EatWisconsin

Internet Scraps: June 30, 2008

Jeff — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:46:30 +0000

This is great list of the top 10 home cooking mistakes (it could be titled, Why Your Home Cooking Tastes Like Crap). In that top 10 list the author refers to salt and seasoning. Check out this article on Slate.com about the different kinds of salt and whether they are worth using. Not surprisingly table salt didn’t fare so well.

I also stumbled upon this great article about the Wisconsin Supper Club which liked to this site’s review of Ed Thompson’s Tee Pee Supper Club.

CRAP! Miller has had some success with its replacement of MGD Light with this horrible MGD 64, which means that it is unlikely that MGD Light, which I consider to be the best tasting light beer, will ever come back. I bought a six pack of MGD 64 and while it tastes better than Michelob Ulta, the worst of the light beers, it still pretty much sucks.

The Farmer’s Markets are starting to get more and more items as summer moves along. Here is a good article giving some tips on how to shop at a Farmer’s Market.

MBF Sauces at the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival This Weekend

Jeff — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:31:41 +0000

Anyone who wants to check out some delicious hot sauces should stop by the 23rd Annual Cedarburg Strawberry Festival and swing by the locally produced Man’s Best Friend Hot Sauce booth.

These sauces are unlike any you will find in the grocery store. They use different blends of peppers, herbs, and sometimes fruit, wine or spirits to make and delicious unique sauces. Even their Mutt sauces, which are experimental recipes made from surplus peppers are quite good. One of my favorites was a hot sauce with pumpkin which was great in butternut squash soup or on chicken wings. A bit of advice: if you find a Mutt Sauce you like, make sure you buy extra because supplies are limited and once they are gone, they are usually gone for good.

The festival will be held on these dates:
Saturday, June 28, 2008 10 am-6 pm
Sunday, June 29, 2008 10 am-5 pm
Admission to the festival is FREE!

The MBF Sauces booth will be on the Turner Street-Market Place at the corner at near US Bank.

For more details on MBF Sauces, check out their website which includes detailed descriptions of all of their sauces: www.MBFSauces.com.

Kilo Kai Rum

Jeff — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:11:00 +0000

Discolsure: In recent months this blog has captured the attention of people who want to send me stuff to review and/or publicize. I also get some invites to food and drink related events. I don’t have any problems with this because if I dislike something I have no qualms about stating that even if it was comped. Also, it gives me things to blog about. I am more than happy to publicize press releases if I think its something people would be interested.

A couple of months ago received an invitation to the Milwaukee launch of Kilo Kai, a new spiced rum I couldn’t attend due to a prior commitment but they did send me a bottle to sample and I am happy to write about it. But first some background information.

Kilo Kai is being produced by Brad Trayser/Apostrophe Brands, the people behind Effen vodka. This rum is taking aim at Captain Morgan drinkers. They are hoping that fans of Captain and Coke will change their drink to Kilo and Coke. The marketing strategy is aimed at getting the concert going and nightlife scene into their rum. They have had some really good bands at their launch parties, including Pegboy in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (why couldn’t they have Pegboy here in Milwaukee??!!! They are one of my all-time favorite bands.) and are having roll out parties all over the country. I’ll admit that I think that most marketing campaigns for liquor and beer are kind of stupid because they are almost always based on image and style, not taste and substance. It seems as if the message is “you will look cool and get members of the opposite sex to be attracted to you if you drink our product.” Kilo Kai’s campaign is really no exception, though they do reference how it tastes in their promotional materials. I just don’t like their stupid slogans like “Take No Prisoners” and I don’t care if all of the dj’s, service industry types, and hipper than thou night club scenesters are drinking it (if anything that would make me not want to drink it). I just care about how it tastes.

Kilo Kai tastes good.

I’ll admit I am not a hard alcohol guy. I like the occasional gin and tonic and I am a fan of bourbon but I am a microbrew guy first and foremost. With that being said, Kilo Kai was actually very tasty and is leaps and bounds better than Captain Morgan and Bacardi spiced rums. It actually tasted good straight out of the bottle with no mixers and tasted great mixed with Coke. It has a really nice vanilla aftertaste that lingers on the tongue and it doesn’t have the burn that the Captain has. There are definite caramel undertones and the spice isn’t as aggressive as in other spiced rums. I also get some licorice notes. The bottle is kind of cool looking with frosted glass and a black label with a skull logo. As an ex-skateboarder, I liked the band of grip tape wrapped around the neck of the bottle even though it serves absolutely no purpose except to look cool.

Restaurant Review: Umami Moto (Brookfield)

Jeff — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:20:41 +0000

Monsoon Wok and Lounge in Brookfield was a restaurant that had a good idea but just couldn’t execute it. They tried to create a fusion of different Asian foods (mainly Japanese and Chinese). I didn’t hate the food there, I was just underwhelmed with it. The Chinese dishes were not as good as ones at local places like Golden Gate or Ching Hwa and the fusion dishes just seemed to miss the mark. Apparently the public agreed and in 2007 Monsoon was sold to Michael Polaski (who also opened Mi*keys in the other Monsoon location on Jefferson St. in Milwaukee), who has transformed the place into Umami Moto.

The concept at Umami Moto is somewhat similar to Monsoon, a mix of different ingredients cooking techniques, and dishes from across Asia served in a hip and stylish place. The name refers to the Japanese term for savory and is supposed to represent the fifth taste (the others being bitter, salty, sweet, and sour). Accoring to wikipedia, umami is better described as a “deliciousness factor deriving specifically from detection of the natural amino acid, glutamic acid, or glutamates common in meats, cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods.”

Fortunately Umami Moto executes this concept in a manner which exceeded my expectations. While they aren’t quite firing on all cylinders (a somewhat dull appetizer and a scatterbrained waitress knocked my rating down a notch) it is still one of the better dining experiences I have had on the chain-restaurant littered Bluemound Road.

We had a reservation and were seated immediately in the stylish dining room. The room is painted in hues of red, yellow and orange with white and red lights. There is a pretty cool sculpture in the dining room that looks much like the logo above with red lights at the end of the branches. I was impressed with the overall decor of the whole place, but I think that the bar and lounge area is the most impressive. I could see this becoming a popular hangout for people in Brookfield who have a limited number of nice bars to patronize.

Our waitress was somewhat flighty and inconsistent, which unfortunately is the norm out in the western suburbs. She also had a propensity to claim that every dish was “amazing.” Maybe the waitstaff needs a thesaurus. We were planning on getting a maki roll as a lighter appetizer. Actually they are called Zushi rolls at Umami Moto. Our waitress suggested the special that night, which was a Zushi roll filled with braised pork and some type of sweet sauce (maybe Hoisin). Of course she said it was amazing. While the roll wasn’t bad, it was pretty boring and was far from amazing.

Thankfully the entrees were a different story. I ordered the Beef Tenderloin ($27) It was perfectly cooked to the medium rare that I requested and the soy sake marinade and added a nice Japanese accent to a cut meat that sometimes lacks flavor. This delicious Siracha butter added a little kick (I would have preferred a bit more heat) to the meat. The tempura onion rings were cooked to perfection and the citrus mushrooms and long beans were a great accent. This was the first time I had long beans and they were pretty tasty . The beef was borderline fork tender and it was one of the better fenderloin steaks I have had in a long time.

My wife tried the Shitake Crusted Scallops ($25) that were served with these fried bamboo rice things that were spectacular (see, I didn’t have to use the word “amazing”). They were like the Asian equivalent to Arancini, which is breaded and fried risotto. The rice was formed into cigar shapes, breaded with panko, deep fried, and in keeping with that theme wrapped with a cigar “band” of nori (the dried seaweed used for wrapping maki sushi rolls). The result is a crisp crust which gives way to flavorful, rich rice with a risotto like texture. The scallops themselves were decent sized and tasted very good. The flavor was almost earthy with the mushroom crust. They were awakened a bit with the ginger leek butter they were served with. As with the siracha butter on the tenderloin, the scallops would have benefited from just a touch more of the butter sauce.

We also ordered a side of asparagus in a soy-hoisin reduction. ($6) Even though the entrees were very good, this may have been my favorite thing I ate there. The asparagus was cooked to perfection and the sauce added a hint of sweetness, a hint of saltiness, and the umami mouthfeel that the restaurant is named for.

Overall the food was successful. The beverage selection was impressive with a wide array of wines, sake, and beers. They also have several specialty cocktails in the 8-11 dollar price range, many of which are made with sake. I wanted to try the Sake-Jito (a mojito made with sake) but then I saw that they had Rogue Brewery’s Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale. This beer is a collaboration between Rogue Brewery and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. I first tried it about a year ago and knew I had to order that instead. American Microbreweries can make a better version of most beers in the world and this is no exception. It will destroy your preconceived notions about what a Japanese-style beer can be. It is bold, malty, and slightly hoppy. It has that American microbrewery boldness and craftsmanship white still retaining that Japanese beer flavor and mouthfeel.

The biggest issue I had was the service. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great. Our waitress was scatterbrained and sometimes disappeared for a longer period of time than is customary. It took her forever to bring our drinks and and our check when we were done dining. She also never brought our requested waters, another employee who was helping bring meals out ended up doing it because we couldn’t find her. Despite the service I would still recommend this to anyone who has grown tired of all the chain dining options in Brookfield (though I will admit that I do enjoy Bonefish Grill). The prices are moderately high and if you get drinks and an appetizer your check for two peeople can creep up unto the 80-100 dollar range. Umami Moto can be found at17800 W Bluemound Raod, Brookfield, WI 53008 (262) 782-7253. Their website is www.umamimoto.com

EatWisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rating Guide: 0=Absolutely terrible, avoid at all costs, 1=Bad, 2=Mediocre/Average, 3= Admirable, 4=Excellent, 5=Sublime

More details on Adam Siegel’s James Beard Award

Jeff — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:38:21 +0000

(This info is from a press release that I received today. I already mentioned this item on Monday but here are some more details)

Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee announced that Executive Chef Adam Siegel has been named The 2008 Best Chef in the Midwest by the nationally acclaimed James Beard Foundation in New York City. Siegel, 35, was selected from an esteemed group of other Midwestern finalists, including three prominent chefs from Minneapolis and one from Kansas City.

The James Beard award recognizes Siegel for his culinary expertise in preparing French bistro cuisine at the Lake Park Bistro. Siegel offers a contemporary flair to the French preparation style of Les Plats Classique, Les Plats Traditionnel and La Cuisine Modern du Chef. Siegel is also Executive Chef of Bacchus - A Bartolotta Restaurant in downtown Milwaukee.

“We are extremely proud of Adam’s selection as Best Chef in the Midwest by the prestigious James Beard Foundation and are also proud of what this national recognition for culinary excellence brings to the City of Milwaukee and our entire region.” said Joe Bartolotta, owner of The Bartolotta Restaurant Group. “This award reinforces what we have known for many years, and that is that Adam is truly a gifted chef. Those who partake in his culinary creations are always in for an enjoyable and memorable dining experience. We join the dining community of Milwaukee and Wisconsin in congratulating him for his creativity and leadership at two of our restaurants.”

Siegel has worked for The Bartolotta Restaurant Group for eight years. He’s traveled the world during the early part of his career studying under several James Beard Award winners in San Francisco and Washington D.C., and also in Italy and France. In addition, Siegel also trained under Paul Bartolotta at the Spiaggia restaurant in Chicago. Paul has also been a James Beard Foundation award winner, is a nationally recognized and awarded chef as well, and currently runs a popular restaurant at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. Siegel was raised in the North Shore area of Chicago and graduated from the culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago.

The James Beard Foundation Awards is the nation’s pre-eminent recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries. The Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in a variety of categories including: Restaurants and Chefs, Books, Journalism, Restaurant Design and Graphics, special achievement and more. Industry professionals are involved in the judging process, which includes hundreds of entries. The Foundation itself is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of culinary excellence. The Foundation is named for cookbook author, teacher and champion of American cuisine, James Beard, who died in 1985. More information can be found at www.jamesbeard.org.

The Bartolotta Restaurant Group is located in Wauwatosa and includes The Bartolotta Catering Company and several well known Milwaukee area restaurants, including Ristorante Bartolotta, Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, Mr. B’s - A Bartolotta Steakhouse, and Bacchus - A Bartolotta Restaurant. More information on the restaurants and catering can be found at www.bartolottas.com.

Congratulations to Adam Siegel

Jeff — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:20:20 +0000

Last night Adam Siegel, executive chef at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro and Bacchus won the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s award for best chef in the Midwest region. Lake Park Bistro is one of my favorite places in the City to eat and he deserves all of the accolades he is receiving.

Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago took home the top award for Outstanding Chef.

Paul Bartolotta vs Mario Batali

Jeff — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:35:06 +0000

OnMilwaukee.com reports that Paul Bartolotta will do battle with Mario Batali on Iron Chef this Sunday. I think if the secret ingredient is fish or seafood related Bartolotta will have a good chance at an upset. Also appearing with Bartolotta is none other than Adam Siegel from Bacchus and Lake Park Bistro. Siegel has also been nominated for another James Beard award.

Wisconsin Foodie - Thoughts on the 1st episode

Jeff — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:59:53 +0000

Wisconsin Foodie premiered on Saturday. It’s hard to judge a show when this episode was kind of a set-up/introduction to explain the concept of the show but it looks very promising and I hope enough people catch on to make this a regular show. If you read this blog I think you are their target audience.

The timing of the launch of the show is perfect as the “eat local” movement appears to be expanding beyond “foodies” (a term I am not too fond of) and into the mainstream. This show seems like it will focus on the food, restaurants, and people involved in Wisconsin foods kind of like a certain website you may know of :)

Their selection of interview subjects and features shows they have a good pulse of the Milwaukee Food Scene. La Merenda and Crazy Water are two of my favorite restaurants (and are creating some pretty exciting and delicious food) and it will be great to see those segments in more detail. Adding David Swanson of Braise on the Go (and formerly of Sanford) was a brilliant move. I think what he is doing with his cooking classes out in the field (such as at Pinehold Gardens in Oak Creek) is helping bridge the gap between customers and farmers. Anything that gets people thinking about where their food comes from is a step in the right direction.

Host Kyle Cherek has the enthusiasm and personality to carry the show and elevate it in the event of a dull subject matter or boring guest (though everyone in the first episode was very interesting on their own). Jessica Bell, the show’s wine expert (and sommelier at Bacchus) appears to have a way of explaining wine without making people with minimal wine knowledge (i.e. myself) feel like a complete idiot. It was also nice to see them taste and discuss Wisconsin’s finest winery, Stone’s Throw which I profiled back when it was hosted on Blogger a few years ago.

The Milwaukee Public Market serves as the home base for the show and the place where the live cooking segments will take place.

They touched on beer with the marketing guy from Lakefront Brewery and I hope they really expand on the awesome beers in Wisconsin. There are some Wisconsin microbreweries that are doing some amazing things yet are still flying under the radar. It would be cool to see them select a microbrewery to profile every episode or so. Then again I have always been more of a microbrew guy than a wine guy so its a truly selfish desire.

After Willard Romantini’s “Always In Good Taste” went off the air the only television source left for local food information is Wisconsin Food On Demand on Time Warner Cable (which incidentally shows old Always In Good Taste segments). This show definitly fills the void left by the end of Always In Good Taste and takes local food shows to a new level in both production quality and content. I would encourage everyone to give the show a try and if you do like it, let Channel 12 know about it. Or even better, patronize the businesses that buy commercials during the show and let them know that you saw their ads while watching Wisconsin Foodie.

More Wisconsin Foodie Stuff

Jeff — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:42:46 +0000

Remember, tomorrow is the premiere of Wisconsin Foodie at 12:00 noon on Channel 12 (WISN). Tim Cuprisin has a nice blurb about the show in today’s Journal.

Qdoba Boycot: 6 months and counting

Jeff — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:13:04 +0000

I was looking at some old e-mails and found one that I sent to Qdoba last October when I discovered that the Chicken Mole Burrito was discontinued. At the time I said I would boycott them and nobody believed me because I was a Qdoba junkie. Well its been over six months and I have not returned. I am holding strong! Here is the letter I submitted via their website complaint form:

Dear Qdoba:

Something happened at Qdoba today and it likely will result in me never eating at your restaurants again. I walked into the restaurant, walked to the counter, and placed my order for a chicken mole burrito. I had been craving one for a while and I hadn’t been in the restaurant for a couple of months, so I was quite shocked when the employee told me they were discontinued and replaced with the ancho pork burritos. I didn’t know what to do….what should I order? I froze and then decided to try the pork burrito. Big mistake. It was very mediocre and could never compare to the Chicken Mole. You know how much I wanted a Chicken Mole Burrito? I actually brought a lunch to work today and didn’t eat it because I was craving the Chicken Mole so much. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out that I would never ever again be able to enjoy what is possibly the best “fast-casual” food item out there.

For years, even back when you were called Z-TECA Mexican Grill and your only location in Milwaukee was at Kenwood and Oakland near the UW Milwaukee campus, I have been enjoying the Chicken Mole Burrito. When I lived near the Oakland Ave. restaurant I would eat there almost once every single week and I almost always ordered the Chicken Mole (with black beans, habenero salsa, sour cream, and cheese). I tried other things but nothing satisfied me quite like the Chicken Mole. When you opened up a location near my workplace I was ecstatic and ate their every week. Then you put one in Downtown Waukesha near my house, which satisfied any evening or weekend cravings. All of this excitement revolved around one thing, and one thing only: The Chicken Mole Burrito. How could you take something so good, and so ingrained in your history and toss it aside? I am hoping and praying that this pork replacement will eventually become the “New Coke” as Chicken Mole fans demand that you bring it back.

Was it really that hard to have one extra container on the line with mole sauce? Were they that unpopular? What if you just shipped your surplus mole to the Qdobas that I frequent. They can keep it in the freezer in portion sized containers. I can call ahead so they can thaw it out and put it in the burrito when I arrive. I am sure this e-mail doesn’t mean crap to you guys. You probably did some market research on people who probably are not as loyal of a customer as I, but you listened to them instead. Actually you probably didn’t even tell them that if they like the pork, you are replacing the Mole burrito. It reminds me of when M&Ms made a big deal about bringing back the red M&M after years of it being absent due to some red dye poison scare. They even let people vote on it. What they didn’t tell anyone is that by bringing back the red, they were eliminating the light brown M&M, which was my favorite color. However unlike M&Ms, which all taste the same regardless of color, there is no burrito that can even come close to replicating the Chicken Mole. I cannot even go to your competitor, Chipotle, for a fix because they don’t have mole either.

So it is with a heavy heart that I must leave you Qdoba. When I arrive at home I am getting out the scissors and cutting up my Q-Doba card and I cannot fathom ever going to a QDoba again (unless you bring back the Chicken Mole burrito, of course) We had a good run, almost 10 years but our relationship must come to an end . You just don’t have anything to offer me anymore.