Local dining

Remember the days when you you would get gift certificates from McDonald’s and the treat of a free hamburger was actually an exciting prospect?  Do your friends nowadays get you a nice cheese wheel because they know your foodie or culinary sensibilities?

There is nothing wrong with getting a gift card to a restaurant or a sampler from the Spice House, but if you really wanted to do something special you would actually take someone out to dinner in Milwaukee or mix up a 12-pack of craft beers—one from each of the Wisconsin breweries that make this state great like New Glarus, Capitol and Lakefront.

TCD staffers Curt Yorkey, Ashley Brandt, and Brian Jacobson have thought long and hard about what would look great underneath their trees.  Since you can’t properly wrap a roast duck, Sunshine Cake, or hot soup—we recommend making up your own gift certificate to these places when necessary.
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Curt’s Choices:

Dale’s of Milwaukee

Dale’s of Milwaukee has long been a Milwaukee mainstay with stiff drinks, great prices and terrific food.  Particularly during the holidays, Dale’s tavern near 62nd and Capitol Drive is a destination. His holiday light display both inside and outside of the bar (and home) are truly a sight to behold.

Dale has wonderful food from his burgers and pork chop sandwiches, to his hot dogs and daily special deli sandwiches. The atmosphere is almost Cheers-like, where first timers are treated like they have been a regular for years. Dale himself likes to make everyone comfortable, and perhaps that is why he is also known as ‘Happy-Happy’—a clown with the Shriners.

But if there is one thing that I’d love underneath my tree on a windy, cold, snow-covered day, it would be a piping hot bowl of one of Dale’s signature soups. I’d put his soups up against anybody’s in the entire state, let alone the southeastern quadrant. My favorite? His creamy Swiss potato soup. It is to die for!
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Nino’s Italian Bakery

Family is what it is all about at Nino’s Italian Bakery in Menomonee Falls. The father and daughters team have been running this cozy and welcoming store for generations. They always greet you with a smile and make you feel like family if you happen to get there during a lull in the action (which isn’t very often).

This bakery is as Italian as Italian gets. They offer very nice bottles of wine to go with your Fontinella and Posone Capicola. The sandwiches are incredible with build your choose-your-own ingredients like Prosciutto, Vlopi Genoa Salami, Roast Beef, Provolone and Fresh Ricotta. Delectable bakery items include Lemon Genovese, Biscotti, a plethora of tiny Italian cookies and the best chocolate éclair this side of the Pine Cone.

But if I could get one gift from this killer of a bakery, it would be someone to take me there for the Spaghetti and Meatball special, served every Wednesday evening between October and May. $7.99 gets you a huge plate of spaghetti with a sauce that is unreal, three huge Italian meatballs and a loaf of their tasty homemade garlic bread. To set the scene, the Father plays his concertina for your enjoyment. It would be quite the Holiday gift.
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Ashley’s Choices:

Watts Tea Shop

Sunshine Cake in all its glory. Photo by George Watts Inc.

This year for Christmas, I’d be delighted to find a piece of Sunshine Cake and a Hot Russian from Watts Tea Shop under the tree. Their signature dessert is enough to brighten even the dreariest of winter days. Three layers of sponge cake are layered with dense French custard filling. The whole thing is then covered with a thick layer of “Seven Minute Boiled Frosting,” which has the consistency of the lightest meringue. Finally, the cake is finished off with just a few pieces of orange zest.

Sunshine Cake manages to be both rich and light at the same time, and since it is not too sweet, finishing a whole generous portion is not difficult. I like mine paired with Watts’ Hot Russian.They serve a mix of hot chocolate and strong house-brewed coffee in a teapot, accompanied by a teacup full of whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

The whole presentation is the perfect mix of childhood whimsy with the caffeine kick a coffee drinker like me needs. Even though they both are certainly good enough to stand on their own, I think they just taste better sitting in the second floor café of the tea shop looking out onto N. Jefferson Street as the snow falls. And afterwards, I love to walk through their store to browse all of the unique gifts, trinkets, and stunning Waterford Crystal collection.

Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge

Even though my first trip to Bryant’s was in October, I was immediately reminded of Christmas. From the antique gilded cash registers to the classic seltzer bottles and garnish trays, I was instantly transported to a time when I would visit my grandparents’ home for the holidays.

It was there I first admired an old cash register my grandfather kept in the basement and the cabinet of spirits that would open up for adults in the living room after Christmas dinner, filled with magical and unattainable multicolored bottles housing light and dark spirits about to be poured into tumblers and copper tubs.

But aside from the time-transporting décor, my favorite part about Bryant’s is that their talented cocktail staff somehow knows what you want even if you don’t. That first time, I arrived before the rest of my friends and sat down at the bar alone. Immediately, the bartender greeted me and explained that he personally would be my drink list for the night.

After telling him my spirit of choice was gin, he turned around and filled a shaker with crushed ice, lime juice, coconut milk and gin. After shaking it to a perfect frothy consistency and then pouring it into a tall hurricane glass, it was presented to me. Called a Frosty Lady, it tasted just like key lime pie—which just happens to be one of my favorite desserts.

Every time I’ve visited since then, I’ve tried something new and was never to be disappointed. This little tavern at 9th and Lapham is the type of place you can walk into thinking you don’t like a certain spirit but the bartenders can change your mind. So this year for Christmas, I’d like to give everyone I know a mind-changing cocktail from Bryant’s.
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Coquette Café

I’ve never been there. How can I write about a place that I’ve never sat down to enjoy? Because I’ve stood outside the big, elevated glass windows on N. Milwaukee Street in the Third Ward and breathed deeply. This puts it at number one on my Wish List.

On many a cold Friday night, I’ve walked past the French restaurant to see what I can smell. What I inhale is what I hope heaven smells like: Soupe à l’Oignon with melting Gruyere cheese, Coq au Vin braised in red wine, and sautéed Brussels Sprouts with little button mushrooms and bacon. I find myself looking in at the warm glow on the lovely patrons like a young street urchin with hat in hand.

It’s not that the place is that expensive. The most expensive item on the menu is a grilled Hanger Steak with a red wine shallot sauce, Pommes Frites, and garlic Aioli at $22.95. I could walk in and just have a Croque Monsieur for under half that price, or get the roasted beets with Sweet Water watercress, spiced hazelnuts, and feta cheese in an orange-garlic vinaigrette for a near third of the price.

But who could do such a thing? I would need company that all ordered differently, and a full four courses. Notice I didn’t mention the Plat-du-Jours. That is because I would end up there four or five days a week until I was broke, bloated, and beatific.
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Pacific Produce and El Rey Supermarkets

On 27th Street just shy of Grange Avenue, there stands a converted “big box” grocery store that now houses an Asian mega-supermarket called Pacific Produce and Seafood.  Connected on either side of this is a nail salon and a Pho noodle place. Around the corner is a Coin Laundry.  It’s a virtual community hub for the Asian population, and I am the only Caucasian currently wandering the aisles. There is a small food court with an amazing deli and “all-you-can-eat” bistro, a very long meat counter, and an amazing assortment of roots. Pacific is a full-service grocery store, but I hardly recognize many of the brands or products.

Now I’m wandering the aisles of the “Nuevo Mercado” El Rey at 916 South Cesar E. Chavez Dr. (16th Street) and having the same mild feeling of culture shock and disconnect. We become comfortable with the nearest Pick N Save, with all the aisles containing foods we like or brands we favor. We know how to make beef stew and raspberry jell-o rings with peaches hovering inside them. But where in the recipe books does it tell me how to make Menudo Rojo or Dong Po?

Any sense of dread soon gives way to a sense of adventure. Comfortable is nice until comfortable gets boring. What I would like to see underneath my Christmas tree, in a little cooler, is a Peking Duck or a basket with the makings for Lima Sopa (lime soup with chicken, tomatoes, garlic, and fried tortilla strips).

This holiday season, take someone on a culinary exploration.