Restaurant Review: La Parihuela

How many people knew there was a Peruvian restaurant in West Allis? I certainly didn't until I saw a Groupon for La Parihuela a few months ago. I knew it was something I would want to try, as I've never had any Peruvian except for a plate of lomo saltado at Antigua about six months ago). So I purchased the $20 option to get one appetizer and two entrees during our visit.

We finally used the Groupon last Friday, just a week before it expired. The small restaurant, located on 90th and National Ave., was packed with people, and I assumed many of them also had Groupons to use up. Luckily, we snagged a booth that wasn't directly near the door, as the restaurant got pretty cold any time the door opened.

We started our meals with the two alcoholic beverages they serve. Nate ordered the beer, Cusqueña, which was a light beer and similar in taste to a Mexican Tecate and with a hint of lime. I had a pisco sour, which the waitress said was the national drink of Peru. It was really good, reminding me of a good margartia that wasn't too syrupy, but it got pretty sweet by the end of it.

For the appetizer, we ordered causa de pollo, which was a yellow potato puree seasoned with yellow chili powder, lime juice and olive oil, and then stuffed with what tasted like chicken salad -- cooked chicken with mayo. The entire dish was cold, which at first seemed odd, but it was really very good. Nate and I agreed it would be a good dish for a hot summer day. (Ugh, sorry for the silly picture -- I can't turn it!)

For meals, Nate ordered the ají de gallina. Translated, it means "chili pepper chicken," and the dish is made with shredded chicken in a creamy (not spicy) sauce, served with chopped pecans, potatoes and rice. It was really good -- the flavors were great and the flavors were fantastic.

I ordered the escabeche de pescado, which was a lightly fried fish under a mound of sauteed onions and served with a half a roasted potato and some white rice. It was good, but the piece of fish was relatively small, and I'm pretty sure the dish didn't come with the sweet potatoes, aji panea chili and red pepper it was supposed to. 

The service, unfortunately, wasn't that great, although I suspect it was because they were swamped with Grouponers and didn't plan for it. We weren't in a hurry, so it didn't matter too much, but we saw other tables in which two of the four diners received their meals about 15 minutes before the rest of the party, and a table of two sat at a dirty table, with no menus, for about 20 minutes. I'd definitely go back -- there are lots of things on the menu I'd like to try -- but I wouldn't go while they have a Groupon.  

Restaurant Review: The Eatery on Farwell

A few months ago, the #mkefoodies group held at tweetup at The Eatery on Farwell. Nate and I, of course, were in attendance, and we happened to win a $25 gift certificate in the raffle. Score! We finally used it just a few weekends ago. During the tweetup, we sampled tons of food, and all of it was really tasty. So we were definitely looking forward to our meals.

Neither of us were super hungry, so we didn't start out with any appetizers, but our waiter brought out some tasty fresh-baked bread and butter for us to snack on. With that, we ordered some beers. We both tried a unique brew--The Eatery Brew, which is a sampling/combination of whichever six taps the restaurant has at the time. Maybe surprisingly, it was really tasty! We should try it at home sometime ... 

The Eatery's menu is super extensive, so it took us a while to decide. For meals, Nate had one of the night's specials: steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce, alongside peapods and mashed potatoes. It was all very tasty, and a perfect amount of food.

I ordered an unusual-sounding dish: pig in a pot. Turns out, as odd as the name might be, it was delicious! Inside an actual terra cotta pot--with a flower on top!--was pork tenderloin with mushrooms, sauce and muenster cheese. I had the same vegetables--pea pods--on the side as well as root veggie mashed which was especially delicious and something I can't wait to try to make at home. Even though Nate had the perfect amount of food, my meal came with a ton of food, so I had some to take home, which was great.

All in all, we had a great experience--great service and good food, and there is plenty more on the menu I'd like to try.

Restaurant Review: Jalapeno Loco

Nate's sister and a friend were in town last week and staying at a hotel near the airport. We wanted to meet up for dinner, and I figured this would be a great time to check out a place I've heard only good things about: Jalapeno Loco, right across the street from the airport. Over the years, I've heard many people say how good the food is and how authentic the dishes are. I knew I'd like it.

They of course started us off with some chips and salsa, which were both good. The salsa wasn't as spicy as I would have liked, but it was a good all-around salsa.

For entrees, Nate ordered something we made while we were in Mexico: chiles en nogada. It was really good, but it's hard to follow up when the last time you had it, you were in the local land! It was good though, and I'd order it next time we went. My only complaint was that the sauce wasn't as thick and creamy as it seems it should be.

For my entree, I ordered the Oaxacan mole in a chicken tamale, wrapped in banana leaves. The dish came with two huge tamales and a bowl of black beans. The tamale and mole was delicious. I would definitely want to go back and try one of their other moles. The black beans were just OK--now, I LOVE black beans, but these were pretty plain.

Overall, we had a good experience, and I'd go back. It probably wouldn't be my go-to Mexican restaurant, but I'm always willing to try new-to-me places.

Restaurant Review: INdustri Cafe

Before having dinner there a few weeks ago, I had been to INdustri Cafe twice--once for drinks with friends and another time for an MKE Foodies tweetup, where we sampled a few (too few, in my opinion ...) appetizers. When a Groupon came around for the restaurant a few months ago, I bought once because I knew we wanted to check it out.

We went on a Friday night, the day the Groupon actually expired (I have to watch these things a little more carefully ...). I thought the place might be packed, but it wasn't crowded at all--but on a Friday night in the summer in Milwaukee (and the first Friday of Summerfest), I guess it wasn't too big of a surprise.

Neither of us were starving, so we didn't have an appetizer, but we had already decided we would be ordered dessert. So to start out, we just had some beers--the restaurant has some great local beers on tap, including some from Capital Brewery and Potosi (where, coincidentally, we just were a few weeks ago and where our waiter was from!).

For entrees , Nate decided on the braised angus short ribs served with a golden raisin and wilted rainbow chard Israeli couscous. The meat was incredibly tender and delicious.

For my entree, I went with one of the day's special: a whole fried snapper with a peanut sauce (that was the hook!) and garlic scapes and a side of fried rice. It was my first time eating a whole fish like that (although Nate's ordered it before, and I've had a few bites). I'm not going to lie, it weirded me out a bit, but maaaaaaan was it delicious! We both agreed the flavor would be even better if it hadn't been fried, but nonetheless, it was fantastic. The fried rice was, too. (Sorry for the blurry picture!)

For dessert, we split the whiskey mini apple cobbler with salted caramel gelato. It had the taste and texture of warm granola or oatmeal, but much sweeter. I thought it was delicious while Nate thought it was OK. We agreed on one thing, though--it would have been even better if the apples did not have peel on them.

Overall, we had a great experience--good service, good beer selection and great food--and I know we'll be back.

Restaurant Review: Ginza

I bought a Groupon for Ginza, a new sushi place in Tosa, a few months ago, because I know we always like going out for sushi. We finally decided to use it last Friday when we wanted to go out to dinner but didn't want to go too far from home. I had heard really good things about Ginza, so I was really lookin forward to it.

The restaurant is located in a newish strip mall-type of development on the corner of Center St. and Mayfair Rd. The decor is very modern, but comfortable, too. I really like the place, but I have one small complaint: the music was not very good and kind of distracting. While we were there, it ranged from Linkin Park to something similar to Boyz II Men.

Overall, though, we had a great experience and really enjoyed the food.

We started with the shrimp shumai, which came with a spicy, creamy sauce. It was really good, and the perfect amount for two of us.

We then split three of the rolls:

• Alaskan roll: salmon, avocado and cucumber (bottom row of rolls).


• Hot maki: shrimp tempura and avocado inside, topped with tuna, jalapeno and a special sauce (middle row).


• White swan: spicy yellowtail, tempura flakes, caviar and white tuna (top row).

We agreed our favorite was the hot maki, but really, they were all quite good. We thought the rice was a little stickier or softer than it usually is and usually should be. The flavors of the rolls, however, outweighed the texture of the rice.

One thing I liked about Ginza is that you have a choice between regular soy sauce and lighter-sodium soy sauce. I hadn't seen that at other sushi restaurants. The service was very good, and the server came back often to check on us. The food seemed really reasonable, too--our total bill, before the Groupon, was $45 for the shumai, three rolls and two big Japanese beers. Not bad! I can't wait to go back and try more.

Downtown Dining Week Review No. 3: Coquette Cafe

Tonight, I had dinner at Coquette Cafe with my friends Leah and Lisa. We've been talking about going for ages, and we figured it would be a good place to head to for downtown dining. I'm so glad we went--the food was fantastic and a great value. Lisa and I ordered from the $20 downtown dining menu. Leah opted for soup and salad off the regular menu.

I started with the field greens with a Dijon vinaigrette (actually, I really started with a glass of Beaujolais and some of their great French bread and fresh butter. YUM.). It was very simple, but the dressing was fantastic and everything was fresh.

For my main course, I ordered something I've always wanted to try but never had: coq au vin. I don't know why I've never had it before (like when I spent an entire summer in France ...). It was so delicious, with lots of great flavors. The chicken was served on top of some mashed potatoes. I dipped a few pieces of bread in the wine sauce. Delicious! It was a huge portion, too. I had enough leftover to bring an entire chicken breast plus some potato home with.

For dessert, I opted for the meringue snow eggs, mostly because I had had the chocolate mousse during my lunch at Molly Cool's. I expected the meringue to have a bit of a hard outside and a soft inside. These "eggs," however, were very soft--the texture was like a marshmallow. They were light and pretty tasty, although I'm not sure I would seek them out.

For her courses, Lisa ordered the watermelon gazpacho (which I was kind of weirded out by, but it was really good, especially on a super hot day), the coq au vin and the chocolate mousse (which was also really good, and better than the stuff at Molly Cool's).

Leah ordered a cup of the French onion soup (I had a bite of it--and made lots of groaning/yummy sounds afterwards. I would definitely go back for more of that!) and a salad with spinach, bleu cheese, grapes, pears and pecans.

All in all, we had a great experience--great wine, food and service. The only complaint we had, which had nothing to do with the meal, was that the restaurant was really, really warm--the air was definitely not on, nor were there any fans or anything going. But, still, the food outweighs everything!

Downtown Dining Week Review No. 2: Water Buffalo

On Monday, a small group of ladies from work went to Water Buffalo to celebrate Sandy's birthday. We scored a table on the Riverwalk on a very warm, sunny day. We all ordered from the Downtown Dining menu, which, somewhat surprisingly, didn't include a dessert course.

For the first course, I ordered something I usually get at Water Buffalo--their tortilla soup. It's always tasty, with huge chunks of chicken and a cream base.

For the second course, I ordered the green salad, which had fresh mozzarella in it--a definite plus in my book!

For the third course, I wavered between the two options--the black bean burger (which I've had a few times and always enjoy) and the barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Because I've had the black bean burger before (and because I had one at Cafe Hollander Saturday night), I opted for the pulled pork (I ordered it without bacon, though. I know, I know--who does that sort of thing?!). The sandwich was huge! It included a slice of Swiss cheese and the sauce was on the side. The pork was good--tasty and moist--but not really outstanding or anything spectacular.

The service was good and incredibly quick--we were barely through our soup and salad when the sandwiches came out. Normally, that's a bit annoying, but during a weekday lunch, I'd rather have it that way than waiting a long time.

Overall, it was a good experience. My only complaint, if you could call it that, was that I'd like to see one or two more unique or innovative items on the menu. It'd be nice to be able to try something that maybe isn't on the menu a lot of a spin on an old standby.

Downtown Dining Week Review No. 1: Molly Cool's

Milwaukee's Downtown Dining Week is one of my favorite times of the year. It's the time to visit places you've never been and to experience great food for a reasonable price. I love checking out new places--and even ones I've been--during this week. While some of the menus can be limited, there always seems to be something for everyone. Lucky for me, too, I work downtown so I can check out a few restaurants for lunches throughout that week.

My first 2011 Downtown Dining experience was last Friday, when my work department went out for a coworker's birthday. The birthday girl picked Molly Cool's on Old World Third Street. Our group had been once before--for a happy hour, with two-for-one drinks and half-priced appetizers--and our experience and food had been good.

Unfortunately, that wasn't quite the same experience we had last Friday. There were some ups and downs to the meal, but the downs are the ones that tend to stick out.

Five out of the six of us in our group opted for the Downtown Dining menu. We all had slightly different combinations, but among the five of us, we sampled everything. Here, in a nutshell, is how my food was:

For the appetizer, I ordered the crab cake, which was really good--not a lot of filler and a great, fresh crab taste with a reddish remoulade sauce. It also came with a small cup of coleslaw which was just OK--nothing special.

For the main course, I ordered the 1/2 a crab wrap with the seafood chowder and sweet Maui-onion potato chips. The wrap was just OK--it wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped and thought it would be. The chowder, however, was good, although I'm not sure what was all in it.

For the dessert course, I ordered the key lime pie, which I was really excited about. Just before bringing dessert, the server informed us that they had run out of key lime pie, which three of us ordered. This kind of surprised me, as we put in our order at about noon (or a bit before) on the second day of Downtown Dining. I can kind of understand if it's near the end of the week, but the second day? So instead I ordered chocolate mousse, which came in a wonton cup on top of whipped cream. The cream was good, the mousse was OK and I didn't care for the wonton cup (too greasy and not much flavor).

Service was fine until we got to the end of the meal and received our bill. Two people in our group ordered entree salads (one ordered the Caesar and the other the mixed greens). Both asked if anything with it (a type of protein) and the server said you can add shrimp, salad or chicken--so one ordered chicken and another salmon. Turns out, there was quite an extra charge for the protein: $5 for chicken and $9 for the salmon, which the server never specified.

I think we all understand extra charges and both the people in my group who had the salads said they understood, but when you order off a fixed price menu, it seems like it should be a given that add-ons like that are included--or at the very least the server should say something, especially if the add-on is almost the same price as the entire meal. Long story short, the manager came out and explained the situation (in a rather terse way) and took a few bucks off the bill. Eh. Personally, I just can't understand how a Caesar salad (no meat) or mixed green salad (no meat) can be offered alongside of a crab wrap and seafood soup or walleye fingers--it just doesn't add up.

All in all, it wasn't the greatest experience, and I can't say I'll rush back any time soon. I'm by no means an expert, but I think restaurants that participate in Downtown Dining Week really need to get these meals right and provide a good experience for guests so that they come back and order off regular menus throughout the rest of the year.

Restaurant Review: Antigua

It had been a while since the ethnic dining group made it out to dinner, so it was nice to get together this week and go to dinner at Antigua in West Allis. I had been to Antigua before, but years ago and I didn't remember much about it, other than it wasn't a Mexican restaurant, but a Latin restaurant.

We had a great experience--and great food--when we were there. The menu contains many tapas you can have for appetizers or order a couple to make up a meal. There is one page dedicated to Mexican food and two types of paella. Another page has different entrees from Latin American countries including Peru, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Spain, as well as Antigua-created dishes.

Rather than the usual chips and salsa, we were treated to a plate for small-bite appetizers: a piece of mango and cheese quesadilla. a lightly fried potato-puff sort of thing and an empanada-style dough pocket with meat (sorry I don't have better descriptions for the appetizers!).

Even though we had those to snack on, we couldn't pass up an order of guacamole. The guacamole was very fresh and flavorful--it had a good, strong lime taste--and it came served with fresh, homemade tortilla chips that reminded me of the ones we had in Mexico.

For meals, the other ladies each ordered a bowl of the caldito xochitl, Mexican "hot flower soup," made with chicken broth, shredded chicken, avocado, onions, tomato, rice, tortilla strips and lime. Sun and Leah had different salads, and Lisa tried one of the tapas, Yolanda empanadas.

I ordered the Peruvian dishes: lomo saltado, which was strips of beef, yellow aji pepper, vegetables and fried potatoes, served over green rice. It was delicious! My only (small) complaint was that it wasn't spicy at all, despite having two peppers next to the dish name on the menu. No worries, though--I added some of the spicy salsa our waitress brought.

We had a great time at Antigua. The service was a bit slow, but it was pretty busy for a Tuesday night, and it was nice catching up, so the time went quickly. On Tuesdays, if you tweet from Antigua you can get a free drink, so I enjoyed a mango margarita with my meal. Not a bad deal! I can't wait to go back and try something else. I'd like to check out their brunch menu sometime, too.

Restaurant Review: Firefly Urban Bar & Grill

Last Friday, Nate and I went out to dinner at Firefly Urban Bar & Grill in Tosa with our friends Craig and Margo. We've been there a few times before, but hadn't been in quite some time and not since they changed up their menu.

There was a nice crowd in the back part of the restaurant, or the bar area, which I prefer. The two dining rooms at Firefly are very different from one another. The front room is much more formal. It's nice, but it's not so much my style. The back bar area, though, is more lively and has a nice bar-slash-dining room atmosphere.

I knew at least one thing on the menu I wanted to have before we even go there--the crunch salad. This salad is unbelievably good. It's made with bok choy, baby spinach, wasabi peas and a chili buttermilk dressing. Luckily, you can get the salad as a side with any of the sandwiches. So I ordered the microburgers (sliders). There were three microburgers: one had goat cheese and mojo salsa, another had tomato, basil mayo and mozzarella and the other had smoke bacon and white cheddar. The flavors were good, but the burgers were a bit dry, despite asking for them to be cooked to medium.

Nate ordered the firefly burger, which came with pepperjack cheese, bacon, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, haystack onions and chipotle mayo. Schwoo! He had it with a side of creamy tomato soup. I had a bite of it and it was really tasty. Very filling, too--he couldn't even finish it!

Craig had the all-you-can-eat fish fry (for the record, he didn't even get seconds) which he said was good, and Margo had the chicken torta--pulled chicken, coriander sour cream, cilantro, avocado and pickled onions--as well as the crunch salad, after I told her both were delicious. Both of them seemed to enjoy their meals!

Overall, we had a good experience. They have a great beer list, which of course was great. Service was just a tad slow, but that was OK, as we just chit chatted the whole time.

We talked about saving room for the tableside s'mores, but we ended up going to Cold Spoons for gelato afterward. Yum! (That's a combo of sea salt caramel and blood-orange gelato.)

Restaurant Review: Wasabi

Last week, Nate and I went out for sushi with our friends Craig and Margo. We've been trying to plan a sushi night for months, and it finally worked out last week. We thought we would try something different and go somewhere none of us had been: Wasabi, in Brookfield. I had heard from many people that the food was good and fresh. I was excited to check it out.

Since we were there on a Sunday evening, it wasn't too crowded so we got seated right away. For some reason they sat us at a table that needed clearing and cleaning, but since we preferred a booth over a table, we didn't mind. The place is nice--chic and sophisticated, but not cold.

We started with a bowl of salty edamame--you can't go wrong there. It was good, but a bit overcooked. I had a cup of tea to start with. I think I just ordered "tea," and I'm pretty sure, after some Wikipedia-ing after our dinner, I got a cup of genmaicha, which is green tea with brown rice. It was good, but kind of surprised me at first!

For our main meal, we decided to split four types of rolls (much to Craig's chagrin--he's not much of a sushi fan, but he was a sport and tried everything). Here are the four rolls we had were, and our overall impressions:

• Alaskan (below, right): Fresh salmon, crab meat, avocado and lettuce. This was one of our favorites, and it happened to be the most simple and cheapest (by $4!). I don't think I've ever had lettuce in a roll, and it gave it a really nice crunch.


• Miller (bottom picture): Tuna, salmon, yellow tail and red snapper, rolled with cucumber sheet and ponzu sauce. The cucumber sheet threw me--I don't think any of us noticed this on the menu. So instead of the roll being wrapped in nori, it was wrapped in cucumber. I really didn't like the cucumber--since it's such a watery vegetable, you couldn't taste the flavors of the fish (and with three types of fish, you should be able to taste the fish).


• Crunch (below, middle): Shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, crunch powder and BBQ sauce. This one was good, but none of us thought it was great. We all enjoyed eating the bits of "crunch" covered with sweet BBQ sauce that fell off the rolls, though!


• Las Vegas (below, left): Salmon and creamy sauce over spicy crab, crunch and avocado. This was the other favorite. The cream sauce was a nice addition and the "crunch" gave it nice texture. While some of them say they are spicy, none of them were at all.

So it sounds like that is a lot of food, but we probably would have been OK ordering one or two more rolls--we all left hungry! (Luckily, Kopp's is pretty close, so we filled up on custard).

Overall, we had a good experience, but I probably wouldn't rush back. I'd try a new place or go back to one of my favorite's, Takara. Our server was neither good nor bad--just kind of "blah."

Restaurant Review: Cosmos Cafe

Last Sunday, I wanted to use one of my Groupons for lunch somewhere. We decided to go to Cosmos Cafe in Wauwatosa because it was close and we had been there once before, and it was delicious.

We got there about 12:30 and the place was packed--it's not a very big place (there are about six tables and some counter seating), but the line to order at the counter was almost out the door. It's a really cute place with a family-diner atmosphere. The menu isn't extensive, but that's OK--everything they do is really good. Most of the menu items are Greek (Greek salad, gyros, souvlaki, spinach pie), with a few other items thrown in (like cheeseburgers, BLTs, BBQ pork).

We had a great meal and a great time at Cosmos. I ordered the Mediterranean salad, which was a huge plate of mixed greens, onions, feta, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers and Greek dressing. It came with a slice of bread that I kept dipping in tzatziki sauce (each table has a squirt bottle of the stuff--I want one!).

Nate ordered the gyro souvlaki--it had two big pieces of seasoned lamb wrapped in a pita with onions, some French fries (!), tzatziki and mustard. He also got a side of the Greek fries, which, of course, I had to help him eat. The fries were super fresh, warm and crisp, with feta crumbled on top (it was only after we finished most of them that I realized I didn't take a picture). These, too, were good dipped in tzatziki.

If you haven't been to Cosmos Cafe yet, and are looking for a cozy place for a great meal, check it out!

Restaurant Review: Quiote

You may have never heard of Quiote. It hasn't been open too long, and it's kind of tucked away in an unnoticeable spot--it's on Hawley Road and Bluemound Road, down the block from Barbiere's, on Milwaukee's westside. The building has changed hands a couple of times over the last few years, and Quiote opened there in late 2010 (check out a brief article about the restaurant on JSOnline).

I drive past Quiote on my way home from work, and I'm always curious what's going on in the building. My parents had just heard about it, too, so the three of us plus Nate headed there Saturday night.

For starters, it's a really small place--really small. There are only about five tables, and only one fits four people (and we were the only people in there at about 8:30 on a Saturday night). Second, they don't serve alcohol, which could be a deterrent, but I took it as a good opportunity to have a bottle of Jarritos, a Mexican soda. I opted for the pineapple one and Nate got strawberry. Yum!

The food, however, makes up for any lack of space and lack of alcohol. It was outstanding--almost unexpected.

We started with some guacamole (delicious, fresh and nice and chunky) and chips (not homemade--they don't have a fryer--but fresh and tasty) and I ordered a bowl of the tortilla soup for everyone to try. There wasn't much to the soup--just a broth with some chips, cheese and avocado--but it had wonderful flavors.

For meals, my mom ordered the enchiladas with the green tomatillo sauce, and Nate ordered the pollo con mole, with the Coloradito mole sauce. Both were served with the house rice and black beans (I love getting black beans on the side other than refried beans) and both were really good.

My dad and I ordered the same thing, and both of us were trying it for the first time: a hurache. The corn masa tortilla was topped with pork al pastor, salsa, onions, queso fresco, lettuce, tomato and avocado. It almost reminded me of a Mexican pizza. It was delicious! I've never had anything like it, and would gladly try one of the other versions sometime.

Overall, we had a great meal and I can't wait to get back and try more. I highly recommend it--it's a small business I'd like to support and get everyone to try it.

Restaurant Review: Maharaja

I've been to Maharaja, an Indian restaurant on Milwaukee's eastside a few times now. I'd say it's one of the best Indian restaurants in Milwaukee. The food is always good and fresh, and there's so much to choose from. And you get hot washcloths at the end of your meal!

Last Friday, we were looking for a place to go with our friends Amanda and Jon before seeing a play at the Milwaukee Rep. I had a http://www.restaurant.com/ gift certificate for Maharaja ($25 off!) and they had never been, so we headed there.

As we munched on papadum, we opted to make an easy decision as far as our meal went--we ordered two combination dinners: the "non-vegetable meal for two" and the "vegetable meal for two." Both combinations came with tons of great food:

Non-vegetable meal:

• Chicken pakora.
• Chicken and mushrooms.
• Lamb masala.
• Dal makhni.
• Basmati rice.
• Naan.
• Choice of dessert (more on that later!).

Vegetable meal:

• Four samosas.
• Saag paneer.
• Vegetable korma.
• Karhi pakora.
• Basmati rice.
• Naan.
• Choice of dessert.

Everything was really, really tasty--and filling! I think my favorites were the dal, saag paneer and vegetable korma. I usually order vegetarian main dishes in Indian restaurants, and I think I really prefer the vegetarian ones. Just a personal preference. And next time I eat there, I'll ask for the meals to be spicy--we asked for medium heat, and there was no spice to it at all.

These two combinations were definitely enough for four people--plus, we each took leftovers home, giving us an additional meal.

For dessert, we each got to choose a dessert, so we opted for four different things and tried them all. We had mango ice cream, kheer, gulab jamun and kulfi. Everything was really tasty and very different from desserts you normally order (be sure to click on the descriptions to see just what I'm talking about).

Overall, our meal was great, but I have to say the service was very slow--the restaurant wasn't too crowded, and our meal took about 1.5 hours. Normally, it wouldn't have been too big of a deal, but we had to get to the theater!

Restaurant Review: Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill

I've been wanting to try Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill for sometime now. I really like that all of the burgers are made from grass-fed, humanely raised beef and that the restaurant uses as many local products as it can. I've had a Groupon for a while, too, and it was set to expire in a few weeks, so Nate and I checked it out Saturday night.

I wanted to enjoy the place, I really did (I like the other Sobelman's burgers, so I had high hopes for the experience and flavors), but unfortunately, neither Nate nor I really enjoyed our burgers. The restaurant itself is nice--it's a really casual, order-at-the-counter kind of place with lots of condiments (including jalapeno ketchup!) on each table, making for easy access. They have a few beers on tap, including a special Sprecher beer brewed for Tallgrass Grill.

I ordered the Fresco Burger, which came with chipotle jack cheese, tomato, avocado and raw red onion. It sounded good when I was contemplating what to get, but the flavors just didn't work. I'm definitely one to order burgers--or any kind of beef, really--well done, but when you have a lean, grass-fed burger, you usually want it a little more on the medium side. These burgers were pretty well done. The flavors of everything else just weren't very good or prominent--the tomato was either not ripe or old, giving it an odd flavor. The cheese didn't have much flavor either, which really surprised me. I like red onion, but this was too much--all I could taste was the onion. The sweet potato fries I elected to get for an extra $1 were good--they tasted fresh and crispy. The bun was also good. They're the same buns they use at the Sobelman's on St. Paul.

Nate ordered the Jalapeno Bacon Cheese Burger, which came with the chipotle jack cheese as well and jalapeno-flavored bacon. He was a bit disappointed in the size of the burgers--they're supposed to be 1/3 pound burgers, but looked more like 1/4 pound burgers. He said the bacon was good, nice and smokey, but there wasn't much on it. He said he could taste the pepper in the cheese, which was good. He had the regular fries with his burger, which were OK, but nothing special. He said the sweet potato frieds were much better.

Overall, we had a bit of a disappointing experience. Like I said, the place is nice, but I wouldn't rush back for a burger. There are much better places in Milwaukee--including the original Sobelman's.

Freelance Restaurant Review: Charro

A few weeks ago, I did a freelance assignment for the new Brookfield news website, www.brookfield-wi.patch.com. I dined at Charro, in Brookfield, because of its recently updated menu. Check out my reivew, "Charro Changes Up Choices."

Restaurant Review: Crocus

My parents have been talking about visiting Crocus, a southside Polish restaurant, for a while now. They had stopped for a drink a few months ago, and were raving about how cute the place was and how nice the owner (who, of course, they had talked to for quite a while!) was.

A few weeks ago, the restaurant came up on Groupon, so I bought a coupon and we decided to dine there on a Saturday night. We were there this past Saturday. While we were just about the only diners at about 8:00, we had a wonderful experience, great food and wonderful conversation with the owner/bartender.

We each started with some Polish beers, including Okocim (I can't remember the names of the others). They were light beers, but full flavored and tasty. We also each started with a cup of sweet cabbage soup, which included chunks of veggies in a flavorful broth. The rye bread our waitress dropped at our table was great, too.

For meals, my parents and I ordered the same thing: the Polish plate, which included a good mix of typical Polish fare--three pierogi (one cheese, one meat and one sauerkraut), a cabbage roll, half a Polish sausage, sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. Everything was excellent, and I surprised myself by liking the sauerkraut (it's something I don't normally like).

Nate got the sauteed pork tenderloin with sauerkraut and potatoes. The pork was cooked perfectly and was nicely seasoned.

Overall, we had a great experience, that was accentuated by a very nice and helpful server. The restaurant also offers a buffet with typical Polish foods--I'd like to go back sometime and try the buffet and the different foods I didn't get in the sample plate.