Milwaukee

Real Chili, Milwaukee, 12/4/21

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exterior

Real Chili has 2 locations both on Wells St. One is near Marquette and the other at 419 E. Wells near Cathedral Square Park.  It is warm, friendly and really old-fashioned with red walls and black and white floor.  You order at the counter and then pick up when they call your number.  There are individual tables along the wall as well as bar seating and long communal tables with red topped stools.  The first location opened in 1931 by Francis Honesh who bought the recipe from Chili John’s in Green Bay.  The chili comes in 3 levels of heat and is served with spaghetti and beans – a Cincinnati style variety.  It also comes with a bowl of oyster crackers to mix in for crunch.  Cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, onions are in separate bowls and each cost extra.  It is nothing fancy but good, honest comfort food in a totally welcoming environment.  Go if you’re in the area. Continue reading →

Kopp’s Frozen Custard, Milwaukee, 12/4/21

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building

Kopp’s Frozen Custard started in the 1950’s and now has 3 locations in the Milwaukee area.  It specializes in frozen custard and large burgers.  You could watch the large stainless makers extruding 3 different custards as we waited for our order.  It was a huge place with no chairs or tables.  Outside was a concrete patio with benches but also no tables.  It struck me as odd to have such a huge place and do only takeout and this didn’t seem to be a Covid reaction.  They also do a good business in takeout bulk orders of custard.  Elsa Kopp opened the place after her husband Karl developed Parkinson’s disease.  Initially it was just vanilla and chocolate custard but gradually she began experimenting with other flavors. Her son Karl now runs the chain and has opened out of state locations. Continue reading →

EsterEv, Milwaukee, 12/3/21

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building

EsterEv is a small dining room inside the DanDan Restaurant that serves a tasting menu only.  Named for the great-grandmothers, Evelyn and Ester, of the owners Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, whose passion for cooking inspired a place for celebrating around a table with friends.  In 2015 the 2 Dan’s opened the Chinese food with midwestern sensibility, DanDan and not long thereafter their fine dining option EsterEv.  The menu changes regularly and wine pairings are available as are cocktails in the small room off the kitchen that looks to seat about 20 persons at individual tables.  Music from the surrounding restaurant bleeds in and the lights are lowered.  Many of the serving dishes are made by Dan Jacob’s wife, a ceramic artist.   The pacing is great and the portions are on the small side. Continue reading →

Story Hill BKC, Milwaukee, 12/3/21

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exterior

Story Hill BKC (Bottle, Kitchen, Cocktail/Cup) is a medium sized wine and spirit shop that also serves upper-midwest inspired cuisine in brunch, lunch and dinner formats.   Lunch is a smaller menu but gave us a good idea of what they are capable of producing – and it’s a good pronouncement for those who are around Milwaukee.  There is a small parking lot behind and lots of street parking around this corner spot.  Music is in the background and lots of windows let in much natural light.  On one side of the room is the retail shop with wine, spirits and beers for sale.  You can also purchase a wine to drink with your meal there for a small corkage fee.  The bare blond wood table was nice sized and set with a cloth napkin.  Two daily specials were listed on the menu.  Service was friendly and very helpful. Continue reading →

Sanford Restaurant, Milwaukee, 12/2/21

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entrance

Sanford was opened by Sandy D’Amato and his wife Angie in 1989 in the building that formerly housed the grocery store his family operated for nearly 80 years. In 2012 the D’Amato pair sold the place to longtime Chef De Cuisine Justin Aprahmian and his wife Sarah who continue to run the place in the tradition in which it was started.  They want to use the best quality ingredients from local farms if possible with seasonal fluctuations. They want guests to feel as if they’ve been invited into their home for dinner.  The white cloth covered tables vary in size and are accompanied by music in the background, lowered lighting and parking on the street or $10 valet.  The menu is a 4 course (you chose out of choices) or 7 course surprise tasting with optional pairings and there is a full bar.  Service was friendly and attentive.  Pacing and portioning of the tasting were good. Continue reading →

Blue’s Egg, Milwaukee, 12/2/21

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Blues Egg is where the EGG stands for Everyone’s Good Graces.  Opening in 2010 it serves breakfast and lunch with the same attention to dishes that go into fine dining.  They offer standards and a few daily specials.  Known for their fresh hashbrowns that are cooked in butter and offered stuffed with various ingredients.  It’s a large place that can serve 4,000 eggs, 400 pounds of bacon and 700 pounds of hash browns in a busy week.  Inside there is a long bar with stools and a mix of high top and regular height tables.  Music is in the background and a good sized parking lot offers free parking out front. They have a full bar and friendly efficient service. Continue reading →

Ardent, Milwaukee, 12/1/21

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entrance

Ardent is a small place that serves only a 12 course tasting menu from Chef Justin Carlisle on Wed. through Sat.  Set below street level, music is in the background and the blond-wood counter only has a few seats.  Opening in Oct. of  2013, chef stopped by the kitchen but was not there to cook.  Three others handled the evening’s menu (along with dishwashing, polishing and making coffees) and 3 other staff serviced the floor and counter which could  accommodate about 15 guests.   Service was excellent and interactive.  Wine pairings were available as well as bottles of wine and this time we enjoyed the pairings with the good menu of food.  They were a bunch of quality choices.  It’s a cozy, relaxed setting that’s fun to eat in. Continue reading →

Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee, 12/1/21

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building

Bavette started out as a butcher shop and evolved into a restaurant.  It still has the butcher shop concept and procures the whole animals raised on local farms and then uses the entire carcass to generate less waste.  Now the consumer can buy retail cuts and/or prepared foods from the counter or sit back and enjoy the food in a restaurant setting.  Most of their produce also comes from local farms mandating a seasonal type menu.  Also available are craft beers, wines and cocktails.   It’s a medium sized place with music in the background, a high wood ceiling with exposed duct work and plastic partitions between tables. Although currently in the trendy Third Ward section, the word is that they want to move to a larger location soon, so check their website before going <https://bavettelaboucherie.com&gt;.  Service was relaxed and very friendly and the food was excellent. Continue reading →