Monday, December 14, 2009

Milwaukee....Finally.

Wow. Its been so long since I've blogged. I'm surprised I can still type and find all the correct keys (thanks to Facebook). Well crap, I've eaten a lot since my last blog. There was a trip to Milwaukee, Thanksgiving, a Top Chef Finale and now we're on to Christmas. So let me start with Milwaukee.

Visiting my sister Lara in Milwaukee was super fun. I was really surprised at how much fun it was there. There are cute restaurants, little punk rock cool kids every where, the art museum, and lots of cool shops. But this is a food blog, not a travel blog, so let me get down to it. The beer was tasty, the liverwurst was good, the Lindhberg cheese was revolting, the cider was amazing, I now love brandy old fashioneds, the apples changed how I feel about apples, and Billy's cooking was pretty awesome. That's the quick version, but let me talk about a few of my favorite things.

The apples are sooo good. I'm not even an apple kind of gal. I think most fruit is lame besides mangos, tangerines, berries, and pomegranates. But the apples here are something to get excited about. Lara, Billy and I went to this little apple stand and it was so cute and everyone was drinking cider and saying "You Betcha!" It was just the perfect place to bite into a really good apple. I talked to the apple vendor and told her I only like green apples and honey crisp apples, both were out of season, so she had me try a different kind.

This beautiful specimen of an apple is an Empire apple. Its super juicy and has a firm crunch to it. Its also not too sweet or sour. Its just perfect. And how much does this apple look like the poison apple from Snow White? I know. I felt BEAUTIFUL eating it.

Another favorite treat of mine was the damn $3 meatball sub from the Italian grocery store a block from Lara's house. Now I have to slam Lara for never trying one until I came to visit. She was very dumb for not eating one sooner. The grocery store is a tiny little shop with a great deli in the back. From what I can tell, it looks like one family runs this place which is super cute. Their shelves are stocked with yummy little Italian specialties like capers rolled in anchovies, anise cookies, and homemade pasta sauce. The deli is the best part because they have tons of meat and cheeses and pre-made dishes like Fruitti de Mare with octopus and stuffed olives and oh my!

When you first walk in to the store, the smell of meatballs and garlic tickle your nose. Its impossible not to order this. Me, being a pig, ordered the meatball sandwich with provolone cheese. It was super good, but its better without the cheese cause then the bread soaks up more marinara. As you can see, I had more than one....but they're really small! The bread was really soft in a good way, and the meatballs were tender and garlicky and went well with the sweet basil marinara sauce. It also had fresh Parmesan sprinkled on top. It was SO good. It was a hug for your mouth. I can't wait to eat one again.

Billy's meal was great too. It was awesome to watch a pro cook and smell all those great sauces! Billy made us a duck breast with a demi glace with a salad of mixed beets and a pear holding asparagus tips. Everything was super good and definitely tasted like fall. The duck was so tender and really good. It didn't taste greasy at all. I also loved the demi glace. It was super meaty tasting. I guess he made it out of roasting bones, which to me, sounds complicated. It was super rich and went well with the duck, however, it was a bit thick. I just really loved this meal. It was super delicious and it was nice of him to make it for Lara and me.

Lara and I also ate at Sanford's Restaurant. That meal was incredible and I would like to blog about it, but I need to find my notes on the meal before I do that. Anyway, just know that it was delicious and a VERY nice birthday gift! So that's it for now. Tomorrow will be about Thanksgiving most likely. Hopefully, I stay motivated and write often!