For the seventh straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi. 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 2013."
This weekend's edition of OnMilwaukee.com Recommends is a special dish: a big, heaping serving of food-related recommendations that are certainly worth an "om nom."
The English curry at John Hawks Pub – I ventured beyond the usual burger or fish-and-chips during a recent lunch at Hawks and ordered the English curry that's available with chicken or veggies and served over rice pilaf or potatoes. I ordered the veggies over rice for $9.95 (the chicken curry is $12.95). I found this dish filling, flavorful and the perfect choice on a chill-in-the-air fall day. And for the double win, it pairs well with a Guinness. – Molly Snyder
Cafe Hollander – Since moving to Milwaukee, a favorite of mine has become Cafe Hollander at 2608 N. Downer Ave. I haven't quite scratched all the restaurants I want to hit off my bucket list, so to speak, but this place is one that I wind up going to in-between my jaunts to new locations. You like what you like, right? I love the patio, of course, though it might be getting a bit chilly for that. I like the atmosphere in there, and the food is great. While I love eating meat, I tend to have a vegetarian accompanying me, so I appreciate the selection and quality of fare offered. If you haven't stopped by, be sure to do so! – Jim Owczarski
Kohlrabi – Inside the weird looking and very thick skin of a kohlrabi lies a wonderfully crisp, juicy vegetable that is good to go and just eat raw. I've never, though, seen kohlrabi on a menu locally, but scan your favorite farm market this weekend and buy a few of these bad boys. The name comes from an African word meaning "ugly root," but don't let it fool you: Kohlrabi are very good to eat. – Jeff Sherman
The Reuben at Waterfront Deli – Guilty confession: Up until about a month ago, I had never had a reuben sandwich before. I'd certainly had corned beef before and loved it, but the idea of sauerkraut (something I'm okay with eating but don't particularly seek out) and dressing (something I despise on most occasions) joining forces in between two slices of rye bread just did not sound appealing at all.
Alas, all misguided food prejudices must come to an end, and one day for lunch, I snagged a reuben sandwich from the Waterfront Deli, located on 761 N. Water St. And how could I have been so blind before? The sauerkraut, dressing, cheese, corned beef and rye all work together perfectly, and as silly as I would sound saying the ingredients are deliciously harmonious ... the ingredients are deliciously harmonious. Each one provides an important flavor or texture to the sandwich. I even tried it once without the dressing, and wouldn't you know it, it wasn't as good.
Waterfront Deli doesn't just earn points for being my first reuben, though. It's a mighty tasty reuben in its own right, warm and made-to-order with fresh ingredients that are bold, flavorful and satisfying. Combined with a bowl of soup (cream of curried potato if you're lucky), it's become the perfect lunchtime comfort food. It's just too bad it took me 23 years to get nerve to try it. – Matt Mueller
Krups Personal Tea Kettle – Though I'm not much of a tea drinker in summer, as the weather starts to chill, my taste for hot tea really starts to warm up, and I'm on the tea wagon all winter long. After I recently discovered the hazelnut chai from Chicago's Argo Tea, I'm ready for my hot tea season.
I'm prepped this year at work with a Krups Personal Tea Kettle on my desk. Super easy to use, the kettle is great because it has an integrated basket that makes it easy to brew using either tea bags or loose tea, and an internal water circulation system that infuses the tea for maximum flavor. It brews pretty quickly, too, making it perfect for my desk. The only drawback is that it's a bit gurgly while brewing, and I suspect the sound will begin to lure co-workers over with empty mugs in hand. – Bobby Tanzilo
