Cheesy Introduction (Bacchus)

• TRAVEL REVIEW:  Can anyone tell me what’s in Wisconsin besides Cheese, The Packers, and Cold A** Weather?  Wait.. Don’t answer that question.  I hate the “know it all” people.  Of course, I know there are things in Wisconsin and it’s probably a nice state to go to along with some cool cities.  That’s a big part of my travel, to actually find out what’s so cool about the city and the food it has to offer.  The city I chose to go to was Milwaukee.  Why? Because it’s close enough for me to go there straight from Chicago.  My method of transportation was Amtrak and for the cost of the train ride it would be yours too.  I also researched some nice restaurants in Wisconsin and Bacchus came up as the top 3 (according to opentable).  I researched the restaurants and it seems as though this restaurant is a big hit for some of the Green Bay Packers football players.  The restaurant was about five miles from the train station which was great because it was in the low 50’s temperature wise.  I had about an hour to kill before it was time to go to dinner so I viewed the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.  It was cool, but visiting war memorial’s isn’t really my thing, although the big statue display of Abraham Lincoln was pretty cool.  I twiddled my thumbs and walked around but stayed fairly close to the restaurant because it was cold and I didn’t have a hat (one day i’ll listen to my mother, hi mom!).

• RESTAURANT REVIEW : Dinner Reservations were at 5 p.m. and if you know me you know that I don’t eat big meals after 7 p.m. and I enjoy being the first one at the restaurant. When I approached the restaurant it hds this modern glass look to it, almost as if it was out of a movie. It was beautiful!  I would believe that a lot of people have their wedding receptions here.  I was seated at my table that had a french cuisine set up feel to it.  My waitress was very knowledgeable (which of course she should be) and attentive by asking if I was from around the area (probably to make small conversation which I’m not opposed to).  Let’s get down to business!  She recommended a couple of things, one being the split pea soup.  She said it was her favorite, and even though a lot of people look over it, it didn’t mean I should.  I looked at the price and it was no different from the other appetizer prices (which waiters and waitresses will try to up sale you).  She also recommended the 5 course wine pairing menu.  I asked what was in it and she literally told me “whatever the chef wants to make today”.  She said it with such conviction that I would be a fool not to try something new.  I figured whatever I try couldn’t be as bad as me picking something from the regular menu being as though I’ve never been there.  BEST. DECISION. BY. FAR.  I started with the Chilled English Pea Soup (which was a coincidence because she recommended it).  It had sheeps milk feta, duck prosciutto and fennel crisp.  The soup was amazing! It was very light and it didn’t have a bitter after taste. It didn’t taste like frozen peas and the feta accompanied it very well.  The portion was small and that was expected because portion sizes get bigger as the courses continue to flow.  The second course I had a beat salad with sunflower seeds and Chandoka Cheese topped with a honey vinaigrette dressing.  That was…. Different.  It wasn’t my favorite, but wasn’t the worst tasting.  I’m not a fan of beets but this could make me reconsider.  My third course was a rabbit ragout.  AH-FREAKING-MAZING.  Everyone always told me rabbit taste like chicken, everyone always says that meat you usually don’t eat taste like chicken.. I guess they were right this time.  It was topped with shitake mushrooms and the pasta of choice was pappardelle. I would definitely order it again, but I wouldn’t rush if there were other things on a menu that I haven’t tried.  My fourth meal was halibut which was very light.  I’ve had halibut before but nothing was too special about this piece of meat other than it was cooked perfectly.  They broiled it and presented it on top of some creamy mashed potatoes with a buttered cream sauce.  My last meal was a veal chop with purple potatoes.  The veal was a nice piece of meat, maybe 18 oz. bone in (with grill marks, something about meat with grill marks is sexy to me haha).  It was so tender, seasoned perfectly, and tasted like filet mignon (to me atleast). I ordered it medium well because I’ve never had Veal and I wasn’t sure if it should be eaten at a medium temperature.  It was accompanied with a warm purple potato salad and topped with a carbonet reduction.  All of my courses came with either a red or white wine to accompany what I was eating for the course.  I didn’t think to name each wine until after I got up from the table.  Maybe it was the slight buzz I had after the third glass of wine (haha who knows).  All of the courses were presented with clean silverware, not allowing you to use silverware you used on your previous meal.  I enjoyed the atmosphere, it was quiet and quaint.  The crowd was on the “mature” side which I would recommend by saying it looked like everyone in the restaurant was 30 or above.  I would definitely dress up to go to this restaurant if I were you, but then again… Why wouldn’t you dress up if you go to a nice restaurant?  It just makes sense. Would I come back to this restaurant or recommend it? HELL YES!  The price was a pretty penny but definitely worth it.

                                      RATING- BUSINESS CLASS

• Where To Next?  Dinner Reservations are Set down south. We have to catch a plane to get there (I mean.. You can drive, but I’m not ) See you around 6 p.m. Don’t be Late.