Of course we all know, for 11 days the world ascends on to the Summerfest grounds for the biggest musical festival that Milwaukee has to offer. What Milwaukee residents know in particular is that Summerfest patrons come for the music, but stay for the food. Summerfest has over 35 different food and beverage vendors catering to the eclectic tastes to match the different sounds on any given night throughout the festival grounds. From stage to stage there are tables packed with music loving people filling their faces with good food and fantastic treats. For those of you who have been, but never really tasted Summerfest we’re going to give you a quick 1, 2 on some of the foods to enjoy. And with four days left in the fest, there’s plenty of time to enjoy all of what Summerfest is cooking.

First and foremost, there are the staples. There is no better way to start off a food adventure than with experiencing what Summerfest is truly known for. First on the menu is Saz’s Combo Platter made up of Mozzarella Sticks, Cheese Curds and Sour Cream & Chive Fries. . Each Mozzarella Stick is a hand rolled wanton with cheese melted in the middle. Served with a side of Marinara sauce, it easy to see why Saz’s serves up to 40,000 of these combo platters throughout the festival. Now what’s a summer festival without corn? Not a very good one if you ask us. Thanks to Anderson’s Roasted Corn located at the North end of the grounds, your buttery corn taste-buds shall not go without wanting. With fresh corn on the cob roasted to perfection you have the special bonus’ of adding more flavoring such as cheddar or bbq. Situated just outside of Marcus Amphitheaters gates is JoJo’s Martini Lounge, Summerfest’s only full service bar. Whether it’s a Jack and Coke, Gin and Tonic or one of the many flavorful martini’s served underneath the big tent, complete with it’s own stage, you’ll be able to quench your thirst tastefully and with style at JoJo’s. When anyone ever talks about fried eggplant strips, they are talking about only one place in particular, the Venice Club. With some Parmesan cheese and fresh marinara sauce, the fried eggplant strips are the reason you’re mouth is going to thank you for coming to Summerfest.

Each year Summerfest adds more and more to entertain guests, so it was only a matter of time for Sazama’s Lakeside Grille to pop up! With white linen table cloths, a wine bar featuring glasses at reasonable prices ($7.50 – $9.50) and quite possibly the best full course meals at Summerfest, Sazama’s is the fine dining at Summerfest worth waiting for. Sazama’s menu includes 5 main entrees: New York Strip Steak, Baby Back Ribs, Chicken Marsala, Blackened Salmon and Wild Mushroom Ravioli, all of which are presented in the best of manner. Even though Sazama’s can pack the house with 200+, reservations aren’t always needed to enjoy a sit down meal in front of Milwaukee’s beautiful skyline. Mader’s German Restaurant also brought something new to the table with their German Nachos. Homemade chips smothered in a white cheese sauce, onions and thin strips of corned beef, these nachos confirm the fact that the Germans also produce fantastically outside of the World Cup, amongst other things.

The treats at Summerfest are good, there’s no doubt about that at all. Keeping the long tradition of locally owned restaurants maintaining a home at Summerfest alive, Crawdaddy’s and the King and I are pillars in the Summerfest eating community. Crawdaddy’s brings in 2 tons of fresh Louisiana alligator meat for their infamous “Gator On A Stick.” With seasonings that make the mouth water, whether it’s as soon as the grounds open or right on the way out the gate, it is always a good time for some Gator On A Stick! For the past 15 years, there has only been one chicken worth trying, tasting and wanting more of, the Volcano Chicken from the King and I. Such a successful meal served at the restaurant, the King and I brought this savory dish to Summerfest for all to take part in a wonderfully tasting dish. And of course, what better way to wash all of this great food down than with a cold glass of Catalano’s Old Fashioned Lemonade. Served chilled over a glass of ice, this Old Fashioned Lemonade will make you wish you had a to go cup just so you could sip it on the way back home. Now a days you’ll find your Charcoal Grill, Wendy’s and even Chipotle, but nothing beats the best foods of Summerfest. Bon a petit and have a delicious SummerfestI

TOP 5 MUST EATS @ SUMMERFEST

1. Saz’s Combo Platter



2. Venice Club’s Fried Eggplant Strips



3. Crawdaddy’s Gator On A Stick



4. Famous Dave’s Ribs



5. Schwabenhof’s Funnel Cake

Fajitas Grill is not your average, run of the mill Mexican restaurant. Owned and operated by Arturo Napoles + family, Fajitas Grill is a step above what Milwaukee is used to in terms of good Mexican Food. There’s no big chili pepper in the window. There’s no big ass sombreros, simply good 100% homemade recipes to satisfy that caliente flavor you need in your life. Located at the former residence of La Dolce Vita, Arturo says that “the neighborhood is amazing.” In the restaurant’s second month of being open, there has already been a great reception thanks to the good amount of walking traffic by residents and guests of Brady and Farwell.

Since every restaurant is famous for something in Milwaukee, Arturo believes Fajitas Grill will be greatly known for two things: the fajitas(of course!) and the Mojitos. The way to a perfect fajita is “a good, quality source of protein (i.e. steak, shrimp, chicken, and etc.) plus a lot of fresh vegetables and a great marinade.” This allows the meat to remain juicy and flavorful. The cooking time and preparation techniques are also critical in churning out the best fajitas as possible.

Arturo has Fajitas Grill stuffed with favorites from his mother’s kitchen. For starters, the guacamole is made fresh daily and is served with on the spot prepared plantain chips ($6) or another other opening favorite: the Quesadillas Tres Marias ($8) prepared with homemade tortillas filled with Chihuahua cheese and choices of mushrooms, zucchini flower or chorizo, deep fried. For the main entrees, there are 9 different fajitas to choose from:chicken,steak, pork – $16, bacon, fish – $17, shrimp, scallop – $19, veggie – $15, and the fajitas suizas (just cheese) – $17. The Pork Fajitas are roasted with fresh pineapples sautéed with onions, garlic, green peppers and other special seasonings. All entrees come with homemade tortillas, Mexican or Cuban rice and refried beans family style.

Fajitas Gill also offers a Take Out or Delivery Only menu consisting of the Mexican necessities. Ready to go are Tacos, Enchiladas, Quesadillas and Flautas, all served in 3′s, ranging from $6-$7. Also served up is a Fajita Sandwich ($7) made with either chicken, steak or pork served on a toasted roll with peppers and onions. Fajitas Grill may be new on the block, but with their special seasonings, quality proteins, and savory family recipes, they may just be giving long standing traditional Mexican flavor in Milwaukee a run for its money!

Fajitas Grill
1673 N. Farwell Ave.
Open Tue – Sun, 11am – 10pm
(414) 273 – 1687
www.fajitasgrill.com

So said, for the past 12 years, Jon Gustavson has had the taste for something different in Milwaukee.  When the former owner of Three closed its doors last September, Jon knew he couldn’t just let his taste buds suffer as he rested on his loins. With now partner Phil Kuta, a former Three employee, Jon has his sights on serving the best bar-b-que on Old World 3rd street, along with the rest of Milwaukee.

As Jon and Phil’s first restaurant venture, Durango BBQ & Grill has already gotten a nice buzz around town. Through the extensive Three directory and email list, Jon and Phil have been able to host a few tastings of the menu in order to get the service in order. Knowing that those who’ve attended Durango prior to today’s grand opening are active in the social scene, Jon and Phil are able to broadcast easily amongst Milwaukee’s social circles about how exciting the new restaurant is. And seriously, the excitement is in the menu…

Loaded with the BBQ essentials, Durango’s menu is simple and to the point.  Jon says that  “(they) do a few things really well.” And that they do, starting with BBQ sauces, Sonoran Heat and Sassy Molassy,  chiefed up by BBQ Master Andy Jepsen.   As Jepsen would explain it…”there are two kinds of chefs, kitchen chefs and bbq chefs.” When it comes to bbq sauces and flavor, Jepsen is for real with it.  The accolades are enormous. Jepsen’s awards include the National BBQ Championship, Sparks Nugget Rib Cook-Off Champion, Naperville Rib Fest, the Pig Gig and on and on and on… The man’s serious about his sauces.  So serious Durango’s bringing the heat with the house sauce and the sweet chili garlic sauce. Blessed be the wings prepared in these sauces.  It takes two days for wings to actually arrive on a customers plate, with the long bbq’ing process used at Durango.  In other words, two days before you even sit down to eat, the Durango chefs start smoking your mouth watering order.

The menu features all the bbq fixins. There’s the BBQ Ribs, 1/3 Rack of ribs slow cooked with the special spices and sauces.  Milwaukee loves pork sandwiches so of course third from the top is the Pulled Pork Sandwich, a half pound of hickory smoked pork lopped on top of a bun.   An of course, the house special Durango Wings, 12 seasoned, smoked and fried wings served in home made honey garlic sauce, bbq sause, or sweet chili garlic sauce.   A long with the main courses are sides of Kentucky Blue Cheese Coleslaw,  Cowboy Beans, Seasoned fries, Onion strings And there is absolutely no reason to miss out on the Mac and Cheese!

At 170 S. 1st Street next to Alterra Coffee on Pittsburgh, Tim Dixon went at it again with his new burger bar Stack’d. And well stacked it is… With a patio right on 1st to catch all of the street viewing and a bar that serves burgers, Stack’d is a much needed addition to the 5th Ward. First impressions of the bar feature a great selection of tipsy time beverages. On tap, there’s the domestics like Lakefront Brewery Monkey Wheat($4), Pabst Blue Ribbon($4) and of course the MKE Wired faved import Delirium Tremens($7). All of the bottled Miller Products (MGD, High Life, Lite and 64) are set at a great $3, same with the Schlitz. Stack’d offers throw back “nostalgic” cans of Blatz, Miller High Life and PBR, 3 for $5 for when you want that real cream city feeling. In my opinion the best beers are at the top. Stack’d serves large format sharing beers such as Duvel($10), a new MKE Wired fav – La Fin du Monde($11) and Rogue Imperial IPA ($15), all perfectly sized to match the heavy banging food coming out of young Chef Cory Reifschneider’s kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen, it all starts with the Buttermilk Onion Rings($6), Loaded Potatoes ($6.75) and Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers($4.75). From there it’s to the real meat of the menu, literally. The menu features the TOP 3 burgers according to Emily Dixon

• The Hangover Stack – beef burger pounded with fried onions, Nueske’s bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, a fried egg and delivered with a pint size bottle of your very own Tobasco sauce.
• Don’t Mess With Texas – lean bison burgerlathered in BBQ sauce, fresh mozzarella and crisp fried onion ring
• Fahgettaboudit – ground veal and lamb burger sprinkled with shaved Parmesan, balsamic tomato and fresh basil

All of the burgers are served on Miller Bakery pretzel rolls, which make the burgers even that much better.
Stack’d doesn’t offer just the normal daily happy hour, but double it’s happy hour of 2-4-1 rails, taps and $5 glasses of wine from 4pm-6pm and then 11pm-1am. Stack’d has daily specials as well, such as $4 High End Mystery Beers on Wednesday and Top Shelf Fridays with $5 Bacardi, Captain, Beefeater, Kete 1 and Jose mixers. Sunday Funday’s are super necessary with the “Walk of Shame Combo” made up of a Hangover Stack and Bloody Mary. The Bloody’s are fantastic thanks to the super top secret Bloody Mary recipe concocted by Amanda from behind the bar.
The prices are more than reasonable from front to back on the menu. The crowd ranges from early 20s to mid 40s and there’s a pool table right when you walk in ready to be worked. This Saturday is the official Grand Opening Party from 2pm-close. Stack’d will have $1 cups of Lakefront Monkey Wheat and Milw Brewery Co Pressing 78Porter, games of bean bag toss with Stack’d prizes and music by The Cheap Shot on the Patio from 2pm-5pm. After that party moves inside from 5pm-close with every single drink special that Stack’d has to offer.

• $3 Red Bull Mixers and Jaeger Bombs
• $2 off all Large Format Sharing Beers
• $4 High End Mystery Beers
• ½-priced Bottle Wine
• $5 Select Top Shelf Mixers

It’s going to be a good time to shine down on south 1st street.  Big burgers and a big bar are keeping Stack’d well endowed for all true cream city residents.

Stack’d
www.stackedbar.com
Location: 170 S. 1st St.
Drinks:
Food:
Specials:
Menu:$$$
Twitter:/stackedbar
Facebook: Fanpage

The corner of North Water and East Knapp has gone through some changes since the 6 year retirement of the Corner Bar, where we’ve all ventured at one time or another, legal or not so legal.  Lol.   After a short stint as Waters End, the same owners of the Corner Bar have brought a good meal and sense of aviation style to rebirth the intersection with AJ Bombers.
With peanut airplanes ready to drop a load from behind the bar to almost anywhere in the spot, this isn’t just a sit down and drink kind of watering hole.  AJ Bombers is a come, enjoy and throw your peanut shells on the floor kind of place.  AJ Bombers will be known for not only being smoke free(Hells Yea), but also having some pretty damn good food. There’s no need to look any further on the menu that the first item – The Bomber Burger. At only $7.5 (very reasonable) you get the classic AJ Burger($4-$11) (American cheese, lettuce, tomato and Bomber sauce) plus a crispy fried portabello stuffed mushroom stuffed with WI cheddar and muenster cheese fresh off of the Mushroom Burger($4.5). However you like it, you can top it off with bacon, onions, mushrooms and even a fried egg for a little extra.
From the land of Brawndo (“Idiocracy” – rent it), AJ Bombers also offers some GI-Normous Fries($4) and a new MKE Wired fav the Sweet Potato Chips ($4), which are exactly as they are described “addictive homemade chips.” AJ Bombers already has specials lined up with $4 bombs until 8pm and 6 bottles in a bucker for $10/$15 depending on domestic or import. AJ Bombers offers to go service, where when you call in they’ll have your order ready in 15 min, son. Welcome AJ Bombers! We are deliciously happy you are here.

La Dolce Vita is everything the name says it is.  Italian for “The Sweet Life,”  this new restaurant, located at 1673 N. Farwell Ave, brings delicious flavor to the Brady Street area.  La Dolce Vita truely has owner Tarik El Bahmi on high.
After gutting, rebuilding and redesigning this former Cousins, La Dolce Vita has been brought to life.  The vibrant whites used for the walls, ceilings and seating are accentuated with   a deep blue and warm, inviting orange. 4 flat screen TV’s adorn the wall for entertainment, as well as good sound system to enjoy music while you eat.  And eating is what you will enjoy the most by far.
The Mediterranean flavors are rich and robust, filled with  pure and natural tastes.  The appetizers start every meal off right, consisting of Calamari a la Plancha ($7.50) and Goat Cheese Al Forno ($6.95).  Now a MKE Wired fav, the Goat Cheese Al Forno is a baked goat cheese in a plum tomato sauce served with toasted parsley. Want some, Get Some!
At La Dolce Vita, there is absolutely no going wrong with a paninis.  If you know anything about Mediterranean food, you know that the paninis are no joke, serious business  because they’re so damn delicious and filling.  The Kefta Panini ($7.50) is fixed with Moroccan spiced ground beef and garlic aioli, while also a hit on the menu is the Shawarma Panini ($7.50), marinated chicken served with garlic oregano aioli.
Simple enough, the Italian styled flatbread will hit every tastebud in your mouth flavor.  The Flat Breaddi Napoli ($6.85) is prepared with Asiago cheese and caramelized onions.  La Pane Dolce ($8.95) is a stuffed flat bread with goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms and mozzerella cheese that’ll have you ready for a good night.
The Pastilla ($11.95) is the best Mediterranean dish in the entire Southeast Wisconsin area.  Hands down and forks up!  This is a classic Moroccan chicken phyllo pie with onions, almonds, coated with cinnamon and powder sugar.    It really doesn’t get any better than this, except for the fact that La Dolce Vita is now serving wines, beers and all those yummy drinks we love to consume.
La Dolce Vita brings new taste and style to the city, that you will appreciate and enjoy.