In Our Spring 2016 Issue

Last Updated March 01, 2016
Share to printerest
Share to fb
Share to twitter
Share to mail
Share to print
Spring 2016 Issue Milwaukee cover

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Opportunities to Eat Local Are Springing Up All Around Us

Dear Reader,

With the help of big barrel-aged beers, Netflix binges of Mind of a Chef and various festivals, we’ve managed to survive another Wisconsin winter. We’ve cooked and stayed in a lot, and after this hibernation, it’s now time to peel off layers and get some fresh air. For some of us, that might mean finding a patio in the sun. For others, it might mean going out to catch, forage or harvest your next meal.

During the cold weather, our thoughts inevitably drift toward escaping someplace warm. Most of us can’t afford that trip to Bali, but what we can afford is to be tourists in our own city. We’ve done the hard work for you, highlighting ten locally-sourcing restaurants for all your daily lunching needs. If you’re looking for a way to quench your thirst at night, read our round of craft beer bar recommendations and start checking some destinations off your list. For those especially suffering from wanderlust, go South by Midwest with a visit to New Orleans by way of Milwaukee restaurant, Maxie’s.

Opportunities to eat local are springing up all around us, bringing along with the season a sense of rebirth and renewal. Our city embodies and encourages these qualities, and we as eaters are hungry for them.

Read on for more information about community-supported agriculture and consider partnering with a farmer for your fresh veggies, meat or dairy. Get to know the men behind the mushrooms at your favorite restaurant and/or farmers markets in our cover story, “Fungus Among Us.” Visit the intrepid food and beverage producers who have taken and transformed an abandoned Bay View warehouse, and mixed their goods and talents into the one hottest new places in town.

Whether you’re a cook, an eater, a cocktail enthusiast, a beer nerd or just a lover of all things Wisconsin, we’ve got something for you here. Take a tour of your city by way of food and drink, and you’ll never run out of things to do.

-Jen Ede, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

A Medley of Local Mushroom Growers

mushrooms
A handful of local mushroom growers are committed to providing a diverse variety of mushrooms both foraged and cultivated, with a keen eye toward quality and affordability.

South by Midwest

new orleans
Cajun, Creole and classic French stand proudly alongside newly-arrived and longstanding immigrant cuisines, making New Orleans a multicultural melting pot.

Sinking Your Teeth In

lunch spots
An increasing number of local restaurants are turning their attention toward the lunch hour as a means of further expressing their commitment to inventive, high-quality and tasty dishes.

A Round of Craft Beer Bars

beer bar
The list below (in no particular order) is just a handful of establishments in the area serving up a great craft beer experience. Bottom’s up.

Fish Fry: Not Just a Lenten Tradition

fish fry
Friday (and often Wednesday) is a kind of holy day in Wisconsin, with people gathering in taverns, supper clubs, VFW lodges and churches to eat fried fish and raise a glass of beer.

Springing for C.S.A.s

csa box
This is community-supported agriculture, a partnership between a farm and a local group of supporters who receive a box of justpicked produce each week of the growing season. Boxes vary from farm to...

Bay View Houses Top Shelf Beverage Makers

bay view milwaukee
The Lincoln Warehouse houses various artisan producers, anyone from a distiller, a bitter maker, to a brewer, in imaginative spaces.

Luring the Catch of the Day

fishing
Moving to Wisconsin introduced me to the wonders of Bloody Marys with beer chasers, a respect for brats and my very first cheese curd craving. But perhaps the most curious wonder of all was the...

A Sweet Living History: Schaum Torte

schaum torte
“Send him something sweet,” urged Jean Templeton in The Milwaukee Journal on April 17, 1941. Husbands, sons, brothers, and boyfriends away at war craved desserts in addition to their army meals...

Build a Bar

At a time when even home bartenders want to make more complex and impressive drinks, we’ve worked up a delicious concoction for you. Here are five ingredients to the perfect local cocktail.

From Seed to Salad Bowl

salad jar
From seed to salad bowl, families can plant and enjoy their own homegrown salads by the time school lets out for the summer. From picking out seeds to watering responsibilities, be sure to involve...

What's in Season - Spring

spring produce
It’s been a long winter, so if you, too, are feeling full from all the root veggies, lighten up! Spring greens, herbs, peas and radishes are just a few of the produce items starting to come in.