What's happening to my three readers, Legally Blonde, aViking, and my mom. Thanks for reading guys. Anyway for those of you in the wauwatosa area/western Milwaukee this one's for you.

I went to  Meritage for dinner with two dining companions: Jake Taylor, and Mary Swanson. The food was fantastic. Here is the rundown.

Apps: Barbeque Bison Slider ($6). This was amazing. It was only one slider on a small roll, the typical slider side, and it came with a side of show string sweet potato fries, but it was beyond tasty. The barbeque sauce was very tangy and sweet, and the meat was very tender. If this was a full size sandwich I would highly recommend it as a main course, but in lew of a soup or salad this is a great starter.

Braised Pork Crostini ($7): This was a nice little starter. Two small pieces of Rye bread toasted and topped with cabbage, and pork loin with an apple glaze of sorts. The pork was very very good, and made us regret not ordering pork as our main dish, but I recommend this as well if you like pork.

Jake ordered Steer Tenderloin ($20): This was your typical fabulous steak. It was topped with a Blue Cheese gremolata. I was curious about this. I tasted the blue cheese and it was really really good. I thought that the cheese tasted a little garlicy. Too my surprise "gremolata" is an italian mixture of lemon, herbs, and garlic. So that stuff was mixed with the blue cheese atop this tenderloin. A red wine sauce was underneath the meat on the plate, along with mashed potatoes and some veggies. Highly recommend this one if you like steak and blue cheese as much as i do. 

Mary ordered Marlin ($22).  This was the nightly fish special so unfortunately wont be there when you go. Let me tell you it was great. It came with a little avocado on top in a guacomole-esque state. Then the sauce and accompaniment was made from blood oranges which are awesome. It is a deep "blood" red orange that has a little more tart of a flavor than a regular orange. Wonderful dish that if it ever happens to be offered when you are there check it out. 

I ordered Grilled Scallop Caesar Salad ($17). For my devoted readers you know how much i love scallops. This was no let down. This was also one of the more interesting dishes I have had in awhile and might make it on my best of Milwaukee dish list. The half head of romaine lettuce was char-grilled and really provided a neat backdrop for the scallops which were wrapped in pepper bacon. Of course the dish was tossed with a nice dijon-heavy caesar dressing. The scallops were perfect, the bacon was amazing, and the grilled romaine provided something i have not tasted in my life which is very rare. I highly recommend this dish on any warm day it was refreshing and tasty.

Again, for my devoted readers you know I don't do dessert. This is a time to make an exception. Right next door to Meritage is the Fair Grounds Coffee Shop. What makes this shop different than other coffee shops is it is also home to the kitchen that creates The Most Fantastic Shortbreads which are soon to be sold at Outpost grocery stores. If you like shortbreads there are no topping these. They formerly were made in Hartland, WI, but now with the coffee shop as a front their new location is the perfect home. Also, selling the Wisconsin staple Suzy's Cheesecakes this coffee shop is the best place to unwind have a cup of joe, a couple of shortbreads, and a couple of slices of Suzy's Cheesecake. Vliet St. you are lucky.

DISCLAIMER: The Meritage Menu will be changing for the summer in the next couple of weeks, but some of the items might be the same.