Milwaukee's dining scene is more vibrant than ever before, with top chefs, nearly every type of cuisine and dining experience on tap. There are great restaurants at nearly every price point and we're thankful for that.
But every now and then, like you, we hit the road and we experience things in other cities that make us yearn for an addition to the Milwaukee culinary world.
Here is the OnMilwaukee.com editorial staff wish list for the Milwaukee dining scene:
Molly Snyder Edler
Staff Writer
My brother-in-law lives in San Francisco, and on a recent visit, he remarked that Milwaukee needed a sausage grill similar to the Rosamunde Sausage Grill on Haight Street. I completely agree. The Rosamunde allows you to hand-pick your sausage -- the options include beef, lamb, pork, boar and vegan -- and then it's cooked while you wait. (Usually the wait is just a few minutes.) The sausage quality is superb and the atmosphere is clean and upbeat. Considering how much we like our sausages in this town, it's amazing we don't have more sausage grills.
Julie Lawrence
Staff Writer
While I’ll certainly never go hungry in Milwaukee, there are still so many things that we don’t yet have that I wish we did. My examples run the gamut from regional chains that I think would absolutely kill here, like Pizza Luce (I’ve gone so far as to write an e-mail to the corporate headquarters in Minneapolis asking if they’d consider their neighbors to the southeast, to no avail), to dining trends, like raw food. Chicago, among many other cities, has fabulous raw vegan restaurants such as Karyn’s in Lincoln Park. What else? Although Seoul on Prospect Avenue has the best bi bim bop I have ever tasted, I would not be opposed to a few more Korean restaurants spread out across the city (perhaps my recent visit to L.A.’s Koreatown is playing into this desire ...). If I could add one more thing, I’d suggest an addition to Milwaukee’s now flourishing street food options: Indian food, just like in Europe.
Drew Olson
Senior Editor
I know a lot of people that enjoy frequenting the Mexican restaurants on the near South Side. Having places like Botanas, La Perla, La Fuente and others clustered together has created a cool scene that draws customers and creates competition that leads to improved quality, service and amenities. I think it would be cool if we had another "district" like that. Dining in Greektown was one of my few lasting memories of many visits to Detroit. Maybe we could do a Milwaukee version of Chinatown or Little Italy. Heck, maybe even a corner that featured German or Polish food. It wouldn't have to be a district. It could even be a cluster. I guess you could count the Chop House, Capital Grill and Mo's as the "steers and martini" district, but I think we could get a little more creative.
Maureen Post
Staff Writer
I've tried to come up with a plausible business concept for this one and even though I'm not exactly sure of the best method toward success, I'd still love to see a cupcake shop in Milwaukee. Not only am I a fan of baking them, but I'm certainly a fan of eating them. Like Saint Cupcake in Portland, Ore., or Magnolia Bakery in New York City, I'd love to see a bakery specializing in this particular baked good with a long list of options, flavors and textures.
Jeff Sherman
President
For our sized-market, Milwaukee is blessed with an abundance of dining options. I truly think, though, that Downtown could support a "Corner Bakery-type" establishment, possibly even a Corner Bakery. Hear me out. Downtown lacks the true destination eateries that appeal to the masses. We need a few of those to draw density. Corner Bakery is a known and trusted concept that could do well. But honestly, an Original Pancake House or an IHOP would also do well Downtown.
Otherwise, another Milwaukee Street-like area would really help build the dining scene in Downtown. A strip of all restaurants and bars, working together to promote culinary choice in Milwaukee. A "restaurant row" could include a Usinger's Brat Haus, a Flat Top Grill-type place, a big sports bar concept, a Mediterranean option, classic Italian, a seafood shack, even another Real Chili.
A final thought, Naked Pizza, please come to Milwaukee
Bobby Tanzilo
Managing Editor
I know there are a few places in town that do dim sum, but if you've ever been to one of those sprawling dim sum dining rooms in San Francisco, New York or Chicago, you know that it's a great experience. Dim sum is the original small-plate dining and you can try all sorts of great little goodies -- sometimes they're very surprising, too -- in a vibrant setting that is alive with action, conversation and yummy food. It's not trendy anywhere anymore, so let's just get down to business and get a dedicated, full-time dim sum eatery.
