Milwaukee, WI

Although Chinese restaurants are common throughout the city, Milwaukee isn’t exactly known for its Chinese cuisine. Chinese food in Milwaukee tends to suffer from predictability in selection and flavor, but Yen Ching on Milwaukee’s Northwest side stands out among the crowd. With lavish decor, quick service, an excellent menu and very reasonable prices, Yen Ching has a great formula for success in its market.

Be sure to start off your meal with one of Yen Ching’s eight different soups. Along with the typical egg drop and sweet and sour selections, Yen Ching features a few more unusual soups, including the incredible sizzling rice soup and a vegetarian spinach bean curd soup.

The menu is organized by main ingredient, so vegetarians will have an easy time finding their selections. Chicken, pork, beef and seafood are also featured, with ample selections available for each.

The tangy Sweet and Sour Chicken ($8.75) includes chicken breast with pineapple, green pepper, onion and mushrooms. As is true with all Yen Ching’s vegetables, the peppers were crisp and flavorful and complimented the dish well.

Above: Sweet and Sour Chicken

The Sizzling Rice Chicken entree ($9.25) is my personal favorite. The sizzling rice crust is combined with the chicken and vegetables at the table, making the sizzle sound that gives this dish its name. The chicken is flavorful but it is the rice crust that makes this dish a standout. Served with crispy vegetables, this dish is consistently an excellent choice.

Above: Sizzling Rice Chicken

The menu is huge, as are the portions, so don’t be afraid to go with friends and mix and match your entrees.

Yen Ching also features a smaller lunch menu, including smaller portions and smaller prices. Most lunch selections are available for less than $6.00.

If Chinese food is on your mind, don’t miss Yen Ching - you won’t be disappointed.

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Big on Broccoli

The Rusty Skillet on 27th Street admittedly doesn’t look like much. The name suggests a Charcoal Grill copycat, but the interior decor is more reminiscent of a typical 1980s family-style restaurant. Restaurants aren’t really about the decor, though. The real questions are: how is the selection, the service, and most importantly, the food?

Although it was our first trip to the Rusty Skillet, we were greeted at the door as though we were regulars. The wait staff was extremely cordial and friendly, and the waiter was full of excellent suggestions. The menu was varied, ranging from delicious sounding full-course dinners to sandwiches to desserts. And then there was the all-you-can-eat steak dinner.

Map to the Rusty Skillet:

I have never in my life heard of all-you-can-eat steak. I was immediately suspicious. The steak was probably cheap and flavorless, or the “all-you-can-eat” really meant you could have two servings before being shown the door. But not so. The steak was incredible, and not only was the steak all-you-can-eat, but so was the potato and vegetables. The potato pancakes were top-notch. Did I mention that the all-you-can-eat steak was just $12.99? Apparently that is their special on Sundays through Tuesdays. Homer Simpson would have been impressed.

For my own meal I selected the roasted chicken, and it was easily the most tender and flavorful chicken I’ve ever had.

I wished I had saved room for dessert, but I had already pushed the envelope with my meal. I plan to go back (soon!) to try one of the “Rusty Dough” desserts.

Throughout my meal I couldn’t help but think we had found one of Milwaukee’s best-kept dining secrets. For a place serving all-you-can-eat delicious steak and excellent food, the restaurant was not at all crowded.

If you go:

4763 S 27th St
Milwaukee, WI 53221
(414) 281-5090
Prices: $5-$15

*****

Time for my daily shout-out! Take a look at one of my “sister” blogs: Memphis, TN. Be sure to tell them that Milwaukee sent ya!

I went into Honeydip Donuts on South 27th Street expecting nothing more than a good Bavarian Creme doughnut and some hot coffee. What I got, however, was an unexpectedly wonderful experience.

Honeydip Donuts has a short counter seating area that immediately reminded me of an old time drugstore soda fountain. My companion and I took our place at the crowded counter and ordered our coffees and doughnuts. The counter and tables were populated by the over fifty-five set - some husbands and wives, some just older gents by themselves - all enjoying coffee and conversations about the day’s news. CNN was playing on the television, but most people were so engaged in the conversations among themselves that the news went ignored.

We were there for just a few moments when a white-haired gentleman sat by us and commented on my companion’s “Vietnam Remembered” jacket. As it turns out, the gentlemen was himself a veteran of Vietnam. A wonderful discussion about the state of the military both then and now ensued, as did the nearly obligatory swapping of service stories. Before long the gentleman’s lady companion joined the conversation and put in her two cents on St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy’s decision not to march in Milwaukee’s Veterans Day Parade. What was supposed to be a brief stop for doughnuts turned into a very nice exchange between strangers.

I suspect that sort of thing used to go on a lot, back in the “good old days” that existed long before my memory. I also suspect that sort of thing continues to go on daily at places like Honeydip Donuts where people can gather comfortably and enjoy coffee and company without being rushed or pressured by the worries of the day.

If you go:
Honeydip Donuts
3506 S 27th Street, Milwaukee
Open 24 Hours
Friendly staff, great coffee and doughnuts

When my friends suggested meeting for brunch at Trocadero, I was absolutely thrilled by the idea. Besides partaking in that most mysterious of meals, which is more like breakfast considering the time I wake, Trocadero has the prestige of winning numerous awards from the Shepherd Express’s “Best of Milwaukee 2006″ list, and I had never been.

Despite getting seated quickly on one of many outdoor patios, things were not sailing quite as smoothly as I had hoped. Although the menu offered plenty of options, almost every dish was based around the same core ingredient - egg. Omelettes, frittatas, sandwiches. They all had some variation on one of my most hated breakfast foods. I narrowed the choices down to stuffed french toast or the sausage and cheese frittata. The french toast stuffing turned out to be cream cheese, something I hate far more than eggs, so the choice was made for me.

I sat with my morning drink, catching up with old friends, when my attention turned dreadfully to one of the servers. This man’s job was not to take orders, but to bring the food out. His head was covered in so much dripping sweat it might as well have been raining. I watched with anticipation for those salty droplets to fall into the fresh plates of food he was carrying, silently praying that he wouldn’t be the one to deliver my order.

My prayers were answered and the food came without any unnecessary moisture. It might have been good for flavor though. The frittata wasn’t bad by any means, just not what I would have expected from such a well-reknowned restaurant. It was a small sprinkle of tomatoes, maybe a quarter of a sausage, encased in rather soggy mess of egg, and topped with what looked like a slice of Velveeta cheese. I’ve had far better at mom and pop diners for far less cash. Regrettably, the best parts of the meal were the few bites of fruit and the thick slice of buttered toast.

I left Trocadero with utter disappointment. Considering my dislike of eggs, I may be biased to begin with, but it would make sense to offer some sort of variety for differing tastes. Even my friends’ dishes had a particularly bland look to them. I will consider giving their dinner menu a try in the future, but for now, Trocadero seems like another average restaurant with a high price tag.

Fuel Cafe isn’t the type of place to have lunch with your visiting mother, unless she likes her music loud, her coffee brutally strong, and her transportation with only two wheels. Fuel is not for everyone, but it’s hard to imagine Riverwest without it.

Fuel is practically a showcase for the neighborhood’s diversity. Stop by and you will see purple-haired girls knitting, young couples huddled over crosswords, students typing on laptops, and bikers of all types comparing rides. Even the staff can’t be pinned down to one category, although I swear tattoos are a prerequisite.

From the windows splattered with flyers, to the wall of motorcycle photos, and the regular displays of artwork, Fuel explodes with the creative sensibility of pure rock ‘n’ roll. It’s the perfect place to nail down that latest sketch, pen the latest chapter of a never-ending novel, or hone your Sonic Youth vs The Pixies debate. Just make sure to order something first.

Whether you prefer your caffeinated kick by the mug or pint, Fuel only serves the best coffee around - Alterra. In addition to a full line of specialty coffee drinks, they offer a number teas and natural juices. Drinks are fine, but if you want the full experience you will have to pick up a menu.

There must be some magical force at work in Fuel’s kitchen. How else could they turn bread, cheese, and tomatoes into an unforgettable experience? Yes, the food is that good. Whether you’re a carnivore or a vegan, Fuel has a sandwich just for you. As an added bonus, each one comes with a side of tortilla chips.

Fuel Cafe is about as far from a quiet, black-tie restaurant as you can possibly get. It is definitely not a place for a romantic evening with a loved one. Fuel Cafe is the place you go to meet up with friends, make some new ones, and enjoy some of the best food the area has to offer.

Fuel Cafe Website
Hours and Location:
Mon-Thur 7am-10pm
Friday 7am-11pm
Saturday 8am-11pm
Sunday 8am-10pm

818 E Center St
Milwaukee, WI 53202