For the eighth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Locavore, the newest restaurant at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2014."
Hungry for grilled cheese? Or maybe you'd prefer five courses for a cause? Either way, we've got you covered with two very different dinners. One celebrates the work of area chefs, while raising money for a cause. The other pays homage to Wisconsin's finest artisan cheese and cheesemakers, along with some of Milwaukee's best beer.
Food For Thought at Blue's Egg|
On Monday, Oct. 20, Milwaukee Food for Thought will host a five-course dinner at Blue’s Egg, 317 N. 76th St. to benefit Pathfinders, an organization which works to empower at-risk youth to change the direction of their lives for the better.
Chefs for the dinner include Gregory Leon of Amilinda, Thi Cao of Buckley’s Restaurant and Bar, Nell from The National Café, and Gil Petrovic and Jennifer Grundy of 5 Lilies cooking with Joe Muench and Erick Fisher of Blue’s Egg.
The theme of the dinner will be "Paths," and will depict the personal journeys -- both the culinary and life paths – of each talented chef.
Pathfinders, the organization chosen by Blue’s Egg, was the recipient of funds from the organization’s 2013 holiday party, an art-centric event which was organized by the fiancée of an employee. The event raised nearly $2,500, which was matched by owners Joe Muench and Dan Sidner.
Courses include:
- Amuse bouche of truffle cheese potato poppers by Chef Joe Muench
- Braised squid stuffed with pulled pork, yucca puree, squid ink vinaigrette, Spanish chorizo oil from Chef Gregory Leon
- Sweet potato soup with hen egg, smoked shiitake and bruleed Moody Blue cheese crostini prepared by Chef Thi Cao
- Shallot-crusted Lake Superior Whitefish with lacquered pork collar, gnocchi, cress and mustard jus from Chef Joe Muench
- Lamb with laurel, orange, olive, cherry, almond, sumac, oregano, cardamom and grape by Chef Gil Petrovic and Jen Grundy
- Lemongrass mousse with lychee sorbet, mango tuille and coconut streusel from Chef Nell Benton
The dinner, which begins with cocktails at 6 p.m., is $75 per person (including food and pairings), and tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com
Celebrate American Cheese Month with Grilled Cheese at Sprecher
On Thursday Oct. 23 Sprecher Brewing, 701 W. Glendale Ave., will host a casual pairing dinner in celebration of American Cheese Month. The dinner will feature seven different gourmet cheese sandwiches paired with seven Sprecher beers.
The sandwiches, created by the chefs at Sprecher Restaurant & Pub in Bayshore Town Center, will be made with Wisconsin artisan cheeses.
The buffet-style dinner begins with a tour of Sprecher Brewery, after which guests get to enjoy a variety of creative sandwich and beer pairings featuring grilled Wisconsin cheeses and seasonal produce.
The seven pairings are:
- Grilled Gouda cheese with caramelized onions, sliced tomato, herb mayo on toasted multi-grain bread – paired with Oktoberfest
- Grilled white cheddar with Ccranberry, grilled chicken breast, walnut pesto, dried cranberry on toasted honey wheat bread – paired with hefe weiss
- Grilled habanero jack, Dijon mustard, pears, prosciutto on sea salt focaccia – paired with Hop on Top
- Grilled caraway brick, Italian sausage, red peppers, spicy marinara on a French batard – paired with dopplebock – paired with dopplebock
- Grilled horseradish and chive havarti, shaved prime rib, sautéed onions, on Asiago cheese focaccia – paired with pub ale
- Grilled Monterey Jack with Morel & Leeks, balsamic onions, sautéed mushrooms, parmesan rosemary butter on toasted sourdough bread – paired with Ryediculous
- Grilled butterscotch cream cheese sliced apples, salted caramel on wheat bread sprinkled with cinnamon honey butter, served on salted caramel French toast – paired with Piper’s Scotch Ale
To heighten the comfort food aspect, Black Bavarian three-meat chili and tomato soup will also be offered.
The brewery tour begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7. Cost is $45 per person. Reservations are required and may be made by calling (414) 964-2739.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
