| Chef Peter's Chronicles |
Wisconsin, as some conventional wisdom has it, is the kind of
heart of the heartland state that does best by hearty cooking.
The local specialties include brats, fish, bigger brats and
anything one could possibly ever conceive of doing with cheese.
But this cliché’ like most, is wrong. In fact, Wisconsin is
as culturally mixed as any state in the country and just as
responsive to the great American dining revolution. The result is
more than some bratwurst nation lying facedown in a bubbling
cheddar fondue. You’ll find dairy land as a different melting
pot-one that blends a range of influences. The old school ethnic
traditions of Scandinavia street diners and German cafes, the
north country’s fish fries and cream pies still have their
place, but they mix seamless with newer pan-Asian and pan-
Latin.
And then there are Wisconsin’s creative culinary pockets
converging in Madison and Milwaukee, where stylish chefs
forage the best locally sourced ingredients and then add every
kind of contemporary accent: fusion, organic or singularly
inventive. One of the bright stars in Milwaukee is Sandy Dâ
€™Amato, winner of the James Beard best Midwestern chef in
1996 and going strong since with his innovative and inventive
style at Sanford. And in Madison it is Harvest at the Capitol
Square with owner Tami Lax and chef Justin Carlisle, who
recently returned from a stint at Chicago’s Tru. A great
getaway is in Washington Island where chef Leah Caplan is
doing just the kind of purist cooking she would have done if sheâ
€™d stayed in New York. Only better. That’s because she
opened the Washington Hotel four years ago and turned the
1904 lodge for Great Lake skippers into a chic hotel,
revitalizing the island itself.
And then there is Joe Bartolotta’s trattoria with authentic
Tuscan fare. Mader is said to be Wisconsin’s most
celebrated restaurant with nationally acclaimed German cuisine.
heart of the heartland state that does best by hearty cooking.
The local specialties include brats, fish, bigger brats and
anything one could possibly ever conceive of doing with cheese.
But this cliché’ like most, is wrong. In fact, Wisconsin is
as culturally mixed as any state in the country and just as
responsive to the great American dining revolution. The result is
more than some bratwurst nation lying facedown in a bubbling
cheddar fondue. You’ll find dairy land as a different melting
pot-one that blends a range of influences. The old school ethnic
traditions of Scandinavia street diners and German cafes, the
north country’s fish fries and cream pies still have their
place, but they mix seamless with newer pan-Asian and pan-
Latin.
And then there are Wisconsin’s creative culinary pockets
converging in Madison and Milwaukee, where stylish chefs
forage the best locally sourced ingredients and then add every
kind of contemporary accent: fusion, organic or singularly
inventive. One of the bright stars in Milwaukee is Sandy Dâ
€™Amato, winner of the James Beard best Midwestern chef in
1996 and going strong since with his innovative and inventive
style at Sanford. And in Madison it is Harvest at the Capitol
Square with owner Tami Lax and chef Justin Carlisle, who
recently returned from a stint at Chicago’s Tru. A great
getaway is in Washington Island where chef Leah Caplan is
doing just the kind of purist cooking she would have done if sheâ
€™d stayed in New York. Only better. That’s because she
opened the Washington Hotel four years ago and turned the
1904 lodge for Great Lake skippers into a chic hotel,
revitalizing the island itself.
And then there is Joe Bartolotta’s trattoria with authentic
Tuscan fare. Mader is said to be Wisconsin’s most
celebrated restaurant with nationally acclaimed German cuisine.
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2006
August
July
2005
ACF Christmas
At the Chicago Theatre
Mexico City
2004
At the Grand Ole Opry
Tuscany and Piemont
2003
James Beard House
2006
August
July
2005
ACF Christmas
At the Chicago Theatre
Mexico City
2004
At the Grand Ole Opry
Tuscany and Piemont
2003
James Beard House
| Edition 3 |
On my book shelf
Amuse- Bouche
Aquavit
Bouchon
Craft
Food in History
Good to Great
Nobu
Refined American Cuisine
Superbaby Food
The French Laundry
The Perfectionist
The Professional Chef
The World of Caviar
...more.
Amuse- Bouche
Aquavit
Bouchon
Craft
Food in History
Good to Great
Nobu
Refined American Cuisine
Superbaby Food
The French Laundry
The Perfectionist
The Professional Chef
The World of Caviar
...more.
Resources - All About
Beer
Coffee
Chefs Collaborative
eHotelier
Foodnetwork
Gourmania
Global Chefs
Kosher
Mezcal
Porthole
Beer
Coffee
Chefs Collaborative
eHotelier
Foodnetwork
Gourmania
Global Chefs
Kosher
Mezcal
Porthole
Dream Dance at The Potowatomi Bingo and Casino has earned a
listing with DIRoNA among other accolades. To my surprise on
my recent visit I was offered freshly baked Kringles served with
fresh brewed Alterra coffee on the Midwest Airlines non stop
flight from Nashville. The service was excellent too.
listing with DIRoNA among other accolades. To my surprise on
my recent visit I was offered freshly baked Kringles served with
fresh brewed Alterra coffee on the Midwest Airlines non stop
flight from Nashville. The service was excellent too.
The breakfast next morning
at the Hyatt was rather
disappointing with the
exception of the coffee.
Following my tour of the
culinary department was
lunch at Dream Dance with
a sampling of Asian, Latin,
Tuscan and Southern
creations. The afternoon
was dedicated to reviewing
the food & beverage
expansion plans and to
discuss strategies.
Unfortunately there was no
time to visit the Milwaukee
Public Market, a traditional
Midwestern market located
in the Third Ward. Fields
Best is known for produce,
not only organic and the St.
Paul fish company has
great seafood. C. Adams
Bakery has excellent
bakeries and breads. You
also find Mexican, Middle
Eastern, Hawaiian and
Italian foods of great
variety and quality.
at the Hyatt was rather
disappointing with the
exception of the coffee.
Following my tour of the
culinary department was
lunch at Dream Dance with
a sampling of Asian, Latin,
Tuscan and Southern
creations. The afternoon
was dedicated to reviewing
the food & beverage
expansion plans and to
discuss strategies.
Unfortunately there was no
time to visit the Milwaukee
Public Market, a traditional
Midwestern market located
in the Third Ward. Fields
Best is known for produce,
not only organic and the St.
Paul fish company has
great seafood. C. Adams
Bakery has excellent
bakeries and breads. You
also find Mexican, Middle
Eastern, Hawaiian and
Italian foods of great
variety and quality.
| September 2006 |
I checked in at the Hyatt and
after a quick change of
clothes I started my tour
with lunch at the fire pit at
Potowatomi with Chris and
Michael. There are three
other restaurants and an
approved expansion with
several additional restaurants
and 500.000 sq. ft. gaming
area. It was my first meeting
with them and this
represented a good
opportunity as well as a
permanent appointment. We
went to the recently opened
Capital Grille for dinner. The
wine list featured a huge
selection from which
Michael selected a
Californian Zinfandel which
was very good. The bread
was rather ordinary and the
sautéed calamari appetizer
turned out to have been deep
fried, the menu and servers
descriptions misleading. My
perfectly cooked NY strip
lacked the Kona rub flavor
advertised but the sides of
creamed spinach and Sam's
mashed potatoes were
outstanding. The dessert
menu featured ten (!)
desserts but not a single
cheese offering which I could
not make any sense of.
after a quick change of
clothes I started my tour
with lunch at the fire pit at
Potowatomi with Chris and
Michael. There are three
other restaurants and an
approved expansion with
several additional restaurants
and 500.000 sq. ft. gaming
area. It was my first meeting
with them and this
represented a good
opportunity as well as a
permanent appointment. We
went to the recently opened
Capital Grille for dinner. The
wine list featured a huge
selection from which
Michael selected a
Californian Zinfandel which
was very good. The bread
was rather ordinary and the
sautéed calamari appetizer
turned out to have been deep
fried, the menu and servers
descriptions misleading. My
perfectly cooked NY strip
lacked the Kona rub flavor
advertised but the sides of
creamed spinach and Sam's
mashed potatoes were
outstanding. The dessert
menu featured ten (!)
desserts but not a single
cheese offering which I could
not make any sense of.
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