|
|
With
soup, nothing
goes to waste 01-30-2012
I call it free food. My
children used to laugh at me as I would dish it up with glee and remind
them that the evening’s meal was free. Now they are young adults who
know how to pinch a penny.
|
|
Heaven
on a half shell 01-30-2012
WALNUT CREEK,
Calif. — It’s no accident that oysters are identified by the
specific tidal region in which they are grown. Think of the sweet Miyagi
oyster lifted from Tomales Bay, that narrow, cool Pacific Ocean-fed
inlet north of San Francisco.
|
|
It's
always time for a slow cooker 01-23-2012
Orange
crush: Get to know
and love these citrus fruits 01-23-2012
Simple
chicken sliders give
holiday cooks a break 01-16-2012
Spur-of-the-moment gnocchi 01-16-2012
In
winter, pick fruit from the freezer 01-16-2012
Dips:
Get the scoop on a party staple 01-09-2012
It's
time to get to know kohlrabi 01-02-2012
Surf-and-turf
for 2 on New Year's 12-26-2011
Ring
in the New Year, then end
the evening with a substantial snack 12-26-2011
All
hot & frothy: When the weather
gets cold, it's time to warm up with hot drinks 12-26-2011
A
toast to the roast: Holiday
stars dressed for success 12-19-2011
Smart
cookies: Keep cookie basics
simple and get creative with extras 12-19-2011
Rice
dishes can be served
morning, noon or night 12-12-2011
Peppermint
twist: New wave holiday desserts draw
inspiration from traditional candy cane flavors 12-12-2011
Holiday
cookies to slice and bake 12-12-2011
Bunches
of biscuits 12-12-2011
Spread
the word: Mustard's a cinch 12-05-2011
Pretty,
please: With sugar on top -
that's how we love our holiday cookies 12-05-2011
Old
fashioned but delicious 12-05-2011
Chefs
gloriously reincarnate the traditional Thanksgiving leftover sandwich 11-28-2011
| RECENT
FEATURES |
Out of the
zone
Sometimes,
to get out of a rut, you have to think outside of the plate and detour
from familiar foods. Two years ago, TIME Magazine coined the phrase
"discomfort dining" to describe just that, and a new
adventurous approach to eating out. So whether it’s animal brains or
a pizza topping you could never imagine, here are 10 local eating
adventures to experience.
|
Food for
thought
The season’s
open houses, potlucks and parties are the perfect excuse for home
cooks to challenge themselves with new recipes, exotic ingredients and
savvy techniques. What better place to acquire these skills than from
the master, a chef — and in his or her professional kitchen?
|
The dish on
dining
Milwaukee’s
restaurant scene is always in a flux, whether due to the economy,
desire for something new or to update with the times. So what’s
happening these days in the local world of pots and pans? Here are a
few tidbits to wet your whistle. Check mmagazinemilwaukee.com for more
on local food and drink endeavors.
|
Chef
speak - Peter
Sandroni - Chef/owner La Merenda
Opening
in 2007, Peter Sandroni’s awarding-winning La Merenda is a charming,
always bustling Walker’s Point tapas restaurant. La Merenda name
means "early snack," referring to the custom of early
evening socializing over small-plate dining and exquisite beverages.
|
Flippin' for
flapjacks
Whether
one prefers George Webb’s classically simple buttermilk wheatcakes or
going all the way with International House of Pancakes’ Rooty Tooty
Fresh ‘n Fruity (done up with two eggs, two bacon strips, two pork
sausage links and two buttermilk pancakes knighted with strawberry
topping, warm blueberry or cinnamon apple compote and whipped dairy),
area breakfast lovers have a range of choices featuring this traditional
morning delight. Try these following locales for twists on a dish.
|
Soupe du
Jour
What can be said
about French onion soup that hasn’t been said before? Well, lots.
Especially since versions of this great dish have been around since
the ancient Romans, so there is always more to add to the story. The
soup started humbly, because onions were easy to grow and subsequently
plentiful in the good old days.
|
Chef Speak
Chef
Kurt Fogle, the new pastry chef of the SURG Restaurant Group, has had
a charmed culinary career. Merely five years ago, he decided to pursue
his dream of being a pastry chef and enrolled in classes at the
renowned French Pastry School in Chicago.
|
Decadent
confections
February is the
month of romance. Passionate pairs will opt for a secluded table for
two at a favorite restaurant, soft candlelight, a marvelous meal and,
of course, chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Here’s a look at some of
the most decadent cocoa offerings in the city — St. Valentine
approved.
|
Chef speak
Chef
Brent Perszyk, executive chef and general manager of Mr. B’s — A
Bartolotta Steakhouse, always loved to cook, but didn’t realize it
was his calling until after college. After receiving a degree in
communications from UW-Milwaukee, Perszyk enrolled in the Hotel and
Restaurant program at MATC to confirm his hunch that cooking was his
forte.
|
Savory
sensations
Add
a bit more spice to your life, and you may improve your quality of
life — or, at the very least, look forward to eating your
vegetables.
|
Winning
whites
Looking
for a wine to impress, but don't want to break the bank? Four
Milwaukee-area wine experts offer some great white wine finds, all
priced at less than $20 per bottle.
|
From plain
to gourmet
Steak, chops,
fish, chicken, pasta: If you’re stuck in a rut in the kitchen, take
some advice from the experts. Milwaukee’s creative chefs have
numerous techniques to transform the mundane into the gourmet, when it
comes to dishes that might appear pedantic at first but have the
potential for gourmet status. It’s not merely culinary magic, but
imagination that counts. Here is what some of the area’s top kitchen
talent have to say about the process.
|
Chef
speak/Recipe
Suzzette
Metcalfe fell in love with The Pasta Tree more than 25 years ago when
she and her family visited the iconic East Side restaurant to
celebrate her sister Tonia’s birthday.
|
Bountiful
breakfasts
A
hearty breakfast is the best way to kick off one’s day, fueling both
the mind and body. Between comfort food at any of George Webb’s
multiple locations and a high-end weekend buffet, Milwaukee’s
eateries offer a range of options, whether for leisurely lattes or on
the gallop. Here are some of our faves:
|
Chef speak
Chef
Thi Cao, executive chef at the Milwaukee Art Museum’s trendy Café
Calatrava, began his new job in April and hit the ground running. He
immediately needed to give the menu his own personal touch, showcasing
his love of French, Asian, Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine.
|
Fruit
Infusions
The
lazy, crazy daze of June, July and August means cocktail time on a
favorite restaurant terrace or hanging out with pals near a pub’s
open window. Breeze-catching and conversation is always easier over a
margarita and fresh lime wedge.
|
Cheese,
please
Summer
partying in Wisconsin means cheese, whether a platter of sliced
selections, a creamy spread, a crumble in salads, an ingredient
integral for sandwich-making or a simple bite-sized snack. Hunker back
on a patio or porch, flop on a couch for a Brewers game or perch under
a tree with a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, a significant other and a
picnic basket. Regardless of locale, Wisconsin spins wonderfully with
cheese. Here’s what area experts suggest when the weather warms.
|
The organic
debate
After
watching the Oscar-nominated "Food, Inc." documentary
showing tomatoes blasted with ethylene gas to spur natural ripening
for faster sales; chickens living in squalor and never seeing
daylight; corn syrup-infused foods; and salmonella scares and e-coli
scandals, it’s no wonder consumers are concerned about their food.
|
Maximum man
meals
A manly man has simple needs. There are times when such a guy
simply needs a hind quarter of this or loin of that. With sides and
dessert. A comforting, belt-loosening meal is appreciated both by
corporate titans and mastodon slayers.
|
Comfort and
joy
The
New Oxford Dictionary calls soup "a liquid dish, typically made
by boiling meat, fish or vegetables, etc., in stock or water. What
lifts this prosaic entity to the ultimate is the deft touch and
knowledge of the soup maker. A soup fan cannot go wrong at any of
these comfort food mainstays, selected from among Milwaukee’s top
soup joints.
|
Chef speak
Umami
Moto’s Dominic Zumpano has cooked for the stars. While working at
Elements at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Arizona, he was
the personal chef to actor Will Smith during the filming of "I am
Legend." Zumpano also created culinary masterpieces for Jennifer
Garner and Jamie Foxx while the duo filmed "The Kingdom,"
and at retired hockey star Wayne Gretzky’s house in Arizona.
|
Foodie finds
The
culinary minds behind the ‘Wisconsin Foodie’ TV show share
their top local restaurant picks.
|
Chef speak
Brian
Frakes has a full platter. He not only oversees the Milwaukee
ChopHouse, the Miller Time Pub, the Café, Paradise Island and 730
guest rooms, but on any given day, there are conventions, weddings and
meetings in the five ballrooms and 18 multipurpose rooms.
|
Chef speak
Before Jerry Garcia decided his calling was culinary, his love was
sculpting and playing the sax. Now executive chef at Hotel Metro,
Garcia’s food journey began in 1987 at the age of 15 as a line chef
at the Marcus Big Boy in Waukesha. He eventually worked his way up to
assistant manager.
|
Basket bites
Two
local chefs share their favorite picnic recipes.
|
Uncorked
Wannabee
oenophiles have a wide range of options in greater Milwaukee when it
comes to informative wine classes and seminars, tastings and free or
low-cost opportunities to drop in and sample. In addition, there is a
steady stream of vintner visits to area restaurants hosting
multiple-course wine and food pairings.
|
Mad skills
The quickest way to make a fail-safe dessert is to put that recipe
book away and instead head over to your favorite market. At least that’s
the way chef and restaurateur Sandy D’Amato does it.
|
Chef speak
Chef
David Swanson wears many toques. His company, Braise on the Go
Traveling Culinary School, offers what he explains as a
"one-of-a-kind outdoor dining or learning experience."
|
Chef Speak
Comerford is in her element at vegetarian restaurant Café Manna,
3815 N. Brookfield Road, Brookfield. She’s not only a vegetarian,
but also eats vegan, macrobiotic and raw food. She grew up in a Polish
family and loved eating kielbasa before her vegetarian epiphany, which
occurred while in college after attending a conference by Jim Ehmkes,
an advocate of healthy eating.
|
10 must have
wines
Is
your wine refrigerator or rack looking a little sparse and you’re
not sure what type of wines to stock it with?
|
Get a grip
A
corkscrew is like a golf club — it needs to have the right feel when
you pick it up. That’s an important fact when purchasing one,
according to Stephanie Metz, who owns Vino 100 in Grafton, along with
her husband, David. "Pick one that you feel comfortable
using," she says.
|
Chef Sandy
D'Amato
Sandy
D’Amato — the brainchild with his wife, Angie, behind Coquette
Café, Harlequin Bakery and the critically acclaimed Sanford
Restaurant — is well known as one of the top chefs in Milwaukee.
|
Your
guide to the area's best cooking classes
Looking
for a new hobby? You’re in luck. Milwaukee’s favorite chefs are
spilling the beans in culinary classes across metro Milwaukee.
Register today for expert advice on how to make your kitchen a dining
destination.
|
|
|
|
