Fort Willow - Brunch

I went to Fort Willow recently for dinner and enjoyed it.  When it opened for brunch, I decided to check it out to see how they do in that respect.  I think that I noted when I first posted that there was a design on the corner of the building, but I didn't really take a close look at it.  When I arrived, I noticed that the design had changed, it was actually been changed to Fort Willow with an arrow pointing to the entrance, so I decided to take a look at it.  It seems that the corner of the building was covered in plate steel and the things making up the design were refrigerator magnet letters, so the design could be changed quickly and easily by anyone.  As I noted before the entrance to the  restaurant is at the back with a neon sign pointing to a large black door.  Walking in, you walk past the kitchen, a communal high top table, a tree swing, and the large tree made from lumber, next to the bar.  I sat at the bar with my friends that had already arrived, and was greeted by Scott, the manager of Ada Street (Ada Street and Fort Willow are part of the same group).  I was surprised, but apparently he covers for the Fort Willow manager on Sunday.  I ordered a drink, a Paloma, which was made with Tequila, Texas Pink Grapefruit, Agave, Lime, and Togarashi Spice.  Except for the Togarashi Spice which was used to coat the side and give it some spice, it was a fairly standard Paloma and pretty good.

While I was enjoying my Paloma, I perused the menu.  The standard menu is made up mostly of small plates which are easily shared.  The brunch menu is also made up largely of small plates, which is a little unusual when it comes to brunch places, but not really surprising.  For the main menu, the one non small plate is a large plate grilled cheese sandwich, but it is easily shareable.  In the case of brunch, there is one dish that does not really fall under the definition of small plate, although it is small, and it isn't really shareable.  This would be the Oyster Shooter.  I like Oyster Shooters, and so did one of my dining partners, so we ordered two.  This Oyster Shooter was made with Fresh Tomato Juice and Sriracha (as well as the oyster).  It was sharp, tangy, went down quickly, and was a nice start.  In some cases, the oyster will go down in one swallow.  With this, the oyster was big enough to warrant a few chews, which released it's briny oyster flavor.

Our first shared course was French Toast Bites with a Maple Bourbon Dipping Sauce.  This was perfect for sharing and also really good.  The French Toast was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and covered with powdered sugar.  The dipping sauce had nice flavors of maple and bourbon as would be expected from something labeled a maple bourbon dipping sauce, but it was also vernice and buttery.

The next choice was mine and I got a little bit of a hard time for picking the most hipster thing on the menu.  I didn't care though because it sounded good.  We had Avocado Toast with Whipped Goat Cheese and Fresh Herbs.  Served on dense dark bread, the avocado was both mashed and chunky, the goat cheese was really creamy, and the herbs were crisp and added both a nice flavor and aroma.  I am not sure what all of the herbs used were, but there was some sage, cilantro, and parsley, and it was all really good.

Continuing with the bread-based courses, we went with an Egg in a Hole.  A standard egg in a hole has a an egg fried in a hole in buttered toast, also being fried.  This was also topped with Spicy Cheese and Bacon, which sort of made it an open faced breakfast sandwich.

Arriving about the same time as the last bread was a brunch favorite, the Eggs Benedict.  Built on an English Muffin, this also had Ham, a Poached Egg, and a Harissa Hollandaise Sauce, which added some spice.  I like Benedicts (though they are a little harder to share because of the poached egg), but the Harissa added some spice that you don't frequently find in Eggs Benedict despite the enormity of flavor that comes from the Hollandaise Sauce and it was nice.

At this point I added another drink about the same time that our last course showed up.  My drink was called a Screwball and was made with Pisco, Orange Juice and Falernum.  With the orange juice and the flavors of almond, vanilla, and ginger from the falernum, it was definitely a breakfast drink and it gave me the juice that I frequently order for brunch, even with the alcohol.  Our last course was called a "Frito" and it was essentially Chilaquiles, containing Fried Tortilla Chips, Salsa Verde, Cheese, and an Egg.  The only reason that I can think that it wouldn't have been called Chilaquiles is because it's harder to pronounce than "Frito".  It was a nice finish to a good brunch and it is a place that I will continue to frequent. 

 

Comet Cafe - Milwaukee, WI

 

 

 

It had been a long time since I had been to Milwaukee, and it is pretty close so I decided to take a day trip.  There are a lot of Amtrak trains that run between Chicago and Milwaukee, so it was easy to arrange a trip that arrived in the morning and left in the evening that gave me enough time to see what I wanted to see. Milwaukee is much smaller than Chicago, so I could have walked to the different areas that I wanted to go, but there were some legs that would have been pretty long walks, so I decided to employ a shared bike a few times.  There are a lot of good off road bike paths that are able to get you where you want to go, so riding a bike was advantageous.  I was able to see some cool spots that I may want to visit in more depth, like the Milwaukee Art Museum and I was able to get where I wanted quickly and inexpensively.   Milwaukee has been known for beer forever and I was going to try some of that, but I figured that if I was going to do that, it would be smart to eat first.  It was recommended that I try out a place called The Comet Cafe, located in the Lower East Side.  It has been featured on both the Travel Channel and on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, so I expected that the food would be good and even a little offbeat.  The shared bike parking was a few blocks away, but it's a nice neighborhood with a lot of art on the walls and light traffic.  Walking up to the building, I was very happy to see a lot of bike parking which I will have to file for future reference for when I come back on another day trip.  Walking in, it retains its retro look.  The entrance is on the corner of the building and the dining area is L-shaped with a counter/bar on the inside of both sides of the L.  In front of the restaurant is patio dining.  There are tables in front of the window on the inside at the front  and booths behind the counter as you walk toward the back of the restaurant.  There is a Specials Board featuring both savory specials and what cupcakes and pies are on the menu for today.  There were several sweets that sounded good, but as I was already going to have a high calorie day, I decided to wave off and just get brunch.

For brunch, I was looking for something hearty and some fruit.  Luckily they had both.  I also had coffee and Orange Juice.  I was very happy with their Fruit Bowl which contained a lot of seasonal fruit, Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and Bananas.  I was especially happy to see that the fruit bowl contained no canteloupe.  What was there was fresh and goodand involved no picking through (because I really dislike canteloupe).  For the savory portion of my brunch, I had what they called a Commuter Sandwich.  I will guess that it was called that because it has everything that you might want in a good breakfast in sandwich form, which is good for a commuter.  The standard sandwich has eggs, either scrambled or fried, I went for Scrambled, and Cheddar Cheese , on Grilled Multi-Grain Bread.  You could also add Grilled Ham, Sausage, or Bacon, and I added bacon.  The sandwich was also served with Hashbrowns on the side.  This is a little bit of a fail in reference to the commuter, but I wasn't commuting anyway and they were crispy, buttery (actually everything was cooked in butter), and very good.  This was filling, a lot of fun to eat, very good, and I will definitely return, so I can try some of their pie.     

Maillard Tavern

 

The Maillard Tavern is the chemical reaction that browns meat when it's heated, so I guess that it's appropriate to name a burger joint after it.  It was founded by, the chef and restauranteur of popular Italian restaurant, Piccolo Sogno and is actually located across the street from it in a small triangular building that had been empty for more than 20 years.  While I will grant that a good chef is constantly learning and burgers are relatively easy, when I think of Italian chefs/restaurants, fried foods and burgers are not the first things that come to mind.  Tony Priolo, the chef, has been working with the market for many years and is very familiar with the farmers and vendors, so the food could be counted on to be fresh and local.  Despite it's small size, it might seat 36 people, the space actually has two entrances.  The main entrance is at the front corner, but there is a small step inside, so there is an ADA compliant entrance that comes in in front of the kitchen in the back of the dining room.  The bar is located along one wall with the kitchen opposite it in what is essentially the back corner.  There is a large service counter for the kitchen where you can see inside the kitchen somewhat.  While you really can't see the complete layout, because of the shape of the building, I have to imagine that the kitchen is also triangular.  There are big windows surrounding the entrance with the other walls painted blue.  Other light comes from the lights laid out vertically from the high ceiling, but hanging horizontally.

 

Seating was either at a four top or at the bar.  As I was by myself, there was no reason for me to take a four top, so I sat at the bar which I like to do anyway.  They had a good liquor selection and a small but well varied tap list.  I was amused to see a Minion standing at the bar seemingly running things.  I do suppose that they can run things as long as they can be kept from touching anything.  Things seemed to run well, so I guess that they were being successful in that regard.  While they did have a good tap list and beer does go well with burgers, the cocktail list spoke to me more and I ordered a Good Vibes which had Ford's Gin, Luxardo, Kombu Syrup, Cucumber, Lime, and Bubbles (Prosecco).  I liked it a lot, it tasted very fresh and green and was both sweet and tart.

For my burger, I went with the Maillard.  There are 7 burgers on the menu plus salad, soups, and 3 other sandwiches, including a veggie burger, but I decided to go with the standard served with Duck Fat Fries.  The Maillard came with two Grilled Burgers, Crispy Onions, Bacon and Onion Jam, Cheddar, Pickles, and Dijon Mayo.  It was very good.  The burger was juicy, the cheese was nice and gooey (and flavorful), the crispy onions added a nice crunch, and the bacon and onion jam and pickles added a flavorful finish.  Duck Fat Fries are always a win.  They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and well salted.  While I was served ketchup on the side, it was unnecessary.

As this is a burger and milkshake place, I couldn't leave without having both.  As I already had a drink for while I was eating, I figured, it would work for dessert.  All of the Milkshakes start with Vanilla Ice Cream and Creme Anglaise (and garnished with a mint leaf), after that you can add Chocolate, Vanilla, Mixed Berries, Banana, or Maple.  You could also add a shot for an additional charge.  I will always go with chocolate first, so that's what I did.  I had had a few drinks before I got there, so I decided to lay off on making the milkshake boozy.  It was good in any case and was what I thought would be a nice finish.

I thought that the milkshake would be a nice finish, but it turned out to not quite be the case.  As I said, they have a pretty good tap list.  There was only one beer on the list that I had not tried.  When the bartender heard me asking someone dining next to me what she thought of it when I saw that she had ordered it, he poured me a sample.  All American Macro Brews are Lagers, so it could potentially be pretty boring.  This was very nice.  It has a clear amber color and some nice lacing, and a light bready flavor.  This turned out to be the nice finish to a nice stop at a good burger joint that I will have to return to.  

Sauce and Bread Kitchen - Foraged Feast 2018

I like Sauce and Bread Kitchen, the Bakery/Hot Sauce factory/Cafe that does pizza on Fridays and the occasional dinner that you have to be on their mailing list to attend.  I am on their mailing list and have attended several of their dinners, but it has been a while, so I was happy to see their announcement for their Foraged Feast, a dinner where many of the ingredients used in the various dishes were foraged.  Looking at the menu beforehand, things looked very good, so I was pretty excited.  Dishes are served family style, though Sauce and Bread Kitchen is a BYOB, so anything that you want to drink, other than water and coffee at the end of the meal, you have to bring yourself.  Whether you want to share that is up to you.  I brought enough beer that I thought interesting that I was able to share some.  I brought an Ommegang Fire and Blood Red Ale with Ancho Chilies and Jaden James Monkey Butter Porter.  The Red Ale was good with a nice head and the Ancho Chili bite was very light.  The Peanut Butter Porter was weird, but I expected it to be weird.  It had a strong peanut aroma and finished with flavors of chocolate and coffee like many dark bears.  It was like eating a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for breakfast.

We actually started with an Amuse Bouche, 3 Sisters Crostini with Hominy, Winter Squash, and Chickpea Miso, and Radish, crisped on Pickle Bread, with Ramp Giardinera.  As with all amuse bouches, it was a little bite of wonderfulness.  I tried the crostini with and without the giardinera and it was good either way, though better with the giardinera.

Our first actual course was a Hawks Wing Bao with Smoked Dryad Saddle Mushrooms, Sweet Onion in Peanut Miso BBQ Sauce, Shaved Asparagus/Birds Eye Pepper Salad, Wild Chive, and Chili Peanuts.  It was fresh, spicy, crisp, and crunchy, and was a lot easier to eat than I expected.  I would have expected that trying to hold it together while trying to eat it, might have squeezed many of the vegetables out.  This did happen to a small extent, but for the most part, it stayed in the bun.

After our first course of mushrooms, we continued with another course of mushrooms.  We were served Wild Mushroom Pasta with Chilled Buckwheat Noodles, Ramp Olive Oil, Poached Morels, Sauteed Morels and Golden Oyster Mushrooms, and Fried Pepitas.  This was really good.  It was tender, nutty, and the ramp olive oil acted as a nice vinaigrette.  It reminded me of a vegetarian dish that I make every summer.

Our entree was our only dish that actually had meat and that was fine because everything else had been great, thus far.  We had a Choucroute.  Choucroute is the Alsatian version of Sauerkraut (and sausage).  This used a Venison Andouille Sausage.  While venison eaten at home is generally wild, venison found in a restaurant is generally farmed.  For the Choucroute itself, that was pretty wild, using Grilled Escarole and Ramp and Carrot Kimchi (the Korean version of Sauerkraut).  It was tart and flavorful with a little spice, though admittedly, the escarole was a little tough to eat.

For dessert we finished with a Financier Pistachio Vanilla Cake with Rhubarb Sorbet, a Candied Basswood Leaf, and an Edible Flower.  While the ice cream and cake were good, the best part about this was the candied basswood leaf.  It was sweet and very delicate with a lightly crisp texture.  The flower, also very delicate, unsurprisingly tasted like a flower.

This dinner was a lot of fun and I would be happy to see what they come up with next year.  

  

DryHop Brewers - Brunch

 

As obvious as it might be, I like trying out different breweries as well as places with good food.  What makes things easier is when a brewery/brewpub has good food.  I was recently able to combine several things that I like at Dryhop Brewers, sharing a table with friends and enjoying a good brunch with some good beer.  They don't take reservations, but that was okay because I was unsure until the last minute how large my party was going to be.  Because of this, I did plan on meeting when the place opened at 11 am on Sunday.  The only problem with this was the fact that the day was a little cold and rainy and we had to wait a little outside.  When they opened, they quickly accommodated us (there was a toddler in the party) and we were seated near the large front window.  It was a good location because even without a beer list in hand, there was a chalkboard beer list on either side of us. As for the rest of the space because it is a brewery, it has a long bar that runs back into the space with the fermenters and bright tanks behind it.  The brewing tanks were in a small glassed in area opposite the bar.  Their brewing capacity is small, so their distribution is limited to a small amount that might go to their sister brewery Corridor Brewery & Provisions which is located about 1.5 miles away.  The floor is hardwood as is all of the furniture.  Just inside the door was a collection of old style woodworking vices and it was both a little rustic and homey at the same time.  There were eight beers on tap and it was possible to get a flight of all of them.  While they all looked good and it might be fun in some circumstances, I had plans for the rest of the day, so I limited myself to a couple, Shark Meets Hipster Wheat IPA (similar to Three Floyd's Gumballhead Hoppy Wheat Ale) and Karmavore Double Dry Hopped New England IPA.  I will frequently order juice as well as coffee for brunch, a New England IPA tends to be very juicy and the Karmavore generally fulfilled the juice side of things. 

 

For the coffee side, I simply got coffee.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I am sure that it was a local roaster and it was pretty good.  Before our respective main courses, I ordered some Poutine for the table to share.  This poutine was really good, containing the requisite French Fries, these were actually Frites (double fried fries that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside), Aged White Cheddar, and brown gravy, in this case chunky Sausage Gravy.  In addition, it also had Applewood Smoked Bacon, and Scallions.  It was a great dish to share, because while it was a very good, it would be a lot of fries for a single person to eat, especially if they planned on eating anything else.

 

For my main course, I ordered a breakfast sandwich.  There was a little confusion though because I was first served my neighbors order, which really looked good and was actually my second choice.  Things were corrected very quickly, but I would have been happy with his Skillet Scramble which had House Made Chorizo, Scrambled Eggs, Crushed Breakfast Potatoes, White Cheddar, Salsa Verde, Sour Cream and Scallions.  My Breakfast Sandwich, which was served with Crushed Breakfast Potatoes, was served open on a board, but I did put it together before I ate it, had Scrambled Eggs, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Pickled Fresno Peppers, and Raw Milk Cheddar.  Everything about this was good.  The Crushed Breakfast Potatoes were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  The eggs were fluffy, the avocado was creamy, the peppers added some spice, and the bacon added crunch.

 I really liked brunch here.  The food was good, as was the beer, and of course the service.  They did an excellent job handling a large party with a toddler and they even have a kids menu which was much enjoyed by my niece, the toddler.  I will definitely return for more food and possibly the full flight, though probably not with a large party again.