More Props to the Hood

Gaze as we visit to 2 first class local events on the glorious WEST Side. Marvel at the wonderful costumes of the Asian dancers parading down National Ave. Rubberneck at the culture of the Cello in the Garden event held in the Forest Home Cemetery. All...right here in our backyard.






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Cheers!
~Betty

That Melting Pot : The West Side

Milwaukee is segregated. and diverse. and tempestuous. and a really pleasant place to live.

It can be all things to all people, and many residents that leave generally have a way of migrating back in some capacity. There's something in the water (bad reference circa 1993) that draws people to the laid back pace that Milwaukee offers. Officially, we are known as the city that DOES NOT work too much. That's something to be proud of, according to Men's Health Magazine. Not that I read Men's Health, someone posted it on the fridge in the office kitchen. Perhaps to suggest that none of us really needs a vacation so stop whining.

One way Milwaukee does manage to succeed is at it's fests. There's a fest for all seasons and whims, including weed season. But that's Madison. This weekend (Saturday, Sept 22) the West Side hosts Silver City’s Asian Festival: East Meets West National. Since the sad demise of Asian Moon, a poorly attended Summerfest event, the city hasn't seen a fest for the huge Hmong, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Phillipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Laotian population. The new Thai Bar-B-Que at 3417 W. National Ave is playing host, along with several other Asian businesses in the area. This is your chance to experience all that I love about the West Side. It's not too often that I will admit to loving the West Side so take it now, before I start to rant about the noise, garbage, crime, traffic, aging neighbors that don't care about the maintenance of their buildings...oh there I go again.

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The Fest starts off with a parade, and everyone loves a parade. Hopefully we'll be privileged to view some of the great costumes and floats that show up at the new years parades in cities like Chicago and New York. The parade will feature Asian and American Vietnam War Veterans.

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After taking in the parade, head over to the Thai Bar-B-Que for some fabulous snacks. Just don't do the BBQ itself, it wasn't very impressive, considering the moniker. The noodles, Pad Thai especially, are a true experience in typical Thai cuisine (as far as I know. The closest I've gotten to Thailand is watching "Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel). This is a dry noodle dish, with a little spice but is light and flavorful. One of the best I've had in Milwaukee.

Other suggestions...the Tom Ka Gai is creamy wonderfulness, the spring rolls are AMAZING and fresh, with pork and fresh herbs. There are pages and pages of appetisers, soups and salads. Then romance novels of main dishes. To make ordering easier, I asked the waitress for her suggestions and all of them were quite good. She was also adept at pointing us in the right direction for the Toddler Who Eats Only Meat and Starch. Chicken Satay and Sticky Rice were exactly what she needed. She loved shoving big hunks of rice in her mouth while poking herself with the sharp satay sticks. Whatever keeps 'em busy as far as I'm concerned.

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Thai Bar-B-Que seems to have developed a following, it's almost always busy in the evenings when I drive by and the night we visited there was a full dining room of mixed ethnicity's, showing that perhaps the average Milwaukean is venturing out past the end of the block to experience the pleasure of ethnic eating. Thai Bar-B-Que, 3417 West National Ave. 647-0812. Smoke free, extremely child friendly waitstaff and an ambiance to fill you're wildest fancy fantasy.

While I know that you, my faithful readers (all 2 of you), have always ventured beyond your comfort zone, will be reveling in the Asian vibe on Saturday. After you're done eating yourself into a comfortable Chinese food coma, balance all that salt out with some more salt and sugar at Mekato's Bakery & Cafe. This place is also extremely unique in it's offerings. Chicago may have a bigger population of Latinos, thus breeding business like this, but we have better ones. This place is clean and friendly and has sublime Cafe con Leche. Just make sure you get it to stay and not to go. The Styrofoam cups somehow destroy the flavor, as well as the environment.

You'll find dough balls of all kinds, so many that look the same but have hidden jewels of flavor on the inside. Little fried patties called Arepa de Choclo, much like a corn fritter. Strange yet satisfying. Empanadas of beef and chicken that are greasy and good. There are sweets of all kinds but the most popular ones have guava in them. Ask to see the Pastel de Guayaba. The Colombian Churro is an interesting contrast to the Mexican Churro. Not as sweet and seems to be baked, not fried.

Mekato's is an excellent addition to the neighborhood, you'll see them giving out Bunuelos at local fests whenever they can. Mekato's Bakery & Cafe, 3500 West national Ave. 383-2233.

In addition to visiting all of my favorite haunts "there will be a cultural stage featuring various Asian dancing groups; Japanese Kendo, or fencing; martial arts demonstrations; carnival games; and food and cooking demonstrations." Not to mention, they have a myspace page, and everyone who is anyone has one of those.

I'm kidding, really.

http://www.myspace.com/asianfestival

http://www.silvercitymainstreet.org/Asian_Fest.html

Hope to see you there!

~Betty

Wine Vamp: The Weird & The Wonderful

Santa Barbara County Roussanne, Appellation Series - 2005

Generally, when it comes to edible leanings, one might not gravitate towards something classified as "weird", but I really have no other word for this wine (or do I? freakish, spooky, psycho, mental). The local distributor mentioned that this unique (nicer than weird, older thesaurus) white wine had notes of mango, orange blossom, peach, honey fruits, cinnamon, apricot, carmel and tangerine. Whew! This wine is busy. Unique, well put.

It's got a little tiny effervescence to it, or it just bit my tongue. I found it had a smoky nose, jarring initial intensity that mellows out after a few sips. Roussane has a pow! to it that I really liked and I could love more whites that have this much excitement pouring out of them. Kinda sweet, long finish. After careful consideration I did feel all the bits about the tropical fruits, more so the non-sweet musky fruits like papaya. Cinnamon? I think that's a stretch.

This varietal is not usually found outside the Rhone, Rosenblum Cellars in Santa Barbara, makes a small lot of it and sells it via their website. $18 + shipping. Reasonably priced, and possibly still available at Ray's if you're fast: $22.

http://www.rosenblumcellars.com/index.jsp

Prosit!

~Betty

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