"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is back for another round, brought to you by Great Northern Distilling: grain to glass spirits, handmade in Wisconsin. The whole month of March, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs – including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars readers poll and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!
Milwaukee loves a great Old Fashioned and there are some really great options out there, including these two killer versions. But Spanish and Portuguese-inspired restaurant Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., has a version made with Bulleit rye that offers a different twist.
I'll let the restaurant's Leslie Cadillac explain how she creates her barrel-aged rye Old Fashioned with maple bacon...
The result is a delicious and unusual take on an Old Fashioned that adds a sweet and smoky – and thoroughly Wisconsin – angle. Les you think it a little pricey at $12, considerthe time and effort – and the result, and you'll find it's worth the splurge.
And while you're there – whether or not you've eaten dinner (and you should) – don't skip dessert. We sampled two of them ($8 each) and each was better than the other.
Chef/owner Gregory Leon told us that Jennifer Block – who serves as something of a pastry sous chef, he said – created these delectable treats, each of which could really serve two average diners. I, and another sweets fiend, each ordered one and we couldn't finish them.
The first was a rice pudding with dried Door County cherries and a cherry preserve made from Leon's grandmother's recipe. Topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, this was a nice blend of flavors, from the creamy and vanilla-y rice pudding to the subtle tang of the cherries.
We also chose the chocolate pate with cocoa nib cream and caramel sauce. The pate, which comes in a generous portion, has the consistency of fudge, and a similar flavor. Set in a sweet cocoa nib cream sauce, with whipped cream on top and, finally, laced with caramel sauce, this may win the award for the richest dessert I've ever tasted. A chocolate lover's dream.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
