Interview With Chef Mark Weber, Mason Street Grill

We got to sit down and talk with Mason Street Grill's Chef Mark Weber a few weeks ago. He had just got back from a trip to Florida to do some research for a new special.  

How long have you been working in the food industry?

I have been working in the food business since 1983. Started at the CIA in Hyde Park, NY in 1985, and came to Milwaukee in 1989.

Where did you start?

I started at the Midway Motor Lodge in Glendale as part of the opening staff as a summer job during college summer break. I started in front of the house but quickly decided that back of the house was more fun!

What did you learn working at Lake Park Bistro?

Being the Chef at LPB was an incredibly important part of my career. Joe and Paul Bartolotta are extremely passionate about the restaurant business and the vast amounts I learned from them over 8 years very much shaped my career. I also worked with John Wise during those years who is one of the most hard working and organized people I have ever known. John is a big part of the Bartolotta success story. They have and they teach what it takes to  make it in the restaurant business.

What do you feel is the most important thing you try and inspire in your team at Mason Street Grill?

We derive inspiration from the products we use. We are constantly searching for the best products to offer to our customers. We use the highest quality available and we stop at nothing to locate the best suppliers no matter where we might have to go looking for it!

You recently were in Florida on a crab boat learning about the farming of stone crab. How was that?

The Stone Crab trip is an example of our commitment to quality. We went to Florida to find an exclusive supplier of Stone Crab claws for the season. We wanted to have a fisherman that would understand the level of quality that we wanted. By visiting we can better understand the whole process from the harvesting of the claws from the ocean, cooking, grading, and shipping. Special relationships with vendors is really important.

What did you learn on that trip and how will you use that knowledge in the kitchen?

We understand products better when we understand where they come from and how. This gives us a much higher benchmark standard for quality than competitors, especially one that have not seen products at their source.

If you want to find out more about Mark or the Mason Street Grill you'll be happy to know that they have started their own Blog.  Go check it out.

Mason Street Grill Blog

Cocktail of the Week: INdustrial Size Bloody Mary.

The weekend is here and you are probably wondering where you can get the best Bloody Mary in Milwaukee. Well, wonder no more. We found it, INdustri’s Loaded Bloody w/ Jumbo Grilled Prawn Skewer at INdustri Café in Walkers Point.

This 24 ounce behemoth starts with a roasted garlic, roasted red onion, roasted poblano, fresh basil and fresh horse radish house-INfused Rehorst vodka, then they add some tomato juice. The INfused Rehorst vodka has so much smoky flavor that there is no need to add any of the traditional Bloody Mary ingredients, it is great all on its own. (If you are feeling daring….ask them to add a little of their habenarro INfused Rehorst vodka)

Now, for maybe the best part of INdustri’s Bloody Mary (other than the vodka of course)…the fixings!!! The only thing INdustri doesn’t put in their Bloody is the kitchen sink. There is a house made spiced rim. Beef stick, a huge chunk of Wisconsin Gouda cheese, a JUMBO grilled prawn and every pickled veggie that you could ever want. You might not have room from brunch after this Bloody!

If you don’t have time to make it out for brunch this weekend be sure to check out their Happy Hour from 2-6pm Monday through Friday or for those of you who are like me and are normally working at that time, check out their S.I.N Happy Reverse Happy Hour Friday and Saturday night from 10 pm to 1 am



For those of you who want to play bartender, here is one of my Bloody Mary recipes. (I know we don’t all have infused vodka sitting around)

2 oz of your favorite vodka (please don’t waste the Goose on a bloody!)
5 oz your favorite Bloody Mary Mix (I like Mr. & Mrs. T’s)
A splash of pickle juice (try Famous Dave’s Sweet and Spicy Pickles it adds a bit of a kick)
Squeeze of lemon and lime juice
Garnish as desired (you can’t go wrong with blue cheese olives)





　
　
　
　

Cocktail of the Week: Mojita Bonita

Mojita Bonita

Created by

Maeve Pesquera

Director of Wine

Fleming's

Looking for a drink to sip on by the pool this summer? You could go with an 800 calorie margarita or you could be enjoying this new spin on the classic mojito. Only having 100 calories makes it bikini friendly. This drink was featured at Fleming's as part of there summer happy hour. On a scale from one to awesome, I give it an awesome.

"...to begin, I replaced the rum with Stoli Vanilla vodka. It has such a great silky essence. To kick up the fruit flavor, I added a little pineapple juice along with fresh lime juice. Of course, the fresh mint gives it such a refreshing quality," says Pesquera.

Here is the recipe for those of you that like to play bartender at home.

1 ounce Stoli Vanilla vodka
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce Monin sugar free vanilla syrup
1 ounce fresh lime juice
10 fresh mint leaves
2 ounces club soda

As always you can find more at Eat MKE.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

262.782.9463

15665 W Bluemound Rd
Brookfield, WI
www.flemingssteakhouse.com

Motor Bar and Cafe Racer

If you had to pick a few things that define Milwaukee what would they be? Beer, Harleys, blue collar jobs, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley....  That’s what we came up with. This week we got in touch with Milwaukee’s roots and checked out the Harley Davidson Museum, home of Motor Bar and Café Racer.

Motor Bar

This place looks great! If you’re into Harley’s or motorcycles for that matter, you have to check this place out. The Harley logo is carved into the back of every chair, there are parts of bikes out on display, and there is even a wall that’s made out of bike parts separating the bar from the restaurant. The bathroom follows the theme with a pedal operated sink.

Even though it was a cold rainy day, we took a look at the patio. It over looks the river and I can’t wait to come back and enjoy an afternoon of day drinking in the sun. For a restaurant that is part of a museum, I was very impressed. Harley could have probably just contracted some lame cafeteria catering service to run a place for people to eat, but they didn’t. They got Levy restaurants to run this place and Levy is doing a fine job with it.

Big & Twisted Pretzels

Big ole pretzels, served with gobs of mustard sauce

and cheese dip.

May Burger of the Month

“Chicken Blue Cheese Burger”
Hand packed 8oz ground chicken burger with crispy blue cheese and granny smith apple slaw, sliced tomatoes, red onions on a corn dusted kaiser roll served with BBQ tater tots.

Deluxe Mini’s

Fresh ground chuck with Wisconsin cheddar, grilled onions,

lettuce, tomato, and a secret sauce.

May’s Wings of the Month

Chile de Arbol
One pound of fried chicken wings tossed in a spicy chile de arbol sauce with cilantro and lime.

We got to talk to Chef Travis for a bit and found out that they try to get locally sourced food whenever possible. In fact the pretzels come from a local Milwaukee bakery. A lot of time and effort goes into Motor Bar’s Menu. Each month Motor Bar features a new burger and wing special. This month I’m looking forward to trying the June feature, the Bloody Mary Burger!

Café Racer

Ok so you don’t have time to have a real sit down lunch? You can still drop in and get a sandwich and Starbucks coffee at Café Racer. It’s an order at the counter type place for people “looking for a quick place to refuel!” That’s the slogan, but what it means is “hey if you only have a 40 min lunch break come here instead of McDonald’s!” or maybe “Quit eating in your car at the taco bell parking lot you dummy!”  It’s fun and fast. It’s like a custard shop, artisan sandwich shop and a Starbucks all in one. Want to get on the fast track to a promotion and work nearby? Come to Café Racer get lunch, then bring the boss a Mocha Latte or a dish of ice cream. Bribes work.

How many times has this happened to you? You’re out to eat on what seems to be a normal Thursday until you remember that this particular Thursday is you and your special lady’s anniversary? You’re in trouble unless you are at lunch at Motor Bar or Café Racer because right next door is a gift shop where you can get her a… ok… if your girl doesn’t like bikes or Harley Davidson you are pretty much screwed. But if she does, you’re in luck!  

So that gift you got her from the gift shop worked out and she didn’t leave you for forgetting your special day. In fact, she falls for you hard and now you put a ring on it. Why not look into renting out Rumble for your wedding? No, your girl doesn’t have to be a hardcore biker chick to get married at the Harley museum. This room can be set up custom to your event. It seats up to 500.

Or if she dumped you because she never once said anything about liking Harley’s and you still got her a T shirt for your anniversary? Well this room can also be used for business. You are single now, might as well focus on your career.

All and all a great place to get a burger and throw back a few beers. You might even learn something about Milwaukee’s history with Harley. Go Eat!



Motor Bar and Cafe Racer

401 W Canal St
Milwaukee, WI 53201

414-287-2778

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/HD_Museum/eat_at_museum.jsp

As always there are more pictures on our Facebook page! search Eat MKE on Facebook or check out http://www.eatmke.com/.



Beans & Barley Market & Cafe

If you're into organic food, have a vegan diet, or are interested in sustainable local food sources you probably love this place. If you live on the Eastside you probably know about this place, mainly because it’s been around forever.  I don't normally seek out places like this.  I have nothing against vegans, or people trying to make the world better by buying local or organic products. I am all for saving the world. However if we could save the world and still eat steak rare by the metric ton, I'd be more likely to get on board this train.

Walking in you have a bar in front of you, a market to your right and to the left a dining room. This place is kind of like the Cracker Barrel of organic products.

The shelves are full of organic lotions, candy bars, pastas... ect. For 5 bucks, you can own some original artwork, interesting use of an old cigarette machine. For 5 bucks, you can own some original artwork, interesting use of an old cigarette machine.  This product still confuses me; I mean this pot holder will not keep your stash fresh. I'd stick with a plastic baggy if I were you. It also doesn't help you hide your stash, it basically announces to the world "THIS IS WHERE I KEEP MY WEED!"... Oh wait, you mean pot as in "pots and pans" my bad.  If you are hungry it is of the utmost importance that you find this sign. If you stand by the door you're in a no mans land of market/bar/restaurant. Find this sign and stand by it and you will be greeted by hipster waiters and waitresses who will take you into the dining room. You may have to wait but that’s normally a sign that the food is good. GRILLED PORTOBELLO SANDWICH ... 7.50 Marinated Portobello mushroom grilled and served with roasted red peppers and a grilled sandwich bun.  Sundried Tomato and Tofu Sandwich ... 8.50 This sandwich was a daily special, and it wasn't bad. I'm not a vegetarian and normally I wouldn't order anything like this for lunch, but when in Rome, I'll try it. On a scale from "1 to not bad", it was definitely not bad. So let’s break it down. The dining room is nothing fancy; it’s a clean cafeteria where you can get some nice homemade organic food. The staff is very casual, but friendly. If you need something you have to speak up. It’s not the type of place where you are waited on hand and foot. You may need to wave someone over to get another drink or your sandwich might not have cheese on it even though you ordered it with cheese.  If you are looking for an awesome dining experience you might want to find some other place to eat. If you’re looking for fresh simple food with an organic, vegan, free range, Earth Day, feel good twist to it, this is your kind of restaurant. Go Eat.

BEANS & BARLEY MARKET & CAFE

1901 EAST NORTH AVENUE

MILWAUKEE, WI 53202

http://www.beansandbarley.com/

As always there are more pictures on Eat MKE's facebook page. So check us out there.

Comet Cafe

It was 2002, I lived on Maryland Avenue and attended UWM. I use to walk down to Comet Cafe for coffee and a place to not study. It was a coffee shop where the air was mostly second hand smoke. The tables were a mix matched collection of junk. Don't knock it, most of the furniture in my old apartment was stuff I found on the street. Comet use to be packed and getting a coffee and a seat was quite a feat some nights. It was full of young people that weren't quite being called hipsters or emo yet, and our livejournal accounts weren't quite as time consuming as facebook. We smoked and drank coffee because we couldn't get into bars. Comet was there for us and It was nice to stop back in this week to find that Comet has grown up a little bit, just like me.

Gone is the smokey haze I remembered and I was surprised to see real tables and booths. Comet Cafe is still a long way from being a fancy restaurant. It's still a haven for hipsters and college students. Walking in we were greeted and told to just find a seat. Comet Cafe is a place where you can meet people and get into conversation with strangers. It has a new emphasis on "from scratch" food and of course the bar is a welcome addition to this new version of Comet.

I'm not sure I even remember Comet serving food back then; if it did I sure didn't have the money to buy any. Looking over their menu I was impressed with what they were offering. I was also glad to see that the prices were more than affordable. This time around they definitely had food, and I could definitely afford it.

Creamy Artichoke Dip... $7

Chunks of artichokes and jalapenos topped with parmasion cheese. Served with huge ciabatta crustinis.  This appetizer is a pretty common menu item. Lots of restaurants have it, people like it and it's kind of hard to mess up. This artichoke dip was one of the better versions I've tried. I liked that it wasn't just a soupy paste and had nice big chunks of artichoke throughout it.

Comet Cuban ... $9

Wilson Farms pork shoulder, ham, house made pickles, swiss cheese, whole grain mustard on grilled ciabatta bread. Yes, it’s good.

Ahi Tuna Sandwich ... $11

This sandwich is GENUIS! I've had Ahi tuna wraps with chunks of tuna, I have had Ahi Tuna served as small slices with fancy sauces drizzled over it, but I've never seen anyone take a whole Ahi Tuna steak and say "this should eat like a burger". It has a kick to it thanks to the wasabi sauce. Over all the Ahi Tuna Sandwich is a winner! In fact... I've started making them at home.

Comet is said to have one hell of a Bloody Mary. I hear it comes with bacon. I know some people think that bacon was just a food fad that was cool two years ago but let me just say this... Bacon can't possibly go out of style, it's always going to be awesome.  So I think another visit is in order very soon.  I can't wait to check out their brunch menu.

Comet isn't an upscale fine dining restaurant. If you're looking for that kind of experience you won't find it here. What you will find is a warm staff, great food, and the laid back culture of Eastside Milwaukee. Ok now, Go EAT!

Comet Cafe'

1947 N. Farwell Ave.

Milwaukee WI 53202

(414) 273-7677

http://www.thecometcafe.com/

As always you can find more pictures on the Eat MKE facebook page. So go check us out there, or you can go to http://www.eatmke.com/ our very own website. Yes, we have a website. 

Lillies Place

Saint Patrick's Day 2011

I know, the site is called Eat MKE. Most people would assume the MKE stands for Milwaukee and would think “the first review will surely be a restaurant in Milwaukee”. To your and even my surprise our first stop this morning was in Genesee Depot. My first thought when I was told that's where we were heading was "where the heck is Genesee Depot?". Apparently it is this small strip of businesses on highway 83 that connects the lake country area to the rest of south eastern Wisconsin.

So there I was out in a beautiful country landscape walking up the steps of this old white victorian house about to walk into a coffee and wine shop called Lillie's Place. From the second I opened the door I was overcome with “hellos” and “welcomes”. In fact so many I wasn't sure who worked there and who was just a customer. I also wasn't sure if it was a restaurant, or a coffee shop, or if I just walked into someones living room. The atmosphere was very free and you're welcome to pretty much walk in and make yourself at home.

Being it was St. Patrick's and almost 10 am I made my way to the counter and ordered a Irish coffee with Jameson and Baileys. That's when I met the owner proudly working as a barista in her own shop. Cathy Witkowski bought this store in 2006 when her family was rebuilding their lives after the death of Liz her daughter in law. The process of restoring the building and creating Lillies Place became symbolic of that loss and Lillies Place now stands as a tribute to Liz.



Lillie's place offers a variety of artisan wines and desserts along with coffee drinks that are above and beyond what you can get at a Starbucks. The restaurant area “Pal's” has a full lunch menu and offers a cozy room to relax. Up for some dessert? They even have an ice cream and candy shop in a room on the other side of the house. I'm looking forward to going back and enjoying a bottle of wine on there deck once summer gets its act in gear.





If you live in the area or find yourself needing to get out of the city you should stop by either for one of their events ( wine tastings, live music, etc...) or just for a relaxing morning. 

Lilies Place

S42 W31428 Hwy 83

Genesee Depot, WI 53127
www.liliesplace.com

Phone: 262.201.4376
Cathy Witkowski | Owner
cathy@liliesplace.com