Later...

Hi again, faithful readers,

Just a note to tell you I still exist and may continue to blog, but if I do, I'll come up with a new address and purpose. I'm just not eating out daily anymore, so the restaurant review thing won't work. But I think I'd miss you all... And, besides, I have to post photos for you of my gorgeous kitchen after my daughters see it at Christmas.

Holidays are approaching. You're too busy to read chatter. I'll be back (with news of the latest adventures with The Man) after the new year to give you a new address for my blog. See you then!

Finally not
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Fleming's - Almost as Nice as My Kitchen

I’m cooking in MY MOST BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN! It is so beautiful that it makes me cry. It really does. I just sit in our sunroom and look at it and I can’t believe I live in such a beautiful place. I promise to post pictures of the finished product – as soon as my daughters have seen it. They are coming at Christmas and I can’t wait to see them when they see it. I don’t want to spoil that moment (for me) by showing them a picture ahead of time. So, please have patience...

I haven’t taken time off to write to you all. The first day I cooked — Tada!--- fried eggs! Yowza! Then lamb chops, then homemade beef barley soup. I have running water – right in the kitchen! And a garbage disposal! And outlets that don’t trip breakers when you turn on the microwave at the same time that the refrigerator turns on. Wow. It’s amazing what we take for granted.

And to celebrate the new kitchen, we finally had dinner at Fleming's. It was the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. It was snowing romantically. A perfect night for a long, quiet dinner for two. Fleming’s fit the bill. It is a fabulous spot – if you can ignore the ridiculously expensive part. But never mind.

Fleming's is famous for its service, and this is well-deserved fame. You might want to stop there sometime just to experience how well you COULD be treated every time you go out. Our waiter knew every dish on the menu. He could describe how it was made, what wine it would compliment it. He was not averse to talking a bit about himself in a very amiable way. He made our evening very special.

Then there’s the food. I decided to split a bottle of wine with The Man Who Only Drinks White Wine. We ordered a bottle of Cuvaison Chardonny - Napa Carneros 2005 ($60), which was, of course, very nice. It’s a heavier Chardonnay than some, with some oak to chew on. So I ordered my dinner to go with this wine choice. The Red Meat Man has his own ideas of what goes with what, that is: red meat goes with anything and so does white wine. Okay, then.

Everything at Fleming’s is ala carte. I’d heard that the portion sizes of the side dishes were prodigious, so we decided to each order three items and share. I ordered an appetizer of crab cakes ($15.50), Fleming’s Salad ($7.95), and Seared Scallops ($28.95). The Man ordered a bowl of Vegetable Beef Soup ($9.95), a 12 oz Filet Mignon ($36.96), and Fleming’s Potatoes ($8.50). Can you imagine such prices? In Milwaukee? Whew! It’ll be snowin’ in Miami before I see the inside of this place again.

But let me describe the food, just so I can re-live the experience. My crab cakes were very crabby, almost all chunks of fresh crab and very little filler. They were small, but The Man tasted them agreed they were good. High praise from him – for something that swims. His Vegetable Beef Soup was delicious. Almost as good as mine, we decided, though we both like the addition of the barley that I put in mine. The salad was very good, but how can any salad – pretty basic with greens, glazed walnuts and dried cranberries with a very light vinaigrette – be worth $8? My scallops were served with a puff pastry filled with summer squash and a lobster sauce. Now that was tasty – and worth the price if anything was. As for the filet mignon, it was Big Beef, cooked very much the way The Man ordered it (red, with a hot center). Fleming’s Potatoes were a treat. This was a large portion of augratin potatoes, thinly sliced and oozing with cheese. Lip-licking good. We shared that and still brought half of it home.

With my scallops, I ordered a glass of red wine (whose name I forgot to write down, even after all these months of reviewing for you all. I know it was a yummy pinot noir for $13), bringing our grand total bill to $190. May I say, "YIKES!" That is before subtracting the $75 gift certificate I’d purchased earlier at the Waukesha Land Conservancy’s auction to reduce The Wallet’s pain ever so slightly.

Actually, I have to give The Man credit. He didn’t complain once about this bill and thoroughly enjoyed the evening – many thanks to our exceptional service.

By the way, I did check out the ladies' bathroom. I only wish mine were so attractive – and it was just as clean as yours at your house. And that’s saying something, for Bluemound Road.

No longer
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Jake's -- off Bluemound

A restaurant that takes reservations on Friday nights is a FIND. Friday evening is Amateur Night, we’ve discovered. The amateurs – folks who don’t eat out every night of the week – are all out buzzing around from one restaurant to another, looking for a place to sit and eat – in that order. Even finding a place to sit while waiting to eat is a challenge. Jake’s takes reservations. They got our business on Friday night when we went out for a fish fry with my brother and his wife from Watertown.

The evening got off to a great start when the four of us arrived at Jakes at 6:30 on Friday and were seated immediately. We were in a small, back room with rough-sawn cedar walls decorated with signs from wine companies. We ordered old fashioneds to sip while we caught up on the family gossip and the trips we’ve taken and the ones we are about to take. My family is SO much fun. We love each other so much that about 50 of us actually own a big log cottage together in Central Wisconsin. We hang out there on summer weekends playing guitars, singing, sleeping some, eating lots, and even occasionally drinking together. I’ll bet you don’t even know the names of your third-cousins-twice-removed, let alone know which ones like Sprecher’s Black Bavarian and which ones prefer pinot noir.

Back at Jake’s, three of us ordered fish fries ($14.95), as we’d planned. But of course, you can guess who did not. Though The Man Who Is Picky About What Goes Into His Stomach will -- on occasion -- eat something that swims, if it is heavily battered and deep fried. But he isn’t about to eat anything as funky as walleye, which is the fish fry option at Jake’s. Cod, he said, is his fish of choice. "How about haddock, just for a change?" I asked. "No," he replied, "Just cod." Such a wild man I married.

I can tell you the walleye was delicious: lightly battered, deep fried and served with a very tasty tartar sauce (a little onion and maybe tarragon in it?). The fish came with our choice of two side dishes. I chose the vegetable of the day, brussel sprouts in a warm viniagrette, and a side salad with parmesan peppercorn dressing – one of my favorites. The Man decided not to have an entre and ordered a half Caesar salad, a bowl of French onion soup, and a twice-baked potato. The potato was delicious, as was the onion soup. The half Caesar salad was ridiculous – a small hunk (and I do mean "hunk") of romaine, some shaved parmesan and a chunk of crouton-like bread, with dressing. Not especially appetizing.

We skipped dessert at Jake’s, as I was serving dessert at our house. Not homemade of course. It was a styrofoam bowl (so elegant) of Gilles’ French Silk frozen custard served with a selection of chocolate bars from Lindt & Newman’s & Giardelli. My sister-in-law is known to be fond of chocolate. I thought ithis would be her kind of finish to an evening of good food.

I was also showing off my new kitchen, which is almost "the most beautiful kitchen in Brookfield." My major appliances were delivered on Friday. There are issues, however. The stove couldn’t be hooked up because the gas pipe was too high and in the way. The plumber has to fix that. The dishwasher is in its box, waiting for the plumber to unpack and install it. The refrigerator has a bigger problem. It doesn’t go back as far into the cabinets as it should. It looks like an afterthought; something that was replaced after the kitchen was built. Mike Wahlen from Cabinet Werks (bless his heart) said he wouldn’t put up with this, and we shouldn’t have to either. We also didn’t like the finish on the window and door frame moldings, so Cabinet Werks will also replace those. These ARE good folks to work with.

I’ll keep you up to date on the status of these final touches. And you will be the first to know if I indeed do have a sink by Monday evening! If so, what should I cook? Do you think The Man would consider fried eggs – dinner?

Now I’m Barely
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Perk & Pub

This eating out is not working for us anymore. Do you know how far east we were on Wednesday? The Perk & Pub, a bare bones, boring restaurant (if you can call it that) on about 130th and Bluemound Road in Elm Grove. It just isn’t worth driving even 10 minutes to eat uninteresting food at yet another uninteresting restaurant. I’ve counted. IF we get into our kitchen next Monday, as is the plan, that would be four more meals out. IF we continued on Bluemound Road until then, we would hit The Garden Something Restaurant at that motel that used to be the 40 Winks Motel, then Rocky Roccoco’s pizza, then yet another Mexican place across the road, and finally back to Flemings.

If we were going to get as far as Mo’s Irish Pub, I’d surely put up with these repetitive, mediocre meals until then. But we won’t – assuming Cabinetwerks’ schedule works out, and the plumber who is supposed to hook up the sink, dishwasher, and gas for the stove on Monday is not a hunter and won’t call in at the last minute when he realizes what week it is. I’ve noticed that the common subject of conversation of all craftsmen who have worked in my kitchen centers on the shooting of deer.

So... I think we will eat our few remaining restaurant meals at places we know we like, probably closer to home, and then maybe have one last fling at Flemings. I am debating saving that spot until we have grown somewhat tired of home cooking again and can appreciate such a fine restaurant. I’ve become such a witch about this eating out. Nothing pleases me, and The Man and I are getting testy with each other about our disagreements over food.

For instance, Monday night at The Perk and Pub. It’s in a nice looking shopping center, just down the road from all those annoying office buildings in Bishop’s Woods. (Only annoying to me I suppose, because I was one of the folks who fought against desecrating that lovely woods with those commercial buildings.) Anyway, you’d think this restaurant location might attract a pleasant place to eat. But no. The Perk & Pub sports a brown, painted, bare concrete floor, brown formica tables, a high acoustic tiled ceiling, and a bar in the room with the tables. It seems like one of those bars that also happens to serve some food. The menu is bar food – pizzas, a few sandwiches. But unlike most bars, you don’t place your order at the bar. Here a waitress serves you at your table. And yet, oddly, in one corner is a child’s play area, with games and toys for kiddies. Hmmm...

The Happy Man (red meat, cheap food, nothing "funky", like cilantro or Asiago cheese) had a Reuben sandwich with cole slaw. I couldn’t muster up enough appetite to even have a sandwich. I just had a Caesar salad – romaine lettuce (a good thing), bottled dressing (okay), many dry croutons (yuk), and no Parmesan to be seen (boring). I checked out the plumbing, betting it would be clean. Not. Actually, the turn-off is walking back to the bathroom where the mop and pail and boxes of stuff are stacked and stuffed in the hall. No broom closet, apparently. How charming.

As we drove home, I complained (a polite word for it) about the Perk & Pub, while The Man With Impecible Taste insisted it was just fine -- even called it "very nice.".

As I said, it is time to quit this nonsense. We will have some of my homemade pea soup from the freezer for dinner tonight, and will probably eat at our favorite Venice Club before the kitchen returns. I’m sure I’ll find something to blather to you about anyway, even if it isn’t on Bluemound Rd.

Grumpy, as well as
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Chipotle

Isn’t it amazing the number of chain restaurants there are? And how many of them are on Bluemound Road? Mr Picky Eater was not thrilled about eating at Chipotle, as he said he’d been to one of these joints before and didn’t like it. But then his daughter who eats out often, said it was one of her favorite places. So The Man agreed to give it another try.

At least we figured out what it is about Chipotle that The Man doesn’t like. It’s the tortillas. He doesn’t care for those rigid, pre-cooked corn tortillas, but he also doesn’t like flour tortillas that are not fried to a slightly crisp texture. That’s how I cook them at home (when I have a kitchen, a stove, a frying pan, olive oil and a dishwasher at my disposal). At Chipotle, they put the flour tortillas in a sort of steam heater, so they are warm, but floppy. The Man thinks his wife-of-German-descent knows better how to cook tortillas than the people-of-Mexican-descent who prepared his meal at Chipotle.

Inside his raw, floppy tortilla, The Man had a pork and bean burrito and I ordered the tacos (both $5.75). My taco order included three small tacos in which I tried three different meats. The pork was best. The beef was way too hot (spicy) for my whimpy taste buds, and the chicken was dry and boring. I also had them slather on some fresh tomato salsa, some of that tasteless, white Mexican cheese (queso), sour cream and lettuce. In his burrito, The Picky Man ordered pork, beans, cheese, and the hot salsa (after the server assured him that, heaven forbid, the hot salsa didn’t have any funky cilantro in it). He had a large Diet Pepsi for $1.50; I had a Spotted Cow beer for $3.50 – because, of course, they had no caffeine-free diet soda. If it weren’t for the raw tortilla, The Man said he’d have enjoyed his meal.

I want to send you a picture of my stunning kitchen, but I’m waiting for the painter to finish his magic and for the appliances to fill in some rather obvious holes in the cabinetry. Tune in next week for views of the finished product!

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Uno's and Switchplates

Uno’s is east of Moreland Road. We’ve eaten our way over 3 miles of Bluemound Road restaurants since September 7th, when we became kitchenless. I’m not going to make it to the Stadium before my kitchen is done, as someone thought would be likely, but I will make it into the next suburb of Elm Grove. We should have the Most Beautiful Kitchen in Brookfield in about a week.

Actually, it already IS the Most Beautiful Kitchen in Brookfield, though not yet functional. The hardware is installed on the cabinets. The slate and botanical tile back-splash is done and is breathtaking. Some of the moldings are installed and the carpenter guys get to wake me up tomorrow morning when they come back to finish their work. The Man Who Does Electical Stuff Without Frying Himself Or Burning The House Down spent last week on his computer trying to find switchplates in an oiled bronze finish to match the cabinet hardware. I was agonizing over the choice I had made of stainless steel plates. They looked awful. No-- they just -- Looked. Like switchplates were what you noticed when you walked into the kitchen. Who (besides The Man Who Does Electicity For Fun) would want their kitchen to be all about the switchplates? Realizing that he might have to put up with me moaning at him for the rest of his life, The Man got serious and found really cool bronze ones at Restoration Hardware. And then he was witless enough to mention that they were much more expensive than the stainless ones, to which I replied, "Like we'd even notice in the cost of this kitchen?" Good grief!

Meanwhile, we arrived at Uno’s at 6:30 PM on Saturday evening and were told our wait would be 25 minutes. So we settled in at a table in the bar and studied the appetizer and beverage menu, and yippee! I discovered another place that serves a caffeine-free diet cola! I felt I should support this menu item, so I ordered that beverage and The Man Whose Tastes Are None Too Adventuresome ordered nachos ($7.99) for us to share. But within 15 minutes we were seated in the dining room, nibbling nachos while waiting for our dinner order. The order of nachos was enormous, with lots of tomatoes and beans and sour cream, but the cheese was tasteless - in the opinion of your master Bluemound Road restaurant critic.

I noticed several fish dishes on their dinner menu. After all the fast food and ethic restaurants and chains, I’d become a bit desperate for seafood. I ordered the Lemon Basil Salmon ($13.49) with a side of mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon and a side of steamed broccoli (oh, yum!). The Man ordered one of the pizzas for which Uno’s is famous, the Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza ($8.89) which has tomatoes, cheese and Italian sausage in a deep pie crust. My salmon was excellent! It was a good-sized portion, with a spicy crust on top and perfectly done and served HOT. Though my memory is untrustworthy, this was the best piece of fish I could recall eating while on this Bluemound Road adventure. The potatoes were not from a box and were also yummy and the broccoli was crunchy and hot. Altogether a great meal. The Man said his pizza met his specifications for good food. Service was great – our waitress brought us new glasses of colas before ours were even empty.

When we left at 7:30, no one was waiting. If you come to Uno’s on a Saturday evening, don't be early.

For another week, I'll be
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Old Country Buffet

YIKES! We’ve hit the bottom of the barrel - in my opinion. How can a buffet have so many yucky choices? The carrot and raisin salad was runny with too much mayo. Yuck! The baked potato was dry and then ruined further by a very strong horseradish sauce. Yuck! The overdone, dry barbequed chicken breast had bacon wrapped around it, which formed an odd combination with barbeque sauce. Yuck! The salmon filet was fishy tasting and smelling. Yuck! The orange chicken was very heavily battered and then deep fried with the orange sauce added. I can’t say "yuck", because it was pretty tasty, but it surely wasn’t good for you. And it was lukewarm. Yuck! The boiled cabbage was floating in its serving dish, ready to drown your plateful of other foods. Yuck! The macaroni and cheese was soggy pasta in white sauce, sans cheese. Yuck! Even the desserts – the lemon bars were dry and lacked lemon flavor. Yuck! The soft serve ice milk was soft serve ice milk. Yuck!

There were, in my opinion, two edible items I encountered. The baked beans were very good. They were not a soggy mass of unidentifiable goop. They were still firm and had a nice flavor. The warm chocolate pudding cake was also okay. At least it did taste of chocolate.

I didn’t bother to check the ladies bathroom. If the food is disgusting, you aren’t going to come here whether the bathrooms are clean or not.

This nasty restaurant was full of people at 6 PM on Wednesday evening, with more coming in all the time. Most of the customers were families with very small children who, poor things, have no taste and no choice of where to learn to have taste. And seniors. Many seniors. The Old Country Buffet is not cheap enough to warrant coming here. Dinner during the week is $10.49 each. Sure, it’s all you can eat. But who would eat such garbage at any price?

Well... I can answer that. The Man Whose Mother Was A Lousy Cook And Therefore Has No Memories That Include GOOD Home Cooking (except mine, which tends toward what The Man considers "funky", that is, it might include a mushroom or two) said he’d be back.

He’ll have to do it alone.

Only ten more days to be...
Kitchenless in Brookfield

The Original Pancake House

What a charming spot this is on busy Bluemound Road. This nifty old farmhouse that has housed all sorts of businesses (furniture store, bagel shop, even the chamber of commerce office, I think) has found its true calling. Open only from 7 AM until 2 PM on weekdays and until 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, it has become THE place to go for breakfast or brunch in Brookfield.

We arrived at about 9 AM on Sunday and put our names on the list. There were kids playing ball outside, there were grandparents on benches outside and people standing in the small area inside the door. The customers were in jeans and sweatshirts, as well as some in their Sunday-go-to-meetings clothes. The parking lot was full all the way past the furniture store to the north. We were told our wait would be 25 minutes. Sometimes The Man has more patience than I do. Often, actually. I’d have gone home right then and eaten Raisin Bran out of a styrofoam bowl. The Man said he was okay with waiting. So we did.

At exactly 9:25 our name was called. And even I think it was worth it. The inside is as charming as the outside, the wait staff is charming, and the food was super. Let’s start with the ambiance: The Original Pancake House is decorated in old-farmhouse light green walls, with big pastel artworks on the walls, an exposed old plank ceiling, green checked lampshades and window shades. Even the artificial daisies and paper-white narcissus in ceramic pots add to the charm. On this busy morning, it hummed with activity, but was not really noisy.

The menu looks like one of those from which you’d like to order one of each thing -- it all sounds so good. Following the recommendation of a friend who had eaten here, I ordered the blueberry pancakes ($6.45). This was six nice-sized pancakes served with whipped butter and a deliciously sweet blueberry syrup. The Man Who Was Starving By Now ordered a Western Omelet with bacon ($9.45), which comes with a side of Buttermilk Pancakes. He also had a large orange juice ($3.25) and we both had coffee ($2.00 each). The coffee is very good too, by the way. And I'm a bit picky about coffee. But the omelet... Wow! It was amazing. Really light, with lots and lots of cheese and bacon and sweet peppers. I asked our waitress how many eggs it was made with. Would you believe 5 eggs! The Man With The Appetite ate about 1/3 of it. We will split the remainder for two very adequate portions for dinner tomorrow night.

Though our total bill was $24.22 plus tip, and it blew an hour of our Sunday morning newspaper reading time, it was a great meal. We’ll be back. The waitress told us that if you get there before 8:30 AM or after 2 PM there usually is no waiting. Or anytime on a weekday.

I’d like to bring our kids here when they come at Christmas. Our son-in-law would love it. I just found out that his mother has accepted our invitation to spend Christmas in Brookfield, to share the 5-year-old grandson we both adore. She lives north of Boston, runs an art gallery, and is a lovely lady. My kitchen will, thank goodness, be glorious, even if the rest of our house is still "a dinky little ranch house" in the ‘burbs. That is a quote from one of our daughters when she was a teenager going to high school with the rich kids from neighboring Elm Grove. That dinky little ranch house is sure suckin' the bucks these days!

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Baker's Square

Look at that, will you. We're eating east of Moreland Road. I didn’t think we’d get this far. We still haven’t sampled the offerings of the Old Country Buffet, but we did try. On Saturday night at about 6 PM, we couldn’t even get near enough to the door to ask how long was the wait. There were people lined up three deep outside, into the parking lot. Who knew it was so popular? And I wonder why? I suspect it isn’t due to their fine wine list...

BRIGHTLY LIT Baker’s Square doesn’t sport a fine wine list either. Nor any wine list, for that matter. Now that I think about it, I don’t think they serve alcohol at all. But it was next on our trip east along Bluemound Rd.(skipping Flemings for the moment).

The ambiance at Baker’s Square is BRIGHT, in case you hadn’t guessed. Almost blindingly BRIGHT. This lighting does not create a warm and fuzzy atmosphere, even with the fireplace lit on this chilly evening. The crowd here is elderly accompanied by their middle-aged children. There were handicapped walkers with wheels, walkers without wheels, wheelchairs and several canes on the evening we were seated – feeling pretty darned spy, actually. Tables are close together, so what with the way-beyond-adequate lighting, you are able to examine the makeup in the wrinkles of the great-grandma seated at the next table.

Baker’s Square’s food is good – Basic, maybe even boring, but good. The menu is a bit long on chicken and short on fish for my taste, but it all sounded like down-home food. For instance, The Man Who Craves Boring, Comfort Food Way Beyond The Average Person ordered a Chicken Pot Pie ($7.49), a bowl of Vegetable Beef Soup ($2.99) and a glass of Diet Pepsi. Is that predictable, or what? I ordered the small portion of the Catch of the Day, which was Cod, Grilled Vegetables and Rice Pilaf ($8.29). And a small portion it was. The piece of cod could not have weighed 3 ounces. The Man suggested that these small portions probably appeal to Baker’s Square’s elderly customers. He recalled that when we ate at Luther Manor when my mother lived there, the residents would complain if there was too much food on their plates. A chicken breast with a small baked potato on the same plate would actually render them unable to eat at all. Well, they wouldn’t have to worry about that at Baker’s Square. If I ever see the day when the sight of too much food decreases my appetite, I’ll know which restaurant to go to.

The Vegetable Beef Soup was really good, with a good, tomato broth and nice chunks of vegetables, and not much beef. The pot pie was reportedly tasty also. My fish was moist, if tiny, and my vegetables were a nice treat. There was summer squash, carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, and onions, all grilled perfectly. There was a more than adequate portion of rice pilaf, that, unfortunately, looked and tasted like it came from a box.

Baker’s Square is not a healthy place for The Man Who Is Unable To Pass Up A Piece Of His Favorite Types of Pies (apple, lemon meringue and chocolate French silk. He’s even picky about his pies.). Before he even ordered his meal, The Man asked the waiter if they had their French Silk Pie this evening. Of course they did. And he asked if it was possible to take a piece of pie home. Of course it was. A piece of pie is a rip off – Baker's Square sells an entire French Silk Pie is $10.99. A single piece is $5.00.

Later that evening, in the more subtle lighting from the glow of his computer screen, The Man announced that the pie was worth it.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Tile and Grasch's Deli

Oops! This entry was from Thursday and the one after this was from Friday. Oh, well. Now that I'm caught up, I will try to post these In The Proper Order in the future. Sorry 'bout that.

The tile-installer guys were here today. They are working on the backsplash for my kitchen. This will take three days. Today they cut the slate into four-inch squares. Tomorrow they install it, along with the decorative botanical tiles my potter daughter made for us. Then it dries overnight and Monday they grout it. Obviously, since our daughter made the tiles, this backsplash is the most crucial part of this entire remodeling job to me. I can’t wait to see it.

After the backsplash, there are some moldings to put up and the hardware. Then the wall and ceiling painter does his magic. Then the bamboo floor will get its final coat(s) of finish. And then– tada!– the appliances are delivered and installed, along with the sink and faucets. And then you can all come over for dinner. Well, maybe a few of you at a time. And I’d give it a week or so, until I get my fill of steamed brussel sprouts and fried eggs.

I am saving Flemings for our final dinner out. We will skip it and come back. Smart me bought a $75 gift certificate for Flemings at the Waukesha County Land Conservancy’s fundraiser. While supporting my favorite non-profit, I hope I created a bit of comfort for The Man And His Wallet. But, really. In the cost of a kitchen remodeling job, what’s a couple hundred bucks for a final grand meal? (Just in case The Man happens to read this, I’m kidding, I’m kidding.)

I needed a night at home, so tonight I am going to review my favorite deli – Grasch’s. Actually, it’s my favorite grocery store, but I know little about their deli items with the exception of their Dill Seafood Salad, which is way beyond yummy. Our dinner tonight consisted of a half of a roasted chicken in a sweet pepper sauce (from Grasch’s deli $7.41), baked winter squash casserole (from Grasch’s deli - I forgot to write down the price), and a waldorf salad made from cut-up Cortland apples that I bought at the Brookfield Farmers’ Market last Saturday and mixed with raisins and a handful of walnuts, dressed in fat free apricot yogurt. We didn’t even eat the entire half chicken, so it will be lunch on the weekend. It seems that one can eat nice stuff from a very good deli for less than even the cheapest fast food meal. And it was fairly simple, even without a kitchen. I made the salad in a small enough bowl to wash in the bathroom sink, heated the other dishes in glass refrigerator dishes that are easy to clean and served it all on paper plates with a glass of Ken Forrester 2003 Petit Chenin - a South African wine from Grasch’s. In a real wine glass.

I’m becoming less
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Fuddrucker's

We met Old Friends at Fuddrucker’s on Friday night. These are the same Old Friends who joined us for dinner some weeks back at George Webb’s. And the same Good Old Friends who have had us over for dinner twice during the kitchen remodeling project, giving The Tightwad's wallet a much-appreciated rest.

It was burger time again. Fuddrucker’s purports to have the world’s best burgers, and I’m here to tell you, their burgers are mighty good. But even more alluring to me is the fact that Fuddrucker’s actually serves a caffeine-free diet cola! Yippee! That’s a first for Bluemound Road establishments, I think. It will be a definite draw for me.

The ambiance at Fuddrucker’s is the friendly-sounding, noisy buzz created by lots of kids, but not so deafening you cannot converse with your Old (or new) Friends. The tables are granite topped and the place is attractive, with old photos on the walls of 50's and 60's heros from the sports world and the entertainment world. To attract the families and keep the kids from driving their parents nuts, there is a game room with pin ball machines and other such attractions. Another plus: the bathroom was clean! What a nice surprise. And there wasn’t even a lot of old ladies’ drool on the floor around the photos of Elvis decorating the walls of the ladies’ room.

At this purveyor of Big Beef, you can order a 1/3 lb burger, a ½ lb burger, and, believe-it-or-not, a 2/3 lb burger! That’ll make your arteries stand right up and salute. I ordered a 1/3 lb. Black and Blue Burger ($5.79) that grabbed my attention with the words, "blue cheese." My refillable Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi was $1.99. The Man ordered his 1/3 lb burger with Three Cheeses, an order of fries and his Diet Pepsi in a trio deal for $8.90.

We had barely settled in at a table when our buzzer called us to pick up our food orders. How amazing that they can get all those burgers done to order in just minutes – and on a Friday night when the place was running on full. We all agreed: the burgers are delicious. And the fries were wedges of potatoes, spiced well and served HOT.

This is one place to which we will return when we’re hungry for a good burger served quickly. I think I’d rank this the best burger and the best fries on Bluemound. Not to mention, the only place on Bluemound with My Kinda Cola.

I realize that I do sound much more cheerful than in my recent entries on this blog. It’s the company. We always have a great time visiting with our Old Friends. And this time this Old Friend Who Has Great Taste had a fabulous idea for how to mount my daughter’s tiles on the backsplash in my new kitchen. I was agonizing, not sure I liked how they looked. She studied the problem and figured out that the tiles look better not mounted singly on each wall. I am much relieved – and grateful. Thank you, Dear Friend.

The backsplash should be done being installed by the middle of the week. Drop in and see it when you’re in the neighborhood.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Halloween, plus Noodles & Company

Last night was Halloween in Brookfield, where we respect the actual dates of holidays. So trick-or-treat was on the correct evening here. Did you ever try to buy a pumpkin ON Halloween? Don’t. I wanted the kids in my ‘hood to realize we were home and with candy. If they didn’t come, I’d have to eat all those M&M’s myself. First I stopped at Pick ‘N Save. No pumpkins. The guy gathering carts from the parking lot told me that they’d run out two weeks ago. YIKES! So I ran to my favorite gourmet grocery store, Grasch’s. The only pumpkins they had left were a couple of HUGE ones with their tops cut and their guts scooped, for the convenience of rich, little old ladies who still like to carve scarey faces. I bought them. And then I thought... All the young parents in my neighborhood walk around with their kids. Wouldn’t it be nice to treat them too? So I bought a half dozen bottles of South African wine (in remembrance of our recent winery tour there), and, as I can’t really cook sans kitchen, I picked up some cheeses, sausages, olives, pretzels, plus a helium-filled Halloween balloon. I ran home and set up my party in the driveway. It was a hoot! I met lots of neighbors – and I fed M&M’s to 110 kids.

By the time the trickers had finished, The Man Who Had Discovered Beef Sausage Bites Being Served In His Driveway was no longer hungry. So wine and sausage was dinner on Wednesday.

The night before we hit yet another walk-up-to-the-counter-for-service kind of restaurant on Bluemound Road. Can there possibly be a need for so many fast food establishments in Brookfield? Apparently so. Noodles and Company seems to be a very popular one. Though it appears from the outside to be a small spot in a shopping center, it’s actually quite spacious. And busy. We felt quite hip and trendy when we ate at Noodles Tuesday night. Everyone was so young and attractive – just like us.

The menu offers noodle dishes of many nationalities – Japanese, Thai, Italian, American. I had their Whole Grain Tuscan Fettuccine with the addition of shrimp – actually quite a few shrimp – in a yummy light cream sauce plus a side Caesar salad (total $6.95). I didn’t notice on the menu board until I’d finished eating that for $.75 you can add one of ten different vegetables to your dish. Cooked broccoli! With nary a backward glance, I would have blown three quarters from the collection of The Man Who Has Six Piles Of Quarters-From-Each-State That No One Is Allowed To Mess With.

The Man Whose Tastes Remain At Those Of A Five-Year-Old ordered a mammoth bowl of macaroni and cheese ($5.25) – and ate the whole thing, purring all the way. What could possibly be more satisfying than macaroni and cheese and a Diet Pepsi? I guess it must have been good. I wouldn’t know. I couldn’t get my fork in it without risking the loss of my arm.

I’ve returned to my habit of not using public bathrooms, but I stuck my head in the ladies room at Noodles just so I could give you a report. Same old, same old... Full waste paper container; faucets and sink in need of scouring. Most people would say it was clean enough for public use, but let me tell you... I’ve just returned from South Africa. As you could see from the photo I attached recently, many people in that country are desperately poor. Where there are so many people in need of work, the public bathrooms everywhere are Clean. With all of the wealth we have in this country, our restaurants, be they fast food or not, could afford to hire someone to keep their bathrooms – and their kitchens – CLEAN. At least at Noodles I could see into the kitchen and it was clean. Not as spotless as my new one will be, but pretty darned good for a Bluemound Road fast food establishment.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Cousin's Subs

Why can’t a single fast food establishment offer ONE – any – caffeine-free soft drink without sugar? Surely I am not the only person who would order that. It is the non-alcoholic drink of choice of most of my friends, all of whom eat in restaurants regularly. Cousin’s had an entire glass-doored refrigerator filled with sodas and teas and water. They had 8 more soft drinks on tap. None were caffeine-and sugar-free. I begrudgingly paid $1.19 for a small bottle of water.

Cousin’s is another brightly-lit, spanking clean establishment, though someone could scour the bathroom faucet just once in a while. Brookfield has hard water, I know, but a bit of cleanser on a regular basis would do the trick. (You don’t think I’m getting a bit testy about this eating-in-restaurants-every-night thing, do you? I can tell you I am pining for a fried egg and for some good, steamed, fresh vegetables and for a roasted, free-range chicken and for homemade bread and homemade jam. I’ve even taken to reading recipes again... Soon this will be over and you’ll be on your own to try out the restaurants in your neighborhood.)

I ordered Cousin’s hot Chicken Cheddar Deluxe Sub ($4.49) on a whole wheat roll with fat free mayo – a thoughtful offering. Thank you, Cousin’s. It was very good and a filling meal. The bacon really "made" it. The Man, who was again luxuriating in the price of dinner here, ordered an Italian Special sub meal that comes with chips and a medium drink for $6.48. And, of course, The Man With The Clear Conscience Who Can Sleep Propped Up In Any Corner At Any Hour contentedly drank caffeinated Diet Coke (though he prefers Pepsi).

A sign in the shop noted that customers’ food would be delivered to their table within five minutes. So I timed it. We put our order in at 6:10 PM on Monday evening. Our food was brought to our table at 6:14. That’s amazing. We were back home in less than a half hour. The Man with wiring on his schedule didn’t have a complaint tonight.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

South Africa Township

My Sunroom

I’m going to have to slap several days of restaurant reviews on my blog at a time for a few days, because my computer was doing naughty things and wouldn’t let me get on the internet for several days. The problem even stumped The Techie Man Who Shares My Waterbed, But Not My Computer. The Dear Man spent over an hour last night waiting on the phone for Roadrunner technical support. Suffice it to say, The Man was NOT happy. My computer is now fixed. Don’t ask. I didn’t.

The Man Who Can Also Do Electrical Stuff had a busy weekend attaching wires to outlets or switches in my new kitchen. So I suggested that we eat one dinner at home. The Man is beginning to resent the amount of time it takes to eat out every night. Amazing ... it wasn’t the money that got to him first. And, of course, it wasn’t the lack of vegetables and healthy cuisine. It was the time involved.

So, I said to The Man as we sat down in our sunroom, next to the refrigerator and the microwave, "What do you think of this ambiance?" to which he replied, "I like that the tables seem to be far apart. I can’t hear anyone else’s conversations." It was true. All you could hear was the hum of the refrigerator which is temporarily sitting right next to the table. "The interior ambiance lacks some class," he added, "but the view makes up for it." I had not looked at my yard in this competitive context before. He was right. My gardens and the fall leaves waving through the skylight make a much nicer backdrop for dining than any view we have experienced on Bluemound Road. And take my word for it -- the bathrooms are definitely cleaner.

"The food here is delicious," The Man Who Is No Fool added. It was my homemade lasagna, which I had frozen before the demolition of my kitchen. But even frozen lasagna was a tricky meal to serve sans kitchen. The French bread had to be heated in the toaster oven, which is on the same circuit in the sunroom as the microwave. So I preheated the toaster oven, stuck in the bread, unplugged that appliance, plugged in the microwave and heated the slices of lasagna. Meanwhile, I washed the romaine lettuce in the bathroom sink and tossed a Caesar salad on a couple of paper plates, using some of Grasch’s grated parmesan and their homemade croutons and Newman’s salad dressing. I served this meal on paper plates as well, as it is difficult to wash decent sized plates or a salad serving bowl in a bathroom sink. And I am not willing to carry all these dishes downstairs and back up from the basement laundry tubs, even if I thought those tubs were clean enough in which to do dishes.

While I was complaining about the inconvenience of making this simple meal, I couldn’t help but recall a tour we took last week in the Townships of South Africa, where hundreds of thousands of people still live in shacks made of odd pieces of junk.

Here in Brookfield I am annoyed because I have no deep sink in which to wash a salad bowl.
They have no running water -- or plumbing.

I have two appliances on the same circuit.
They have no electricity at all. They have no kitchen. And not just for a couple of months.

Let me show you a picture I took while on a tour of Khayelitsha, a suburb of gorgeous, cosmopolitan Cape Town. Keep this picture in your head if you ever decide to remodel your kitchen. Think how fortunate we are.

Even though I am...
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Marty’s Pizza

This is about as historic as Brookfield get’s. Marty’s restaurant opened for business in 1957. That’s even before I had met The Man Who Loves Any Food That Is Italian Or Pretends To Be. We skipped a couple of places along our Bluemound Road route so we could eat a Marty’s pizza on Saturday night. Don’t fret; we will go back to Cousin’s Subs and The Noodle Company and Country Kitchen – before Fudrucker’s, and then – tada! Flemings!

Marty’s makes thin crust, rectangular pizzas and cuts them into square slices. No flashy shrimp, feta or pineapple pizza toppings here. Cheese, sausage, pepperoni, onions, olives – that’s about it. Which fits the desires of The Man Who Can’t Deal With Funky Food – and that would certainly include anchovies on pizza. Which I happen to like. Oh, well... I was sharing pizza with The Man tonight, so I had cheese and sausage.

We also shared an order of Marty’s cheese-topped deluxe breadsticks with our beer while waiting for the pizza. The breadsticks were dull. No spices; boring cheese on top. I actually shook some salt on mine, just to give it SOME taste. The Man said he thought they were good. Okay... The beer selection here is basic. I had a Honey Weiss – I like any Weiss beer, though this is mighty mild tasting for a weiss beer. But at least the price is right: $2.50 a glass.

I was disappointed in the pizza. The crust was a bit tough. I didn’t think it was spicy enough either. And you know me. I am not the queen of spicy hot foods. But I would like to taste some Italian herbs in my tomato sauce and a smattering of fennel seeds in my Italian sausage. It would be fun to have a pizza tasting at which you could compare Mama Mia’s, Venice Club, Marty’s, and just for kicks, throw in one from Balistreri’s (from 68th and Wells in ‘Tosa). All have thin crusts. I thought I liked all of them. But as of Saturday evening, I think I would cross Marty’s off the list.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Pedro's Mexican Food

Going out to eat every night is getting old. I didn’t think I’d ever say that. Eating out three meals a day for much of our 17-day trip to Africa didn't help. Perhaps the wait for our food at Pedro’s was the turning point. On a Friday evening – okay, granted they were busy – it took a half hour to get our food, after we had ordered. The Man Who Has More Patience Than Alan Greenspan (which is perhaps one reason he is still married to me) was noticeably annoyed. I will have to feed him at home a few times while he, and his wallet, cool down from the Africa trip and the new kitchen.

I’ve counted: Flemings is five restaurants away. If I don’t get there on this kitchenless adventure, I probably never will. The guys at The Man's office must talk about a few other tidbits at the sheepshead table, besides the score of the Packer/Brewer/Bucks games. Flemings' reputation as an expensive spot has been noted by The Man With The Wallet. My new kitchen's countertops are being installed on Wednesday. Then comes the installation of the tiled backsplash (with our daughter’s arty botanical tiles), then appliances and the sink. At that point I will have to admit that I have a functioning kitchen – even without the final wall painting and the final floor finishing. I think I will make it to Flemings.

There are big signs at Pedro’s noting that it offers a special deal for Packer fans: come and watch a Packer game, buy a margarita or a bloody Mary and get a free buffet breakfast. Their huge bar area with lots of tables and TVs was quiet on this Friday evening at 7 PM. Is that too early for the professionals to be hitting the bars?

Though the bar area had lots of empty space, the restaurant was quite full. There were many tables of extended families, with grandparents, parents and small children dining together. It’s a good spot for kids, if they like Tex-Mex food and don’t drink anything. We found that the beverages here are priced higher the other restaurants along Bluemound. Why would a Corona Lite cost $4.25 here, when I paid $3.79 for a Blue Moon beer at TGI Friday’s the night before and $3.25 for a Spotted Cow at Chin’s? Both of these are specialty beers, and in my opinion, more special than Corona Lite. What’s more, The Man had a Miller Lite here at Pedro’s, for which he paid $3.50. A Miller Lite for more than a Spotted Cow? What are they thinking?

The food was what you’d expect. The Cow Afficionado said that his Beef Chimichanga dinner ($11.49) was good. I snuck a sample of his refried beans, and I must say that they were much better than those I tried at the last two Tex-Mex places at which we ate along Bluemound – Qdoba and Mi Cucina. I ordered what Pedro’s menu calls a Stuffed Chicken Quesadilla ($9.49), which was tasty, but for an ala carte appetizer in a chain restaurant, I thought it was rather pricey. There was noticeable chicken in it and the tortilla had an interesting cheesy flavor. But my jet lag seems to be squelching my appetite at any normal dinner hour in Wisconsin, so I could only eat half of even this small portion of food. Either the jet lag or the long wait for our meal may be affecting the impartiality of my critique. But from this experience, I would not go back to Pedro’s. In comparing Mexican restaurants, I have said that I like Fiesta Garibaldi at Ruby Isle better than most. I should also mention that for a slightly longer drive, Taco Amigo in the Silvernail shopping center in Waukesha is the best Mexican food around, tied with Senor Tomas in Hartland – if you ask me. I wonder what they charge for a Corona?

Kitchenless in Brookfield

TGI Friday's

The Man had wiring to do in the Soon-To-Be Most-Beautiful-Kitchen-In-Brookfield before we could go out to dinner Thursday night. We were due to eat at the last stop before Calhoun Road on our inexorable journey of The Cuisine of Bluemound Road. This stop was TGI Friday’s. We used to go there occasionally. I know I like their Portabella Mushroom Sandwich, so I began drooling for it at about noon on Thursday.

We had to wait ten minutes for a table on Thursday evening at about 7:30 PM. I suggested we sit at the bar and have a glass of wine, but The Pepsi Man wrinkled his nose and didn’t bother to answer. So I suggested we sit at the bar and have a Diet Pepsi, which only elicited another wrinkled nose. I guess he just didn’t feel like sitting at this bar with me. If we were dating, instead of having been married for 40 years, I might have been insulted. But by now I do know The Man. The bar was excessively loud, with several TV’s blasting and with acoustics that are meant to make even a single timid voice fill a void the size of the Grand Canyon. The Man spends his day dealing with building owners and architects and blue prints (which I’ve noticed are no longer blue and are probably called something else now). What he needs after work is either 1) a small chamber orchestra playing a Brahm’s sonata, or 2) silence.

I checked out the bathroom while we waited for a table. And, Ta-Da! It was spotless! Amazing for such a busy night. The waste paper containers would need to be emptied soon, but when I stopped in, they were not quite full. The tile floor was clean; the sinks were clean; the toilets were clean. Hooray for Friday’s!

It took some deliberation on my part to change my order from the portabella sandwich I know I like to a salmon salad, but I was hungry for fish. And it turned out to be the right decision. The 2 small pieces of grilled salmon were served on a bed of mesclun lettuce dressed in a tasty vinaigrette with some grilled portabella slices ($8.99). It was delicious and just the right sized meal for no leftovers. I washed down my fish with a Blue Moon ($3.79 for a ridiculously large 16 oz. glass). Served with a slice of orange in it, the beer was a nice foil for the salmon and mushrooms. The Non-Seafood Eating Man had a Shredded Pork Sandwich with those skinny slices of deep fried onions smothering the barbequed pork ($8.29). It looked superb. I didn’t get to taste it, however, as The Red Meat Man wolfed it down before I could grab a bite. I did snatch one of his French fries and found them to be the best we’ve had on Bluemound – and that’s saying something, as fries are the side dish with many meals on Bluemound.

My luggage has finally shown up from Africa. Time for me to unpack and launder my summer clothes and pack them away. I've noticed that it is not summer in Wisconsin anymore.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Chin's and cabinets

I wonder if I can remember how to attach a photo of my new, partially installed cabinets. Hm.... Well, look at that, would ya! Aren't they gorgeous? And just wait until they have their stunning hardware installed.

I should have jet lag all the time. I can drink coffee all day and eat chocolate in the evening and still fall asleep the minute I hit the bed – or before. Last night I even stayed asleep until 6 AM – which is 1 PM in South Africa. And I would say I'm pretty perky today. Or at least as perky as is normal for me.

More Asian food was in order along Bluemound Road as we hit Chin’s Wednesday night. What a busy restaurant, considering that I previously didn’t even know it existed. There were many families with small children having dinner here. The inexpensive children’s menu ( a choice of four items each for $3.95) may be the attraction.

There is no ambiance to speak of at Chin's. It is a cold, bare place decorated with easily cleaned surfaces. It’s one of those places at which you could run a hose over everything at the end of the day. Including the bathroom, which I must admit was as clean as any I’ve visited on Bluemound. I would classify Chin’s menu as "Asian fusion." There are dishes that the menu reports are from Thailand, China, Vietnam, Japan and other Far Eastern locales. There are chopsticks on each table. This pleased The Man Who Likes To Show Off His Eating-With-Sticks Skills. I, personally, do not see the point. I can mess up a t-shirt using a fork.

As you walk to the counter to order your meal at Chin’s, there is a sign with instructions about how to go about this. The last sentence declares, "Forget the tip." Sweet music for tightwads.

As I’ve noticed often on Bluemound, there are a number of beers offered here and only two glasses of wine, each of the $3.00 variety. I had a Spotted Cow ($3.25), which, unfortunately, was served to me in a plastic glass. We are eating breakfast and lunch off of paper plates and cups at our home-sans-kitchen right now. It would be nice to be able to return to civilization when dining out. The Diet Pepsi Man poured himself his usual beverage-of-choice.

We shared an order of four Potstickers ($4). These were delivered to our table with our main dishes and were not even close to hot. Potstickers are small pancakes wrapped around some chicken and vegetables and pan fried. The best I could say is that the sweet sauce on them was tasty at any temperature. Without the experience of having eaten here before, The Man and I both thought the stir fries sounded interesting. I ordered a Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry and chose the Mandarin Orange Sauce to go with it ($6.95). This comes with plain rice, but I decided to substitute the Ten Ingredient Fried Rice for an additional $1.25 – and was glad I did so. My Man ordered the Pork Stir Fry with Teriyaki Sauce ($6.95) and brown rice. Both of our dishes were edible, though mine was very short on chicken. It reminded me of our recent Delta Airline food – if that gives you an idea of the quality. The Fried Rice was better. I will be polishing off the rest of it for lunch tomorrow.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Taste of India -- and South Africa

The lions, cheetahs and leopards didn’t chose to eat a wrinkled, kitchenless American for lunch, so I have returned, intact, from Africa. Though I am still kitchenless, progress, progress, progress has been made. Most of my gorgeous cherry cabinets are installed. The pantry is going to be just perfect for storing several cartons of Diet Pepsi for The Man, just as I’d hoped. The spice rack is nifty, should I ever cook again and need spices. The roll-out shelves in the lower cabinets will be helpful as I lose my agility for crawling on my beautiful-as-well-as-ecologically-sound new bamboo floor to reach the bread pans in the far corners of the bottom shelf. That is, if I lose my remaining brain cells and actually decide to bake bread sometime again.

So we arrived home after 33 hours of travel and immediately went to out to eat at Taste of India on Bluemound Road. The food at this restaurant is surprisingly similar to some restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa, whose cuisine is labeled "Cape Malay". There are some differences. The ambiance at Taste of India is quite elegant, considering it is located in the back corner of a Bluemound Road shopping center. It sports chandeliers, dark carpeting, white cloth napkins and crystal water glasses. The Cape Malay restaurant in Cape Town had fabulous views of mountains and oceans and had no need for interior ambiance. The Taste of India’s menu is far more extensive. (Actually, spending on all luxuries is far more extensive in the US.) Where the Taste of India has 78 main dish menu items, the Cape Malay restaurant at which we ate had perhaps ten. Our meal there was delicious with the identical appetizers as we ate here. Our meal here was also delicious. There it was served by two older women in colorful ethnic clothing; here it was served by two young Indian gentlemen dressed as American waiters. Cape Malay cuisine in South Africa implies that the establishment is Muslim, therefore no alcohol is served. The Taste of India has a wine list and several beers available.

We tried the two Indian wines on the Taste of India's wine list, a Chardonnay that The Man Who Drinks Only White Wine said was "pretty good," while I sipped the Indian Cabernet Sauvignon. I would call it "drinkable", with some tanins, but lacking intense or complex flavors. With our wine was served a Papadum, a large crisp wafer cooked with flavorful cumin seeds and three dipping sauces. We also enjoyed an order of Samosas ($2.95), those yummy pouches of potatoes and vegetables in a crisp, deep-fried, thin pastry shell. We had barely finished this appetizer when our dinner orders appeared. How is it possible to cook meals that fast? My Seekh Kabab ($13.95), somewhat dry ground lamb sausages served on a bed of steamed onions, was accompanied by a welcome, cool yogurt sauce. The Predictable Man dining with me ordered a medium spicy Chicken Curry ($10.95), though it must have been quite spicy indeed. I noticed that his Chardonnay disappeared quickly, as did a large glass of water. I sampled his meal bravely and found that the hot pepper taste did not drown out the taste of fresh ginger in this curry.

I was barely awake as we ate, but believe I enjoyed the Taste of India enough that I would recommend it to you. Though there were several other tables filled at 6:30 on this Tuesday evening, the service was fast and friendly. Oh yes.. The floor and sink in the ladies’ bathroom were not up to the standards of cleanliness of those in the restaurants in which we ate in South Africa. But, if memory serves me, I have definitely seen worse along Bluemound. And Cape Town is a bit of a distance to travel to for dinner.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Potbelly and Chili's

We’re packing. I have very few clothes in my closet that fit, which makes packing easier. The butter and cheese from Carrabba’s and Kopp’s has taken up residence on my body. The Man Who Actually Likes To Shop (YUK!) And Always Buys New Clothes Just Before We Travel just came home with six new pairs of slacks. Only four are for the trip, he says. But The Man Who Is Not Built Like Kareem Abdul Jabaar has to have all his clothes altered. I hate to sew. I won’t sew. I have put in a few zippers upside down and inside out in my day. I do not go through the humiliation any more. So The Man Who Owns The Official Milwaukee Tool Company Workshop also had to learn to use a sewing machine. He just shortened four pairs of slacks. Now we’re packing.

I still have two restaurants to tell you about before we leave the glamour of Bluemound Road tomorrow morning. Therefore I am going to cheat and put two restaurant reviews into one blog entry.

If it weren’t for this blog thing going on, I’m sure I would never have eaten at Potbelly. Just the name – I’ve got one of those already. Actually, I assumed the name was referring to pigs, as in pork, but it’s not. It’s all about old stoves. And other antiques that make the place look like an old-fashioned ice cream shop. Kind of cute, I guess. More importantly, it is spotless. Even the bathroom, which is decorated with those little, one-inch, hexagonal black-and-white tiles like my grandma’s house had. On the walls are hung those old Northern Tissue baby pictures. But then, you aren’t old enough to remember those.

Potbelly is a fast food place where you place your order at a counter, they put your sandwich together, and you pay up there. No tips, again. Happy Man. There are 11 sandwich choices (all $4.19) and four salads (all $5.29), a few soups and shakes and smoothies. What’s the difference between a shake and a smoothie? I had a boysenberry smoothie ($2.69), and it sure tasted like a shake to me. I chose a Tuna Salad Sandwich with Swiss cheese, tomatos, pickles and mayo, and The Meat Man had a Wreck Sandwich, which is a meaty affair of salami, roast beef, turkey and ham with Swiss cheese. The Man chose to dress his sandwich with tomatoes, oil and Italian seasoning. The bread on which these yummy affairs are served is a light whole wheat baguette, served crispy and warm.

We will be back. Potbelly’s is clean, it’s fast, it’s inexpensive and it’s tasty. What’s not to like?

Last night, after The Man Who Can Fix Anything messed around with some gas pipe or flexible tubing or something that will connect our new stove, we ate a late dinner at Chili’s. Chili’s has a huge menu. I just printed it out at home, as I do as part of my professional restaurant critic’s research. The menu, in computer-printable form, takes up 8 pages! If you can’t find something you like among all of these choices, go home. You aren’t hungry.

The first thing I noticed is that they define the heat of the different kinds of chili peppers that spice up many of their dishes. But, thankfully, not all of them. We chose to just order a sandwich. Goodness knows when The Man Who Likes His Burgers is going to get another one anytime soon. So he ordered the BBQ Ranch Burger($7.29), which comes with bacon, cheddar, and barbeque sauce. I had a Chili’s Cheesesteak Sandwich ($7.29). It is sliced steak grilled with lots of onions, bell peppers (my kind of peppers), mushrooms and melted provolone cheese. Hot (temperature only) and tasty.

As there are 3 red wines of dubious quality on the menu and 15 bottled beers (plus 3 on tap), I had a Corona with a lime slice. It was good with the sandwich, though I did have to ask for a glass. The place was clean – our waitress, Melanie, was sweeping up the crumbs under the tables as her clients left. A good sign.

We did not hang out and enjoy a second glass of beer. We leave for Africa tomorrow. I am in the throes of figuring out how to get our tripod, birding scope, binoculars and wildlife guides into our luggage. Do you think it’s okay to take salted nuts in a carry-on? It’s going to take us almost 24 hours on three flights to get to Johannesburg, and you know the airlines aren’t into feeding the multitudes who are bumping butts back in the cattle section.

I think there will be a few more restaurants to review when we get home – before I am cooking in The Most Beautiful Kitchen In Brookfield. Until then, I am still....

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Saffron Indian Bistro

This is my second blog entry today. I have some catching up to do before we are out of the country and off of Bluemound Road for a few weeks.

I’m trying to decide between packing hiking boots or sandals. In Kruger National Park in South Africa, where we will be for the first week of our trip, you are not allowed to get out of your car except in camps and picnic areas, which I assume means that these areas are safe for humans to eat food, not areas at which humans ARE the picnic. Should I take shorts or capris? I don't look too hot in either one after a month of restaurant food. Do I take rechargeable batteries, a charger and a converter – or just pack a bunch of AA batteries for my digital camera. Okay, I’d probably take the converter anyway, to run my travel hair dryer, just in case I decide I need to look spiffy enough for the lions to chose me for their luncheon menu. It’s so much easier just to stay home - -no decisions and one can eat out, not be eaten.

Next on my Bluemound Road restaurant route was supposed to be Wong’s Wok, but I decided it would be okay to skip ahead when friends offered to eat out with us. The Saffron Indian Bistro was a perfect choice for six of us dining together who were all willing to try a variety of their tempting-sounding Indian dishes. We sipped a bottle of Barossa syrah ($25) while discussing the choices and eventually decided on three appetizers, a soup, two breads, and three main dishes.

The breads were both Naan, the Indian flatbread that is seasoned and baked in a clay oven. We tried the Rosemary Naan and the Garlic Basil Naan, which was exceptionally good. The soup was a yellow lentil soup called Dal. It was a mild, but bright yellow dish which many of us enjoyed over some of the basmati rice that came with our meal. For appetizers we tried Bihari Palak Pakoda ($3.95), which I’d describe as deep-fried spinach and rice patties, Hara Kebab ($3.95) – again deep fried spinach patties, these filled with potatoes, and everyone’s favoritie, Shikampur Kebab ($5.95), delicious and quite spicy (but not too) lamb patties. These came with two sauces – the green one tasted of cilantro, but I’m sure was a combination of many herbs, and the other was the more common Indian yogurt sauce.

What fun, what fun to try so many flavors in one meal. Our main dishes were equally yummy: we chose two entres cooked in the Tandoor, the clay oven. The Tandoori Murgh ($13.95) is the traditional Chicken Tandoor, with its bright red barbeque seasonings. We ordered this entre medium hot, which was not too hot even for my dull northern-European palate. The Frontier Kebab ($15.95) is a delicous rack of lamb cooked to tender perfection in the Tandoor and marinated in yogurt with interesting and mysterious spices. We also ordered a rice-based dish with shrimp, lamb and chicken with fried onions and nuts called Khajuraho Biryani ($18.95). It was a perfect side dish on our meat entres.

There was some food leftover, but not much. Not enough that the Kitchenless Couple felt any compulsion about fighting for the leftovers. After we split the bill, each couple owed $45 for this evening filled with tantalizing flavors.

Saffron is a simple room in a strip mall, so ambiance is not the attraction. But apparently we are not the first to discover the good food here. On this Tuesday evening I counted 37 customers having dinner here, seated at 10 tables.

I am going to have to be more serious about this eating out every night when we get back from Africa, or we won’t even get to Calhoun Road before the kitchen is done. I counted. I think in the 4 weeks since our kitchen was demolished, we have eaten "in" only 5 times, either restaurant leftovers or at someone’s house or at a Badger football game. That’s pretty amazing – especially considering that this gastonomic extravaganza is being supported by The Man I Used To Call "The Tightwad."

Kitchenless in Brookfield

The Nickel Faucet

I was going to tell you about eating at Saffron Indian Bistro, but first you have to hear today's story: the story of The Faucet.

So we’re at my OLD friend, Pat’s, for dinner last weekend, when she shows me her new kitchen faucet. She lives in a practically new house, and already she has had new countertops installed and a new faucet. She also has painted walls new colors and has new wall hangings. She’s into decorating. Her house is beautiful.

Pat raves about her new faucet. Buying this Polished Nickel Forte Model Faucet by Kohler With The Pull Down Sprayer is the best thing she’s ever done, maybe even better than marrying Her Man – no, probably not. Pat and My Man Who Knows What He Likes In All Things Having To Do With Design agree on what they consider tasteful. I have no taste. My house has all white walls. No curtains; white mini-blinds, and that was my doing, not The Man’s. It’s a good story though...

I have a friend of Danish heritage who had no curtains and white walls in all rooms of her two story farmhouse in New Berlin. I liked the simplicity of it. So one day I took down our HUGE and ugly living room drapes and rods, rolled them up in a ball and threw them on the floor of the garage. It took The Man With Taste, But Who Is Averse To Change a few days to notice this infringement upon his rights to decorate the house. Which was just enough time for me to drive my car over the drapes a few times. The Man grumbled when he noticed the change. And then he grumbled some more. I offered to have the drapes cleaned and reinstall them, but by then The Man didn’t insist. I think he too liked the simplicity. So there still are no curtains hanging anywhere in my house, except in The Man's office.

Anyway, it’s very unusual for me to have an opinion about decorating except that I don’t want to have an opinion. So here was Pat, the arbiter of good taste, telling me that her faucet was the best thing since lannon stone and now granite. So I took the faucet back to Home Depot that The Man and I had chosen. After returning it, I found out that Home Depot didn’t have one like Pat’s. Which, by the way, just happens to be an outrageous $200 more(!) expensive than the one we had chosen.

But now I had made up my mind. I wanted that Polished Nickel Forte Model Faucet by Kohler With The Pull Down Sprayer. The Home Depot guy sent me to a plumbing supply place in Waukesha called Schoenenwaterer, or some such. They didn’t have the Polished Nickel Forte Model Faucet by Kohler With The Pull Down Sprayer either, but they could order it and have it by Thursday – which is today. I ordered it. I paid for it. Did I also want the polished nickel soap dispenser and the air lock, she asked. Pat had raved about her soap dispenser as well, so I ordered that too (another $70 I think). I asked what the halumpka is an air lock. She asked if I had a dishwasher - duh! - like I’d put in granite countertops and not have a dishwasher - and she said this thingy is required by code. I ordered the polished nickel air lock too.

Today I had a Waukesha County Park and Planning Commission meeting at the county courthouse. On the way home – no, actually, I forgot and drove home before I remembered that I was to pick up the faucet in Waukesha on my way home. So I drove back to Schoennendrinkers or whatever, where they told me my faucet wasn’t in, but would be in tomorrow. And that the soap dispenser would not be in until Monday.

I will be in Africa trying to avoid becoming lion snacks by Monday. We leave on Saturday. I have several sizes of luggage and mosquito repellent and Janet Evanovich books strewn all over my bed. Like I have time tomorrow to run back to Schookindingers.

So WHY, you are thinking, didn’t I just tell Elizabeth, the super kitchen designer at Cabinet Werks, to find the faucet I want? I have no answer to that, except that I’m not used to having slaves I can boss around. At this point my blood pressure is 392 over 260, and I don’t give a rip if we ever have a sink, let alone the Polished Nickel Forte Model Faucet by Kohler With The Pull Down Sprayer.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Pat's meatloaf vs Burger King

This is my bamboo floor. Isn't it gorgeous? And I even figured out how to send a picture -- after a couple of tries.

A dinner at OLD friends’ house kept us off of Bluemound Road on Saturday evening. These are such OLD friends, that Pat was my maid of honor and I was her’s, back when we could call ourselves "maids." Or pretended we could. She had read my blog about Boston Market, and when we arrived she was chuckling about what she was serving for dinner. It was meat loaf, made to The Man’s specifications using his (and my mother’s) favorite recipe from Betty Crocker’s cookbook. What a treat! With corn on the cob, oven browned potatoes and homemade rhubarb cake for dessert, it was the perfect home-cooked meal.

I was in a rush on Bluemound Road this noon, dashing between the kitchen faucet shop in Waukesha and my haircut appointment at Phases. So I stopped for lunch in the next restaurant on my list: Burger King. Oh, dear. It is a run down, old, not-too-clean fast food spot with a menu like McDonald’s of twenty years ago. Lots of people must like this fare. There were senior citizen couples eating there and a steady stream of young workmen like those who have been putting up drywall and installing flooring in my kitchen. The menu is almost all burgers and other fried sandwiches. As I don’t usually do burgers – unless they are buffalo burgers off of my grill – I ordered a salad, so I could compare it to McDonald’s. Burger King has two salads (each $4.99). They are basically the same, but one has grilled chicken on it, the other deep fried chicken. I ordered the grilled. It had a large portion of nice, fresh-looking romaine lettuce, a few tasty slices of tomatoes, several of those small carrots (not cut up -- how do you eat them with a plastic fork?), some grated soft cheeses, and a grilled chicken breast -- in a bag. Really. The chicken comes separately, hot, in its own paper pouch. I dumped it from its bag onto my salad, poured on some of the lite Italian dressing I’d ordered and stirred up the salad with my plastic fork. That was a mistake. The lettuce beneath the nice green, crisp stuff on the top was brown and gooky (professional restaurant reviewer terminology used to describe ancient greens). I ate the chicken, the cheese (of course) and a few bites of greenery and then dashed off to visit the plumbing. Another mistake. No overflowing waste containers, but the sink was totally disgusting. In the twenty years this joint has been open, no one has ever scoured the sink.

I washed my hands at my favorite beauty shop and swore to go to McDonald’s for my future fast food salads.

Not wishing to mess up my spiffy hair by working in the garden, I decided I'd give you a blow-by-blow description of which items are necessities to keep available when you decide to go kitchenless in your house. It’s amazing how few items you really need, if you just eat dinner out every night. Looking over my supply of sunroom stuff today, I realized that I had kept available way more items than I will ever use. What was I thinking I would cook in a casserole dish? Over what was I planning to grate cheese for which I’d need the grater? The food scale? Do I need to know how many ounces of raisin bran I’m pouring into my styrofoam bowl?

Here’s that list of the additional stuff that I should have packed off into my basement storage dump with the mixmaster and the cookbooks: the slow cooker, the blender, the indoor grill (these items would be impossible to clean in the bathroom sink), corn on the cob holders, ketsup, dip mixes, soda crackers for soup, and all spices. Dill weed, for goodness sake? Tumeric?

The items I actually use are: wine, 4 wine glasses (in case you drop in to enjoy the graciousness of our bomb shelter/ sunroom), a corkscrew, plastic flatware, paper plates, vitamins, nuts, cereal, olive oil, vinegar, tuna, splenda, coffee and coffee maker, 2 coffee cups, one paring knife, and fruit. And a few pieces of real silverware, because I can’t seem to manage to eat my salad for lunch with a plastic fork without slopping it on myself or to make a sandwich with a plastic knife for The Man Who Plays Sheepshead On His Lunch Hour. Honestly, that’s IT. You can exist on these items, plus a few things in the refrigerator, like lunch meat, mayo, salad ingredients, milk, orange juice and bottled water. And maybe a little ice cream in the freezer to keep you out of Kopp’s on a daily basis.

Not Floor-less, but still
Kitchenless in Brookfield

My Man at Heinemann's

"Actually, it’s a pretty spry crowd here," The Man stated, as we were seated at Heinemann’s. "What’s your definition of ‘spry’?" I asked. "No walkers," he replied. That about sums up the clientele, including The Man and me, who were attracted to this classic Milwaukee spot for breakfast on Sunday morning.

You can see why Heinemann’s has such a good reputation. The menu is extensive, the food is reminiscent of Mom’s in the 50's (at least it’s what we wish hers was), the prices are reasonable, the place is cheerful and the service is very good. I noticed that our waitress was telling some of her customers about her new dorm room at college and how much she misses her parents. Smart girl. We would all leave a Big Tip after being told we are missed.

What a huge menu just for breakfast! I counted 6 different homemade pancakes, 10 egg items, plus 7 different omelets, 8 ‘healthy’ items and 6 French toasts and waffles. I would like to try them all. Let’s see - that would be 37 days of going out for breakfast. Dream on, woman.

I have ordered the baked oatmeal when I’ve come here for breakfast previously (with friends). It’s a great recipe. I’ve also enjoyed the "energy breakfast." I actually called Heinemann's and got the recipe years ago. It is dry oatmeal that’s mixed with vanilla yogurt and applesauce, refrigerated overnight, and then layered with granola and fruit. However, I was disappointed with it the last time I ordered it, because the fruit they chose was canteloupe, which doesn’t blend as well with oatmeal as berries or even pieces of apples or pears. Heinemann’s own cinnamon coffee cake is delicious too, and, made into French toast, it’s like having dessert in the morning.

But I have been desperate for eggs. Well.... okay. Not desperate. Hungry for an egg. We have eggs seldom when I am cooking, but now that I can’t cook, an egg seems like such a treat. That’s why I had to drag The Man Who Would Rather Not Waste Valuable Lawn Mowing Time going out to a restaurant for breakfast. I ordered ‘Susie’s Breakfast’ - a fried egg topped with cheese (that magic word), served on a patty of turkey breakfast sausage and toast. I wouldn’t rave about it. Boring white, unbuttered toast was the base of the pile. Perched on was a huge chunk of sausage, then the egg and cheese. But after I disassembled the pile, the egg with the slice of real cheese melted on it was just what I craved. The 50's Man ordered Heinemann’s Special: a mountain of eggs scrambled with bits of ham, lots of good, hot hash browns and 2 slices of whole wheat toast. Quite a meal.

"So, this is your kind of place: good cheap food," I commented. He popped up with, "Are you kidding? Seven bucks for breakfast?" Obviously this is not HIS idea of cheap. Isn’t it interesting that he wouldn’t have a clue how much a dozen of eggs costs in a grocery store, nor does he know, or care, that I buy the expensive, cage-free, organic eggs. Or that I’d have to buy a chunk of ham to make this breakfast, and we won’t even go into the inexpensive, but lots-of-work hash browned potatoes. The Man never complains that I’m spending too much on groceries. But give that money to a restaurant – now that’s a different kettle of fish. So I reminded him, oh, so gently (of course), of those costs. He then agreed, grudgingly, that this meal was probably worth it. "So are you actually willing to go out for breakfast occasionally even after I have a kitchen?" I asked, pushing him just a tad. The Man replied, "Maybe if we’re out of power – or it’s your birthday."

I made sure he saw me write that down.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Olive Garden - more good stuff

It was Friday evening in Brookfield. Trying to get a seat in a restaurant on Bluemound is like trying to get one at Lambeau on a Sunday afternoon. So the minute The Man came home from work, we hit Olive Garden at 5:15. That’s early even for Wisconsinites. The parking lot was almost empty. There were tables and more tables available. Still, when I stopped in the ladies room on the way in, though it has gorgeous tiles and nice fixtures, what do you suppose I found? Yep. An overflowing waste container, paper everywhere. Even George Webb’s has a policy that the waiters must clean up the bathrooms when their shift is done. So what’s with the Olive Garden? I mentioned it to a manager on our way out; she assured me she’d deal with it. But by then, I’d gone home.

Olive Garden is light and spacious, lots of room between tables. It is all tables; no booths. The Man Whose Legs Are Somewhat Shorter Than Kareem Abdul Jabar’s prefers a table. I prefer it when dining with four people (which we weren’t this evening – who else would eat so early?) because you aren’t bumping butts (and squashing purses) with anyone.

I glanced at the wine list, though this brightly lit restaurant does not seem the kind of place in which you'd lounge about with a glass of wine. There wasn’t a wine that was tempting, except for the bottle of Barolo for $65, which The Man Who Drinks Only White Wine And Actually Prefers Diet Pepsi would not have shared with me – and it would have been exceedingly unlikely that I could have talked him into oiling up The Over-Exercised Wallet so it would open that far without creaking. Olive Garden pushes an unknown house wine. I can’t judge it without trying it, and I wouldn’t waste The Man’s wallet on a glass of totally unknown, cheap wine.

The food, on the other hand, is very good. The Man Who Prefers Italian To Any Cuisine But Mine Or My Mother’s (you notice, I didn’t say His Mother’s) ordered spaghetti with meat sauce ($9.75). He said it was very comparable to his absolute favorite spaghetti, which is from Venice Club. I chose Grilled Shrimp Caprese ($15.50). It was a delicious pile of angel hair pasta with 10 large grilled shrimp piled on it and some tomatoes and mozzerella cheese in a garlic butter sauce. I ate half. There’s a good lunch for tomorrow. We shared a bowl of Olive Garden’s famous salad, though in my opinion (and that's what you get here) their tasty vinaigrette seems a waste on boring iceberg lettuce.

Though I drooled over the luscious looking dessert menu, I could hear my mother’s voice from the grave agreeing with The Tightwad that if I couldn’t clean my plate, I had no business blowing "good money" on dessert. So much for Black Tie Mousse Cake – Jeanne, it had your name on it – chocolate cheesecake with chocolate cake and chocolate mousse and oh, yum.

I’ve been forgetting to check out the bars in our last few establishments. Bonefish was the one I noticed. It had an attractive bar area with a TV for rooting for the Brewers-now-Badgers/Packers, and maybe Monsoon did too. But Olive Garden’s bar did not have TV and seemed to be just a dining area for smokers.

The restaurant manager stopped at our table to ask if all was well -- a gesture that I appreciate. She also gave us a survey to fill out and a four dollar coupon. The Man pocketed that puppy in a hurry, just in case I might ever insist on dining out again after the kitchen is done. Ever.

So I’m enjoying it while it lasts...
Kitchenless in Brookfield

Carrabba's is Snazzy

Carrabba’s has the same dark, romantic feel of Bonefish Grill next door. Both of these chain restaurants are owned by Outback Steak House, but the similarity ends with the ambiance. The lighting is arranged so well that only the tables are lit, just as in Bonefish. The bar in Bonefish is very cool -- and I forgot to notice it in Carrabba's. WELL-- I'm not a pro at this, you know. Carrabba’s is decorated with old, black-and-white, presumably Italian, family photos on the walls.

We went to Carrabba’s with friends who eat in one of this chain of restaurants often when they vacation in Florida. We met at our semi-functioning house to share a glass of vino and to show off our kitchen demolition. Our friends and The Man Who Occasionally Drinks A Glass Of White Wine enjoyed a bottle of Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells Reisling while sipped a glass of Clos du Bois red zinfandel – drinkable. Their Reisling was more interesting, with an exceptionally long finish for a white wine, in my opinion (and that’s the only one you’re going to get). At Carrabba’s our friends were pleased to see that the Brookfield branch of this restaurant had a Reisling on their menu. He sampled that and found it drinkable, while she had a glass of very tasty Blue Moon Belgian Wheat Beer ($4.75) that was served with a slice of orange.

With our drinks some nice, hot bread was served with olive oil and a mixture of herbs to mix in. The herbs are peppery and tasty, but there were not enough of them. The four of us dipped them away and had to order more. I believe I enjoyed the pesto in the olive oil at Bonefish more than these dried herbs. I guess I’ll just have to go back and try it again to refresh my memory...

The Man Who Enjoys, And Even Remembers, Every Bite Of Italian Food He Has Eaten (which is more than you can say for most of his wife’s cooking) ordered something he remembered eating often when we visited Italy – Quatro Fromagio Pizza ($9.49)(I’ll tell you that means Four Cheese Pizza, but I don’t’ mean to insult your translating ability. Not all schools were as good as yours, you know.). The Man was so pleased to see it on a menu here, and then so disappointed that it wasn’t better. Crust too thick, not enough cheese, no tomato sauce, just a few sun-dried tomatoes, and the cheeses weren’t quite the combination he rememebered from Italy.

I ordered a caprese salad with my dinner of Spiedino di Mare - supposedly shrimp and sea scallops grilled and topped with lemon butter ($16.75), but mine was all scallops - which was fine with me. They were fabulous. Slightly breaded and grilled to perfection. For my side dish I had broccoli, also a good-sized, well-cooked portion. The caprese salad was a meal-sized portion, however, so I could have been happy just with that. There must have been a whole, large ball of fresh mozzerella in the salad. I actually like my own caprese salad better, however. Carrabba’s serves theirs with pesto as the dressing and very little basil on the salad. I prefer lots of fresh basil and just olive oil on my tomatoes, basil and cheese. Picky, picky...

One of our friends ordered Chicken Bryan ($14.99), which is a rich, delicious whole grilled chicken breast topped with two huge scoops of soft goat cheese and grilled, with a basil lemon butter sauce. It is outstanding, if way too much food. And she had the Pasta Weesie ($13.99), made of shrimp, mushrooms and scallions on fettucine alfredo – and talk about rich! Even The Man Who Is Cooking Averse could create food that tasted good by using THAT much butter. Both of them had a Caesar salad with their meals. And all of us, except The Italian-Eating Pizza Man brought home doggy styro containers.

The ambiance is lovely, the seating is gracious, but I’d put Bonefish Grill above Carrabba’s as a more-or-less regular dining spot, because the food at Carrabba’s is too rich, too calorie-laden. Of course, I could just order less of it... And, though you could never beat the service we had at Bonefish, the company at Carrabba’s was more entertaining (which is not the fault of the restaurant, but of all of you who have not yet joined us for dinner on Bluemound).

Kitchenless in Brookfield

It’s Monsoon Season on Bluemound

Actually we haven’t had enough rain in Brookfield to keep my garden happy. I should be out there comforting the chrysanthemums, but I have all this eating and writing to do.

I fell behind on this blog-writing, because I had to get out the newsletter for the Waukesha County Land Conservancy. And do so without ending up in divorce court. The Man Who Loves Weird And Difficult Computer Programs Like The Printer’s Program, Quark, is also The Man Who Cannot Spell or Punctuate. I, on the other hand, would rather shoot myself in the head than sit and watch The Man move a title over .1 millimeter or create a vertical block in which to write a photo caption and check out what it will look like in 62 different fonts. But if I don’t watch, The Man would never put a period at the end of a sentence. I am not making that up. He actually glares at me when I tell him that the caption, “Tom touches Tina’s tush,” is a complete sentence and must have a period at the end. (This sentence does not actually appear in this newsletter.)

This issue of the Land Letter is now in the hands of Lithoprint. There was no divorce this time, but yesterday chose to go out to lunch with our attorney – just to keep him at the ready...

We lunched at the oh-so-classy Monsoon. I got there early to check out the ladies facilities. Wow! This one is way nicer than either of my facilities at home. I even noticed the beveled edge on the granite countertop and the gorgeous earth-toned floor tile. I’m SO hip about the latest trends in decorating. If you go to Monsoon, use the bathroom. You might want to bring your camera for future remodeling ideas. No... maybe not...

What a great place to go for lunch. The reddish wood tables, gold walls, the wall-mounted waterfalls, the really cool, oriental-styled cloth covers on the light fixtures, all add up to a stunning, modern atmosphere. Though the Emperor’s Kitchen may be more authentic-ly Chinese, both in style and menu, it is one big, characterless room, while Monsoon is beautiful.

Though not quite as exciting as Bonefish’s menu, it is fun just to read Monsoon’s menu. “Orange beef: Stir-fried beef with a succulent orange sauce over julienne vegetables.” That one is $13. Some of the meals have a price for lunch and one for dinner. The Grilled Salmon Salad, which I’ve eaten here before, and love, has goat cheese (yum), pecans and mandarin oranges, is $8 for lunch and $11 for dinner. I’ve also previously ordered the appetizer of Crab Rangoons, wontons filled with crab, cream cheese and spices and served with a mango dipping sauce for $8. Are these actually Chinese foods? Perhaps the wontons... So if you care about authenticity in your ethnic food, Monsoon isn’t for you. It reminds me of PF Chang’s menu.

I ordered the Chicken, Cabbage, Onion and Cilantro Spring Rolls with a Black Bean sauce ($8). It was to die for! Three large spring rolls, crisp and hot, with a delicious sauce and served on a chopped salad. The Attorney Man I Was With had barbeque shrimp, a ample portion of shrimp in a somewhat spicy barbeque sauce that he said was exceptionally good, served on rice. I think it was $10, but, I’m a lousy reviewer. I was so busy sucking up my Spring Rolls, I failed to notice.

Meanwhile, back in my kitchenless house, my bamboo flooring was just delivered. (By the cutest, curly-haired young guy - gee, this remodeling stuff is fun. Tubeworm, he reminded me of your eldest son.) The dry-wall guys will finish their work today – I have walls! And the flooring will be installed on Monday and Tuesday.

If you remodel your kitchen, call Cabinet Werks. They see to it that there is always someone ‘werking’.

I am having so much fun going out to eat every day, I almost wish the project would slow down. (I didn’t say that, Mike.) Tonight we will dine with good friends at Carrabba’s. Maybe that’s why I’m so pleased with this remodeling project right now. This reviewer is at a classy part of Bluemound Road's restaurant scene.

Kitchenless in Brookfield

Bonefish Grill Now Leads the Pack

I’ve found another GREAT spot to dine on Bluemound! Bonefish Grill. Let’s start with the wine list. The first thing I noticed on the lengthy list was Caymus cabernet sauvignon. The best wine I’ve ever drunk was a bottle of Caymus at a restaurant meal to which a lighting fixture salesman treated us – back in the days when salesmen would take their clients and spouses (that would be me) out occasionally. And here it was again, on Bluemound Road at the Bonefish Grill for a mere $94 a bottle. I price Caymus when I see it at liquor stores. It’s always over $75.

We didn’t order it.

But the Man Who Is Seafood Averse suggested – HE actually suggested! – that we split an order of the crab cakes appetizer ($9.90). Does he love me, or WHAT? After sampling his portion, The Man said this crab cake was as good as any he’s ever eaten (he has limited experience in this category of food, but he has tried crab cakes occasionally when I make frozen ones at home). These came with two sauces, both of which were beyond my spice tolerance. But there was so much tasty crab in the cakes that who needs sauce?

Another appetizer at Bonefish that sounds tempting is the bacon-wrapped sea scallops with mango salsa ($9.90). But these I can make at home (in a kitchen with appliances, of course).

I had a glass of Bridgeview “Blue Moon” pinot noir ($8.50) with the crab cakes, while The Man had a glass of beer. (I forgot to ask what kind – I’m a lousy reviewer. I can only do a couple of things at a time, and sip wine and eat crab cakes about takes care of that.) There were 11 beers on the menu – and 44 wines – by the glass! This is an amazing number of bottles to have open. Bonefish must be serving many wine-drinkers to keep that many open bottles fresh. And my pinot was perky and delicious – obviously just opened and a perfect choice with my appetizer and my dinner.

While we studied the menu, our waiter, Omar, brought us a basket of hot, crisp crusted bread and some great pesto that he mixed at our table with olive oil for dipping. I make a mighty fine pesto (my recipe follows – and this one was deliciously heavy on the basil. Omar mentioned that in addition to the usual Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, Bonefish’s pesto is made with Kalamata olives, another of my favorite foods (besides all kinds of cheese).

After a lengthy conversation with Omar about the many delicious-sounding menu items, I decided on grilled Arctic Charr with a side of vegetables-do-die-for in a butter sauce ($16.40). Charr, Omar explained, is a mild salmon. Doesn’t that sound interesting? There are many interesting choices on the menu, including ten kinds of grilled fish, each with four possible sauces. This is another menu that a foodie, like me, would just like to take home and browse through while soaking in a hot bath. While I tried to decide between two of the sauces, Omar suggested that he would bring two sauces for me on the side – the Mediterranean sauce and the lemon butter sauce. The lemon butter sauce was perfect. I wanted to taste this mild fish and even the herb-laden Mediterranean sauce hid the flavor of the perfectly cooked fish filet.

Bonefish has a pleasantly dark, glamorous atmosphere, with tables far enough apart and the acoustics such that you cannot hear the conversations of the neighboring tables. What added to the gracious feeling of the restaurant was the charming Omar. Bonefish must have a policy requiring the wait staff to sample all menu items. Omar could tell us which herbs were in which recipes, how large were the portions, etc. When The Man Who Loves His Cow Meat ordered a 6 oz. tenderloin filet and said he wanted it to have a hot center, it was cooked perfectly. Omar also brought us a small sample of the soup of the day, a Crab and Corn Chowder with potatoes. It tasted mostly of fresh corn and was light and lovely.

I know I’m going on and on about this restaurant. But I was SO impressed, so pleased with everything here. I don’t think I need to tell you that the bathroom was as lovely as the restaurant. It was. Bonefish Grill now ranks as #1 on my list so far, replacing Louise’s by a hair. Or maybe it’s a tie for the #1 spot. Perhaps if I had just come here for dinner one night, I would not be so enthused, but after all the mediocre meals we’ve eaten in the last few weeks and the less-than-stunning ambiance of many establishments, Bonefish was such a treat. We did spend $69.31, and we would not do that every night.

But would that we could!

Kitchenless in Brookfield

My Pesto Recipe:

3-4 packed cups of basil leaves (I have some to share in my garden, if you need it)
4-5 good-sized garlic cloves, peeled and cut in pieces
1 cup pine nuts (can use walnuts, if pine nuts are out of your budget this year)
1 cup best-quality olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
salt and freshly grated pepper to taste (I like lots of both)

Combine basil, garlic and nuts in food processor. With motor running, slowly add olive oil. Shut off motor. Add cheeses, salt and pepper. Process briefly to combine. Cover and store in refrigerator. It can be frozen. Makes 2 cups, or enough to sauce 2 lbs of pasta. When using on pasta, heat and thin with heavy cream.

Boston Market -- 50's Food

Boston Market would be one of the places at which The Man Who Considers All Herbs “Funky” should be able to eat happily. A 50's sort of place. A Macaroni and Cheese, Meatloaf, Green Bean Casserole sort of place.

The way it works it that you choose an entre and then, right in the compartments of your divided plastic plate are plopped two side dishes of your choice, plus cornbread. The main dish selection is not huge: chicken, sirloin, turkey, meatloaf, and chicken pot pie, ranging in price from $5 to $11, depending on the size of the portion you order. There are 14 side dishes to choose from. The clientele, which included many families with small children, are taking advantage of the children’s portions of the entres for $3.49.

The Man Who Married Me To Be Closer To My Mother’s Meatloaf ordered – tada! -- meatloaf, with sweet potatoes and green bean casserole ($6.49). I ordered 5 oz. of Roast Turkey with sweet potatoes and creamed spinach ($7.29). These items are all on display in a chrome steam table, at which the waiters scoop up your choices and slap them on your plate. It reminded me of lunches at Liz Waters dormitory when I was in college. Same food, even.

The first thing The Man said after taking a bite of his sweet potatoes was, “Well, we won’t have to order dessert.” There was as much sugar in those sweet potatoes as there would be in sweet potato pie. The next thing he said was, “Whoa. This meat isn’t warm.” “Is it cold?” I asked. “No, it’s just slightly above room temperature.” I tasted my turkey with gravy. It was the same tepid temperature. YIKES! This is the scarey part about eating in restaurants of all kinds every night. Somewhere there could be food poisoning or some bacteria lurking in your salad or gravy. I ate a small amount of my main dish and left the rest. We did not get sick – praise be to the gods of cafeterias everywhere. I ate all of the spinach, which was hot and rich and delicious. Did your mother make creamed vegetables, like creamed peas and creamed broccoli? Mine did. This creamed spinach started with onions sauteed in butter – lots of it. That butter was the main ingredient in the white sauce that smothered the chopped spinach. I consumed ample fats and calories just eating the creamed spinach. The cornbread was a disappointment -- a dry concoction of too much flour and not enough cornmeal.

A final note: the bathroom was clean, but they could wash the outside of the waste container sometime.

If Boston Market would be more careful of the temperature at which their food is served (and his parents would allow it), our 4-year-old grandson would love this food. His tastes tend to run in line with his grandpa’s, though the little one is far more adventurous. He’ll even eat scallops, praise be!

Kitchenless in Brookfield