The good news is that a solid four weeks of warm weather, and probably more, are left - which is plenty of time to get out there and have some summer food fun. So let's start here, with a baker's dozen of treats you should enjoy before summer's over. Some of these foods are available only in summer; some are available for a time at warm-weather-only venues. Sure, many can be had year-round. But what better time than summer to have, say, an ice-cold drink? Go for it. 1. Bubble tea. This blended ice beverage - cool on multiple levels - is available at a number of area Asian restaurants. One friend calls it the interactive drink - at the bottom of the glass are large black tapioca pearls to chew. It's great for a hot day: As the ice in the blended drink melts, the tapioca pearls freeze slightly, keeping you and the drink cool. Many restaurants use a powder to flavor the bubble tea, but some also use fruit. Thai Bar-B-Que Restaurant, 3417 W. National Ave., is one that supplements the bubble teas with fruit. Try the mildly sweet jackfruit or the kiwi ($3.50), or a dozen or so other flavors. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner.2. Stuffed nasturtium leaves. The nasturtium, an annual edible flower, is with us only as long as summer is. Its peppery green leaves are filled with goat cheese and grilled ($6), then served with a green tomato chutney for an appetizer at Meritage, 5921 W. Vliet St.; www.milwaukeefood.com/meritage. Other cheeses and their accompaniments change frequently; you might find corn salsa with a smoky chipotle cheddar or a ginger-blueberry jam with an aged goat cheese. 3. Tacos and 4. watermelon lemonade. After a hard day of sand volleyball, lying in the sun or frolicking in the waters of Lake Michigan, you'll have to fortify yourself. Head for the revitalized Bradford Beach House, 2400 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive; www.bradfordbeachjam.com. The concession stand there is open for business every day. If you like to see and be seen, stop by on the weekend; weekdays are quieter. Grab a couple of spicy chipotle-citrus marinated steak tacos in flour tortillas ($5.50 for two; achiote-marinated pulled chicken tacos also available), and wash them down with watermelon lemonade ($2). If there's room, grab a seat on the ground floor or second floor of the beach house, but the view from anywhere at Bradford can't be beat.
5. Crepes and 6. scrambled egg sandwiches. A crepe isn't your typical outdoor food, but a line forms when La Creperie serves them up on Saturday mornings at the South Shore Farmers Market in the Bay View neighborhood's South Shore Park. Your oversized crepe ($3) is made as you watch and folded into quarters; try a filling of raspberry or Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread). The other long line at the market? That's for the scrambled egg sandwich ($4) from Yuppie Hill Poultry in Burlington. This year, the eggs are served in a tortilla wrap, with bacon, sausage or ham (the meat varies week to week). Whether you opt for a sweet or savory breakfast, enjoy it at a picnic table or on a grassy spot in the park with a view of tranquil Lake Michigan and sailboats, and start your weekend on a serene note. 7. Water from the Pryor Ave. well. It's nice to get something for nothing these days. Since you're in the neighborhood, head north from the farmers market on S. Superior St. to Pryor Ave. and fill up your water bottle or a jug or two for free at the 19th-century well. The cool water, drawn from 200 feet below the surface, is rich in iron. The city Health Department monitors the water of the last artesian well in Milwaukee. 8. Grilled sausages. Capistrano has swallows; urban centers have hot dog carts. It's summer when these hawkers of street food take to the sidewalks. Not all hot dog carts are alike; some of them downtown are outfitted with small covered grills for cooking the sausages. One was spotted recently at N. Old World 3rd St. and W. Wisconsin Ave. (hot dogs, $2; bratwurst, $2.75; Polish, $3.50, among other offerings), another at N. Water St. and Wisconsin. There often are others; keep your eyes peeled at midday on weekdays for a hot dog cart with smoke billowing from it. 9. Root beer float. A root beer float speaks of summers past, and you can try reliving that past at an area drive-in. For example, the A&W at 5572 S. 27th St. pipes oldies music over the speakers. Another A&W drive-in is in Racine County at 3751 S. 27th St. in Franksville (www.awrestaurants.com). Roll down the car windows to catch the summer breezes, and wait for the car hop to bring your float ($2.59 for a medium in Franksville) after you order it by intercom. If you prefer your float with a local brew - such as Sprecher root beer - have one while catching a movie at the Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, 334 E. Silver Spring Drive in Whitefish Bay ($4.89); www.foxbaycinemagrill.com, or at Triskele's restaurant at S. 3rd and W. Maple streets ($3.50); triskelesrestaurant.com. 10. Tamales and 11. Mexican baked goods. Check out the spicy bean and jalapeņo tamales from Lopez Bakery, sold outdoors at many area farmers markets (pork and chicken also are available; $1.50 for one, $6 for six, $10 for 12). Wolf them down warm at the market, or take them home. Have a sweet tooth? What luck - there are baked goods, too. The selection includes a crispy caramel-filled churro, the long, fluted doughnut ($1.25; also in strawberry, vanilla and plain), or sweet filled empanadas, such as pumpkin ($1; also in pineapple, strawberry, apple and cream cheese with raisin). Lopez products are available at the West Allis Farmers Market, 6501 W. National Ave., on Thursday and Saturday afternoons, and also at these farmers markets: Westown, at Zeidler Union Square, N. 4th and W. Michigan streets, midday Wednesdays; East Town, at Cathedral Square Park, E. Wells and N. Jefferson streets, Saturday mornings; Fox Point, in the Stormonth School parking lot, 7300 N. Lombardy Road, Saturday mornings; Brookfield, 2000 N. Calhoun Road, Saturday mornings; South Shore, in South Shore Park off S. Superior St., Saturday mornings; and Greendale, in the municipal parking lot west of Broad St., this month on the Saturday mornings of Aug. 2, . 16 and 23. 12. Seasonal beers. Just as you crave something light to eat on the hottest days, you want something light to drink, too. Enter the seasonal beers, all-around thirst quenchers that do well with lighter foods. Craft brewers in Wisconsin and elsewhere - and some of the bigger brewers, too - are producing summer beers that will be around just a little while longer. In addition to liquor stores, many restaurants and bars now carry seasonal brews, such as New Glarus Brewing Co.'s Totally Naked and Prairie Gold from Capital Brewery in Madison. 13. Paletas. As sweet treats go, these Mexican frozen fruit bars on sticks - sold from pushcarts - can be rationalized as practically good for you, since they typically are made with real fruit. Finding them, though, is a matter of serendipity because the pushcart vendors roam freely, usually on the south side. I've had occasional luck on Lincoln Ave., and recently saw one at Bradford Beach on the weekend. Can't decide among all the flavors? Try the mango or coconut cream. Paletas I've bought lately were a buck apiece. story courtesy of the Milwaukee Jounral-Sentinel: www.jsonline.com |