6.14.11 Dinner. Crisp Pizza Bar and Lounge (Lower East Side/Brady Street. Milwaukee, WI)

 1st flr from 2nd. From Yelp.com

Since he was going out of town, Bryan and I decided to celebrate my birthday with dinner and some drinks since he was going to miss the birthday festivities.  So, we decided to hit up Brady Street, one of our favorite places to hang out.   Always an opportunity for good people watching.  We decided to go to Crisp Pizza Bar and Lounge.  It helped that I had a Groupon to use.  I'm a Groupon junkie.  Why not get some great deals for fun places to eat?  Right? Right. 

It was a lovely Tuesday evening around 630pm so we didn't have much of a wait to get a table.  Our time inside was brief as it was just to talk with the hostess.  We asked for a table outside.  I had been to crisp prior to this experience but only to check out the vibe and grab a drink.  In regard to their food, we were both Crisp virgins.  The place was two floors.  The main floor, from what I noticed, has a bar, tables and a walk up counter for orders to go.  The second floor wraps around to look down at the main part of the first floor.  Very modern and clean lines decorate this place.  There is a place for a DJ to mix some tunes for the later bar hours.  The place overall seems somewhat out of place on Brady street and instead has a Milwaukee Street type feel.  In my opinion it would be more appropriate to be located by Kenadees, Umami Moto, Sake Tumi, etc.  But, then again, maybe that's their strategy... to be the only place like this on Brady that can attract the fist pumping crew of Brady Street. Anyway, we sat down at a table on the sidewalk and the hostess brought some waters and the menus.  

The menus were loose pieces of paper on little clipboards.  On a breezy night as that night, they were hard to handle and read because the paper was all over the place.  But, nothing to really complain too much about.  Just enough to mention.  Of course, since it was me and Bryan, we attempted to order PBR tallboys, which were cheaper than the regular PBR cans on the menu... I'm thinking it was a typo.  Either way, we were left disappointed because they were all out of them.  So, we had to settle for the regular sized ones ($2).  Definitely not heartbroken over it.  We looked through the menu to try to decide what to get.  It was a rather extensive menu but we knew we wanted pizza so that helped.  Also, not a toughy because we share similar tastes in pizza toppings. 

Obviously PBR and water.

Here's what we got!
Details: As an app, the Crisp Bread Sticks and chose the garlic butter as our dipping sauce. $6
Signature Large Pizza.  Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper.  Italian sausage, mozzarella, goat cheese, and fontina paired with roasted red peppers in a spicy red sauce and topped with basil.  $20

Thoughts:  



Crisp Bread Sticks with Garlic Butter.



Appetizer.  The bread sticks were light and fluffy and drizzled with what seemed to be a balsamic vinegar reduction, some grated parm and herbs.  At first glance, it reminded me of funnel cake with much bigger pieces of dough and the balsamic drizzle looked like chocolate sauce.   Wasn't the prettiest looking thing, that's for sure.  Shaped like pieces of ginger root.  But, this was very delicious.  The bread itself was very light.  The balsamic reduction provided a sweet and tangy zing to it.  The garlic butter was just that...nice, what appeared to be, drawn butter with larger fresh pieces of roasted garlic that settled to the bottom.  Despite the larger pieces of garlic, it wasn't overpowering.  Even though the sticks being light, they were rather filling and a great amount for the price.  

Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza.

Pizza. The crust was the same as the bread sticks.  Hand tossed, thinner crust to the pizza.  Crisp yet chewy on the inside.  First bite...  so fresh.  The sauce has great fresh tomato flavor but isn't overly acidic, as some sauces can be.  Every ingredient tasted like it was just cut up and put together right before it came out.  Crust was dusted with corn meal which provided some nice texture.  Goat cheese creaminess and flavor countered this crunch.  The fontina was barely noticeable to me. The sausage itself was crumbled into smaller pieces which allowed it to be in every bite.  The sweetness of the peppers balanced and paired well with the savory sausage. 

Other things to consider:

-Server was rarely mentioned because she was barely present.  Someone always kept our water full though, which was nice.

-App came on a nice Fiesta-ware style plate but the dipping sauce came in a little plastic cup... cheesy for such a higher end type of pizza joint

-They do serve brunch and have other menu items that include salads (which is a bar that you can pick all the topics), sandwiches, individual slices, dessert and various apps.  Gluten free (crust) options!  Yay Jen!

-Their menu gloats about supporting the slow food movement.

-Large drink menu.  Didn't glance at it all that closely because when with Bryan, we go PBR.

-Happy Hour:  3-5pm on weeknights.  Half priced slices and $2 selected taps (per yelp.com)

I'll definitely come here again.  The vibe itself is a little different and I can see myself being a brunch, lunch and early dinner patron versus the bar and late night crew.  Instead you'll most likely see me fist pumping at Jo-Cat's on Brady.  But yes, I'll come back to try some of the other menu items especially brunch.  They offer a 24oz bloody Mary with a tallboy PBR chaser.  That's intense...

Crisp Pizza Bar and Lounge

1323 East Brady St

Milwaukee, WI

(414) 727-4217

http://www.crispmilwaukee.com/

Open

 Fri/Sat 1130am - 230am

Sun-Thurs 11:30am - 2am

Slices served until close

6.12.11 Brunch. Comet Cafe (Lower East Side. Milwaukee, WI)

Sunday Funday!  I don't know if you are aware that I like, no, I LOVE brunch.  So, Maretes and I were due for some hang out one on one time.  We decided to hit up Comet... huge surprise right? I got there first and signed up for a table.  It was only about a 20 minute wait which was pretty darn good but, it was earlier for the Sunday Brunch crowd... 10am.  Remember, this is a "slow food" restaurant who prides themselves in good food from scratch, so don't expect a speedy in and out kinda joint. 

Bloody Mary with High Life Mini for the Chaser

Maretes was running late but placed an order with me to get her a bloody Mary with a chaser.  So, I ordered two bloody Marys with chasers and both with bacon.  The Server was very attentive and got me a drink right away despite the other person not being there.  I ordered mine spicy (SPICE alert.  not for spice wimps.  constant Tabasco heat to the back of your throat.)  When you order a bloody, they ask you with bacon or not.  If you've been following my blog, you've gotten the idea that I'm down with the bacon movement.  Please keep in mind, when you order a bloody with bacon, I recommend that you remove the bacon and either eat it immediately or put it to the side.  The bacon fat starts to congeal and it's not appetizing...unless you like a film of fat in your mouth.  Gross.  The other fixins in the bloody include pickled mushroom, pickled brussel sprout, lime, lemon, olive and bacon.  I don't like brussel sprouts but I do love me some pickled brussel sprouts that has been bathed in bloody Mary goodness.  The bloody Marys come with a cute mini high light life bottle.  Love it. 

Diner side.  Obtained from Yelp.com

Crowd is usually 20-30s typical east side crowd but also people from all around Milwaukee and people coming into town.  As noted in my last blog on Comet, the restaurant was shown on Diners, Drive ins and Dives so it brings in quite the foodie crowd sometimes.  There are two sides to the restaurant, the diner side and the bar side.  You can eat on both sides and can also eat at the counter and the bar. On nice days, there is also an option for sitting outside.  So many options.  It can get rather busy and you usually sign in on the sheet on the cafe side.  Next to the sign in sheet is their beautiful baked good display.  Great placement.  The cupcakes and pies always look delectable.  The servers and bartenders are usually very friendly.  On this visit, the server was very nice despite the place being pretty crowded as time went on that we were there.  There is usually some music playing can be from a wide variety of genres.

Due to my need to try something different every time I go to Comet (still have no doubled up on menu items...thank you very much), I ended up ordering an omelet.  Maretes was excited to be part of the blog and asked me what else I have not adventured to try on the brunch menu and so she ended up getting the meat and eggs. 

Maretes' Meal (I like alliteration.)

Details: Meat and Eggs.  Meatloaf covered with homemade sausage gravy, two eggs which she ordered over easy and covered with cheddar, hash-browns and asked for onions added to it, and chose cinnamon toast. $11.00 (additional cost for her cheddar and cinnamon toast as well, I think, but I don't know how much.)

Meat and Eggs. Hashbrowns, Over Easy Eggs covered and Cinnamon Toast.

Maretes' thoughts:  Initially, she was surprised and disappointed when she noticed that the sauteed onions were in a little clump under the hashbrowns instead of mixed into them but when she tasted them with the hash-browns, they were so good.  She was happy and impressed with how fresh everything tasted.  The eggs were overcooked and not over-easy as she had ordered.  Possibly because they had to let the cheese melt onto them.  Cinnamon toast was made from scratch in her opinion and was oh so delicious.  Kind of like they took a piece of white toast and spread some butter on it and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar.  Their homemade gravy is creamy and full of flavor.  Large helping of meatloaf so come hungry.  Per the servers, it's made daily.  Let me tell you, this meal was comfort food in a nutshell.  It's like getting a hug from an all American Grandma.  Now, who wouldn't like that?

My go.

Details:   3 egg omelet with tomato, spinach and mozzarella, served with hashbrowns and I chose rye bread (I know, I've already been told that only old people eat rye but I love it!... Not just bread for a Ruben... a bread for all occasions.) $7.50 and $0.75 cents for an extra ingredient since the omelets come with a choice of two. 

3 Egg Omelet (tom, spin and moz).  Rye Toast and Hashbrowns

My thoughts:  The mozzarella tasted so good.  I really enjoy omelets with good fresh mozzarella.  It was melted just perfectly and maintained a good melted consistency versus hardening up.  The omelet, overall, was tasty but pretty simple.  Not something that really stands out but when you order something like this, you can't expect anything mind-blowing and unique right? Right.  It's an omelet that you can get at other places.  Hash-browns were made just how I like them.  I added a few shakes of Tabasco to my potatoes and it really brought them up a notch but that's my style.  Dig the spice.  Crispy and well done on the outside yet still soft on the inside.  The rye is unique, as stated in the past Comet blog, since it has a salted crust.  I love salt so this could be a turn off to those that don't enjoy it.  Just like with a salted pretzel, I'm thinking it could be rubbed off if someone doesn't dig it. 

Other things to consider:

-Since I had a bloody Mary, I was in need of some caffeine.  I was able to order a coffee to go.  BONUS was that I wasn't charged for it.  God, I love this place.

-Great service on this visit despite the crowd and how busy it gets.

-Able to get your meal how you want it... ie all Maretes' add ons and the option for vegan and vegetarian dishes.

-Parking can be terrible on the lower east side.  Maretes was struggling with this one. 

-Brunch menu is more extensive than their typical daily breakfast menu.  Brunch is served on both Saturday and Sunday.

Overall, this was a good visit.  You know I'll always come back here. Love this place to death.  Of course, there are some things I like more than others.  On this visit, my meal was average, the bloody was good as always and the company and service was fantastic. 

Comet Cafe

1947 N Farwell Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53202 

(414) 273-7677

www.thecometcafe.com

OPEN

Monday - Thursday 10:30am-2am

Friday 10:30am - 2:30am

Saturday 9am - 230am

Sunday 9am - 2am

Food service ends at 10pm nightly

Happy Hour M-F 3:30 - 6:30pm

Daily Drink Specials start at 6:30pm

6.10.11 Dinner. Bel Air Cantina. (East Side. Milwaukee, Wi)



Tall Boy PBR and Water.

As I said in my 5.28.11 post on Bel Air Cantina, it's a place worth going back to.  And so I did.  Bryan had never been there and we were down for some grub on a Friday night.  Renee was going to meet up with us because she was in the mood for some Friday fun as well.  It was earlier in the night and it didn't take us long to get a table.  We ended up sitting at a booth.   Like the last time I was here, it was a bit drafty.  Who knows where it was coming from but it was tolerable.  We both ordered tall boy PBRs of course.  Any time Bryan and I hang out it's all hipster all the time.  Whether we're true hipsters or just posers is a discussion for another time and depends on who you ask.  As always, they bring their trio of salsas and chips.  Love me some chips and salsa.

The green tomatillo salsa is still my favorite and Bryan agreed with me on this one... I have pretty good taste in food. Check it out for yourself and challenge it if you wish.  We looked over the menu for a bit of time to try to figure out what we wanted to get.  I, myself, knew I need to try something different from the tacos to try and redeem the food from my previous experiences.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible, but it left me wanting more.  Renee wasn't going to join us for food.  Only drinks and chips and salsa so we ordered before she got there.  We both decided on getting a burrito.

Since we've already gone through the details for the location and the setting in my previous blog, let's get on to the more important topics of conversation, the food. 

Blog guest first...What Bryan ordered.

Carne Asada Burrito.

Details:   Carne Asada Burrito.  Grilled skirt steak with black beans, crema fresca, guacamole, rice, shredded lettuce, cilantro, onions and topped with queso fundido and salsa roja. $9.89.

Bryan's Thoughts:  Bryan gave his burrito a solid B+. It was pretty cheesy from the cheese sauce.  He really liked the flavor to his burrito. He didn't have complaints about his burrito and he was obviously digging it because he joined the clean plate club.  Winner! I tried a bite of his.  I thought the fact that it was refried black beans versus whole black beans made the burrito a little mushy for my palate.  Compared to mine, it didn't have as much flavor.  I rarely try other people's food in fear that I'll like their better than mine and be jealous but in this case, I didn't.  Phew.

Corona Lite.

A little side note away from the food.  Renee finally met up with us a little bit after we got our food.  She ordered a Corona Lite and enjoyed some of the delicious chips and salsa.  She asked me, "could you take a picture of my awesome corona lite?  It makes my night."  Who knew she was a poet in addition to a physical therapist? Now we do! Unlike Jamie from the previous visit, Renee really enjoyed the fact that her beer came in a can.  To each their own...to each their own.

My turn

Details:   Pollo Yucatan Burrito.  Grilled chicken with achiote (a ground spicy seed), pinto beans, avocado salsa, cotija queso, shredded lettuce, crema fresca, pineapple and topped with salsa roja.  $9.23

My Thoughts:   The burrito was soooooo flavorful.  Renee had a bite and agreed that it was tasty too (not just one opinion but two!).  The chicken had a smoky flavor to it (kinda like Qdoba and

Pollo Yucatan Burrito.

Chipotle chicken).   I found it a bit odd that there was peas in the burrito.  May have been from the rice as I do recall that their rice has carrots and peas, maybe?  Also, I often don't dig the idea of having lettuce in a burrito as it gets warm and wilts but that's just a personal preference.  There was some spice to it but wasn't anything that really called for spice alert for readers.  Just enough spice to add some good flavor and possibly the sweet and tart pineapple countered the spice factor.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable dish and I would even rate it ten times better than my previous taco experiences.  From what I've learned the chicken dishes are my favorites... so far. 

Other things to consider:

-Fun group of servers and tenders.  Looked over at one point and the servers and bartenders were enjoying a shot together.  That's what I call teamwork.  (Hope this doesn't get them into trouble.  Service was very good during this visit). 

-As always, it's on the East Side and only street parking available.  Not difficult to find parking when you get there early.

-Corona in a can is definitely relative to the person who is enjoying the beverage.  Renee was just a happy little duck with her can of corona lite. 

-Great atmosphere to hang with friends.  

I definitely enjoyed the food much more during this round at the Cantina.  The place itself is always fun and I'll definitely consider it when I'm craving some Mexican.  There are a number of items that I want to try out (brunch, nachos, tostadas and burrito bowls). 

Bel Air Cantina

1935 N Water St

Milwaukee, WI 53202

414.226.2245

http://www.belaircantina.com/

OPEN

Weekdays: 11am-2am

 Weekends: 10am-2am

Happy Hour: Regular M-F 3pm-7pm

Late night: 11pm-1am (except Tues)

5.27.11 Dinner. Bel Air Cantina (East Side. Milwaukee, WI)



From back end of the bar.

So, Jamie and I went out for dinner yesterday.  We ended up choosing the Bel Air Cantina (previously The Good Life) because we were down for some Mexican.  This was my second experience to Bel Air and Jamie's first.  We arrived around 8pm.  We had about a 20 minute wait.  We went to stand by the bar to wait. The space itself is awesome and oh so very  modern.  Lots of floor to ceiling windows.  The windows save this long narrow building from looking too cramped.  Christmas lights hung along the windows.  Surf boards, art and pictures decorate the walls.  The theme, to me, feels like a Key Largo, Florida type feel.  As always, Jamie and I were super indecisive about getting a drink that by the time we decided we wanted to get one while we waited, we were already being seated.  Surprise...

We were seated at a table by the window.  Some weird draft was present.  Was it from the window or a vent? Who knows, but it wasn't bad enough to complain.  Some decent music was playing.  We even discovered that one of Jamie's guilty pleasures is the movie Coyote Ugly.  It must have given her the happy-guilty-pleasure-feeling when the "one way, or another..." song came on.  Memorrrriessss.  Anyway, for a table of two, volume was good but I could imagine it would be difficult to hear someone at the opposite end of a 6 person table.  Drinks were ordered.  I had the El Cheapo lime margarita (frozen/blended with rail tequila) for $5.50.  When it arrived to the table I initially thought, "Did they bring me a tequila on the rocks without rocks.  Where's the ice?"  Blended, it was not.  Or, if it was, it was sitting for too long.  But, it was tasty for a rail drink.  Jamie, had a corona, $4.  If she knew that it came in a can, she would have passed on a bev.



From our table.

Chips, Salsa Trio, and Bevys.

Trio of salsas with chips were brought to the table (best part about mexican restaurants).  They include the following: roasted jalapeno (mild/red), arbol chilis salsa (med-hot/orange) and tomatillo salsa (med/green).  The salsas are oh so delicious.  For those that like just a pico de gallo (on menu for $2.29) type salsa or tostitos type salsa, may not be down for the trio.  Also, if you don't like spicy, this would also not be your cup of tea.  The trio has some bite... and I like it!  The tomatillo has a delicious garlicy flavor to it and it's my favorite of the three.  Then, I like the roasted jalapeno that has a nice smokey/roasted type flavor to it.  Last, was the arbol chili.  By no means is  it bad, but someone has to be last right? Right.  The chips were slightly stale. 



Let's get to the main course.  The menu is huge!  It can be overwhelming for those that cannot make decisions (like me) unless there is someone who is there to assist them in their decision making needs (for me, it's Jamie).  Tacos, burritos (bigger than chipotle), nachos, salads, oh my! We asked our server, who was a very friendly gent, for taco recommendations.  He recommended the Baja tilapia as his favorite.  The menu has tacos a la carte or a plate deal of order 3 tacos and get rice and beans included.  There are tons of options to the menu to choose from and for time and space sake, I will leave it to you to explore the menu. (FYI: The online menu doesn't match their updated menu.  Some new items were added to this original menu)



Jamie's Plate: (from left to right) taco 2, 3 and 1.
Rice and refried black beans.

Jamie's up to bat

Details:  3 taco plate.  Rice and she chose the refried black beans. 

1. Korean beef taco (spicy sweet marinated beef garnished with greens, jicama, carrot, lime and sriracha creama) with corn tortilla. $3.39

2. Pollo Yucatan (grilled chicken with achiote, pineapple, avocado salsa) tostada. $2.57

3. Baja Tilapia (breaded and fried, with jalapeno slaw and buttermilk avocado dressing) $3.19 with corn tortilla. 

Jamie's Thoughts (She was much more verbal on this visit.):  [Taco 1] The srirach adds good spice.  Not too spicy but spicy enough no deter the spice wimps out there (Jamie was downing water like a fish while eating this one and she likes spicy).  Tender meat and the jicama/carrot added a great crunch for texture.  [Taco 2] Good grilled chicken flavor to the meat (similar to Chipotle and Qdoba's chicken).  The pineapple added a good sweet/tart level to the taco.  Avocado was barely a factor.  [Taco 3] Bland.  But, that's tilapia for ya.  For being the only breaded fish on the menu, somewhat a let down.  Little breading.  Needs more flavor. Jamie's rating for the three tacos: 1, 2 and then 3.  Liked both the pollo and beef but prefers spicy over sweet any day. The rice is ok.  If she paid attention and new that they were refried beans, she wouldn't have gotten them.

My Meal

Details:  3 taco plate. Rice and I chose the pinto beans (he said it had bacon and beer in it and I said "Bacon?!? of course... I'll have that!" Bacon makes everything better, fo sho!)

1. Spicy Tuna taco (grilled tuna with soy glaze and sesame...some other stuff too but I neglected to write down the details and it's a new menu item...fail.) with corn tortilla. $3.something

2. Pollo Verde taco (shredded spiced chicken, salsa verde, queso cotija, onion and cilantro) with corn tortilla. $2.57

3. Barbacoa taco (BBQ beef slow cooked with Modelo, Orange Soda, Coca Cola, garnished with raw onion and cilantro) with corn tortilla. $3.39



My Plate: (from top to bottom) taco 3, 2, 1.
Rice and Pinto beans.

 My Thoughts: [Taco 1] Asian sweet and sour fish in taco form.  Very tasty.  Fish overcooked for my preference for Tuna but overall was very flavorful.  [Taco 2] Chicken is very tender.  Could be considered salty for some folks but me, bring on the salt!  Also, huge fan of the cilantro and onion combo for tacos.  The salsa is most likely the tomatillo salsa from the trio which was my fav.  [Taco 3] Tender meat but oh so very very bland.  Really just tasted the tortilla.  Disappointing.  Added salsa for more flavor.  Did the tasty salsa's as a started kill my buds? Who knows... but I almost wish I didn't eat it first and take up stomach space.  (Chronic dilemma:  To eat my favorite part of my meal first or last? Really, I have solved this and should eat it first but, I still eat it last.  Creature of habit. Lame.)  Taco rating: 2, 1, 3.  Beans... So good.  Bacon and beer have never failed me.  So full of flavor.  FYI, the pepper, if present, is not a green better but a jalapeno.  Learned that the hard way. Rice...nothing all that special.

Other factors to keep in mind:

-Brunch menu... future reference as Brunch is one of my favorite pastimes.

-Big ass tequila menu for those that enjoy it.

-Vegetarian friendly (similar to sister restaurants Comet Cafe and Honey Pie)

-Street parking only.  It's the East Side.  Plan for this.

-Diverse crowd: dad and daughter, family with younger kids but majority in 20-30s.

-Other food thoughts: Corn tortillas come with 2 tortillas/taco, which is common, but theirs were thicker and overbearing.  Sweet plantain pieces on the rice were super delicious.

-Service was good.  Frequent water checks (important when dining with Jamie.  Jamie = Fish).  And perfect number of quality checks.

-Pricier for Mexican food (along the lines of Cempazuchi pricing versus south side restaurants)

-Garage door type windows will have great summer appeal (especially since Milwaukee lacks some rooftop options).

For my second time around, it was ok.  Obviously my first experience made me want to come back and so does this second one.  I really like the space and vibe so will most likely check this place out again.   Might go on a Taco Tuesday to check out the other tacos as a cheaper price ($2/taco). 

Bel Air Cantina

1935 N Water St

Milwaukee, WI 53202

414.226.2245

http://www.belaircantina.com/

OPEN

Weekdays: 11am-2am

 Weekends: 10am-2am

Happy Hour: Regular M-F 3pm-7pm

Late night: 11pm-1am (except Tues)