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
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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
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
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
Monday, October 29, 2007
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
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
Saturday, October 27, 2007
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
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
Friday, October 26, 2007
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
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