feker: @MissRachelle that's the same as @Ciaranb52 .. He is heading there also ...Watch out... They'll be in some costume or other :-) ...Enjoy
about 4 days agofeker: @jesmondo I tollerate the chocolate form or the form wrapped in coloured paper :-)
about 4 days ago
TMH_Milwaukee: Milwaukee homes WAUWATOSA, WI 53213 -- N/A bed / 0 bath / 17 sq ft. -- $199,900: Charming remodel w/HWFs, office or... link
about 8 days ago
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The space is lovely in earth tones, and with a small, but functional bar towards the back. |  |
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 | By Amy L. Schubert  Food Writer Photography by Damien Legault E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Amy L. Schubert |
| Published Oct. 29, 2007 at 5:49 a.m. |
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One of the true marks of a good restaurant is consistency. For any given review I write for OnMilwaukee.com, I dine at a restaurant a minimum of two times, hopefully three times, if time permits, and the reason I do so is to try to get a feel for a restaurant's ability to deliver consistent meals and service so that my reviews will, in theory, accurately reflect what my readership will encounter on a visit to the same restaurant.
That is why Il Mito Enoteca, 6913 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, has me so befuddled in writing this review. The two visits I paid Michael Feker's most recent venture (the others are Il Mito on 6th and Virginia, and the former Los Mitos) were so dissimilar in service and food quality, I hesitate to determine if my assessment should be mostly positive, or wholly negative.
Il Mito Enoteca resides in a bustling hub of Wauwatosa in a space that formerly housed Cranky Al's, and the restaurant space itself is lovely in earth tones, and with a small, but functional bar towards the back. Seating is cramped, and on two weekday visits, the restaurant was pleasantly busy. Reservations are recommended.
The menu at Il Mito carries some basic Italian standards with a Feker twist. Expect to see lamb and veal Osso Buco, Caprese salad and other salads, pastas and pizzas. Additionally, the options include a lovely unconventional split pea soup (crema di piselli, $3.95) with pancetta and heavy cream. The muted flavor of this soup makes it one of the more enjoyable and creative items on the menu. That's not surprising since soup historically seems to be one of Feker's strong points.
And this is where the disparity begins. Our first visit brought fairly good service and food, and despite being seated at a two-top that should be removed from the restaurant (we were positioned next to the hostess station and directly in between the front door and the bar, dead center in the walkway area, leaving us with patrons and servers constantly brushing up against our table and our food) we really enjoyed our first visit.
Our second was a completely different story. The food was subpar, and our service atrocious, culminating in our server trying to sneakily substitute decaf for regular coffee at the end of our experience, because, when we asked why we were drinking decaf upon seeing the orange carafe lid, "the regular was still brewing and (she) wanted us to have hot coffee."
On our first visit, we sampled the formaggio ($6.95) with mozzarella, parmesan and pecorino; it was a lovely assortment of cheese, dried apricots, figs and candied walnuts in an herbed olive oil. The second visit, we ordered the same, now with gorgonzola, and the presentation and cheese were completely different and in part, unappetizing due to poor presentation and dried out cheeses.
Frutti di Vento ($7.50), a seafood compilation of crab, shrimp, and clams, was somewhat fishy and just didn't do it for us. Insalata Caprese ($6.95) was so rank with balsamic vinaigrette that the tomatoes and mozzarella were completely nondescript.
An entrée of gnocchi Piedmontese ($9.95) joined rabbit, tenderloin and duck with the potato pasta, but the sauce was watery and the meats tough and grisly. Risotto Parmigiana ($9.50) was a good attempt at the classic Italian rice dish, and had the kitchen used arborio or carnaroli rather than a straight medium grain rice, the dish could have been excellent, but as it stands, was slightly mushy and oily.
By far, the best dish we sampled was the mezzaluna di zucca ($8), a pumpkin ravioli with a sage butter sauce, but even that faltered, with the pumpkin flavors few and far between.
These fair-weather dishes, combined with considerable service issues and our aforementioned seating snafu, drop Il Mito Enoteca from my short list, yet the restaurant remains busy.
Perhaps the inconsistencies are such that a first good visit will allow repeat customers forgiveness for a subsequent bad visit, but with so many other restaurants to choose from, I hope Feker's team can pull together and make its better experiences consistent ones.
Il Mito Enoteca is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
6913 W. North Ave.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
(414) 443-1414
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9 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by passionatefoodlover on Feb. 19, 2008 at 12:18 p.m. (report)
My boyfriend and I recently chose to visit Il Mito on a Sunday night for their wine flights offer that we found in the Tosa Times AND on their website. Once we were seated at the table, we inquired about their offer. Our waitress replied by saying that the chef didn't feel like putting a menu together that night and that they weren't offering the wine flight special based on that. I was completely appalled by the reason provided for the lack of the wine flight dinner menu and was disappointed that we had specficially chosen this restaurant on a Sunday night based on that. It is also worth mentioning that when we walked into the restaurant, the host barely looked at us and ignored us when we said we had a reservation. One of the waiters ended up coming over and taking us to our table. I will say that for the money spent, the food was reasonably priced and good. However, based on service, I don't think I'll be visiting this place again.
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Posted by jacara on Nov. 2, 2007 at 7:47 a.m. (report)
We went to the Milwaukee Il Mito and found every aspect of our meal excellent. From the intimate dining room, knowledgable server (Sandra) and beautifully presented dishes, it was a real treat and affordable. Also, for the suburbanites - there is a private parking lot. They have a Wednesday night special for $24.95 that includes 3 courses of your choice from the regular dinner menu and an accompanying wine flight for each course. Great deal! We chose appetizers, salads and entrees along with chardonnay, merlot and a cabernet sauvignon. We chose Grigliato Misto - a medley of shrimp and scallop broiled to perfection and brushed with lemon herb butter and Carne Arrostito - a Pepper and citrus crusted loin of beef sliced paper thin and served with a bouquet of watercress, shaved Parmigiano and drizzled with EVOO and lemon juice for our appetizers. Both were absolutely fabulous! We ordered Insalata Cesare - a Caesar salad with garlic herb croutons, chopped onions, eggs and Italian bacon and Insalata tri colore - a roasted radicchio, fresh spinach and sliced white mushrooms complimented with a warm bacon vinaigrette. Both were freshly made and beautifully presented as well as delicious. Our entrees were Risotto Spagnolo - imported Arborio rice with saffron, peas, shrimp, calamari and chorizo cooked in a tomato sherry broth and Tacchino parmigiano - a breast of turkey pounded and sauted to a juicy perfection topped with cheese and prosciutto with a roasted garlic and pepper ragu served with roasted potato and sauted spinach. Both were excellent. Our server was attentive and knowledgable but not intrusive. We will definitely return soon to try other menu items. We will try the Tosa location soon as well.
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Posted by ReaderGirl on Oct. 30, 2007 at 2:17 p.m. (report)
My husband and I live within walking distance to Il Mito Enoteca, and it was a wonderful treat when this restaurant opened. The downtown area has so many places to walk to, and we missed that when we moved to the area three years ago from downtown. Il Mito Enoteca has become one of our favorite places to dine at, when we want to go to a place that is affordable, within walking distance, and has that good old neighborly feel. We recognize locals who must dine their 3-4 times a week when we go there; an elderly man sings Italian songs almost nightly and the whole place pauses in rapt (or polite) silence to listen; food has always been delightful and service prompt and friendly. If you try Il Mito Enoteca and were disappointed, I would recommend giving it another shot, or even a third shot. Wauwatosa needs more neighborhood restaurants, and it would be a shame if this one closed!
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Posted by curlyboy1978 on Oct. 30, 2007 at 8:06 a.m. (report)
Who cares? Like Los Mitos, it will close within a year trust me. Btw Amy is a great reviewer on here compared to that horrible Ann in Milwauke Magazine.
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Posted by rydude on Oct. 29, 2007 at 6:39 p.m. (report)
Before you judge Amy take this into consideration, I was seated next to her and overheard the "coffee incident" . I was shocked and stunned to hear the server squirm her way out of a lie. The same server also took care of our table and we were also disturbed by her lack of personality and of her performing her job as a just a mere order taker, not a "server". I am a General Manager of a restaurant and was put off by my experience as well. Amy it couldn't have happened to a better person to be able to put her lack of skill and care as a professional into the view of the public.
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