New Feature...Wine Vamp

Although my love for food is nearly overwhelming, my adoration of wine is pretty damn intense. And cheese, and...um, sushi...so, I spread the love around. A good friend dragged this bottle out of his well-stocked cellar and I couldn't stop thinking about it. If you can find it, buy it. It'll make you wish that rioja flowed from the tap rather than plain old H2O.

2001 Granja Nuestra Senora de Remelluri Rioja Tinto
" Bright, dark red. Distinctly sauvage aromas of plum, leather and minerals, with a whiff of the barnyard. Then fat, sweet and velvety, with the leathery quality carrying through on the palate. Offers a suave texture and plenty of personality, but this will not be for the fainthearted. Finishes broad and quite long, with substantial but sweet tannins."

Thanks www.wineaccess.com, you make me feel like dancing.

I thought it was big, juicy, velvet blackberries that drove me to drink. Long finish, smooth as silk. Woohoo.

~Betty

Lunch Counter Gone Wild

The next time you find yourself in need of a few tamales or some fresh, homemade carnitas, truck on down to South 16th Street to the new, improved El Rey store. The feat of navigating the crowded aves of the south side are a lesson in driving skill. There's a Me First sort of mentality to getting in and out of the Cesar Chavez area that makes for going to El Rey both tasty and exciting. Take the low-rider Honda Civic out for a spin and enjoy the sights of hoochie mamas, cowboys and carts of fresh farmers cheese.

The new store, located across the street and a block north of the old store at 1023 South 16th, is enormous and unmistakable. The parking lot is much larger than the old one, which was a chore to maneuver. It's still crazy busy, but you're not going to have trouble parking here.

A welcoming entry, with large crates of fresh tomatoes at the sliding door, signs in Spanish & English and a much brighter store front. If you enter though the east doors, you'll not have any difficulty finding the new lunch counter. Flanked by wood pillars and covered with a pergola, the sitting area was bustling full of families quickly putting away tacos & chips. Speed is really the essence here. The turnover is snappy, the capacity calls for one to order, eat and get the hell out, but not in an imposing way. Really, this is possible. It doesn't feel like Fuente's, with plates flying around and waiters throwing the check in your face as soon as you've decided not to order that 3rd round of margaritas. El Rey just has a pace that makes for down and... well... not dirty dining.

We found a spot under the pergola, dragged over a highchair that was floating about (no boosters) and flagged a server immediately. The menu is very basic but dirt cheap: tacos, enchiladas, plate lunch, tortas, meat quesodillas and mole. The required element of ordering is going up the counter and checking out all of the fabulous stuff that's NOT on the menu. If it is, I didn't understand it. The meats are all piled high in large trays. Barbacoa, carne asada, carnitas. You'll also find empanadas, pre made flautas, and a host of other fried things that I would like to try.

The wait staff was friendly, speaks basic English and if they don't, they fake it well enough. I ordered a cheese quesodilla that doesn't appear on the menu. They had no problem obliging. Getting it to our table was a more time consuming task, but it was simple and perfect for a 2 year old. I also ordered a carne asada taco for the Kid, as she is a lover of all things meat. That was harder to eat, but if they don't mind picking at the smaller bits, when ordered plain, it's suitable for any child.

For the willing, tacos come with raw onions, cilantro and tomatoes. Service arrives with a basket of El Rey chips and three salsas. Various levels of heat, two reds and one green salsa that I assumed was made out of tomatillos. Smoky and not too hot, it was definitely my favorite, mainly for it's unique creaminess. We tried the barbacoa and carnitas, in tacos as well. The carnitas was flavorful but too fatty for me. The barbacoa was amazing. Imagine pulled beef, with spices of cumin, pepper and garlic. The carne asada for The Kid was tender and tasty, the quesodilla plain but just right.

You can order the traditional sides of rice and beans and they usually have guacamole, but were out that day. (Odd considering I could SEE guacamole in the deli- they must insist on making it themselves,admirable) The lunch plate looked like enough food for three people and even though we were going for a quick lunch, I had food envy looking at all the other tables surrounding us. I would, given the time, have gone into more adventurous areas of food consumption. The various meat mixtures were tempting and looked spicy-licious.

The traditional limonada, horchata, Jaritos and Coke products were at hand. No liquor, dammit, you'll have to grab a lime and a six-pack and wait until you're at home for that kind of behavior. Water is an option but takes longer, so if you happen to love the spicy salsas, order a couple of glasses to keep you cool. Otherwise, patiently wait for your overworked server to come back, admire the wonderful murals that adorn ever single bit of wall space in the place. That's a lot of wall, since the ceilings are at least 200 feet tall.

Once you've paid at the counter and tipped more than 20%, take a tour of the new facility. You'll walk right into the deli and produce area. The pulpo salads and other ceviche dishes, lime marinaded fish salads, look enticing. The produce is fresh and clean, the isles are nicely laid out and bright. The only gripe I had with the experience at El Rey was, having a newly potty-trained child, I had to witness the mess that was the bathroom. It definitely could use more upkeep. There was no changing table either, and that, my friends, is a staple that I will harp on for the rest of my existence. Open a restaurant, install a Koala-Bear-Care Station ASAP. It baffles me that something so simple is always overlooked, especially in a store where children are always present. Should we lay them on the floor? Or maybe in the bakery?

Find yourself at El Rey, pick up a simple but tasty lunch or dinner for 2 adults and 1 child for under $10, it'll make you really happy. I promise.

EL REY MEXICAN PRODUCTS INC. & EL REY LUNCH COUNTER

916 SOUTH 16TH STREET 414.643.1640

KID RATING: 3

PARENT RATING: 3

BETTY BON VIVANT RATING SYSTEM: 1-5
1 = ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE EFFORT, SAVE YOUR $ FOR GIN
5 = WOW, I WOULD STRIP NAKED AND ROLL IN THIS CHOW IF I WAS A DOG

Food Glut! All-U-Can-Eat Sushi at Kyoto

Hai! This article might be a little biased. I was so excited by the mere idea of all-you-can-eat sushi that I would've probably loved this meal regardless. Or maybe not...I'm not that easy going (see post previous-my new title is Ms.Snarky).

mmmm...USB drives http://www.gizmodo.com/

The Family had some friends in town from MN so before they started their 6 hour commute back home we opted for a final lunch outing on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I heard from a rather picky foodie that Kyoto, a sushi joint in a prestigious strip mall in South Milwaukee, runs a special on Sunday's & Monday's. Where some sushi places in Milwaukee have failed at sushi specials (Izumi's short lived but wonderful 1/2 prices Happy Hour) Kyoto has a loyal following of sushi worshippers that don't seem to mind the strict regulations on food consumption.

(picky foodie-two words that don't commonly work together but if you knew this chick, you'd completely understand. Loves good food, loves to pick it apart too, literally.)

It's 1:30pm on a really dreary day and the place is quite busy; Good Sign # 1. We get a table with faux Shoji walls for privacy, GS # 2. There are bustling Japanese men rolling enormous maki rolls and knocking out lovely little pieces of nigiri sushi. OK, I've seen enough let's eat please before I start chewing on my daughter.
poyoyon on http://www.craftster.org/

As a fair warning, there are rules to the all-you-can-eat at Kyoto, and the waitresses apparently stick to them quite rigidly. On the menu, the diners are reminded that they cannot share with those not ordering from the all-you-can-eat menu. This menu is a stripped down version of the leather-like menu the other diners are ordering from (you know the ones, the Too Proud to Pound). Gone is the tuna (good thing, note the jsonline.com article from last week about overfishing), salmon, yellow tail, scallops and many other standard staples. They do, however, include many luscious & phat (yes, phat) maki rolls such as the Sunshine Roll (smoked & raw salmon & spicy mayo), Rainbow Roll (sort of a catch of the day thing), Spider Roll (soft shell crab), and the not-so-fabulous Mango Roll (too gooey full of sauce). Others include kappa, oshinko, avocado and several more veggie maki and cooked and uncooked mixed rolls.

So...for $22.95, the overwhelmed diner can choose from any of about 10 appetizers. Sea weed salad, chicken yakitori, agedofu, gyoza, shumai. Order a miso soup or a small side salad, any of 12+ varieties of nigiri sushi such as unagi (eel), ebi (shrimp), red snapper, roe, tako (octapus), ika (squid), tamago (egg), oh my. Then, my engorged friends, you can treat yourself to rolls filled to the hilt with any of the above in so many concoctions I can not mention them all and get a desert of green tea or red bean ice cream. Whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it all.

Just remember - if you don't clean your plate, you must pay full price for that dish. So make sure to order small, working your way up to your eyeballs in raw fish a little at a time or you too will be left with extra Mango Roll as I was. (Thanks to a dining companion for finishing off that mess.)

I should, obviously, mention that this place is fairly kid friendly in the most typical of ways. We didn't wait a minute for our table, they have high chairs and it's non smoking. Little ones are allowed to watch while men cook up the goods in front of the sushi bar with polite smiles. They don't have a kids menu, but there are plenty of small plate appetizers, and if Yours are like Mine, the greasy, meat filled gyoza dumplings or the simple chicken yakitori will work just fine. Just don't let them catch you sneaking your kid bits of food under the table or you'll will be warned! Order something separate for them, off the regular menu. The children's small version of the special is $15.00 and not worth it if they drop most of it on the floor or don't appreciate the qualities of smoked eel. Kyoto also has that weird/wonderful invention called Bubble Tea in several varieties. They do bother to warn you that it's a choking hazard, that was kind of them.

If you have a tendency to dine during the rush of the dinner hour, you may have to let Jr. run laps around the parking lot cause there's not a lot of room in this dive. Letting them chew their way through a bowl of salty edamame might be a wise idea. Or just bring a snack while you wait for your boatload of sushi. It's a good deal, the food is still fresh even though it's the week's end and the staff doesn't snub you even though you're cheap. Enjoy!

KYOTO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 7453 W LAYTON AVE 414.325.1000

KID RATING: 2

PARENT RATING: 4

BETTY BON VIVANT RATING SYSTEM: 1-5

1 = ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE EFFORT, SAVE YOUR $ FOR GIN

5 = WOW, I WOULD STRIP NAKED AND ROLL IN THIS CHOW IF I WAS A DOG

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal article fuels my debate

More adventurous than mac 'n' cheese

More adventurous than mac 'n' cheese. More parents are taking kids to upscale restaurants. When Sharon Edwards' daughter turned 15 a few weeks ago, the teen didn't request fried chicken or a pizza party...

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=644938

...hmmm...Am I getting my point across?

Dear Betty

Thanks for your e-mail. Your blog is charming … if I’d known I certainly would have interviewed you for this piece!

How old are your kids and where do they go to school? Also, I’m wondering if you might like to leave a comment, similar to the one you sent me that’s on your blog, on our JS education blog. It’s kids…and cultural enrichment … so I think this qualifies as a K-12 “education” topic. (And food. Every blog should have a food reference occasionally).

Anyway, I could copy it and paste it there myself, but now that we have a comments function on that site I’d love to see you put it there under your own name. We are trying to get more parents to comment on there (especially snarky ones like you).

If you go to www.jsonline.com, look on the right hand side for blogs and click on “School Zone.” Feel free to fire away … about this or any other topic that relates to kids and education.

Great to hear from you.

Erin

Erin Richards
Reporter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
1741 Dolphin Drive Suite B
Waukesha, WI 53186
phone: 262-650-3190

Letter to the Food Editor

In response to the article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cue Section

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Dear Ms. Richards,

Many thanks for addressing an issue that is close to many of us who are raising children and also trying to maintain a lifestyle that is gratifying. Not saying that life without restaurants, socializing and Millefeuille D'oeufs isn't wonderful, but oh how much better it is with them!

I have one remark in regards to the restaurants that we, the child-plenty restaurant worshippers frequent. They frequently don't want us. On many occasions myself and my companions have expressed grief over the sour experience of visiting an establishment that isn't necessarily child-friendly. Often, not knowing what we're in for, we might happen into a cafe while on a walk, hoping to experience something new only to find that we aren't treated with open arms, even though we have a child that is unusually well behaved. We often go out to eat at early hours, knowing that our wee ones have limits. These places don't heat up until later hours and they may not have many customers, yet we've been disappointed with poor service (Bartolotta's, says one friend), virtually no service (Cafe on the Plaza, says me) and the myriad of other encounters that accompany going out with our children.

I completely understand that not everyone appreciates sitting at a table next to a rowdy group of toddlers flinging food. I was one of those people a few years ago. Those of us who are considerate, have children and want to dine out somewhere that serves more than mac n cheese, should be afforded some mercy. We are spending our money and we do make up the bottom line. I do hope your article points others in this direction.

Note: shameless plug: I write a blog dedicated to this population of parents with kids that eat well. http://eatsleeprepeat1.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Betty bon Vivant!

Bar Louis Sans Bar

Disclaimer: As much as I enjoy lounging on a patio, taking in the sounds of and smells of summer (Harleys and construction dust) while nursing a Weiss beer, I am not in the habit of propping The Daughter on a bar stool. I think that was a late 70's early 80's family outing if you lived in the North Woods.

This mini-critique is more of a response to the recent backlash the downtown grill Bar Louis has received, rather than an extensive reflection of the food. That said, here goes:

The Daughter & I were out on the town one Saturday morning, walking Water Street, doing the museums, craft fairs, etc. when I decided to see what the deal was with Bar Louis. I had been reading the bad press it had received due to the loss of liquor licence, in addition to the huffing and puffing by other local bar owners. Evidently, some higher up in Corporate had failed to renew not one but three licences and, whoops, forgotten to pay the sales tax. According to several sources, 5 Alderman were called in for a special meeting (forced to leave their vacations!? oh the horror) to address the issue so that the chain tavern and grill could re-open. At this point, it seems they exist only to serve food, and can not serve alcohol until next month when the Common Council can reconvene to deal with the sales tax issue.

So, what's the essential problem? Local (and smaller) bar owners are taking issue with the "special treatment" given to Mr. Corporate Restaurant Owner. What's my problem? Has anyone considered the 90+ employees that will suffer if the Bar Louis is closed for a month? I spoke to one employee who told me they were only forced to close for a week and the management was assisting in giving the staff extra working to make up for lost hours. The waitress, who is also a student, said she didn't know what she would've done had they closed for the month of August. Perhaps there is a time and place for special treatment, even if it appears to benefit the Big Man. It may also favor the less obvious in the long run (i.e. Sir Dish Washer, Miss Bar Back). Besides, doesn't Milwaukee ache for more businesses to take up shop in our downtown? This may actually seems like a warm fuzzy blanket to those who fear diving into a downtown that tends to verge on Ghost Town rather than Hopping Metropolis. Or are we a city that is controlled by political motivation rather than the good of our economy?

Having no answers, except for the obvious: open restaurant good, closed bar bad, I would like to dwell a moment on what hit me straight on about Bar Louis. On a comfortable early Saturday afternoon, the place was almost vacant (circumstances perchance?), they have a roomy and appealing outdoor dining room that has shade and a jumbo view of Water Street. In the past, we've walked on by due to the number of smokers and the size of the childless crowd, but on a quieter day, this place seemed quite welcoming. The waitress was quick to offer a menu for The Small One, brought the "Kid Cup" and was extremely helpful in getting our meal in a timely way.

Bar Louis does have a kids menu, the typical Mac n Cheese, corn dogs, hamburgers. They also offer the small plate menu for kids that has, gasp! veggies on it (ok, they're fried) nachos, dips, calamari and a number of other fun fried options. This is bar food, BIG bar food.

This wee review is also due to our non-adventurous meal. I had a cheeseburger with everything and Kid had the slider plate. This was decidely more burger than Kid could swallow and gave her a meal to take home. Typically I have no problem with doggy bags but it could have been fore mentioned. I was given the option of having my burger done medium, but it was really not even close. Not a pink tinge in sight the burger appeared to have been pre-made in such a way that they were overhandled and dry, but the garnish was ample and the tomatos fresh and ripe. Both plates came with seasoned salty fries that we both loved very much. Salty is highly regarded in our family.

So that's that: Above average food, really nice service on a quiet day, great outdoor seating and food to take home to The Husband.

BAR LOUIS 1114 NORTH WATER

KID RATING: 4

PARENT RATING: 3

BETTY BON VIVANT RATING SYSTEM: 1-5

1 = ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE EFFORT, SAVE YOUR $ FOR GIN
5 = WOW, I WOULD STRIP NAKED AND ROLL IN THIS CHOW IF I WAS A DOG

Pizza Pizza

It's 1983, my family is living on the East Side of Milwaukee and we almost never go out to restaurants. (This is probably not all that unique, as eating out is definitely more of a modern habit.) So, we're looking for pizza, what are the options? Cardboard cut-out Lisa's Pizza and Little Cesar's? Why bother.

Fast forward to 2007, you can get pizza in a million ways, shapes & cultural options. Yes, I'm sure someone makes an Ethiopian pizza out there. but I'm not eating it.

Riverfront Pizza is a new spot, situated on the banks of the Milwaukee River where it meets the mouth of Lake Michigan. The view is superb. Rusted and abandoned train bridges, long defunct cement factories, foundries. Although I've never actually gotten to sit on the riverside patio, it's modern aesthetic is perfectly parallel with the aging sites of the 3rd Ward. You can find the history of Milwaukee etched into the boards of the river walk that extends east towards the end of the block, just in case you hadn't gotten enough text-book history with your cereal that morning.

This is our second visit and we've yet to wait for a table as the restaurant is expansive and in the early evening, mostly frequented by families or barflies that haven't had their fill of festival fun (Riverfront is at the south edge of the Summerfest grounds). The tables are large, the corners have family/party size tables that can accommodate 8-10 easily. I imagine that this place heats up post 8 o'clock, so getting here early is wise. What first hit me was the air, clean and smoke free. What crept up a little more slowly is that it's loud in here. This helped to waterdown the noise from a melt-down but also makes little ones edgy.

The Water Guy greeted us with fun plastic cups that just scream "we cater to the kid crowd" and we settled in to order. Starting with wine. Always start with wine, you'll probably enjoy the experience a lot more, your kid will too. We chose a bottle of the daily suggestion: an Italian Chianti, Castello Di Querceto 2005. It drinks easily without food, but later is a great accompaniment to the tomato sauces and cheese dishes. This red is dry and balanced, earthy and only slightly tannic. A varietal of Sangiovese & Cannaiolo.

The waitress, while friendly and quick to arrive, didn't offer to put any of the kid's orders in quickly or bring anything unexpected to entertain the youth. The birthday party gathering in the corner entertained far better than a box of crayons. We all waited patiently for the guest of honor to arrive, it was a surprise party. He must do alright, his crowd was filled with lusty chicks in low-cut tops. I heard he cried upon arrival. That was all I needed to get me in the mood for food.

My Husband ordered an appetiser, the Combo of Fried Stuff*. Eggplant, cheese, mushrooms. Even with his dislike of eggplant it disappeared quickly aided by the help of the Daughter, who loves all things fried and too hot to eat. *name withheld to protect it's identity

Next we move on to the pizza. There are many traditional offerings as well as weirder selections, and since I'm not in a pizza mood, I leave that option up to the Men. They chose a Mediterranean Pizza, with feta, black and green olives, Roma tomatoes and sausage. I go veg with roasted vegetable ravioli, which I'm certain will have too much sauce and a dinner companion opted for pasta and marinara sauce with sausage AND meatballs.

Extraordinary, who would've thought.

I tried the meatballs, sausage and pasta first, before my palate was tainted by the vegetables. She is obviously a seasoned customer, knowing exactly what to order. The meatballs are fresh and moist, the sausage salty and fabulous. My ravioli, oddly, has almost no sauce but the pesto is enough, not too deep, but decent none the less. I wonder for a minute if my question to the server about the quantity of the alfredo sauce may have changed the looks of my plate, as I've heard from others that it's usually a heavy dish. The pasta is light and yet filling, not amazing in any way, but good. The pizza, however, is definitely what this crowd comes here for. The crust is not too thin but it's still crispy and well-flavored, the sauce is a little sweet and the toppings are a balance of salty and not.

There is a kids menu, with all the typical things most kids like. Someday I'd like to find a restaurant that offers grilled goat cheese sandwiches and mahi mahi sticks, but for now we order chicken fingers (boneless and not resembling fingers in the slightest) with wedge cut fries with 2 sauces (oohh yeah, sauce!), suits our kids just fine.

In a prior visit, we ate during lunch to experience the sandwiches and salads. I can't say much about he salads except they lack everything. It was the same salad I would make on a quick night at home. Although I don't do croutons. The grilled Cuban panini was wonderful, pickles, ham, cheese.

We continued to finish most of our wine, making sure to leave pre-inebriation. With the new "open liquor" law, one can now leave an establishment with an unfinished bottle of liquor and drive home without much worry, except for those who are swilling while driving. That might be an issue.

We did skip sweets, I'm not seasoned enough at this "critical eating" thing to pace myself and leave room. I'm sure it was typical, as most restaurants in the way of pizza usually don't have extraordinary desserts, but maybe I'll prove that wrong and go back just for pie. That's not unheard of.

BETTY BON VIVANT RATING SYSTEM: 1-5

1 = ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE EFFORT, SAVE YOUR $ FOR GIN

5 = WOW, I WOULD STRIP NAKED AND ROLL IN THIS CHOW IF I WAS A DOG

RIVERFRONT PIZZA BAR & GRILL 509 EAST ERIE STREET

KID RATING: 4

PARENT RATING: 3