This would be Tess, the Tub, reporting to you from Kopp’s restaurant on Bluemound and Brookfield Road. Oh, my. Do they make good, but calorie-laden food! It’s been three hours since we ate at Kopp’s and I’m still tempted to lie flat on my back and groan.
So tonight it was a lovely 80 degrees and no humidity – perfect weather for al fresco dining. West of Brookfield Road there were two restaurants I was still compelled to report from: Kopp’s and Emperor’s Kitchen. The Emperor has no al fresco seating. Winter is long. We chose Kopp’s.
Oh, the agony of decision: do I order a Sprecher root beer float (with frozen custard, of course) ($2.40) or wait till after I eat my fish sandwich and have a scoop of my favorite flavor at Kopp’s – turtle sundae? Float or cone, float or cone... Such a trauma. Eventually I decided on the root beer float, figuring that Kopp’s will again have turtle sundae custard on Sept 28th (it’s on their flavor-of-the-day list) – though I doubt my digestive system will recover sufficiently by then.
Kopp’s patio was busy at 6 PM. The Man With The Patience Of A Great Blue Heron Waiting For His Fish Dinner To Swim By waited for our food order to be prepared while I grabbed one of the last available tables outside, overlooking all of Bluemound Road’s scenic beauty. It’s odd. I’m getting accustomed to the traffic noise. It actually seemed pleasant tonight. The patio has a narrow bed of flowers – petunias mostly – surrounding it. The tables are of some manmade stone-like material, and tonight they weren’t even sticky.
The food and The Hungry Man joined me shortly. My fish sandwich ($2.70) and his cheeseburger ($3.60) were HUGE. The buns (soft, uninteresting affairs) were about 5 inches across. The fish was a large, square slab, very generously breaded and crisply deep-fried. I ordered tartar sauce and cheese (of course) on it. Good choices. It was yummy. What’s not to like about fat on fat on carbs? The cheeseburger was judged to be – believe-it-or-not – better than McDonald’s, said The Gourmet Man. He’s becoming so discerning. I tasted the burger and was unimpressed, though the fried onions were ample and tasty. I think my George Webb’s bacon double cheeseburger was better somehow. It’s probably the bacon. What’s not to like with fat on fat on fat with salt – and carbs? The Man managed to eat part of an order of onion rings (generic, with more heavy breading for $1.95) and a chocolate malt ($2.70) with his meal. We had to eat fast to consume that many calories in one sitting. Boy-oh-boy, was I stuffed! Good thing I worked in my garden for about three hours today. How many calories can you burn off digging up and dividing daylilies that are growing in clay soil? Probably not enough.
Far from hungry while
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Qdoba before Africa
The Working Man Who Finally Has A Decent Amount Of Vacation Time and I are leaving for South Africa in less than three weeks. I should be excited. Why do airplanes crash just before I am scheduled to take off on a sojourn across the ocean? It’s a height thing. I am not even fond of ladders. I am not convinced airplanes should be up there anyway. I used to require several Bloody Marys to get me on an airplane. But now my kids live far away. I had to get over it. Sort of.
Why am I writing this? Oh, yea. The plane crash in the far east. I’m going in the other direction. Does that matter?
Forget about airplanes. Time to eat. Another fast food spot. Another Mexican restaurant. Qdoba. No waiters. One orders at the counter. While not gracious, that also means no tip, which always pleases The Man With The Wallet. But ambiance there isn’t. The restaurant is loud, cold, with metal tables that make it seem even colder while showing every splash and fingerprint, and with crud spilled on the carpet, even though we arrived at 6PM on Monday evening. We were eating early because The Man had a tennis game this evening and hoped to digest a bit before his turn to serve.
The menu at Qdoba, like most fast food joints, is printed on the wall above where you order. It isn’t long. There are a number of burritos, nachos, some tacos, some salads. While I do occasionally eat burritos, I prefer my tortillas fried somewhat. So I decided on a Grilled Chicken Salad with Mango Salsa in a taco shell bowl, while The Man Who Better Tolerates Spicy Foods ordered Three Shredded Beef Tacos with hot sauce. He had five levels of “heat” to choose from in his sauce. He ordered “hot,” the middle level. Though the sauce was very thin and drippy, he reported it was good. As you already know, I don’t do “hot,” so you’ll have to trust his judgement on this. Neither of us likes crunchy, store-bought corn tortillas, so he ordered his tacos in flour tortillas. However, these were not warmed or fried at all. The meat was good, the sauce was good, there was plenty of lettuce, but the cheese was the usual Mexican “queso”, which translates into “tasteless sort-of-cheese stuff”. My grilled chicken had a nice smokey taste, and the mango salsa was sweet and yummy with it. There was also romaine lettuce and a pinch of the tasteless cheese in my tortilla shell bowl.
It isn’t the food that would prevent me from returning to Qdoba. It is the total lack of graciousness. Most of the customers who came in while we were eating ordered take-out food. What a swell idea. Because Qdoba SO lacks charm, we ordered, ate and were back in our car in 20 minutes. So much for digestion.
By the way, the bathroom was one of the cleanest I’ve seen on Bluemound Road. How’s that for a surprise?
Just beginning to dream of cooking again, when I’m no longer
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Why am I writing this? Oh, yea. The plane crash in the far east. I’m going in the other direction. Does that matter?
Forget about airplanes. Time to eat. Another fast food spot. Another Mexican restaurant. Qdoba. No waiters. One orders at the counter. While not gracious, that also means no tip, which always pleases The Man With The Wallet. But ambiance there isn’t. The restaurant is loud, cold, with metal tables that make it seem even colder while showing every splash and fingerprint, and with crud spilled on the carpet, even though we arrived at 6PM on Monday evening. We were eating early because The Man had a tennis game this evening and hoped to digest a bit before his turn to serve.
The menu at Qdoba, like most fast food joints, is printed on the wall above where you order. It isn’t long. There are a number of burritos, nachos, some tacos, some salads. While I do occasionally eat burritos, I prefer my tortillas fried somewhat. So I decided on a Grilled Chicken Salad with Mango Salsa in a taco shell bowl, while The Man Who Better Tolerates Spicy Foods ordered Three Shredded Beef Tacos with hot sauce. He had five levels of “heat” to choose from in his sauce. He ordered “hot,” the middle level. Though the sauce was very thin and drippy, he reported it was good. As you already know, I don’t do “hot,” so you’ll have to trust his judgement on this. Neither of us likes crunchy, store-bought corn tortillas, so he ordered his tacos in flour tortillas. However, these were not warmed or fried at all. The meat was good, the sauce was good, there was plenty of lettuce, but the cheese was the usual Mexican “queso”, which translates into “tasteless sort-of-cheese stuff”. My grilled chicken had a nice smokey taste, and the mango salsa was sweet and yummy with it. There was also romaine lettuce and a pinch of the tasteless cheese in my tortilla shell bowl.
It isn’t the food that would prevent me from returning to Qdoba. It is the total lack of graciousness. Most of the customers who came in while we were eating ordered take-out food. What a swell idea. Because Qdoba SO lacks charm, we ordered, ate and were back in our car in 20 minutes. So much for digestion.
By the way, the bathroom was one of the cleanest I’ve seen on Bluemound Road. How’s that for a surprise?
Just beginning to dream of cooking again, when I’m no longer
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Monday, September 17, 2007
Quiznos and kitchens
A kitchen milestone: we passed an inspection today. The electrical inspector was here. He apparently at one time owned a business that competed with the electrical contracting company that My Engineer Man works for. Oh, my. I got to practice my discretion and humility, probably not attributes for which I am famous. Mr Inspector said, “They got it right in Europe. There they make engineers not only go to school for four years, but they have to work in the field for two years before they get a license.” I said, “But My Man did not DO the wiring. An electrician from his company did.” He said, “Those big companies may know how to do commercial wiring, but that doesn’t mean they know anything about residential work.” About now I decided it would be wise to keep my mouth shut, which is also not something I’m famous for. I smiled sweetly and told Mr Inspector Man how much I appreciated his vast wisdom.
We passed the inspection. Mr. Inspector Man will be back for the final inspection when everything is done. I think I’ll be busy that day. Mike can deal with him.
More submarine sandwiches today. Actually, I decided on a salad at Quiznos. I’ve been missing vegetables in all this eating out, especially in these fast food places. I mentioned this on the phone to my Virginia daughter, the potter who travels a lot to art shows all over the country. She offered that Quiznos has some good salads. Though she suggested one that had warm chicken and warm bacon, our Bluemound Road establishment did not have any salads with warm ingredients. But I still ordered the Roasted Chicken Salad ($5.99). It was good sized, but not so huge that I couldn’t eat the whole thing. The combination of romaine, roasted chicken, bacon, ham, cheddar (I didn’t find much of that), red onion and tomato with a tasty, honey mustard dressing hit my vegetable-deprived spot. The Man Who Must Have Been Italian In Another Lifetime ordered the Italian sub sandwich ($5.59). The grilled bun looked yummy, and the combination of pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage, ham, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and red wine vinaigrette dressing hit his meat-lovin’ taste buds too.
Other things we noticed at Quiznos:
1) The guy working behind the counter was friendly and helpful, even though we showed up at 7:45 PM, and they are supposed to close at 8 on Sundays. He did not rush us.
2) I initially asked for a Cobb Salad, but they were out of hard boiled eggs. We asked for small soft drinks, and they were out of small cups. He did not charge us for the larger cups ($1.29 for a small soda). They were also out of the flatbread that is supposed to come with the salads.
3) The bathroom (there is one shared by all) has different issues than usual. Though the waste container was not overflowing and the floor was reasonably clean, the sink looked like it had never been scoured.
4) The ice maker in the machine that dispensed soft drinks wasn’t working, and the drinks it dispensed were warm. There was clumpy ice to scoop for yourself in a styrofoam cooler next to the drink machine.
Still, I might consider this when on the road sometime. But while in Brookfield, I have already found many better places to eat (for a price, of course).
Wired safely, but still
Kitchenless in Brookfield
We passed the inspection. Mr. Inspector Man will be back for the final inspection when everything is done. I think I’ll be busy that day. Mike can deal with him.
More submarine sandwiches today. Actually, I decided on a salad at Quiznos. I’ve been missing vegetables in all this eating out, especially in these fast food places. I mentioned this on the phone to my Virginia daughter, the potter who travels a lot to art shows all over the country. She offered that Quiznos has some good salads. Though she suggested one that had warm chicken and warm bacon, our Bluemound Road establishment did not have any salads with warm ingredients. But I still ordered the Roasted Chicken Salad ($5.99). It was good sized, but not so huge that I couldn’t eat the whole thing. The combination of romaine, roasted chicken, bacon, ham, cheddar (I didn’t find much of that), red onion and tomato with a tasty, honey mustard dressing hit my vegetable-deprived spot. The Man Who Must Have Been Italian In Another Lifetime ordered the Italian sub sandwich ($5.59). The grilled bun looked yummy, and the combination of pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage, ham, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and red wine vinaigrette dressing hit his meat-lovin’ taste buds too.
Other things we noticed at Quiznos:
1) The guy working behind the counter was friendly and helpful, even though we showed up at 7:45 PM, and they are supposed to close at 8 on Sundays. He did not rush us.
2) I initially asked for a Cobb Salad, but they were out of hard boiled eggs. We asked for small soft drinks, and they were out of small cups. He did not charge us for the larger cups ($1.29 for a small soda). They were also out of the flatbread that is supposed to come with the salads.
3) The bathroom (there is one shared by all) has different issues than usual. Though the waste container was not overflowing and the floor was reasonably clean, the sink looked like it had never been scoured.
4) The ice maker in the machine that dispensed soft drinks wasn’t working, and the drinks it dispensed were warm. There was clumpy ice to scoop for yourself in a styrofoam cooler next to the drink machine.
Still, I might consider this when on the road sometime. But while in Brookfield, I have already found many better places to eat (for a price, of course).
Wired safely, but still
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Mama Mia's pizza and my caprese salad
I’m really enjoying this simplified life. I just took even more stuff to the basement that, since I’m not cooking, I can live without. For what did I think I’d need tupperware buckets during this remodeling project? Did I think I'd need to store leftover Raisin Bran or caprese salads?
Do you know about caprese salad? Usually at this time of the year I am using the basil from my gardens to whip up batches of pesto (which The Man considers funky – or sometimes even “esoteric.”) Creating pesto is a bother when you have no garbage disposal in which to rinse bowls, and you have to wash the cuisinart in the bathroom sink. So instead I’m using my basil supply to make caprese salad for lunch everyday. Just for me, of course. The Man Who Loves Most Italian Food considers fresh mozzarella a bit too funky for his taste.
So, Sandy, who requested that I include a recipe on this blog now and again, here’s my recipe for today: caprese salad. Buy a yummy, locally-grown tomato at the farmers’ market (while they last; we’re getting to the end of the tomato season here in Wisconsin). Cube it. Buy a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese in the local deli. This is white, soft stuff, not the hard mozzarella that is melted on pizza. Cut up the cheese in an amount about equal to the amount of tomato pieces. Go out in the garden a pick some basil leaves. You’ll want maybe a couple of tablespoons of chopped leaves. Cut them up, stir the three ingredients together and drizzle with good, extra-virgin olive oil (I like Berio or Bertoli). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Devour! Ooh, happy, happy...
I’ve found that too many of the Bluemound Road establishments do not have stellar wine lists, and, as I promised to review wines with my meals on this blog, I’ve decided that sometimes, depending on which restaurant we're hitting, I will sip a glass at home before we go out. Saturday night's sample from our basement wine rack was a simple Ravenswood zinfandel. As befits its price, while drinkable, it does not have a complex of interesting flavors nor a long finish. I think it is about $9.99 a bottle.
So it was a tad late for dinner, even for your hip-and-trendy restaurant reviewer and The Man Who Never Goes To Bed Before Midnight, when we hit Mama Mia’s for pizza on that night. Late, as in 10 PM. I was correct in assuming that Mama Mia’s wine list might be less than extensive: 3 red wines vs 17 beers. I’m sure my glass at home was at least as good as any that Mama Mia’s was offering for $4.95 a glass.
Mama Mia’s menu includes a kids' and seniors' menu with items like spaghetti or ravioli for $5.25. I’ve never seen a combination children’s and seniors’ menu. That would be handy for smaller appetites. My Italian Food Afficionado and I seldom fit that description, so we ordered a large cheese and sausage pizza ($12.95) and ate about 2/3 of it. Personally, I think it is the best pizza in town, with lots of cheese, well-seasoned tomato sauce and ample, nicely spiced sausage on a crispy, thin crust. Salad and garlic bread for two is well worth the additional $4.75. I’ve loved Mama Mia’s garlic bread, dripping with salty oil and melted butter, since high school, when my gang of girlfriends used to go to their restaurant on 88th and Burleigh. And before that I think I remember the original Mama Mia’s was on North Avenue, maybe about 48th St. How about that, Mardie or Pat or Judi? Can any of you girlfriends recall that place – or am I making that up?
The ambience at Mama Mia’s is nice wood-and-dark-carpeting comfortable, with those fun wine-waiter pictures on the walls. The background music is pleasant Italian tenor stuff, like “That’s Amore” and “Santa Maria.” Mama Mia’s attracts a middle-aged “crowd”, if you could call it that. Six tables were still occupied when we left at 10:45. The ladies’ bathroom is pleasant and clean, except... the overflowing waste basket, of course. As closing time approached, our waitress was washing tables and benches and chairs and even the salt and pepper shakers. That’s a good sign...
Full of all kinds of mozzarella, while
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Do you know about caprese salad? Usually at this time of the year I am using the basil from my gardens to whip up batches of pesto (which The Man considers funky – or sometimes even “esoteric.”) Creating pesto is a bother when you have no garbage disposal in which to rinse bowls, and you have to wash the cuisinart in the bathroom sink. So instead I’m using my basil supply to make caprese salad for lunch everyday. Just for me, of course. The Man Who Loves Most Italian Food considers fresh mozzarella a bit too funky for his taste.
So, Sandy, who requested that I include a recipe on this blog now and again, here’s my recipe for today: caprese salad. Buy a yummy, locally-grown tomato at the farmers’ market (while they last; we’re getting to the end of the tomato season here in Wisconsin). Cube it. Buy a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese in the local deli. This is white, soft stuff, not the hard mozzarella that is melted on pizza. Cut up the cheese in an amount about equal to the amount of tomato pieces. Go out in the garden a pick some basil leaves. You’ll want maybe a couple of tablespoons of chopped leaves. Cut them up, stir the three ingredients together and drizzle with good, extra-virgin olive oil (I like Berio or Bertoli). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Devour! Ooh, happy, happy...
I’ve found that too many of the Bluemound Road establishments do not have stellar wine lists, and, as I promised to review wines with my meals on this blog, I’ve decided that sometimes, depending on which restaurant we're hitting, I will sip a glass at home before we go out. Saturday night's sample from our basement wine rack was a simple Ravenswood zinfandel. As befits its price, while drinkable, it does not have a complex of interesting flavors nor a long finish. I think it is about $9.99 a bottle.
So it was a tad late for dinner, even for your hip-and-trendy restaurant reviewer and The Man Who Never Goes To Bed Before Midnight, when we hit Mama Mia’s for pizza on that night. Late, as in 10 PM. I was correct in assuming that Mama Mia’s wine list might be less than extensive: 3 red wines vs 17 beers. I’m sure my glass at home was at least as good as any that Mama Mia’s was offering for $4.95 a glass.
Mama Mia’s menu includes a kids' and seniors' menu with items like spaghetti or ravioli for $5.25. I’ve never seen a combination children’s and seniors’ menu. That would be handy for smaller appetites. My Italian Food Afficionado and I seldom fit that description, so we ordered a large cheese and sausage pizza ($12.95) and ate about 2/3 of it. Personally, I think it is the best pizza in town, with lots of cheese, well-seasoned tomato sauce and ample, nicely spiced sausage on a crispy, thin crust. Salad and garlic bread for two is well worth the additional $4.75. I’ve loved Mama Mia’s garlic bread, dripping with salty oil and melted butter, since high school, when my gang of girlfriends used to go to their restaurant on 88th and Burleigh. And before that I think I remember the original Mama Mia’s was on North Avenue, maybe about 48th St. How about that, Mardie or Pat or Judi? Can any of you girlfriends recall that place – or am I making that up?
The ambience at Mama Mia’s is nice wood-and-dark-carpeting comfortable, with those fun wine-waiter pictures on the walls. The background music is pleasant Italian tenor stuff, like “That’s Amore” and “Santa Maria.” Mama Mia’s attracts a middle-aged “crowd”, if you could call it that. Six tables were still occupied when we left at 10:45. The ladies’ bathroom is pleasant and clean, except... the overflowing waste basket, of course. As closing time approached, our waitress was washing tables and benches and chairs and even the salt and pepper shakers. That’s a good sign...
Full of all kinds of mozzarella, while
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Mi Cocina
Here’s today’s prize techie Engineer quote: “I’d just as soon use an 18 or 19 gauge 3/conductor rather than an 18/4 which I have a little bit of in the garage,” he said to me, heading out to Home Depot or Menard’s or Ace Hardware. When I asked him to repeat that, so I could be sure to get it down correctly for you all, he put those slashes in, as in “three slash conductor”. Ooooh! Be still my beating heart!
I’ll bet there isn’t anything I could say that The Man With Numerous Functioning Brain Cells wouldn’t understand. Even though he doesn’t cook or plant in the garden, he’d probably get it if I said, “I sauted the lamb chops” (though I can’t imagine why I’d say that to The Man Who - to my knowledge - Has Never Turned On A Burner On The Stove). Or if I said, “I’ve planted an amelancheir behind the ligularia,” he’d be right on top of that too. Honestly, he understands everything he hears because he remembers everything he hears. (And heaven knows I DO tell him a lot of stuff.) If I cluttered my brain with gauges and conductors, that would be it. No plants, no meat sauces, not even your name. (Well, I actually don’t remember your name much of the time anyway, even without the conductors, etc., in there.)
I do remember the name of the Bluemound Road establishment at which we ate last night – Mi Cocina – “My Kitchen,” if I recall from my 2 years of high school Spanish (the long-term memory is the last to go). We are in another shopping center, close to Brookfield Road now. This somewhat cozy Mexican restaurant has a large bar area where you enter and a busy dining room. We were seated in the middle of the dining area, but moved to a booth near the windows to get a bit further from the speaker pumping loud music into the room. Not Mexican music; just loud elevator music. The Man looked out at the parking lot and commented that this was a Chevy Blazer crowd -- a young crowd with many with small children. By 6:30 on this Friday evening, the restaurant was nearly filled with families.
Mi Cocina’s menu has three red wines at about $7.25 a glass vs. 20 beers. I’m finding there are fewer restaurants on Bluemound where I’d drink a glass of wine than I expected. I ordered a Dos Equis lager for $4. The Diet Pepsi Man ordered a medium-sized margarita for $8.75, which turned out to be 27 ounces! The ubiquitous chips served with the drinks were slightly warmed but otherwise identical to any you can buy at Pick ‘N Save. There was only one salsa served with the chips, and its spice level was HOT! Many items on the menu seemed to include poblano chilies. I asked our waiter how spicy these chilies are. “Not very spicy -- medium,” he explained. “How would they compare in spiciness to your salsa?” I asked. “About the same amount,” said he. Well, that narrowed the menu down for me. I ordered Queretaro: a meal of two burritos, one chicken and one beef. The Man ordered beef chimichangas ($9.95). We had barely gotten the order out of our mouths when the food arrived. Nothing can be individually cooked that fast.
This food was totally without seasoning. It could have passed for my mother’s goulash. Hot chili peppers are not the only spice available to Mexican cooking. There was no sign of cumin or cilantro. My chicken burrito was filled with tough chicken and some cooked onions. The beef in the other burrito and in The Man’s chimichanga was ground beef, not shredded. The sparing red sauce on top of each was tasteless tomato sauce. My sauce had some tiny white squares in it, which may or may not have been cheese. The chimichanga, which contained as much potatoes as beef, came with similarly tasteless rice and very thin refried beans. Only chopped iceberg lettuce and a dob of sour cream shared my plate with the burritos. I ate less than half of my dinner and would not have bothered to take the rest home, even if I had a kitchen in which to reheat it.
The bathroom was worse than I have come to expect: chipped paint on the walls and overflowing, rusty containers of ALL kinds (YUK! You ladies get my picture).
I’ll have to say it again: if you want Mexican food in Brookfield, go to Fiesta Garabaldi at Ruby Isle. The food is delicious and less expensive. Our total bill at Mi Cocina was $33.75, including tax but not tip. In the future, if I’m looking for an inexpensive, quick meal and must eat on Bluemound for some reason, I’d prefer the food at Subway or George Webb’s for half that price.
Kitchenless in Brookfield
I’ll bet there isn’t anything I could say that The Man With Numerous Functioning Brain Cells wouldn’t understand. Even though he doesn’t cook or plant in the garden, he’d probably get it if I said, “I sauted the lamb chops” (though I can’t imagine why I’d say that to The Man Who - to my knowledge - Has Never Turned On A Burner On The Stove). Or if I said, “I’ve planted an amelancheir behind the ligularia,” he’d be right on top of that too. Honestly, he understands everything he hears because he remembers everything he hears. (And heaven knows I DO tell him a lot of stuff.) If I cluttered my brain with gauges and conductors, that would be it. No plants, no meat sauces, not even your name. (Well, I actually don’t remember your name much of the time anyway, even without the conductors, etc., in there.)
I do remember the name of the Bluemound Road establishment at which we ate last night – Mi Cocina – “My Kitchen,” if I recall from my 2 years of high school Spanish (the long-term memory is the last to go). We are in another shopping center, close to Brookfield Road now. This somewhat cozy Mexican restaurant has a large bar area where you enter and a busy dining room. We were seated in the middle of the dining area, but moved to a booth near the windows to get a bit further from the speaker pumping loud music into the room. Not Mexican music; just loud elevator music. The Man looked out at the parking lot and commented that this was a Chevy Blazer crowd -- a young crowd with many with small children. By 6:30 on this Friday evening, the restaurant was nearly filled with families.
Mi Cocina’s menu has three red wines at about $7.25 a glass vs. 20 beers. I’m finding there are fewer restaurants on Bluemound where I’d drink a glass of wine than I expected. I ordered a Dos Equis lager for $4. The Diet Pepsi Man ordered a medium-sized margarita for $8.75, which turned out to be 27 ounces! The ubiquitous chips served with the drinks were slightly warmed but otherwise identical to any you can buy at Pick ‘N Save. There was only one salsa served with the chips, and its spice level was HOT! Many items on the menu seemed to include poblano chilies. I asked our waiter how spicy these chilies are. “Not very spicy -- medium,” he explained. “How would they compare in spiciness to your salsa?” I asked. “About the same amount,” said he. Well, that narrowed the menu down for me. I ordered Queretaro: a meal of two burritos, one chicken and one beef. The Man ordered beef chimichangas ($9.95). We had barely gotten the order out of our mouths when the food arrived. Nothing can be individually cooked that fast.
This food was totally without seasoning. It could have passed for my mother’s goulash. Hot chili peppers are not the only spice available to Mexican cooking. There was no sign of cumin or cilantro. My chicken burrito was filled with tough chicken and some cooked onions. The beef in the other burrito and in The Man’s chimichanga was ground beef, not shredded. The sparing red sauce on top of each was tasteless tomato sauce. My sauce had some tiny white squares in it, which may or may not have been cheese. The chimichanga, which contained as much potatoes as beef, came with similarly tasteless rice and very thin refried beans. Only chopped iceberg lettuce and a dob of sour cream shared my plate with the burritos. I ate less than half of my dinner and would not have bothered to take the rest home, even if I had a kitchen in which to reheat it.
The bathroom was worse than I have come to expect: chipped paint on the walls and overflowing, rusty containers of ALL kinds (YUK! You ladies get my picture).
I’ll have to say it again: if you want Mexican food in Brookfield, go to Fiesta Garabaldi at Ruby Isle. The food is delicious and less expensive. Our total bill at Mi Cocina was $33.75, including tax but not tip. In the future, if I’m looking for an inexpensive, quick meal and must eat on Bluemound for some reason, I’d prefer the food at Subway or George Webb’s for half that price.
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Friday, September 14, 2007
George Webb's
When I wrote yesterday that my ability to drink coffee and tour my gardens in the morning was upset by the strange-men-in-my-house-first-thing-in-the-morning, that was ridiculous. All that this invasion of workmen has done is make me get dressed to drink coffee and tour my gardens. Cabinet Werks is doing an amazing job of getting these workmen all coordinated. For a kitchen that was just demolished one week ago today, the amount of work that has been done is impressive. And the schedule (yes, I actually have a schedule of who is coming when) for next week is even more amazing. There will be inspectors and plumbers and carpenters and dry-wallers here every day. And if I am not going to be home, Cabinet Werks will be here to let people in.
I will be sure to let you know if the work continues to be as professional as it has been. So far, we are very satisfied. And neither The Engineer Who Brings Home The Bacon (figuratively only) nor I are related to Mike Wahlen. We just met him at our neighborhood block party this summer. I did threaten that I would kidnap his adorable children and hold them hostage if our kitchen remodeling project did not proceed at a reasonable pace. He replied, “When do you want them? This weekend?” I’m afraid that threat was ineffective.
Meanwhile, on Bluemound Road, we met OLD Friends (I’m talkin’ my Best Friend from fifth grade through ‘Tosa High School and her husband) at George Webb’s for dinner last night. As if our waitress, Julie, recognized me walking in as the arbiter of rest room cleanliness, she greeted us with, “I am SO upset. We are all supposed to clean the bathrooms when our shift is over, but when I arrived today, it was SUCH a mess! I just finished cleaning it, and my manager is going to hear about THIS!” How is it possible she knew I was coming?
I checked it out. She was right. It was immaculate. Nice work, Julie.
If you want breakfast anytime, day or night, George Webb’s is calling you. They are open 24 hours a day and serve breakfast at anytime. Seems that our friends, who are careful about their health, and thus never have eggs in their house, go to Webb’s about once a month to have eggs for dinner. They ordered scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast ($2.99). You can’t beat that for a bargain dinner! The Man Who Knew This Was Going To Be His Idea Of Good Food, ordered a Ruben sandwich ($4.99), a bowl of chili ($2.99) and a Sprecher Root Beer ($2.50). He admitted it was more food than he needed, but he couldn’t stop at Webb’s without trying the chili he remembered from his youth. Our Frugal Friends brought a coupon that we could use for a bacon double cheeseburger with hash browns for $3.59. I wanted to taste the hamburgers Webb’s are famous for, so I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger. Does that sound yummy, or what? I must admit, I enjoyed it immensely. The burgers are thin slabs of meat and the bacon is ample and very tasty. The cheese is pathetic, but probably pleases most tastes. I suppose that not everyone would enjoy aged cheddar on their burgers, so we all have to put up with tasteless American pseudo-cheese served with most hamburgers. The Man Who Loves Casseroles Of All Kinds If There’s No Funky Stuff Or Seafood In It loved the chili, though it was missing most of the beans that are the essential component of chili, if you ask me. There was lots of ground beef and enough chili powder to recognize which spice they were using. There is also some pasta, which MY chili would not be contaminated with – if I had a kitchen in which to cook such a dish.
George Webb’s is a local hamburger chain started in Milwaukee in the ‘40's. No longer owned by the Webb family (actually, it’s owned by a woman), it now has 41 stores, all in the Milwaukee metro area. My H.S. Friend and I remember when the chain first predicted that the Braves would win 12 games in a row, and Webb’s would give away free hamburgers at all their stores. Oh my goodness, we were Braves fans! As preteens, we took the streetcar to many games and sat in the bleachers for 50 cents, got autographs of Andy Pafko and Eddie Mathews (drool). We formed the Taylor Phillips fan club, because he so young and unknown that he would actually talk to us. Anyway, the Braves never won the 12 games in a row, but when they’d get close, everyone in Milwaukee was cheering for Our Team. The promotion was continued for the Brewers, and in 1987 the Brewers did it; they won 12 games in a row, and George Webb’s gave away 168,194 free hamburgers!
Such a great story. George Webb’s helped to make Milwaukee a “baseball town.” So drop in and have a bite to eat of Milwaukee history. Perhaps Julie will wait on you. She is vivacious and charming and made our dinner more enjoyable. With the prices here, I doubt that she is getting rich on tips. I hope George Webb’s recognizes what a gem such an employee is and pays her accordingly.
Actually enjoying being
Kitchenless in Brookfield
I will be sure to let you know if the work continues to be as professional as it has been. So far, we are very satisfied. And neither The Engineer Who Brings Home The Bacon (figuratively only) nor I are related to Mike Wahlen. We just met him at our neighborhood block party this summer. I did threaten that I would kidnap his adorable children and hold them hostage if our kitchen remodeling project did not proceed at a reasonable pace. He replied, “When do you want them? This weekend?” I’m afraid that threat was ineffective.
Meanwhile, on Bluemound Road, we met OLD Friends (I’m talkin’ my Best Friend from fifth grade through ‘Tosa High School and her husband) at George Webb’s for dinner last night. As if our waitress, Julie, recognized me walking in as the arbiter of rest room cleanliness, she greeted us with, “I am SO upset. We are all supposed to clean the bathrooms when our shift is over, but when I arrived today, it was SUCH a mess! I just finished cleaning it, and my manager is going to hear about THIS!” How is it possible she knew I was coming?
I checked it out. She was right. It was immaculate. Nice work, Julie.
If you want breakfast anytime, day or night, George Webb’s is calling you. They are open 24 hours a day and serve breakfast at anytime. Seems that our friends, who are careful about their health, and thus never have eggs in their house, go to Webb’s about once a month to have eggs for dinner. They ordered scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast ($2.99). You can’t beat that for a bargain dinner! The Man Who Knew This Was Going To Be His Idea Of Good Food, ordered a Ruben sandwich ($4.99), a bowl of chili ($2.99) and a Sprecher Root Beer ($2.50). He admitted it was more food than he needed, but he couldn’t stop at Webb’s without trying the chili he remembered from his youth. Our Frugal Friends brought a coupon that we could use for a bacon double cheeseburger with hash browns for $3.59. I wanted to taste the hamburgers Webb’s are famous for, so I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger. Does that sound yummy, or what? I must admit, I enjoyed it immensely. The burgers are thin slabs of meat and the bacon is ample and very tasty. The cheese is pathetic, but probably pleases most tastes. I suppose that not everyone would enjoy aged cheddar on their burgers, so we all have to put up with tasteless American pseudo-cheese served with most hamburgers. The Man Who Loves Casseroles Of All Kinds If There’s No Funky Stuff Or Seafood In It loved the chili, though it was missing most of the beans that are the essential component of chili, if you ask me. There was lots of ground beef and enough chili powder to recognize which spice they were using. There is also some pasta, which MY chili would not be contaminated with – if I had a kitchen in which to cook such a dish.
George Webb’s is a local hamburger chain started in Milwaukee in the ‘40's. No longer owned by the Webb family (actually, it’s owned by a woman), it now has 41 stores, all in the Milwaukee metro area. My H.S. Friend and I remember when the chain first predicted that the Braves would win 12 games in a row, and Webb’s would give away free hamburgers at all their stores. Oh my goodness, we were Braves fans! As preteens, we took the streetcar to many games and sat in the bleachers for 50 cents, got autographs of Andy Pafko and Eddie Mathews (drool). We formed the Taylor Phillips fan club, because he so young and unknown that he would actually talk to us. Anyway, the Braves never won the 12 games in a row, but when they’d get close, everyone in Milwaukee was cheering for Our Team. The promotion was continued for the Brewers, and in 1987 the Brewers did it; they won 12 games in a row, and George Webb’s gave away 168,194 free hamburgers!
Such a great story. George Webb’s helped to make Milwaukee a “baseball town.” So drop in and have a bite to eat of Milwaukee history. Perhaps Julie will wait on you. She is vivacious and charming and made our dinner more enjoyable. With the prices here, I doubt that she is getting rich on tips. I hope George Webb’s recognizes what a gem such an employee is and pays her accordingly.
Actually enjoying being
Kitchenless in Brookfield
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Chaing Mai and The Man
TeeHee! I can’t wait for The Big Time VP Electrical Estimator And Engineer to get home from work. Two electricians were here today from Staff Electric, where The Man works. One is mounting fixtures in the ceiling. So I ask him, “How’s it going? Looks like you’re almost done.” He says, “Well, I’m waiting for your husband to bring me some more light fixtures.” HeeHee! The Professional Estimator Man Who Can Add Twenty Numbers In A Column In His Head didn’t buy enough fixtures for the electrical plan HE designed. And, of course, this is what he does for a living – count fixtures and miles of wire to estimate the cost for the electrical work for big buildings like hospitals and sewage treatment plants. So he needed 12 light fixtures for my kitchen and only bought 9. The electrician tried to cover for The Man, saying, “I’m sure they told him the wrong amount were in each box,” but I’m not for one minute going to let that deter me from givin’ him the biz.
The electrician will be back at least one more day. Houses the age of ours just were not built with the number of circuits we need for our cuisinart, our toaster oven, our expresso maker, our slow cooker, our blender, our microwave - all stuff no one had when this house was built in 1957. And the existing circuits service rooms from one end of the house to the other, including a few outlets in the kitchen. So if the circuit breaks from some problem with the cuisinart, you can’t take a shower, read in the dining room, or operate the TV in the living room. Soon my house is going to be SO in the 21st century.
Until then, we opted for a different ethnic cuisine at Chiang Mai Café last night. And what a surprise! For a small storefront establishment in the midst of a shopping center, it has good Thai food.
The huge menu has 76 items – all numbered, in case you don’t wish to try to make yourself understood saying, “Dang Phooey” or some such. Some of the items are Thai, others are Chinese. Following my new rule: don’t order wine when everyone else is drinking beer, I had a Sapporo beer with my meal.
For dinner I ordered Panang Nau ($11.25), which the menu describes as beef and cabbage in a curry paste with coconut milk, ground peanuts and sweet curry paste. It was somewhat zippy, but tolerably so, and I love the coconut/peanut combination that is used in some Thai cooking. The Man Whose Idea Of Edible Vegetables Runs To Peas, Beans Or Corn, had Pud Prig Khing (I didn’t make that up) - stir fried pork with curry, ginger and string beans – lots of them, it turns out. This was delicious - period. With all entres comes a crispy egg roll, a choice of two soups (both were good), a beverage (soft drink, coffee or tea) and dessert of a large plate of deep-fried wontons drizzled with honey. As is often the case with Chinese restaurants, you’ll have plenty of food to take home for your next night’s dinner.
The bathroom is a single room, I would call it spartanly decorated, but it was CLEAN! Yippee! No overflowing waste containers here.
Chaing Mai had 5 tables filled at 6:30 PM and perhaps another 5 people came in to pick up take-out orders while we were there. So they’ll probably still be in business if you decide to try this establishment when you're kitchenless someday.
Kitchenless in Brookfield
The electrician will be back at least one more day. Houses the age of ours just were not built with the number of circuits we need for our cuisinart, our toaster oven, our expresso maker, our slow cooker, our blender, our microwave - all stuff no one had when this house was built in 1957. And the existing circuits service rooms from one end of the house to the other, including a few outlets in the kitchen. So if the circuit breaks from some problem with the cuisinart, you can’t take a shower, read in the dining room, or operate the TV in the living room. Soon my house is going to be SO in the 21st century.
Until then, we opted for a different ethnic cuisine at Chiang Mai Café last night. And what a surprise! For a small storefront establishment in the midst of a shopping center, it has good Thai food.
The huge menu has 76 items – all numbered, in case you don’t wish to try to make yourself understood saying, “Dang Phooey” or some such. Some of the items are Thai, others are Chinese. Following my new rule: don’t order wine when everyone else is drinking beer, I had a Sapporo beer with my meal.
For dinner I ordered Panang Nau ($11.25), which the menu describes as beef and cabbage in a curry paste with coconut milk, ground peanuts and sweet curry paste. It was somewhat zippy, but tolerably so, and I love the coconut/peanut combination that is used in some Thai cooking. The Man Whose Idea Of Edible Vegetables Runs To Peas, Beans Or Corn, had Pud Prig Khing (I didn’t make that up) - stir fried pork with curry, ginger and string beans – lots of them, it turns out. This was delicious - period. With all entres comes a crispy egg roll, a choice of two soups (both were good), a beverage (soft drink, coffee or tea) and dessert of a large plate of deep-fried wontons drizzled with honey. As is often the case with Chinese restaurants, you’ll have plenty of food to take home for your next night’s dinner.
The bathroom is a single room, I would call it spartanly decorated, but it was CLEAN! Yippee! No overflowing waste containers here.
Chaing Mai had 5 tables filled at 6:30 PM and perhaps another 5 people came in to pick up take-out orders while we were there. So they’ll probably still be in business if you decide to try this establishment when you're kitchenless someday.
Kitchenless in Brookfield
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