One more weekend of the Wisconsin State Fair! Get your fill of all the new foods, some of your old favorites, and don’t forget the cheese curds. This year I found many trends beside the iconic fair food-on-a-stick. I saw many BALLS of goodness and SAUSAGES in so many ways! Here are some of the great food finds at the Wisconsin State Fair in 2022.
BLACK BEAN BURRITO BALLS – $8
Let’s get the BALL rolling with this dish vegetarian dish. You receive four meatball sized balls which have a superbly crispy crust, fried drak, golden brown. The crust provide the bit of heat which was smoke smoky than spicy, which most will appreciate. The inside was a nice mash of whole beans and corn and cheese holding it together. I appreciated the chili lime sauce it came with which gave the balls a pop of acidity. These burrito balls prove you don’t need meat to be a great fair food or a Sporkies Finalist.
CHILI CHEESEBURGER COLOSSAL ONION - $20
This is your original Bloomin’ Onion, but ordered chili cheeseburger style, you get this massive meal with chili and nacho cheese poured on top and garnished with chives and bacon bits. While prices have increased everywhere, my party and I all agreed that paying the extra $5 for the toppings was not worth it. First, you don’t get all that much and it’s extra messy, but most of all, the chili overtakes the entire flavor of the dish. The standard iconic dipping sauce that comes with the original is still served with it, which is fantastic, but again the chili over powers all other flavors to be enjoyed. This colossal topped onion proves that sometimes, you just don’t mess with the original.
PENO PRETZEL POPPER BRAT - $15
Neil’s first shock was this was the price point. That was eased when it was served. This item is enough for three people to share - which is what they did. All three of them not only liked it, but decided it was worth the price. The bratwurst was thick with a good flavor. The pretzel dough was a little tricky to eat as it came unraveled with each bite. The flavor on this was also wonderful. The white cheddar sauce added a little moister that seemed to work. The house-made jalapeno cream cheese was great. The only trick was dipping the bratwurst in the cup. The fresh Jalapenos were a bit spicy and might be too much for someone who does not like spice, but they are easily removed. I would get this item again and can understand how it won first place.
GUMMY BEAR BRAT - $8.25
Just like the name implies, this is a bratwurst infused with gummy bears served on a bun topped with a honey mustard drizzle and gummy bear garnish. The official description fails to mention two other items included in this offering. There is also pickle relish on the bun, and the bun itself seemed to have a sort of flavor. It was also pink in color. Only two of our crew were brave enough to try this, said Neil. I rather enjoyed the odd mix of sweet and savory. The other person who tried it did not. I believe after one bite, the quote was “Oh no. Not for me.” I found the texture combination odd, but intriguing. While I would not make this a regular choice, I would recommend giving it a try. Especially if you have a willing crew to help you out. One incredibly fun bonus when ordering this item is the entire crew was wearing gummy bear earrings. They even posed for a picture!
CHURRO ICE CREAM - $6
While this was extremely refreshing on such a hot day, I was left pleading for more Churro! This heaping, twirled ice cream was light and refreshing and you can chose from either a chocolate, strawberry or hot fudge drizzle on top. Aside the vanilla soft-serve was one stick of Churro – one. While the Churro was pleasantly dense and flaking with cinnamon and sugar, I thought the churro flavor would be more incorporated. - maybe some crushed churro throughout the ice cream or even just some cinnamon powdered on top the drizzle. But since not, I would have liked another whole churro stick.
FISH BOMBS - $11
Just as it’s described, these lightly fried bombs taste just like a fish fry in a ball. They’re fried golden brown, enough to hold the Cod, slaw and potato together. The three ingredients are finely grated to homogenously coincide together to provide a consistent bite every time. The bomb is extremely moist and heavy and the two balls are each twice the size of regular meatballs. I enjoyed most the flavor of the potato pancake, which symbolizes authentic German fish fry’s. I also loved the little bits of acid that would sneak uo from the coleslaw and the lemon wedge it was served with also added that needed bite to cut the richness of the bomb.
PICKLE CHEESE CURD TACO
The flavors were all there and evenly shared. The battered curds were melted enough to be enjoyable, while the fresh lettuce and pickle complimented the warm curds with their crispness. Nick Just, a member of the party I was with, said it is worth the buy!
BRANDY OLD FASHIONED S’MORE ON A STICK - $6
After my first bite, I immediately thought I was biting in to an orange Charleston Chew candy bar. The thickness of the creamy almost nougat texture was the main reminder, and was tastefully flavored by the candied orange slice on top. Coated in chocolate, this dessert will certainly cure your sweet tooth.
CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH LATTE - $8.50
The only part that lived up to it’s name was the cereal coated rim. The drink was a cold brew coffee with a splash of “cereal flavored” milk. However, there was no sweetness what-so-ever in this drink – the only flavor is coffee. If you’re looking for the flavor of your childhood favorite cereal, this isn’t it. If you like coffee, it’ll be fine; but for the price point, I’m sure there’s better coffee deals around the fair.
*Not a new food, but a must mention*
FAMOUS REUBEN
After so many new options, Neil wanted to return to an old favorite. He visited one of his favorite stands at the park – Krautland; him and his family have been going here for quite some time. The Reuben is piled thick with both meat and sauerkraut, this sandwich did not disappoint. There was just enough thousand-island dressing to make the flavors meld. Not only one of the best Reubens at the fair, but one of the best I have ever had. All of the food at this stand is amazing, but you will thank yourself if you order the Famous Reuben. One word of caution, make sure you have a lot of napkins. This sandwich is almost as messy as it is tasty.
ARCTIC BUG BLAST SLUSH
An icy slushy is just what the Doctor ordered on a hot day – with a side of protein. This blue raspberry slush is for the daring since it’s topped with edible bugs and scorpion! My son always loves trying new things and he heard slush and bugs and was all in. While he tried and didn’t mind the edible bugs a year or two prior, this time he wasn’t too found. Not sure if it was the combination of earthiness and icy sweetness or he simply likes eating bugs by themselves. Either way, he was bold. I recommend mixing them in so when you sip, you don’t know if it’s a bug or ice.
After a long wait, the Wisconsin State Fair is back! And so is the plethora of new foods, sporkies, and of course, food on a stick. Neil and I, along with two other great palette friends, tried some of the new additions to the fair this year. I must say, along with everything else in life, some things are just a hit or miss. There is everything from sweet and salty and sweet and spicy, to home-made comforting and off the chart crazy - there is something for everyone! Here are just 12 of the items we tried. Enjoy!
The Glazy Boy was the Sporkies winner, and for a good reason! This is a large sandwich with sweet and hot flavors. The glazed donuts were sweet and had a nice outside, but were a tad doughy. Between the tender smoked pork and succulent fat with the sugary donuts, it was a great sweet and savory “burger” as they describe it – even though there is no burger patty on this sandwich. The spiciness came in to play when you bit into a jalapeno, but it seemed to overtake the sweetness. I loved the thick Fontina cheese that cut through the bold flavors and evened everything out.
One Sporkie finalist that fell short was the Polish Puppies on a Stick. The description of these is highly deceiving and is what made this item such a letdown. The hush puppy was quite dry and bland, and there was nothing “stuffed” inside. There were neither chunks of sausage nor any hint of kraut or onions. The chive dipping sauce was what salvaged the last two of three puppies given in an order. The sauce was light, creamy, and flavorful, and definitely added the moisture these puppies needed.
Everyone has probably heard of Crab Rangoon, but Lobster Rangoon? I was intrigued. The Rangoon’s were small, barely filled and hardly tasted like lobster. The sweetness was great, but it seemed like the lobster was too puréed with the cream cheese to even be accounted for. The sauce that comes with it has a sweet chili flavor and helped bring some tang to this dish. I’d say for three little Lobster Rangoon’s, this isn’t worth the money.
These super sweet, donut hole-looking cheese curds would have been spectacular if the cheese was actually melted, in my opinion. I loved the sugary donut coating around the curd; surprisingly, they go well together. I liked that the bacon gave this dish the crispy, salty aspect it needed – I just wish it came with more than half a piece of bacon broken into pieces.
From the same place with the non-melted cinnamon cheese curds, we tried the Poutine Tacos. The two tacos are very well assembled and the shredded pot roast was fall apart tender, easily slow roasted for hours and seasoned perfectly. However, I wish the meat, along with the curds and fries underneath, were hot – heck, I would have even taken warm. They were cold. Not sure if the restaurant will fix this issue in the next couple of days, but let’s hope so!
These huge pieces of chicken breasts were juicy, cooked perfectly and was well coated. If you just want some deep fried chicken, here you go. The breading was not “Cruller”-like at all – there was absolutely no sweetness, just plain tasting breadcrumbs and seemed over-fried. It is a lot of chicken, I’ll give them that. The sauce, though, even that tasted simply like ketchup, not the chipotle honey mustard as we thought it would be.
This was a refreshing dish on a hot day. You get three hearty pineapple rings that are very juicy. They are slightly fried and coated with shredded coconut. With me, coconut is a hit or miss, but I liked this dish a lot; it wasn’t too much coconut and paired great with the pineapple. The sweetest part was the glaze that held the coconut to the fruit, but it still could have used a a bit more on the side for dipping.
This was over-the-top sweet. Between the four of us in our group, two of us loved it and two of us did not care for it at all. The outer shell was hard but thin, easy to break through to the center. The center is where we disagreed. Two of them loved the extreme sweetness and thought the texture was smooth and creamy. The others appreciated the amaretto flavor but thought that the center reminded them of raw batter, the consistency and flavor just wasn’t appealing.
This was by far the best bang for your buck. Not only is it huge, it lives up to its description and is a complete fish fry in a bite. Lightly breaded, flaky warm cod with coleslaw wrapped together and deep-fried – it made me say TGIF (but on a Thursday). The tartar sauce accompanied had a great tang to it and topped off every bite. I highly recommend this to anyone who appreciates a good fish-fry dinner.
One of the best things I have consumed at the fair in a long time. It is a boneless pork chop grilled and topped with jalapenos, cheese and salsa. It comes wrapped in foil when you order it, but you are still able to tell you are getting a thick and meaty sandwich. When you unwrap the foil the scent of salsa and pork is intense. I would not describe the flavor as spicy, but I would describe it as delicious. This is a hardy sandwich that is both filling and texturally enjoyable. The bun is soft and holds up well. The pork was done perfectly and not dry. The cheese was melted and tasted amazing. I would have enjoyed a slightly spicier salsa, but it does make this option a safe one for everyone and I think everyone should try one.
Downtown Dining Week is going on now! Many local restaurants around Milwaukee are participating in this dining week experience, hoping to see friendly faces again and entice new customers to try their unique cuisine. 
For the appetizer, I ordered the Gazpacho, a chilled tomato and vegetable soup. The aroma brought me to a garden of fresh tomatoes right away. Upon tasting, I immediately tasted basil and other herbs which were accompanied by kick od acidity. The tomato based soup was light, but rich and the texture was fine grit, with no clumps. I’d say this was a perfect choice on a hot summer day.
Next came the Entrée, which I choose to be the Pulled pork sandwich. I was shocked after my first bite of the sandwich because I was expecting a different flavor. Instead, the pulled pork had the seasoning of a Mexican taco. The piled high shredded pork was nicely sauced with the seasoning though, and only need a bit more of the pineapple slaw. The pineapple slaw was quite refreshing and consisted of cabbage, carrots, red onion and the pineapple. The dish was accompanied with waffle fries that had the seasoning of which reminded me that of curly fries.
Finally, I chose the flourless chocolate cake for the dessert. It was amazing, to say the least. It was shockingly decadent and creamy with a thick cheesecake consistency. There is a mix of both milk and dark chocolate and dressed with a drizzle of raspberry sauce which added tartness to this very sweet dish.
The appetizers offered are Reuben Rolls, cheese curds and chicken wings. When you think of food, rarely do you think of shape, but we were all shocked to see the square cheese curds as they arrived. The coating is airy and slightly crispy, but I must say, I was expecting a bit more cheese for the size of the curds.
The Reuben Rolls definitely belong on the menu in this Irish flared restaurant. There’s a lot of corned beef in these fat, wonton wrapped rolls. The beef was well seasoned and nicely chopped so the bite was easy to eat. The only thing that could have made this better would be more sauerkraut inside the roll because the thick, creamy thousand island dressing on the side was well appreciated. This is a very filling appetizer.
When ordering the wings, you are given your choice of sauce and either ranch or blue cheese. My son order the wings with barbeque sauce and the ranch dressing. Immediately he said, “These are tasty. Really juicy”, as he covered his entire mouth area with sauce. Needless to say, he finished almost all of them. The wings were hearty, good sized and cooked perfectly – not too dry or underdone. I also appreciate the array of flavors they offer.
When it came to the Entrée’s we decided to try the half-pound cheese burger and the blackened Mahi fish tacos. Justin and my son order their burgers medium, and medium well and had the choice of lettuce, tomato, pickle or onion on them along with the choice of cheese. The burgers came out cooked just the way they ordered them. Justin says that the meat itself was well seasoned and flavorful and that there was enough cheese on the big burger to be able to get the kick from the pepper jack.
My Mahi fish tacos were a delight. With the combination of the prominent cabbage, pungent cilantro and lightly breaded fish, these tacos are quite light and very refreshing.
After being seated you are able to go up to the salad and sides buffet bar which included a variety of items, from salad fixings, a fruit selection, various pasta salads, beef stroganoff and cheesy bread. The mashed potatoes had the skin on, mostly smashed and were a great based for my beef stroganoff. I loved the sauce of the dish, but it could have used a lot more beef bits and mushroom. The cheesy bread were rather balls and not cheesy at all, but the fresh mozzarella balls made up for that. My absolute favorite item from the buffet bar was the fried plantains. They were mashed but still held their thick, finger sized shape. They were significantly glazed and topped with a course, caramelized sugar that gave a tad crunch to the otherwise soft, sweet side.
I’d say my absolute favorite is the honey glazed ham, simply because of the glaze. It’s a thick, glossy sweet finish to a great piece of ham. The notes of honey and maple are prominent and pleasing. I thought this would be an even better bite if I combined it with the sweet plantains. My gosh, was I right! 
The marinated chicken thigh with the bone has a lot of meat on it and the skin isn’t crunchy but done enough to enjoy its flavor with the meat. When it came to the chicken breast meat, though, it was a tad dry. The sweet and spicy sauce didn’t stick well to the meat because there certainly wasn’t much, but you could still taste the sweet chili flavor they used. The bacon that wrapped around a different chicken breast was appetizing; I just wish the bacon had been cooked a bit longer.
Suddenly, it was like a water balloon of juice exploded in my mouth as I bit into Rodizio’s sweet, fresh grilled pineapple. Immediately my mouth filled with pineapple essence and I was bombarded with zest. That was a well welcomed gift from the grill.
Everyone has their own opinion of what makes for a good fish fry. After conducting a few polls via social media, based on your suggestions, I decided to visit four Fish Fry’s in the Milwaukee area. They were: Amelia’s, Victor’s, Kegel’s Inn and The Thistle and Shamrock. Let’s take a look at what each of them have to offer.
I was excited to dig in to my large filets of beer-battered cod, probably my favorite fried fish. The fillets were not only thick and sturdy, they were tender and flaky. The cod was contained in a somewhat thin, airy breading which was lightly crisped on all sides. Their homemade tartar sauce was slightly tangy and a great addition to the warm fish.
My company’s Perch Dinner is $16 and came with several pieces of perch. The fillets were thinner than the cod and had a thicker, crispier crust. There’s a crunch as you bite into this meaty, hearty fish.
I also ordered a side of Potato pancakes which are $4. They were traditional, but the edges were pretty crispy, while the middle was just done enough. I liked the consistency of the potatoes and I always enjoy it with applesauce which was served with them.
Here, too, I ordered the fried cod, which I am very happy I did. The plate came out with four decent sized fillets of well-coated beer-battered cod. The cod meat was very juicy and moist, just fell apart delicious. The coating wasn’t too thin or too thick, but it was a little greasy. The tartar sauce that came with it was alright, not too tangy but I could distinctly taste the relish.
The Walleye coating was crispy and well-fried and lightly seasoned. I must say, it also stuck perfectly to the fish, so you get a crunch aspect in every bite. Walleye seems to be a slightly firmer and meatier fish. The meal comes with 2-3 fillets that are thinner yet long. For my first time trying Walleye, I was impressed, and I will definitely order Walleye again in the future.
Justin described his Cod as fresh, the freshest he’s had thus far (since he’s been with me to all of these fish frys). He liked the crispy crust and added some lemon juice from the given wedge which made it even more refreshing.
There was one large, lightly breaded fillet of catfish presented on the plate. After taking my first bite, honestly, the taste reminded me of fried chicken – I’m not sure if it was the breading, the fryer they used, or what. But since I thought it may be the breading, I pieced it apart and tasted the meat of the fish. It was delicate, texturized and a little on the greasy side. Again, it kind of reminded me of the dark meat of poultry. Don’t get me wrong, it was a delightful piece of fish, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
My partner decided to order the Northern Pike which he described as rich and meaty. The breading was fluffy, not too crispy, but did sort of separate from the fish.
This was a great option for the first thing in the morning. At Goonies Fish and Beer Shack you wouldn’t think you could get a breakfast delicacy like this – but you can! And it’s their first year offering a breakfast option.
This could be considered perhaps a brunch option due to the fried egg atop a grilled bratwurst and cheese. The hoagie bun was soft and easy to handle and held everything together just fine. Margie didn’t like how the brat didn’t snap like most should but Neil and I thought the grind of the sausage and it’s seasonings made for a great brat. Came with a slice of cheese, but because these are made to order, the hot brat and fried egg quickly made the cheese melt, which was nice. The fried egg was fully cooked with a crispy edge, not runny at all, so it wasn’t sloppy. The egg and brat went surprisingly well together. I might just cut up some left over brats and put them in my scrambled eggs next time. You can find this brunch get-up at Roberts.
Pistol Petes, a new vendor this year to the fair, was offering Sfingi, an palm sized Italian donut. We chose the cinnamon sugar option, and had all four sauces, white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel and raspberry. Comes with five donuts, which are stuffed and topped with what seemed like a vanilla flavored cannoli cream. The cream was on the thicker side, but I appreciated that because it didn’t run out of the donut the first time you bite into it. Between the cream and the abundant amount of cinnamon sugar, this smaller sized donut was quite rich and filling.
These olives were meant to be blazing because of the jalapenos stuffed inside them. However, there was no spice what-so-ever to these. They use pitted Queen Green Olives, which are a hefty size, I must say. The first bite was quite salty, so was the second. But the cream cheese that was stuffed inside offset the saltiness a little and was a great pair. If you like olives and want to keep with the fair’s tradition of food on-a-stick, come this way.
First of all, I want to say I have never tried snake in any sort of way – and now, it seems like I still haven’t. The soup smelled like French onion, but was veggie based and had some rice. But where was the snake? I might have gotten a little shred here and there, but nothing prominent for sure. It tasted plain, not much herbs or spices at all, if any.
This was the best bang for your buck deal that we came across today. A thick all beef hot dog covered in queso blanco, bacon bits, chorizo, pico de gallo, jalapenos and tortilla strips. Between the queso, chorizo and jalapenos, the heat was all there and the combination was great. I also loved the crunch from the tortilla strips. The hot dog was delicious in itself as well, a good flavor and was quite big.
This was a great combination of sweet and savory due to the variety of sauces Sprecher Landing crafted. There are 6 chunks of white meat chicken, breaded and either grilled or fried, with a little sauce ladled over them. The PXP Island was a sweet tropical one with pineapple and mango sauce topped with macadamia nuts, toasted coconut and banana chips. Then there was the Poco Loco with that great hint of lime, due to the Sprecher Golden Ale Chili Lime sauce, which was topped with roasted corn, ghost pepper and snicker doodle crumble. The Wisconsin Triple was on the side of savory with a kick, tossed in a buffalo sauce with Wisconsin Gorganzola and Wisconsin raw honey. The three others are Generation Peanut, which is similar to a thai peanut flavor, the Hoptastic, which to Neil’s mother seemed a little “hoppy”, and finally the Root Beer BBQ, which by the way, you can most certainly smell and taste the root beer in this sauce. Check out the Sprecher Landing for these sweet and savory pieces of chicken.
Also at the Sprecher Landing was a Sporkies Finalist, the Puco Locadilla on-a-stick. The tortilla was soft and seasoned one of the tips. Once off the stick, it was easy to wrap the tortilla around the chicken and eat it like a taco. The buffalo seasoning on the tortilla was a great minutiae addition of heat as well. To off seat the heat, the cilantro and lime were quite refreshing. There was a conspicuous absence of the crumbled snicker doodle though – which was OK by me. The chicken in this dish was grilled unlike the breaded chick-n-stix. The chicken was juicy and had a hint of lime flavor as well – delicious.
Another Sporkies finalist and new food at the Wisconsin State Fair is the Buffalo cheese curd and chicken taco, everything deep friend, including the tortilla but minus the blue cheese slaw it was topped with.
The chips were homemade potato chips that tasted so great that no seasoning was required The hot dog was sliced thick and had a great flavor, but the relish was the predominant flavor. Overall, this dish confused the brain whether you were eating a Chicago hot dog or nachos.
Today, July 14th, is National Macaroni and Cheese Day! Also known as mac and cheese, this dish has long been considered one of America’s top comfort foods and has been enjoyed in almost every household since the early 19th century.
Do you see those cheese commercials for California cheese? Well, did you know that 
Probably the easiest and the most popular way Americans enjoy their cheese is through the comfort dish, macaroni and cheese. Noodles, cheese, maybe some milk and seasonings – but there are countless ways of making macaroni and cheese and Wisconsin does just that.
Milwaukee has the privilege of hosting many restaurants that serve mac and cheese as a side, or put it on pizza, or even specialize in creating signature mac and cheese concoctions. Some of these include, Comet Café, Noodles and Co., Ian’s Pizza, Triskele’s, East Town Kitchen and Bar, and Grate Modern Mac and Cheese who works with Renard’s Cheese and Sassy Cow Creamery.
At Triskele’s, their classic mac and cheese is always on the menu. You can choose from any combination of Wisconsin Cheddar, Goat Cheese and/or Gorgonzola. “The most popular is the Mac and all 3 Cheeses,” says Lynn Winter, co-owmner and manager. “Our mac is a bit unique in that each dish is prepared individually and finished off in the oven. Folks can also add Roasted Chicken Thigh or Grilled Polish Sausage. We also do different Mac preparations for specials. One of those, which is one of Head Chef and co-owner JoLinda’s favorites is Mac and Cheese with Gorgonzola, Fresh Rosemary and Cabernet Reduction.” This one isn’t always on the menu, but if requested, Jo will always do it if she can.
Show your love of cheese today by grabbing some comforting mac and cheese at any of these restaurant. Or, you can simply make grandma’s signature baked mac and cheese that’s been past down. Either way, let’s get cheesy. Take a selfie with your mac and say CHEESE!
Downtown Dining Week is underway. It kicked off Thursday night, May 30 and goes until June 6. This means you get a whole week to try new restaurants you may not have heard of or thought to try before. New restaurants on the scene will also be participating like Char'd and Oak and Shield.
First, it was between the Guacamole and the Queso Fundido. I chose the Queso, simply because I’m a cheese fan and really like spiciness. Needless to say, this had the perfect amount of heat and the queso wasn’t too thick to where it broke my chip; it was actually a great consistency.
For the entrée, the options were: a Queso Smothered Burrito, a plate with two chicken tacos, or a vegetarian taco plate. Bring me more queso please! Yes, I chose the Queso Smothered Burrito. You have the option of steak or roasted veggie; it’s nice they give you the vegetarian option but I was surprised it wasn’t offered with chicken.
I chose the steak – which I don’t normally lean toward but for 13 bucks with tax (and two other courses), I decided it’s a steal of a deal, why not. Turned out, it was a great decision. There were endless amounts of good sized chunks of steak surrounded by beans, rice, corn and shredded cheese. I was actually happy to see they left the lettuce out of the burrito. Together the ingredients worked perfectly together and the queso acted as the sauce that smoothed things out and helped add creaminess to the dish. Finally, the fresh cilantro sprinkled on top enhanced the steak's flavor. From this point forward, I feel like every steak I have needs to be accompanied by cilantro, no doubt.
Finally, the dessert. It was between a Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake or a Chocolate Brownie. If you know one thing about me, it’s that I can’t turn down cheesecake – no way. The cheesecake was delightfully decadent, to say the least. I appreciated the strawberry flavor throughout the cheesecake – it’s quite a big difference than just having it on top. The cheesecake itself was creamy but still had a nice fluffiness to it. I was splendidly shocked by the crust which reminded me of a cinnamon coffee cake – not the usual crust on a cheesecake, but this was warmly welcomed. Between the sweet strawberry flavor, the rich crust and creaming cheesecake with a little drizzle of chocolate sauce on top, this dessert should be enjoyed by everyone. .
During the third day of Downtown Dining Week, my boyfriend and I decided to check out Oak and Shield for their three course lunch menu. Oak and Shield had their grand opening last year, May 4. Oak and Shield is a gaming pub with nearly 100 board and card games to choose from to learn or play while eating and enjoying your time with friends. This is the restaurants first time participating in Downtown Dining Week and they are happy to be apart of it.
I originally went with the soup of the day that I overhead was a zucchini and yellow squash, cream based soup. After I ordered that and Justin ordered the house salad, I was informed they did not have the soup of the day. That’s OK I decided to go with one of their other appetizer options and ordered the Black Bean Chili. I’m glad they didn’t have the soup of the day – I was meant to have this chili. It was very filling, I probably should not have finished the whole thing. I had fresh diced tomatoes and plenty of black beans and the combination of both ground and chinks of beef was a great idea. The herbs they used enhanced the sauces flavor, which was a very creamy tomato base infused with the smoky essence of the meat.
For our entrée, we decided on the same thing – go big or go home. For you meat lovers out there, we chose the Return of the Briskwitch. This sandwich has brisket, bacon, Swiss and cheddar cheese on Texas toast. I was skeptical on how thick Texas toast is, but the toast turned out nice and buttery and lightly toasted so the bread could be easily be smashed into the cheese and meat.
The cheesiness wasn’t on point. I believe the abundant amount of meat over powered the cheese in this sandwich. But still, the flavors of the meat were superb; it had the great smoky flavor and the brisket wasn’t chewy. The bacon was nice and thick and provided a sturdy bite every time. In my opinion, if you ask for some BBQ sauce, this would be mans best sandwich friend.
Finally, the dessert – even though I was already full. I ordered the Cookie Dough with Vanilla Ice Cream and Justin ordered the Deep Fried Marshmallow drizzled with Caramel and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Once his dessert was served, immediately my mind went to our Wisconsin State Fair, where you can get almost anything deep-fried and on a stick. That’s exactly what this was – served to him was a deep fried marshmallow (or two) on a stick.
“I could have four more of these; they were so good,” Justin says. He couldn’t stop raving about it either, “I would have one of these everyday if I could,” he said, nodding his head, licking his lips and smiling.
Taste of Milwaukee celebrated its 37th year at the Italian Community Center featuring many of Milwaukee’s finest and famous restaurants. Hosted by Broadscope Disability Services, all of the proceeds went toward helping people with disabilities and their families.
Fresh, fast and friendly is what’s happening at 9th Slice Pizza Co. Alycia Pogreba, Store Marketer, explained that every ingredient is fresh and the pizzas are made in-house and quick fired for just over 3 minutes. Not only is it fresh, it can be made healthy.
Another Mexican establishment was not far away. Get Them While They’re Hot Tamales, a food cart and catering business, served their signature tamales, either spicy or not, along with nachos and a sliver of churro. Ran by Jann and Pedro, the ma and pa business started in 2010 and has recently launched a website that features fundraising catering – a way for Get Them While They’re Hot Tamales to give back to the community they’ve lived in for over 50 years.
Moving toward the drinks, we arrive at Valentine Café and Wine Bar, a fairly newer establishment to the area, celebrating it’s second year. Robb Kashevarof, Founder of the company, and his staff at Valentine Café enjoy giving back to the community so they try to attend as many benefit events as possible.
Valentine Café served an assortment of sweet and savory scones including Cranberry Orange, a blueberry Glaze, a Chocolate, Lemon Poppyseed, an Everything scone, as well as a Ham Cheddar and Chive. Beside the scone, they served their signature Valentine coffee, roasted here in Milwaukee.
Besides the restaurants mentioned, Café Benelux, The Gouda Girls, Rollin’ Dough Specialty Cookies, the Foxfire Food Truck, Thunder By Grille, Oberweis Dairy and Famous Dave’s also participated in the 37th annual Taste of Milwaukee.
The 37th Annual Taste of Milwaukee offered a taste and a sip of some of Milwaukee’s finest and most deliciously versatile restaurants. Thank you Broadscope for hosting the event and thank you to the public and your interest in food and giving back to the community you live in.