The days are getting shorter and work has been piling up. Between fall break and midterms, getting out for a bite to eat has been harder than ever this month. But have no fear, I still managed to snag some great meals at restaurants around Milwaukee.
While fresh produce no longer dominates menus at high-end spots, chefs all over the city are continuing to put out delicious plates. From fine-dining to fast-casual, here are my top five dishes of October.
Champagne Battered Oyster Mushrooms from Goodkind
Goodkind serves food you think you’d need to dress up and pay top dollar for, but this cozy Bayview restaurant wants customers to come as they are.
Their stellar menu–accompanied by a possibly greater selection of cocktails–had me practically drooling over the page.
It was a challenge to pick just a few things to order, but I knew I had to go with the appetizer they’re more famous for: champagne-battered oyster mushrooms.
The fried coating that encompassed the juicy, almost meat-like, mushrooms was so light and crisp, with a welcome touch of champagne flavor. Coated in a zippy honey vinaigrette and paired with spicy piquillo peppers and crunchy kohlrabi, this was the ideal start to my meal.
Goodkind also serves large portions. At $18 for a plate of oyster mushrooms, I thought I was in for another stuffy, high-priced meal, but this appetizer easily serves three. I was dining alone, so it was definitely a struggle not to fill up on these delicious morsels before my entree.
Charred beef tartare from Birch
Birch, the stylish fine-dining restaurant on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side, really needs no introduction.
The centerpieces of Chef Kyle Knall’s farm-to-table menu are the wood-fired dishes. While I have heard great things about their brick chicken and other proteins cooked in their hearth, I opted for the slow-roasted pork chop that night.
I thought the pork chop—while wonderfully juicy—had an underwhelming flavor compared to other items I tried.
That is to say, my expectations were already set so high by the rest of my meal.
Their focaccia was a standout, doing double duty as croutons for the pork chop and a crusty vehicle for whipped ricotta and charred beef tartare.
That beef tartare, by the way, was one of the best things I’ve eaten this semester. Meticulously diced pieces of tender beef were mixed with smoked oyster aioli and vibrant habanada peppers.
Habanadas are a heatless mutation of habaneros with all the tangy flavor and none of the spice. Paired with the brininess of the oyster aioli, I thought the beef tartare tasted similar to giardiniera, and I savored every bite.
Papaya salad from Lemongrass
For the past year, I had been waiting patiently for EE-Sane to finish renovating its old East Side location. In the meantime, I couldn’t resist grabbing a bite to eat from their other restaurant, Lemongrass, located less than half a mile down the street.
I went for their lunch special—offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.—which features reduced prices on favorites like pad thai and their flavorful curries. While I was more than satisfied with my hefty portion of sweet and spicy pad siew, I could not go to Lemongrass without ordering a papaya salad and a side of sticky rice.
Papaya salad is a mixture of shredded unripe papaya dressed with ground chilis, fresh lime juice and fish sauce. You can order this salad Thai or Lao style, and while the Lao dressing is bolder and funkier, I tend to order the Thai style for its milder fishiness and addition of crunchy peanuts.
While not available as part of their lunch special pricing, the papaya salad is a must-order at Lemongrass. Onee you shovel in a mouth full of the salty and extremely spicy salad followed by a big scoop of the sweet, chewy rice, you’ll be hooked.
Muffaletta Panini from G. Groppi’s
This little grocery store is a Bayview gem that, at least among Marquette students, does not get the amount of hype it deserves.
This store has shelf-stable groceries and fresh produce, but they also somehow fit two deli counters: one with cold-cuts and paninis and another serving prepared foods like pasta salads and meatballs. Next to the panini counter, they sell delicious sweets like cannolis and tiramisu.
Tucked in the back, they also have a wine bar that sits next to their butcher shop, which sells prime cuts of beef and rarer cuts specific to Italian cooking, like veal shank for osso bucco.
Upon my visit to the shop this month, I ordered a muffaletta panini. Complete with ham, salami, mortadella, provolone and a bright olive salad, this sandwich was unreal. The crunchy focaccia stood up to the densely packed, salty cold cuts. Do yourself a favor and get one.
Chicken Shawarma from FiL FiL
If I didn’t put FiL FiL on this month’s list, it was bound to show up eventually. I have lived two blocks down from this fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant for my entire tenure at Marquette.
Whether it’s a late-night weekend bite or a quick midday meal, FiL FiL has been there for me.
I’ve ordered their custom rice bowls and various sandwiches, and all have been the ideal answer to my cravings, but I will always return to their heavenly chicken shawarma.
The chicken is marinated in yogurt and a secret blend of spices, grilled on a rotating spit and sliced fresh to order. It’s then rolled up inside a flatbread with pickles and a punchy garlic sauce. I recommend ordering extra garlic sauce because you’ll want to dip their lemon-peppered seasoned fries between bites of the shawarma.
This story was written by Joseph Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected]
