Downtown Dining Fest Coming

Blu is one of the 25 downtown hot spots participating in Taste & Toast 2015.

Sure, its cold, but coming soon are some dining events sure to warm you up — some at a very low price.

As we reported last week, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 announced its “Taste & Toast,” a four-day happy hour event (Mar. 2 – 6) in which participating restaurants will offer appetizers, drinks, and “specially-priced small plates” for the curious diner. Over 25 downtown restaurants are participating in the event, with locations ranging from the Third Ward to Old World Third and everywhere in between.

Downtown Dining Week

Taste & Toast is described by BID #21 as a prelude to Downtown Dining Week, which will return for its tenth anniversary this summer, June 4 – 11. Details have yet to officially unveiled, but if years past are any indication, diners looking forward to a high-quality and affordable feast can expect almost double the number of restaurants featured in Taste & Toast. Keep an eye out for the official announcement later this month at www.milwaukeedowntown.com.

Food & Froth Fest

A bit more pricey (but for a good cause!) is another food-oriented event, the Milwaukee Public Museum’s 17th Annual Food & Froth Fest. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the museum (at 800 West Wells Street) will open its doors to guests after-hours for an evening, of…well, food and froth. And live music from local bands. For one night, guests will be able to walk the museum’s exhibit floors and sample hundreds of craft beers from vendors and sample tasty appetizers and snacks from local restaurants and caterers.

The event begins at 7pm. Tickets are $70 for general admission and $55 for museum members. Guests with VIP tickets ($125) get early access at 6pm.

Traveling Beer Gardens

City-centric dining and drinking events aren’t the only ones making a triumphant return this year. As reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, last year’s successful traveling beer gardens are returning to Milwaukee County parks this summer, beginning in May, with an official schedule having just been released. Sprecher Brewing Co. will again provide the tour’s main attraction (that’s drinks, of course, namely beer and soda), but as a new addition this year will also provide a menu of German food from the Sprecher Restaurant and Pub. The tour begins May 20. You can find a detailed schedule of this year’s tour at the Milwaukee County Parks website.

Brass Tap Opens

The only new restaurant or bar opening in the last week was the Brass Tap. Back in September, we reported that the franchise operation would be opening a location in Greenfield at 7808 W. Layton Ave, and would offer about 78 tap beers, with 30 dedicated to local beers, along with a menu featuring appetizers, burgers and pretzel pizzas. As OnMilwaukee reported, the place opened last week, and actually features 80 different tap beers along with  120 bottled options.

Refuge Smoothie at Bradley Center

As the Business Journal reported, Refuge Smoothie, which already has a couple locations in town, will now have a kiosk selling its fruit smoothies at the Bradley Center. Look for it on the northwest corner of the 200-level concourse, outside sections 218 and 219.

Pasta Tree Happy Hour

The Journal Sentinel reported last week that the Pasta Tree (1503 N. Farwell Ave.) debuted its Tuesday through Thursday happy hour. Three days a week, 4:30 – 6:30pm, guests can expect specially-priced wine, beer, cocktails, and other drinks. Small plates like salumi, cheeses, roasted veggies, olives, and more are also available, all for $6 and under.

New Donuts at Colectivo

Colectivo Coffee debuted brand new baked goods last weekend at three specific cafes across Milwaukee. Coffee-addicts looking to get their fix at the chain’s Bay View, Third Ward, and U.S. Bank locations also had the chance to sample one (or maybe several) of the new donuts on offer from Colectivo’s Troubadour Bakery. The donuts are made fresh in Bay View every morning and come in chocolate, vanilla, and maple flavors. According to Troubadour, it uses a unique dough recipe, similar to sourdough, giving the donuts a distinct flavor.