan of the flaky, super sweet Wisconsin cream puff, preferring instead, a more traditional European approach.  Still, there are vast sums of people here who (quite vehemently, actually) will tell you I must’ve suffered sun damage or something to harbor this kind of crazy thought. I say check it out for yourself. Who knows, you may very well find your own taste buds whipped into a frenzy by this much-loved Wisconsin State Fair food.

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Procure Your Own Cream Puffs August 3-13, 2006 at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The Golden Rooster Goes To . . .

Could there be a better way to mark my one year anniversary in Milwaukee than to sit between Mark Metcalf, actor and co-owner of Libby Montana’s, and Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett, and have three teams of great chefs place nine incredibly ingenious dishes in front of me?

I think not.

This afternoon I had the honor of being one of the judges for the Iron Chefs of Downtown Milwaukee - Mystery Box Challenge. I arrived at the Milwaukee Public Market around 11:50, just after the three teams of chefs were issued boxes of ingredients.

Inside the boxes were a wide assortment of ingredients including scallops, pork, proscuitto, Poblano chilies, onions, peppers, sweet potatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, heirloom tomatoes, mixed greens and corn.

There were quite a few other interesting ingredients as well, but suffice it to say, there appeared to be enough to inspire lots of creative combinations.

As time ticked away, each team quickly fired up the Wolf grills lining St. Paul Street and started to slice, dice, and sear some of the peppers and fish.

Emcee Joel Chesebro provided a running commentary on developments, pausing once in a while to sample some of the fare (“Is that Sprecher Root Beer I taste?”).

Meanwhile, I pried Mark for details on how he came to settle in Milwaukee after living in L.A. and New York, and strolled from one tent to another checking out the progress of each team.

Iron Chefs of Downtown Milwaukee Challenge

As part of Downtown Employee Appreciation Week, on Thursday, August 3, three teams of local chefs will be challenged Iron Chef-style at the Milwaukee Public Market.

Each team will be given a mystery box of ingredients from which they must then create a delish dish. A panel of three judge, including yours truly, actor Mark Metcalf, and Mayor Tom Barrett, will get to “mmmnnn” and “ahh” and offer critiques of each chef’s creation.

Check it out: Iron Chefs of Downtown – Mystery Box Challenge, Thursday, August 3, 2006, noon, at the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water Street.