Taste of the Town

Looking for Local Bloggers

Interested in blogging about life in Brew City? VISIT Milwaukee is looking for a new writer for Play in the City.

After two years of entertaining readers with regular features on fun activities in Milwaukee, blogger Erin Nevicosi is stepping down and moving on to other things. Now VISIT Milwaukee is looking for someone to fill her shoes.

If you’re hip to what’s happening around town and think you have what it takes to maintain Play in the City in a creative and captivating manner, you can find entry details here.

Good Luck!

Cooking Light Magazine Gives Milwaukee High Marks

The editors at Cooking Light magazine apparently know a good thing when they find it; they recently ranked Milwaukee eighth in the nation for "food lovers, adventure seekers, and culture aficionados". Surprisingly, Chicago barely made the cut, coming in at #18. Check out the article and see why Cooking Light loves our city.

Food and Pharmaceuticals . . . in One Place

Should you find yourself in need of an old school malt or a quick sandwich while in the Brady Street area, look no further than the Brady Street Pharmacy. The  well worn blue booths are reminiscent of era long past and usually filled with regulars who don’t even have to look at the menu to know what they want.

I’m not a regular, but I knew exactly what I was in the mood for: A classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich and coffee. Lots of it. (Turns out those gin fizzes I mentioned a few days ago have a little more kick that you might think…)

Anyway, after first determining we were at the right place (The entrance is shared by the Astor Street Theater, so it’s a little confusing.), and seating ourselves, our quick-to-the-table server rapidly produced a steaming hot cup of coffee and was on hand to offer steady refills.

Moments later my BLT arrived, with a massive portion of chips and a couple of pickles on the side. On the other side of the booth, Scott found himself facing the Denver Sandwich, which appears to be a Denver omelet made with green peppers, onions, and ham, and sandwiched between two slices of bread. 

On the way out, we browsed the magazine rack and took a short stroll down the aisles, realizing this is probably one of one of the few places in town you can catch up on neighborhood gossip, grab a quick bite to eat, and pick up some toothpaste and dental floss while you're at it.
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Brady Street Pharmacy
1698 N. Astor Street
Phone: (414)272-4384

Gin and the Jazz Age at Envoy

In 1928, jazz babies could score a gin fizz for the sum of 25 cents at the recently revamped Ambassador Hotel. Which means that if a lightweight like me spent any more than a dollar, she’d probably need to get herself a room for the night.

While the same concoction of gin, lemon juice, sugar and seltzer will now set you back $6, the light effervescent drink still packs the same punch as it did in decades past, and the Art Deco drenched atmosphere would make Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald feel right at home (Although they might be a little bewildered by the plasma screens above the bar!).

Located right across the street from The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, Envoy Restaurant and Lounge at the Ambassador Hotel is the perfect before-concert meeting place.  If you have time, you can enjoy an early dinner in the dining area, where Chef Jason Ferraro rotates the menu several times a year and serves up edgy options on a daily basis.

Entrees run the gamut from the standard burger and steak (remember, it is a hotel) to Thai curried rack of lamb and crispy carnitas with black bean puree and chipotle mashed potatoes. Lunch and brunch are also served, and after seeing “Chocolate Cannoli Pancakes," with banana, pineapple, mango foam, and walnut puree, on the latter’s menu, you can bet I’ll be back soon for that! 

However, this particular evening there was only time for drinks in the lounge area. Make that one drink, since by the time we parked (Hint: You definitely want to park in the Ambassador’s parking lot in this neighborhood, not on a side street.), settled in our seats, and got our order to the completely swamped bartender, that’s all we had time to consume. Micro burgers and frites would have to wait. I had a concert to catch.

Which, if you were wondering, totally rocked. Jet’s amazing amount of energy was boundless and I was completely smitten by their Rolling Stones-esque rock star appeal.  So much so that I didn’t even mind that I left smelling like an ashtray and arrived home even later than anticipated.

The jazz babies would be so proud.

Aussie Rockers & "Authentic" Cocktails

On the Agenda: Meet Scott for drinks and appetizers at the art deco-inspired Envoy, where the menu boasts "authentic" old fashioned cocktails based on the Ambassador Hotel's original 1928 menu, then catch Jet at the nearby Rave. Return home around 10:30 or 11 p.m. Wash hair to get rid of smoky smell acquired during show. Fall asleep somewhere around 12:30 with ears still ringing.

What I Wish Was on the Agenda: Ordering pizza, watching the first season of Entourage which just arrived from Netflix, and falling asleep somewhere around 11 with only the barely audible sound of the dishwasher lulling me into sweet slumber.

But life’s too short to be lame. I’ll see the show and sleep later.

Meanwhile, cross your fingers that the snow in our forecast holds off until I get home, and check back in tomorrow for full details on Jet and the offerings at Envoy.

Dancing Ganesha & Detox

A few weeks ago I decided to detox.

Not in a Britney Spears kind of way. (Please, people.)  Mainly I wanted to cut out caffeine, bad carbs, and sugar for a few days. But before I began sipping large quantities of warm water with lemon juice, dandelion tea, and some soup made with all organic veggies, I ventured out for one last decadent meal at Dancing Ganesha.

Named for the elephant-headed Hindu god of new beginnings and good fortune, Dancing Ganesha is an Indian restaurant that has beckoned me from the corner of Van Buren and Brady Street for months.  While I was disappointed to discover that the interior decor is not quite as exotic as I thought it would be based on some reviews, the warm colors made for a cozy place to spend a cold evening.

While waiting for my friend Kacy, I ordered one of the specialty cocktails, which the waiter assured me was not overly sweet. While it turned out to be a little more sugary than I usually prefer, the flavor was quite nice and proved to be a good compliment for the vegetable samosas stuffed with potatoes, peas, onions, garlic, ginger, and cilantro, and served with tamarind chutney.                     

Meanwhile Kacy arrived and ordered the saffron martini. Lots creamier and more complex than my own, I made a mental note to have that one next time. Moving on to the entrée department, we decided on the masala murghi, made with chunks of chicken, cooked in coconut milk and an onion and tomato sauce, with potatoes and fragrant spices, and also, the spicy pork vindaloo, made with roasted pork marinated in a rich blend of spices and slow cooked with onions and ginger.

If you catch yourself doing a double take at that last item, you’re not alone. Most people are surprised to discover an Indian restaurant that serves pork. But Dancing Ganesha is full of creative culinary surprises, especially on the nightly specials list.

The desserts are equally creative and tasteful. I couldn’t resist trying the shrikhand, a creamy yogurt custard seasoned with saffron and cardamom. And since I knew I wouldn’t be having anything decadent for a few days, I relished every bite.

UPDATE on 6/9/07: After almost ten years in business, Dancing Ganesha is closing. The official close date is June 16. ;-(