Tuesday, April 13,2010
City Guide 2010

Dance Clubs

5 Favorites

A high-end cocktail lounge and dance club of the sort typically associated with Downtown and the Fifth Ward, Decibel stands out on North Avenue, where it offers a substantially more upscale alternative to the casual college bars that neighbor it. This chic space is outfitted with three bars, two DJ booths...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Farmers’ Markets

Live local, eat local

By Heather Zydek

Over the last 15 years, the number of farmers’ markets in the United States has tripled. This growth spurt has occurred in Milwaukee as well, where more than half of the farmers’ markets currently operating have opened within the last decade and a half. Farmers’ markets are essentially about food...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Neighborhoods

Third and Fifth Wards, East Side, Bay View, Walker’s Point, Wauwatosa, Downtown Milwaukee and North Shore

In Milwaukee’s Historic Third and Fifth Wards, just south of Downtown, sleek modern structures share real estate with century-old factories and foundries that have found new life as art galleries, condos, design firms, trendy boutiques and see-and-be-seen dining hot spots. The neighborhood’s renaissance during the mid-1990s was anchored by the presence of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Festival Guide

MAY Elkhorn Antique Flea Market May 16, June 27, Aug. 8, Sept. 26 Walworth County Fair Grounds, Highway 11, Elkhorn, www.nlpromotionsllc.com, 525-0820 Join throngs

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Dressed Up In Milwaukee

Local boutiques selling local designs

With fashion moving at runway speed, even the subtlest detail can make the loudest statement. A garment’s lines, the studding here, the way light plays off fabric, the feel against skin—these are the elements that designers and seamstresses get stoked about. The DIY (do-it-yourself) fad has gone

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

DELI

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Best known for their hot corned beef sandwich, this Shorewood mainstay has been serving up traditional deli fare for nearly 40 years. Whether it’s omelets or lox, a Reuben or a salmon salad, a fish fry or a beef brisket dinner that gets you salivating, Benji’s has it down...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

SUBMARINE SANDWICHES

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Chocolate Factory 5900 N. Port Washington Road, 962-6770 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., 272-0400 W62 N577 Washington Ave., Cedarburg, (262) 377-8877 2120 E. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, (262) 542-540

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Milwaukee Essentials

5 Favorites

Far from those faux-’50s diners insulting the landscape, Leon’s Drive-In, family-owned since 1942, is the genuine article. Time and fresh-made custard are frozen at this renowned South Side landmark, allegedly the inspiration for the Arnold’s Drive-In set on the TV show “Happy Days.” President Bill...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Heritage Sites

5 Favorites

Some of Milwaukee’s most fascinating art does not hang on museum and gallery walls, but rather exists in the opulent interior murals and ornate stained glass that adorn the Basilica of St. Josaphat. Beneath its awe-inspiring dome—among the largest in the world—visitors to the minor basilica can find relics not often...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

THAI

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

EE-Sane 1806 N. Farwell Ave. The main menu is an extensive list of Thai items, with noteworthy options such as the fresh spring rolls and curries with more character than usual. But the more i

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Museums

5 Favorites

The setting and design of the Harley-Davidson Museum perfectly captures the independent spirit and creative design that made the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. a dominating American icon and Milwaukee’s most revered native original. The exhibition traces the company’s history through a chronological and...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

TURKISH

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Tulip 117 N. Jefferson St. The fare includes many kebabs of beef, lamb and chicken. Manti are tiny homemade beef-filled ravioli in a yogurt sauce. Vegetarians will be pleased with the appetizer

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

VEGETARIAN

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Bombay Sweets 3401 S. 13th St., 383-3553 19555 W. Bluemound Road, 262-780-2998 The spare setting only includes white Formica tables and plastic utensils, but this all-vegetarian East Indi

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

VIETNAMESE

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Mekong Café 5930 W. North Ave. The varied cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos meet on one menu. Begin with ban xio, Vietnamese crepes with a golden color from turmeric and the sweetnes

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Boutique Hotels

5 Favorites

Perfect for pampering out-of-town guests or taking a vacation in your own city, the Ambassador Hotel goes beyond spacious, comfortable rooms by providing complimentary parking, convenient shuttles to Downtown locales and a fitness center, along with valet, concierge and massage services. The hotel...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Beverage Tours

4 Favorites

When Great Lakes Distillery began producing its award-winning Rehorst Premium Milwaukee Vodka in 2006, it was the first Wisconsin distillery to open its doors since Prohibition. Visitors who take the free 45-minute tour of the company’s Menomonee River Valley distillery learn how Great Lakes produces...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

Bars

5 Favorites

When Joe Katz proclaims “We ride at dawn!,” he means it. Home to arguably the city’s most rabid, ravenous soccer fans, Katz’s Highbury Pub opens early any day there is a professional match of note. Don’t be intimidated by the Arsenal colors, as you won’t be turned away for sporting Chelsea blue...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

STEAK AND CHOPHOUSES

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

5 O’Clock Club 2416 W. State St. Call it T-bone; filet mignon; prime rib; call it porterhouse. Serve it Pittsburgh-style, butter it big and dig in to the best damn slab of meat in town. J

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

AFRICAN

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

The food of Ethiopia can be fiery. Alem offers a gentler version though their hot pepper sauce still has richness and depth of flavor. Try the doro wot, chicken with a hardboiled egg, in this delicious sauce. There are also beef and lamb versions of this dish. Half of the menu is vegetarian items.

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

AMERICAN

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

The Friday fish fry at Serb Hall is more than a meal—it’s an event. Whether you’re chowing down on deep-fried cod, baked cod, perch, pollock, shrimp, chicken or Serb Hall’s specialty, spicy Serbian baked fish, you’ll take home memories as well as a doggie bag...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

ASIAN FUSION

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Take a break from bingo and slots and pay a visit to RuYi, a casual spot that serves some fine Asian fare at Potawatomi Casino. The restaurant is small but the menu has large ambitions with the flavors of Japan, China, Korea and Southeast Asia. Papaya salad and Korean beef are perfectly good but the best items...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

BBQ

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

At Ashley’s Barbeque, takeout is the only option. But with specialties not found at bigger chain restaurants, and a family ownership history that extends back to the 1960s, it’s an option worth taking. Ribs and barbecued goat are among the favorites. The sauce is so good it should be sold in bottles...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

BRAZIL

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

In a plush contemporary setting, servers dressed as gauchos arrive at your table with skewers of grilled meats. You will be served as much as you wish, whether tender and garlicky sliced sirloin, lamb chops or chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Side items include buttery mashed potatoes and flavorful black beans

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

BRITISH

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

From the beer list to the menu to the soccer fans lined at the bar, The Dogs Bollocks is an authentic British pub without the clichés. The pub offers standard British food, as well as American favorites. The fish and chips are always popular, but the chicken curry is something special. Cold sandwiches and sides are always...

Friday, April 9,2010
City Guide 2010

CAJUN

Metro Milwaukee Dining Guide

Bayou provides a modern approach to all things Cajun. The dining room and deck, overlooking the wooded Milwaukee River valley, is striking and contemporary. Anything can happen in this menu: Portabella tempura has kernels of sweet corn in the breading, while the duck spring roll has meat smoked...