After three weeks of serving contracted meals to local frontline workers, including fire department EMTs and staff from the VA Medical Center, Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., reopened for regular service on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
With the reopening comes a new menu which focuses on dishes from Andalusia, a region in the South of Spain known for its picturesque olive groves, seafood and Iberian pork.
Guests will find starters including sopa de picadillo (chicken soup with jamon serrano, hard boiled egg and fideo noodles); pipirrana salad (tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, bonito del norte tuna, egg, cumin vinaigrette); tortilla de camarones (shrimp, garbanzo bean flour, radishes, salsa verde); and lima bean and serrano salad with bacon, onions and garlic oil.
Main courses will include migas (piquillo peppers, onions, spinach, cauliflower, country bread and olive oil fried egg); Moorish pork pincho (pork loin, Moorish spices, apricot compote, eggplant, onions and flatbread); pescaditos fritos (fried smelt, shrimp and squid, daikon radishes, arugula, pickled purple onions); and braised oxtail (red wine and sherry braise with onions, potatoes, carrots and Jerusalem artichokes).
Moving forward, Chef Gregory León says the menu will change every two weeks, with each new menu focusing on a different region of Spain and showcasing a collection of dishes both old and new.
Upcoming Sunday pop-up
To shake things up a bit more, Amilinda is also planning a Sunday pop-up featuring a menu of Lebanese street foods created by Sous Chef John Chandler.
UPDATE: Originally, the restaurant was planning to host a Jewish Deli pop-up for Feb. 7; but the pop-up has been postponed as of Feb. 1.
Jan. 24: Lebanese street food pop-up
Menu items for the first pop-up, which focuses on the flavors of Lebanon, will include man’noushe (flatbread), topped with a variety of ingredients to enjoy as a starter or side or served sandwich style with harra frites (fries topped with Fresno peppers, sumac, harissa, parsley, cilantro and dill), tarator sauce (tahini, lemon, garlic, parsley) and pickles.
Flatbread toppings include: olive oil and za’atar; lahm bi ajeen (ground lamb, tomatoes, onion and red pepper paste); vegetarian (tomato, bell peppers, onion, sumac and parsley); cheese (feta, tomato and onion); and awarma (ground beef confit and hummus).
Guests can also order spinach fatayer, spinach turnovers filled with spinach, pine nuts, onions and sumac; along with desserts including baklava with pistachios, walnuts, orange blossom and rose waters and simple syrup; and kataifi, a dessert made from shredded phyllo dough, sweet cheese, pistachios, orange blossom and rose waters and simple syrup.
The Lebanese street food pop-up will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pre-orders can be placed Monday through Thursday (Jan. 18-21) for pick-up on Sunday.
In addition to the pop-up, Amilinda offers carry-out and curbside pick-up Wednesday through Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
