Bucking that trend isSmyth, the fine-dining establishment in the Iron Horse Hotel. The hotel lobbyand bar are sights to see, with a chic Rust Belt décor catering to visitors ofthe nearby Harley-Davidson Museum. If you can afforda bike, you can afford to eat here. The upscale Dream Dance, located at thePotawatomi Casino, changed its menu and now focuses on steaks. It seems a bitof a waste of chef Jason Gorman’s talent, but he still manages to add hisdistinctive touches.
At the other end of theprice scale is Centro Café, located in Riverwest. This small eatery has a finemenu of pastas at very affordable prices. The appetizer of asparagus wrappedwith prosciutto was one of the year’s simple highlights.
The venue for one of2009’s notable closings, the Social, has been filled by Stack’d and its novelsandwich menualong with some noteworthy thick-cut onion rings.
Newly opened Mexicanrestaurants include Coa, La Canoa and El Fuego, all of which are worth a visit.Coa is located in the former Cameron’s Steakhouse in Bayshore Town Center. The revampedinterior is spacious and comfortable. The menu is Coa’s version of Mexican street foodand the margaritas use fresh lime juice. La Canoa, which is all about seafood,treats diners well with complimentary starters of ceviche and a seafoodempanada. El Fuego is the largest of the three, with a Mexican village-themedinterior and pleasant outdoor patio. A good item to order is the chicken withmole poblano.
New restaurants to thesouth include the ambitious St. Francis Brewery and Bay View’s charmingHoneypie, which specializes in baked goods and home-style cooking withMidwestern touches.
Silver Spur reopened ina new home in Elm Grove, following a lengthy closure due to a fire at theirformer location. The wood-smoked barbecue remains as good as ever.
In Milwaukee’sDowntown, Kincaid’s, located in the former Third Street Pier, was replaced byMolly Cool’s, which specializes in seafood such as live Maine lobsters. Friday offers a happy hourthat features complimentary raw oysters on the half shell (make sure to arriveearly). A Japanese restaurant named Kiku also opened, near the Hilton. Thetempura here is some of the best found locally. Near Brady Street is Lucky Liu’s and itscurious combination of Japanese and Chinese food. The Chinese is above average,and they deliver sushi as well.
There were some sadnotes. The Savoy Room, at the Shorecrest Hotel, never seemed to recover afterthe death of owner and longtime local restaurateur Sally Papia. Also gone isthe Good Life, a Caribbean-themed restaurant and bar. Business slowed to acrawl during the lengthy reconstruction of the Humboldt Avenue Bridge. The biggestsurprise is the closing of George Pandl’s, which had operated at theintersection of Brown Deer Roadand Lake Drivefor more than 40 years. The older Jack Pandl’s in Whitefish Bayremains open.
Some restaurants refuseto die. Downtown, the former Yaffa Café has morphed into Byron’s. TheMediterranean touches are gone and the setting is more casual. Berkeley’sCafé, in Whitefish Bay, is also trying a newroute. The interior has brighter colors, and there’s now a Mexican menuwhichfits the new name of El Guapo’s Cantina. This just might work. In November,Ward’s House of Prime opened in the space of the long-departed Yanni’s. Themenu is in the upper price range, with most entrees in the $20-$40 range. Atleast this includes soup or salad, plus a choice of potato.
Despite the turmoil of 2009, Milwaukee remains a great city for dining out