Taste of the Town

Downtown Dining Week

Sample some of the best food downtown has to offer for a fraction of the cost during Downtown Dining Week. From today, May 31, through June 7, thirty of downtown’s most delectable restaurants are offering $10 lunches and $20 dinners.

Even though beverages and tax aren’t included, this is still one of the best deals going, considering that at places like Sauce, an entrée alone will set you back an average of $25 on a normal night.

If there are any of the participating restaurants you’d like to try, there’s no better time to go. However, as I learned last year when I went to Carnevor during Downtown Dining Week, do be sure to call ahead for reservations.

Mocha Madness

I need caffination.

There are bags to pack, articles to write, music to download, and a huge pile of laundry mocking me from the basement.

I don’t know how I’m going to get it all done in the space of six hours, but hopefully the jolt of java I just picked up from Mocha...A Coffee Bistro will help.
Located downtown on the corner of Plankington and Wisconsin, Mocha is the perfect place to get your morning caffeine buzz or to refuel later in the day. If you are feeling indulgent, you can also enjoy a pastry or dessert.

I myself am sipping on one of the "Signature Mochas," but the usual array of espresso-based drinks are available. The Signature Mocha is tasty, but in light of all I need to do, maybe I should’ve asked them to make me a “Cuban Madness.” Made with a powerful combination of sugar, cream, chocolate syrup, ice, milk, and a mind numbing four shots of espresso, this concoction is guaranteed to keep you wired well into the wee hours.

Sadly, other than the four shots of espresso, I can’t recall the exact portions used in this recipe which was culled from the pages of the now-defunct Coffee Journal Magazine. I can, however, assure you it came in handy back in my college years, especially during finals week.

Fortunately, my friend Candi (who has experienced for herself the effects of said coffee concoction) swears she has discovered another coffee drink with similar stay-awake properties. It’s from Giada De Laurentiis and called an Espresso Zabaglione. Candi recommends it for dessert:

What you need:
-- 4 large egg yolks
-- 3 tablespoons sugar
-- 1 cup hot espresso

How it’s made:
Whisk together yolks and sugar in a large glass bowl. Set bowl the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk until yolk mixture is very thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Whisk in hot espresso. Pour the espresso mixture into mugs and serve immediately.

If that sounds like too much work, make a run for Mocha. Get one of the Signature Mochas and prepare to get stuff done.

Three Brothers Restaurant

Had an episode of $40 A Day with Rachael Ray not reminded me about Three Brothers Restaurant, an amazing Serbian place tucked deep in the heart of Bay View, I might have gone yet another week without eating there. And that would have been a shame.

While I sometimes question the places Rachael selects for that show (C’mon Rach, couldn’t you have chosen some better places in Dallas, Austin, and Denver??), I had to mumble a bit of thanks when she popped up at Three Brothers in Milwaukee, because although I’d heard numerous recommendations for the place, (one Los Angeleno blogger called it a “perfect foodie destination restaurant”), I’d almost forgotten about it.

With rain pounding down on the car and a sad set of directions that I dashed off (turn left, turn right, etc.), Scott and I drove south over the bridge and after quite a few u-turns, pulled up in front of a building oozing with old world charm.

I shook my umbrella and leaned it against the coat rack, then took a seat near the dark, lengthy bar. We started with a half-carafe of the house white wine, which was a little sweeter than I prefer, but much needed after the aforementioned u-turns. We also received a basket of rye bread and kajmak, a Serbian goat cheese spread, as well as a small plate of hors d’oeuvres which arrived on a charming plate that looked like it came straight out of my great-grandmother's china cabinet.

While noshing on the black olives, salami, cheese, and tomatoes, I wondered why my plants didn’t look as good as the gnarled and oversized aloe vera plants haunting the front windows and I also tried to figure out how in the world Rachael Ray manages to look so comfortable eating in front of the camera in places like Three Brothers, which is somewhat small and almost always full.

(Okay, so sometimes I’m not such an exciting dinner partner...!)

Anyway, after the appetizers, we had a small salad followed by entrees. While we really wanted to try the burek, a large round concoction filled with layers of beef or a cheese-spinach mixture tucked between paper thin sheets of phyllo, we simply couldn’t wait the 45 minutes to an hour that it takes to prepare the thing. Instead, Scott ordered some moussaka, and I had goulash, which I was surprised to find a little thinner than the version I make; here, big chunks of beef were simmered in a paprika-seasoned sauce and accompanied by two large potato dumplings.

For dessert, we shared a slice of grandma’s torte, a delicious dessert made with chocolate and hazelnuts, which was delightfully flavorful, without being too rich or too sweet. I also couldn’t resist having a little bit of slivovitz, a slightly sweet plum brandy that always reminds me of some college friends. Cheers to you guys, wherever you are, and to you, Rachael Ray, for reminding me and countless others about the excellent ethnic cuisine available at Three Brothers.

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Find it here:

Three Brothers Restaurant
2414 S Saint Clair St
Milwaukee, WI 53207
(414) 481-7530

Family Friendly Atmosphere at Chancery

I sidestepped a fallen Elmo toy on the way to my table, but no one seemed to notice. Maybe because the Chancery Family Pub and Restaurant is the kind of place where little tykes and their toys are a regular part of the atmosphere, and where one of the house rules is “never cry over spilled milk; just be thankful it wasn't beer.”

With several area locations, the Chancery has been serving up affordable family-friendly fare for more than three decades. The recently updated menu has added a few new items to tempt taste buds, but it still offers the staples: Hamburgers, chicken, pasta, stir-fry, and – of course – the always-available fish fry.

                          

I myself opted for the pick-your-own pasta plate with olives, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese tossed with penne pasta. Frankly, I was almost too tired to decide on the ingredients. Last week we cleared out the attic and basement clutter and spent half of Saturday holding a garage (or, in local parlance – rummage) sale, but it was so chilly that after four hours we packed up everything and donated it to Teen Challenge.
                           

Exhausted (How did I ever manage to collect all that STUFF??), we crashed on the couch for a couple of hours and then dragged ourselves down to the neighborhood Chancery where I encountered the aforementioned Elmo toy and somehow managed to construct what turned out to be a very decent plate of pasta.

Meanwhile, Scott savored some smokin’ hot fajitas and our waitress cheerfully tended to the family at a nearby table; their little girl couldn’t decide what color popsicle she wanted for desert. Orange? Purple? Red? She “reeeealllly” liked all those colors so the waitress offered to bring them all out for her to see and make a selection.

What great service is that?!?! I decided then and there that should I ever find myself with little ones, I’d definitely feel comfortable bringing them to Chancery. I also started to wonder, not having any kids myself, what some of the other family-friendly places were around town.  So I’m asking for your input.

What are the best Milwaukee-area restaurants for family dining? Let us know in the comments. I’ll put together a list of the suggestions and post them later.

Crab Cakes at Rip Tide

Lately Scott’s been watching lots of The Deadliest Catch, which might explain why last week I developed a curious craving for crab cakes. Nothing - absolutely nothing – but crab cakes would do. Deciding that Rip Tide Seafood Bar & Grill would be the perfect place to indulge said craving, I pointed my car in the direction of downtown.

Located on the Milwaukee River, right near the Summerfest grounds, Rip Tide boasts a casual, open interior and an expansive patio perched right on the edge of the water. In summer months, the scenic patio is always packed, but when the temperatures dip down, the oversized windows still provide a wonderful view from inside.

Since there was a brisk breeze blowing along the waterfront on the evening we went, Scott and I were happy to take a seat inside, where I sipped a glass of Chardonnay, watched a ship navigate expertly around the corner, and surveyed the amazing variety of crab offerings on the menu.

There were crab hush puppies, crab legs, crab and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, crab cakes, whole Dungeness crab, and Snow crab by the pound, not to mention a whole range of other seafood and chicken (for the landlubbers).

Finally I settled on a crab cake dinner, expecting I would probably have to order a side of the crab hush
puppies to supplement a somewhat small cake. But to my delight, Rip Tide doesn’t skimp on portions or flavor; my oversized jumbo crab cake took up at least one-third of the plate and was accompanied by boiled potatoes, and mixed veggies, as well as a house salad.

Scott’s crab cake sandwich was equally sizeable, consisting of a jumbo crab cake on a toasted bun with shredded lettuce, spicy mayo, and a large side of golden fries. As we savored the sweet flavor of crab in each dish, we both agreed: All those spine-tingling moments of sheer danger the crew who caught it had to endure were well worth it.