More Than You'd Expect

Milwaukee is more than you'd expect for a Midwestern U.S. city not commonly considered a tourist destination. With a few hours to spare while visiting on a business trip last week, I made some pleasant discoveries:

I stayed downtown at the boutique Hotel Metro, with its art deco-inspired design and all-suite rooms with two flat-screen TVs, huge sunken tub and Aveda amenities. Be forewarned, though: a number of the rooms face a parking lot that has annoying bright lights shining and a series of loud noises (cars honking, trash pick-up) all night long...

http://hotelmetro.com/

The city's revitalized historic turn-of-the-century warehouse and manufacturing district known as the Third Ward is buzzing with coffee shops, galleries and restaurants. http://www.historicthirdward.org/

Thankfully, the coffee craze has hit Milwaukee and it's more than Starbucks! Alterra Coffee Company is a specialty coffee roaster known for its commitment to social and environmental responsibility and its practice of sourcing specialty coffees via direct relationships with growers. Their Third Ward location at 1st and Pittsburgh is a cozy spot to hang out. My machiatto lived up to their espresso roast's description as "thick, lasting, reddish-brown crema; full, caramel-toned, mouth-coating body; soft, berry-sweet acidity; and flavors like chocolate, roasted nuts..."

http://www.alterracoffee.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alterra_Coffee_Roasters

Barclay Gallery, around the corner from Alterra, is a combination fine craft gallery and restaurant. The cafe's airy, light-filled room was packed when I stopped by at 1 pm. Although I resisted the tempation to grab a bite, I found myself drawn to the handmade watches by Uruguayan artist Milieris. Unable to pick between two options, what would you have done?

http://barclaygalleryonline.com/ and http://www.watchcraft.com/Bio.htm

The Milwaukee Art Museum is a must-see for its architecture alone. The first Santiago Calatrava-designed building in the United States, the museum features a 90-foot high glass-walled reception hall enclosed by the Burke Brise Soleil, a sunscreen that can be raised or lowered creating a unique moving sculpture. I have to admit, I didn't actually check out the collection... http://www.mam.org/

I had a delicious meal at Bacchus, located in an historic apartment building about a 15 minute walk from the hotel: a creamy lobster bisque skillfully poured over lobster chunks centered at the bottom of the bowl, followed by red wine braised beef shortibs with sweet potato puree and wilted brussel sprout leaves. But it's the wine list that impressed me most - the first I've seen with a table of contents! http://www.bacchusmke.com/

The Vintage Wine Shop at 632 E. Ogden Ave happily fulfilled my search for a couple of bottles of interesting Oregon pinot noirs and German rieslings not readily available in Toronto. (414) 220-4217.

Last but not least, our pleasant cab driver Omar was at the ready whenever we needed a ride from place to place. His cellphone number is 502-533-6700.

Pub Grub That Comforts Stomach & Soul

We ventured out in the snow last night to a surprise birthday party on Queen West. Waiting in the cold for the streetcar, it was an evening made for cuddling under blankets at home in front of a fire. Dinner at Mitzi's Sister turned out to be a satisfying substitute - comfort food, high-end pub grub, cozy bar and neighborhood hang-out all rolled into one.

We started out with a bowl of the soup of the day, cauliflower with asiago ($4.95). Creamy and cheesy with bits of bacon strewn about, our host summed it up best with "by the time you reached the bottom of the bowl, the bacon had infused the soup with a delightful smoky flavour." Oven roasted chicken wings were substantial and meaty, a welcome change from the typical anemic version drowned in batter and fried (1 pound for $9.95). My mouth was on fire from the hot sauce on the side, but nothing a cold hard cider on tap couldn't cure ($3). Sweet potatoes made a surprise appearance in the basket of twisted sister fries served with zesty jalapeno mayo ($5.25). Onion rings were positively addictive! The requisite blowing out of candles took place atop luscious chocolate and vanilla cakes from the Sweet Tooth Pastry Shop on the Danforth.
(http://www.torontolife.com/guide/food/bakers/sweet-tooth-pastry-shop/)

The friendly atmosphere turned a gathering for a friend's birthday into a real party. Two tables set off from the rest of the crowd let us freely mingle, toot horns and break out in song, seemingly without bothering anyone! We barely noticed the gust of wind and snow on our way out onto the street, our needs for nourishment from good food and friendship completely met.

1554 Queen Street West (between Landsowne and Sorauren)
http://www.mitzissister.com/

The Height of High-End Comfort Food

Thanks to Honey, the consummate host and tour guide, our visits to LA are always a foodie whirlwind! The stand-out meal on this trip was dinner at Craft, an outpost of Tom Colicchio's New York City-based "vision of food heaven." (According to the NY Times review when it opened in 2001 - and an apt description of our experience as well!). http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craft_losangeles_style.html

As we obsessed over every dish on the menu, we quickly agreed that sharing was the only way to go and ordered these:

Pork Belly & Madras Curry
Duck Egg, Duck Ham & Spiced Waffle
Braised Beef Cheeks
Wild Striped Bass, Cardoon & Olive
Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Bacon
Assorted mushrooms (Hen of the Woods, Chanterelles, Baby Shiitakes and Trompette Royales)
Chard gratin

Nodrog picked the perfect California wine: A 2005 Kunin Pape Star blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. "Cherries and cassis on the nose, with some smoke/spice notes. High-toned red fruits and spices on palate, with an underlying earthy note. Bright acidity and light tannins. Finishes cleanly and with finesse." http://www.kuninwines.com/

The verdict: the height of high-end comfort food, beautifully prepared and presented.

This Brunch Spot is A-OK

We entered Okay Okay Diner in search of the consummate brunch spot in Leslieville. At first glance, it certainly seemed to have a number of the requisite ingredients: red leather booths, counter and stools, slightly greasy, slightly smoky smell emanating from the kitchen. We plunked ourselves down at a booth, ordered double lattes and scanned the menu. What to choose: granola and yogurt? buttermilk pancakes? thick slice french toast? the "scramble of the day" with smoked salmon and creme fraiche? We both honed in on the egg burrito, a tortilla filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, grilled peppers, onions and avocado, topped with salsa and sour cream. De-lish! I think our search is over.

Okay Okay

1128 Queen St. East
416-461-2988

Paradisappointment

The evening started out with such great promise, as we entered Le Paradis expecting an authentic French bistro experience. The main room had the look down, with its long wood bar, butcher-paper tablecloths and brightly colored posters. With Pastis as the gold standard for the genre in Toronto (not to even mention Au Pied du Cochon in Montréal and Le Crémant in Seattle), I thought to myself: the competition is going to be stiff.

As we were whisked into an adjoining space that had the ambiance of an institutional dining room, my hopes began to fade. The prices were unexpectedly reasonable, the waitstaff competent and the service efficient. The problem was the food. The meal started on an upbeat note with the paté but quickly devolved into clichés that lacked any evidence of passion or inventiveness - most notably, the braised lamb shank, which arrived lukewarm and bland, and the frites which bordered on fast-food taste and quality.

Next time I'll bypass Le Paradis.

166 Bedford Road
http://www.leparadis.com/

Silver Spoon Turns to Gold

We had heard a bit of a build-up about the Silver Spoon (fresh ingredients, a foodie's delight, good value), but nothing prepared us for the actual experience. And was it an experience!

From the moment you walk into the intimate dining room, there's a calm that overtakes you and you sit down ready to be cared for. The server welcomes you and after you have a chance to settle in, an amuse-bouche served on chinese soup spoons - two swirls, one red (red pepper), one white (chick pea) - tempts your palate as it should. A simple paper menu is set in front of you and the adventure begins.

Normally I have control issues over menus - everything we order must be determined by mutual consent. But tonight, overtaken by the atmosphere and overwhelmed by the choices, I sit back and sigh, "Order for both of us, would you dear?"

As we sip our gewurztraminer, our firsts arrive, starting with an appetizer of rye and maple cured salmon with vanilla mayonnaise and grapefruit pieces. From my first bite, I know the watch words for the evening are texture, flavor, and inspired combinations. The maple and vanilla are a match made in heaven. The next dish, ordered from the "other lovely things" category on the menu, was heaven on a plate. Foie-gras semi-freddo rolled in a walnut praline, with cured duck breast proscuitto, fig jam, truffle puree and toast. The foie-gras was whipped into a frenzy; smeared onto the other ingredients, the sweetness of the dish came close to qualifying as a dessert! I nearly overlooked the truffle puree sitting off to the side on its own little plate - but it paid off as I savored a bolus of intense flavor atop my last dollop of foie-gras.

Our entrees were no less spectacular. Seared scallops atop braised fennel and leek with a coconut milk, lemongrass infused tomato puree and jicama salad, came laid out on a long skinny plate; I would start on the left with a scallop, use my fork to glide it across the coconut milk to the jicama and have all of the flavors released in one bite. The juniper berry infused crispy duck confit was a mascot for the slow food movement and a perfect foil for the whimsical lychee and blueberry jus served with crusted yams. And yes, we are told after we wonder aloud, the demi-glace is house-made from scratch.

When it came to dessert, I could tell nodrog was not himself tonight either. Dessert is defined by having chocolate as the star ingredient. What, we weren't ordering the chocolate 4 ways? No, we simply had to have the citrus-vanilla goat's cheese-stuffed french toast. Equally at home on a brunch menu, this dish was a perfect pairing of tart and sweet, with what I'm guessing was homebaked brioche.

Even as I write this several days after the fact, I can taste each dish all over again. I should also mention our server, who was quite charming, attentive and interesting and not intrusive in any way.

Advice for next time: Bring friends and sample even more delights!

PS - for you chocoholics out there who simply had to know the 4 ways:
*Chocolate sorbet with chocolate brownie
*Chocolate cheescake with white chocolate and pistachio sauce
*Warm flourless chocolate cake with creme anglaise and chocolate sauce
*Chocolate creme brulee

Dinner for two with wine: $185
Silver Spoon
390 Roncesvalles
416-516-8112
http://www.silverspoon.ca/

Mad About Montréal

And now for the top ten list (in chronological order) from our first weekend jaunt to Montréal. Drum roll please.

1 - Save the March 2006 issue of Gourmet magazine on "North America's Most European City", read it over and over again obsessively, and bring it with you in lieu of a guide book

2 - Fly Porter Airlines from the downtown airport and avoid the insanity of Pearson. http://www.flyporter.com/

3 - Rent bikes in Old Montréal and ride along the Lachine Canal to the Marché Atwater. http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/canallachine/index_e.asp

4 - Buy fresh-baked sesame seed bagels at St.-Viateur Bagel Shop and enjoy them over a double espresso at Café Olimpico down the street. http://www.stviateurbagel.com/

5 - Sample the sights, tastes and smells of two of the city's amazing markets on your bike ride through town: Marché Atwater and Marché Jean-Talon. http://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/

6 - Spend a few hours admiring the collection at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. http://www.macm.org/

7 - Start an amazing meal at at Au Pied du Cochon with the Apple Foie Gras (one of 10 foie gras appetizer choices; a sinful slice atop a tarte tatin). http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/

8 - Repeat #4, but with a Chocolate Babka chaser from Cheskie Heimishe Bakery

9 - Pretend you're back in college as you wander aimlessly around the campus of McGill. http://www.mcgill.ca/

10 - Exhausted from a whirlwind weekend, ride the subway back to your hotel in the Old Town before cabbing it to the airport for your flight home. http://www.stm.info/English/metro/a-mapmet.htm,
http://www.hotelxixsiecle.com/