Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of This Bites, our final of the year, we’re talking about Ann’s holiday gift guide and sharing news of some holiday carryout meals you can pick up for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I also share some updates on my culinary journeys — I got some cool ingredients in the mail that I’ve been playing around with.

Christmas is next week, which is almost hard to believe. I’m not buying gifts this year, but if you are, Ann has some suggestions from the food and culinary perspective.

Among her picks are a cheese board from Milwaukee ceramic artist Geryn Roche. They have a distinctive vintage look thanks to their decorative monotype print with underglazes, and they are dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

You also can’t go wrong with a cookbook. “The Well-Plated Cookbook” is a hardcover release from Milwaukee home cook Erin Clarke, who blogs at wellplated.com. It features 130 healthy recipes, and Ann reports that it’s been a hot seller at Boswell Books.

People love maple syrup, and Stevens Point’s Tapped Maple Syrup offers some varieties you’ve probably never had before, with flavors like hops, espresso, turmeric and black umami garlic. They also offer some truly great cocktail syrups that pair well with dark liquors.

And finally you can’t go wrong with a tote bag, and Odd Duck has a really cute one. For $15 it’s an affordable gift for your friends who love fine dining.

The Diplomat and Sanford offer holiday takeout

The Diplomat has expanded its menu in some great ways, adding an incredible burger. They’ve also added some pot pies, with classic flavors like beef and chicken and also more adventurous ones like a shrimp and lobster pot pie.

This year they’re offering holiday meals, including a beef wellington — which I’ve actually never had before. There’s also a ham wellington for those who’d prefer pork instead of beef. And for vegetarians, there’s a also sweet potato wellington.

Sanford, meanwhile, is sold out of Christmas meals, but it’s offering a New Year’s Ever meal for two, which includes lamb and apricot stuffed grape leaves, sake-cured sea scallops, a shellfish bisque and a stuffed-beef tenderloin with a caramel and toffee chocolate cake for desert. Now that’s a festive way to ring in the New Year.

We talk about all that and more on this week’s episode.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of Milwaukee’s longest running food podcast, we’re sharing gift ideas and cookie recipes from Milwaukee Magazine’s Holiday Handbook. We also have some news about Egg & Flour bringing a pizzeria to the Crossroads Collective, and I share some updates about my latest adventures in the kitchen.

Milwaukee Magazine’s Holiday Handbook includes everything from unlikely holiday films you may enjoy (although somehow “Die Hard” didn’t make the list) to ideas for DIY holiday gifts (including graham cracker houses, for people who don’t have the time for gingerbread).

Ann also compiled five holiday cookie recipes that are easy enough that you should be able to make them even if you don’t normally make cookies. All the ingredients you can find at an ordinary grocery store. Ann even shares a recipe for a simple cutout cookie (the dough isn’t very sticky so it is easy to roll). And don’t miss her recipe for seven-layer bars with a twist; she puts instant coffee in the mix.

Egg & Flour announces pizzeria

Milwaukee’s Egg & Flour Pasta Bar is expanding. Chef Adam Pawlak will open E & F Pizzeria at Crossroads Collective food hall (2238 N. Farwell Ave.), which also hosts one of the two locations of Egg & Flour Pasta Bar. The pizzeria will open right next to Egg & Flour’s location.

The emphasis will be on large slices and whole pizzas. It will feature three signature pies every day and one rotating specialty pizza, as well as salads, sodas and sparkling water.

“We love being on the East Side,” Pawlak said in a press release. “With our limited space in a food hall, we really maxed out our options at the pasta shop … When the space next to us became available, I really wanted to think of a creative way to expand Egg & Flour while bringing something fun and much needed for the food hall diners. Pizza just seems like a natural fit!”

Merriment Social offers Detroit-style pizza

Speaking of pizza, Merriment Social has started offering Detroit-style pizza on Wednesday nights, which has been so popular that it has often been selling out.

This prompts Ann and I to have a conversation about the nostalgic appeal of Rocky Rocco’s.

Hear us talk about all that and more on this week’s episode below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

This week we’re sharing some big news about an Alinea pop-up at Ruby Tap and a new West Allis location for the pizza shop Flower Girl & Flame. But first we kick things off with a hearty conversation about what we’ve been cooking lately.

As you know, winter is around the corner, and I’ve been trying to transform my place into a cozy chef’s corner. I’ve been watching a lot of cooking videos online and ordering some helpful kitchen gadgets, including a kitchen scale, and I used it to make bagels the other day.

I boiled them. I made two flavors, a sesame garlic topping and a furikake topping, which is a perfect topping for bagels. I made eight of them, and they turned out so good that I ate five of them back to back; I didn’t even need cream cheese. They were chewy and excellent. And the other day I made Singaporean chicken rice dish, which gives me occasion to explain to Ann what a difference having a good rice cooker can make (yes, it’s better than just cooking rice on your stove.)

Ann explains the kind of cooking she’s been doing lately: lots of sautes and roasted vegetables and fish. “Nothing fancy at all,” she says, but it’s the kind of comfort food that always hits the spot this time of the year.

“Baking is something that I find really therapeutic, too,” Ann explains. She’s been making a lot of cookies, sweet breads and pizza dough and pizza crust.

Ruby Tap hosts an Alinea pop-up

The wine bar The Ruby Tap, 1341 N. Wauwatosa Ave., is planning a pop-up featuring food from the chefs behind Alinea, one of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants, as well as its sister restaurants Next and St. Clair Supper Club. They’ll provide the food, and Ruby Tap will offer wine pairings.

The pop-up will occur on Dec. 11, Dec. 18 and Dec. 19, with Alinea offering five meal options (along with add-ons) for pick-up. The wine bar, meanwhile, will offer four-pack growlers. There are roasted chicken and seared scallop options that both sound great. You can order here.

Flour Girl & Flame finds a permanent home

The food trailer Flour Girl & Flame, which created a buzz this summer with its wood-fired pizzas at locations like Alice’s Garden, is moving into a West Allis location. 

The pizzeria will be at 8121 W. National Ave., and could be open by spring. The menu will look beyond pizzas; it’ll also include breads other dishes that can be cooked on a wood-fired oven. It’ll be a small place, with about 15-20 seats, and a chef’s table that could be mighty inviting once people are able to safely congregate in restaurants again.

In the meantime, Flour Girl is doing a pop-up at Zocalo Food Park on Dec. 12 and 13. They’ll be selling holiday horchata French toast kits.

Hear us talk about all that and more on this week’s episode below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode, we celebrate five years of This Bites by discussing a really cool collaboration between the Zocalo Food Park and Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge. We also discuss the Urban Eats MKE initiative, the new rooftop dooms at Braise, some Thanksgiving pie recommendations and the wonders of country ham.

Walker’s Point’s Zocalo Food Park has teamed up with Bryant Cocktail’s Lounge for a hand-crafted cocktail menu of seasonal flavors, each paired with foods from the resident trucks at Zocalo. That includes tacos, arepas, bagels and dishes from the weekend guest trucks that will be on site.

And guests can enjoy them in little, heated structures that look like greenhouses and rest over the picnic tables. It’s a clever way of addressing the pandemic. It starts on Nov. 25, just before Thanksgiving, and seating is available by reservation, with pricing varying depending on which day of the week it is. “I just think it’s a really cool idea,” Ann says.

Zocalo isn’t the only restaurant offering domed outdoor dining this winter. Braise in Walker’s Point is also offering two heated domes on its roof, and they’re themed: One has a summer theme, the other a winter theme. They’re available by reservation only and can accommodate six to nine people. Reservations are available in 90-minute blocks.

Urban Eats MKE supports Black and Brown restaurants

We got an email about a new website launched in partnership with Small Neighborhoods/Jordan Tian, MKE Black, Project Onyx and Jim Donahue, we are launching a new website called Urban Eats MKE. “It is designed to get Milwaukee Black and Brown restaurants online so people can order from them,” they write. “We are in stage one of the launch focused on getting Black and Brown businesses to get signed on the site. There is no cost to restaurants to sign up.”

So if you now any Black- or Brown-owned restaurants in Milwaukee, you can encourage them to sign up.

Hear us discuss all that and more, including country ham and Ann’s list of Thanksgiving pie recommendations, on this week’s episode below. (Elegant Pies’ famous apple pie in a bag makes Ann’s list, of course).

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of Milwaukee’s longest-running food podcast, we’re talking about a really cool story in the latest issue of Milwaukee Magazine about how to host a non-traditional Thanksgiving. We also talk about a new soul food restaurant, and Ann shares a review of the new pasta restaurant Sorella.

Ann has a piece in Milwaukee Magazine about how to hold a special Thanksgiving for just your own household. People probably don’t want to cook a huge turkey if they’re only cooking for two or three people, so Ann offers some other suggestions. She shares recipes for turkey saltimbocca, roasted autumn vegetables (including parsnips and brussels sprouts) and a very unique stuffing.

The turkey saltimbocca is a spin on the classic chicken saltimbocca using turkey cutlets, fontina cheese and prosciutto. The stuffing, meanwhile, uses quite a bit of sausage.

Arlanderz comes to Farwell Avenue

There’s a new soul food restaurant on the East Side on Farwell. A new location of Arlanderz Soul Food has opened, and it specializes in favorites like chicken and waffles. It has many fried fish dishes, too, as well as smothered pork chops.

The sides look fantastic, too. They include fried green tomatoes, mac and cheese and collard greens. They also specialize in hot sauces, and have one made with root beer.

Also on this episode, Ann gives her verdict on a new pasta restaurant in Bay View called Sorella, and she concludes that these chefs really know what they’re doing.

Hear her verdict, as well as some hot takes about sardines, on this week’s episode below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

Today on This Bites, we discussed the return of the Milwaukee and Oconomowoc winter farmers markets this weekend. We also shared news about a new restaurant that focuses on CBD-infused cuisine. Then, the Laotian popup SapSap returns to Milwaukee with pho kits featuring brisket from Heaven’s Table BBQ. Finally, Riverwest Pizza is doing something really special for the community on Thanksgiving.

Celebrating its 12th season, the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market returns to the Mitchell Park Conservatory, a.k.a The Domes. Each Saturday, you can find about 30 weekly vendors offering a variety of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products and more in the Greenhouse Annex. The market will be practicing social distancing and requiring masks.

New restaurant with a focus on CBD-infused cuisine

According to Urban Milwaukee, there will be a new restaurant called Lifted and Gifted that will focus on CBD-infused cuisine. The restaurant will be located in the former MKEHemp Rx Dispensary, located at 706 N. Milwaukee St.

Lifted and Gifted will also offer “date nights,” with a professional chef showing a group of couples how to cook a meal in a restaurant setting. The restaurant will offer vegan options, as well.

SapSap Pho-kits at Lucky Ginger

On November 15, SapSap will collaborate with Heaven’s Table BBQ on a DIY pho kit at Lucky Ginger. You will be able to get take-home pho to prepare with smoked brisket.

Riverwest Pizza giving away Thanksgiving meals

Riverwest Pizza will be giving away 100 homemade turkey dinners with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day to show appreciation to the community. Dinners will include turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, greens, mac & cheese and cornbread. No restrictions apply.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

Today on This Bites we’re discussing something near and dear to my heart: dumplings. We also have some sad news about Nessun Dorma and some exciting news from Twisted Plants, which is doing a vegan Thanksgiving menu, and from Hotel Madrid, which has quite a few fun promotions planned for Halloween and election night.

If you’ve listened to this podcast regularly, you’ve heard me complaining about the lack of dumplings in Milwaukee. I’ve always had to drive to Chicago to get a true dumpling fix. But that’s about to change with Phat Dumpling, a pop-up created by a wife/husband duo of chefs with experience at DanDan, Goodkind, Odd Duck and other prestigious local restaurants.

The first pop-ups will be Nov. 14 and 15 from noon to 3 p.m. outside of Fauntleroy. All the dumplings will be shared fresh, raw and ready to be cooked at home. There’s a pork and dill dumpling with ginger, scallion; a cumin beef dumpling (with a chili vinegar dipping sauce); and even shumai dumplings, a dim sum classic.

I could not be more excited. I’m planning on buying all of these dumplings.

Nessun Dorma breaks for the winter

We have some sad news about Nessun Dorma, which announced that it will temporarily shut its doors for the winter. It’ll shut down after brunch on Sunday, Nov. 1. The owners said they were expecting more government aid that never arrived. This makes us wonder if they won’t be the only ones to shut down for the winter — it’s not going to be easy for restaurants this year. Ann predicts that smaller places in particular are really going to struggle.

Twisted Plants does Thanksgiving

We’ve talked about Twisted Plants many times on this show, and once again they are doing something really cool. They’re offering a special Thanksgiving menu. It’ll be online shortly and you have until Nov. 22 to order. The all-vegan menu will include smothered chicken cutlets, savory dressing (stuffing), smokey mixed greens, baked mac and cheese, candied yams and an onion and bell pepper gravy. For dessert, they’re offering a southern apple pie.

Hear us talk about all that and more, including Hotel Madrid’s pop-up Star Wars cantina and Halloween weekend costume contest, below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of Milwaukee’s longest running culinary podcast, we’re talking about a new Friday special at Heaven’s Table BBQ, the National Black Restaurant Week‘s new nonprofit, a new taco spot coming this November, and a really cool event for sweet lovers coming to the Milwaukee Public Market. Hear us discuss all that and more on this week’s episode below.

There’s a restaurant out in Thiensville called The Cheel. It’s a Himalayan restaurant, but now its owners are also opening up a taco place in downtown Thiensville. This is good news for people in the northern suburbs who have a hard time finding Mexican food.

It’ll be called Daily Taco & Cantina, and it’ll be a fast casual restaurant with a drive-thru pick-up window. It’ll be opening in the old Falafel Guys location, and should be up and running by mid-November.

Heaven’s Table BBQ introduces a Friday special

A few months ago on this show we had on Chef Jason Alston from Heaven’s Table BBQ, which is planning a new location on North Avenue. But they have a new initiative at their current Crossroads Collective location in the meantime. Every Friday, the BBQ spot will be offering Jamaican and Caribbean-inspired dishes with a Heaven’s Table twist, including jerked cauliflower (24-hour marinated, jerked and charred cauliflower). There will also be jerked sausage, jerked chicken and ox-tail soup for meat eaters. Heaven’s Table is also planning a pig roast for tomorrow.

On The Bus hosts a pop-up pie stand

On The Bus is doing a pumpkin pop-up in the Milwaukee Public Market on Saturday, Oct. 24. The vegan restaurant will be hosting a pie stand featuring all kinds of sweet treats, including some from a new pop-up donut place called Sugar Cube Donuts.

They’ll be offering treats including apple cider donuts starting at 11 a.m., and you can pre-order those donuts today if you’re worried that they might sell out (apple cider donuts are extraordinarily popular this time of the year). In addition to caramel apples and hot chocolate, On The Bus is also offering a pumpkin pie milk shake that you can wash it all down with.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of Milwaukee’s longest-running food podcast, we’re talking about Sanford restaurant’s movie-inspired menu in honor of the Milwaukee Film Festival. We also talked about where to find some tasty tamales in Milwaukee, a new pudding shop, The Great Midwestern Pie Championship, and Harbor House’s Oysterfest.

Sanford movie-inspired menu

In honor of the Milwaukee Film Festival, Sanford has created a movie-inspired menu for the entire run of the festival. The menus feature family meals and individual dishes.

Check out Sanford’s Film Feast Family Meal calendar:

• Friday, Oct. 16 – APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
• Saturday, Oct. 17 – RATATOUILLE (2007)
• Tuesday, Oct. 20 – WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989)
• Wednesday, Oct. 21 – TAMPOPO (1985)
• Thursday, Oct. 22 – BRIDGET JONES DIARY (2001)
• Friday, Oct. 23 – TORTILLA SOUP (2001)
• Saturday, Oct. 24 – AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000) “A night at Dorsia”
• Tuesday, Oct. 27 – SOUL FOOD (1997)
• Wednesday, Oct. 28 – JULIE & JULIA (2009)
• Thursday, Oct. 29 – THE HATEFUL 8 (2015)
• Friday, Oct. 30 – BEETLEJUICE (1988)
• Saturday, Oct. 31 – INDIANA JONES and the TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984) – DINNER OF DOOM!

A new dessert spot with a focus on pudding

Just in time for the fall, a new dessert cafe with a focus on banana pudding called Hey Puddin’ is coming to Cudahy. In addition to traditional banana pudding, Hey Puddin’ will offer a variety of flavors including pumpkin spice, strawberry shortcake, turtle sundae and more. Puddings will be available for carry out or delivery via their website. Tomorrow, they will be hosting a free tasting event.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Each week on Radio Milwaukee, Milwaukee Magazine dining critic Ann Christenson and 88Nine’s resident foodie Tarik Moody discuss Milwaukee’s culinary and restaurant culture on This Bites.

On this week’s episode of Milwaukee’s longest running food podcast, we’re talking about Ann’s search for the best burger in Milwaukee — which also includes a recipe for her own ketchup. We also have some news coming out of Sanford, Eldr+Rime and Milwaukee Film Festival, which is featuring some films related to food as part of its new virtual programming.

Ann has a piece on Milwaukee Magazine about her search for the best burger in Milwaukee. She came up with a bracket so readers could decide which burger was their favorite. She featured 16 burgers, mostly from independent restaurants, but also from a few chain restaurants like Culver’s. “There are burgers on this list that I could probably eat every day,” Ann says, “and one of them is the DiploMac from the Diplomat.” She also shouts out the Crave Cafe in Shorewood and its kimchi burger.

Ann also assures us that making your own ketchup is really easy. You just use tomato paste (or fresh or canned tomatoes if you prefer). It’s an easy way to avoid the corn syrup that’s in commercial ketchup.

Sanford debuts a craft menu

Sanford is doing something really unique. The acclaimed restaurant has been doing curbside since the pandemic began, with no indoor service, and they’ve really been shaking up their curbside menu. Now they’re offering a craft menu filled with surprises and favorites from the past.

Give them two days, and they’ll craft a four-course meal just for you. It allows you to create something pretty special using local ingredients from local farmers and vendors.

Eldr+Rime offers an extremely decadent

Eldr+Rime, a Scandinavian-inspired hotel restaurant in Wauwatosa, has launched a new brunch menu, and it’s impressive. In true Scandinavian fashion, it’s seafood-heavy. You can get lox on rye, for instance, or king crab benedict. There are also scones and a breakfast burger with smoked onion jam. Amazingly, you can also get a 32 ounce tomahawk steak (served with three sunny side up eggs!) if you’re really hungry. Sides also include something called a crab Slim Jim, which we can only imagine. There’s also a s’mores bar and a raw bar — pretty incredible.

Hear us discuss all that and more on this week’s episode below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.