Inside the friendly confines of Crossroads Collective lies the flowery chic of Frida, one of seven – going on eight – stalls in the East Side food hall, offering delectable sandwiches ranging from the simplicity of a gooey grilled cheese to robust chicken tinga tostada with small-batch soups offered in cup and bowl sizes.

Amongst those tasty sandwiches is the Duck Duo Po'Boy, filled with tender slices of both duck breast and confit atop a bed of arugula drizzled with plum sauce and lemon vinaigrette. To top it off, rich chips of parmesan are sprinkled atop and sandwiched between a perfectly toasted hoagie roll. Paired with a tomato bisque topped in garlic croutons and scallion pesto, any comfort food lover will be in lunch heaven. 

When preparing a sandwich, the first thing you should consider is its bread – and this po'boy's hoagie roll offers just the right amount of crunch on the outside, followed by the warm dough on the inside that absorbs an even balance of vinaigrette and plum sauce without getting soggy. The duck, which can be hit or miss depending on how it's prepared, was so tender that it practically melts in your mouth up against the slight crunch of the arugula. To be frank, using the plum sauce/vinaigrette mix with arugula and parmesan could be made into neat little appetizer on its own.

The tomato bisque stands out just as much as the sandwich, even in such a straightforward recipe. Though they inevitably got soggy over time, the croutons had a big satisfying crunch at first bite and the garlic goes happily hand-in-hand with the tomato.

Crossroads Collective is a relatively new venture, opened just this past December, looking to spice up the East Side once again.

The food hall is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday on 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Among Frida are fellow Milwaukee flavors Heaven's Table BBQ, Beerline Cafe, The Laughing Taco, Scratch Scoop Shop, Falafel Guys and the newly added Raw Bar MKE – plus Egg & Flour Pasta Bar coming soon, rounding out the food hall to serve any appetite.