Eating Out: BALZAC

I got a text from a friend asking what I was up too.  I replied back saying that I was heading over to Balzac for dinner. His reply was "Lol ball sack". True story.

I know, not my best intro.

Walking into Balzac, you are confronted with the question of getting a table or joining the shenanigans already in progress at the bar. The tables are dark and quite, perfect for a date night or just a nice meal out. Some places try and cram so many tables in their dining room that you feel like your eating with the table next to you. This is not the case at Balzac, you get enough space to really zone out into your own world. However if you are looking for more of a pub, the bar is fun and full of eastside charm. Balzac is casual, so if you are dressed to the nines, or if your vintage outfit cost a total of 9 dollars, either way you'll fit in here.

Balzac is sure to please even the geekiest of wine snobs. The wine list is an impressive 18 pages long. Prices range from a 4 dollar taste of 2009 Luzon Red Blend,  up to a 360 dollar bottle of 2001 Guigal Cote-Rotie "La Mouline" and they have everything in between. So even if you don't know much about wine you'll find something at your level and flights are available if you want to explore. *They have beer too.*

DUAL CHEESE PLATE - 15

Roth Grand Cru Gruyere Surchoix
&
Carr Valley Billy Boy Bleu

This cheese plate is the perfect appetizer to pair with a wine flight.

SAFFRON CHORIZO MUSSELS - $9
Fresh Prince Edward Island mussels and smoky
chorizo sausage served in a saffron garlic broth with bread

Sometimes you order mussels and they come soaked in oil and butter... refreshingly these are not.

OXTAIL POT PIE - $10

Stewed oxtail and shank with carrots, potatoes, pearl
onions and topped with a flaky crust

If I lived close I would eat this every day.

So Balzac, lets wrap it up.  Awesome food. Great wine list. Prices are super affordable but if you want to be a big spender they are more then happy to take your money. You can wear jeans; you can wear a suit or a fancy dress. If you are a corporate planner and you're looking for an impressive place to rent out for a night to wow some big wigs or if you're just a college student with 50 bucks to spend on a date Balzac is absolutely a great choice.


GO EAT.

BALZAC: 

1716 North Arlington Place
Milwaukee, WI 53202-1619
(414) 755-0099
Across from Hi Hat Lounge and Garage at the corner of Arlington & Brady.
HOURS:
3pm to Bartime Monday to Saturday
10am to Bartime Sunday
http://balzacwinebar.com/

Oh and Eat MKE is on Facebook.  We'd be thrilled to death if you would like us.  Come on. You've "liked" dumber things in the past. Do it. Thank you.





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)





　
　
　
　

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.