Dining Out- Week of January 22nd, 2005

1/22/05

Kim’s Garden
Waukesha

Lunch Buffet
Surprise! A Chinese place with a buffet. My usual running around got nixed because of the snow so I walked the mile to this north of average buffet with attentive service. Standouts included Sesame Chicken, Shrimp Subgum and a startling good Egg Roll.

1/23/05

Nick’s and Friends Family Restaurant
Oak Creek- S. 13th


Western Wrapped Omelette
Ham, cheese, pepper and onion omelette wrapped in a tortilla

Haven’t seen anything like this so had to give it a try. Good call. The tortilla gave ‘bite’ and chew to an omelet that would have been great on its own.

4 out of 5 stars

Phan’s Garden
Milwaukee- 19th & National


Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio
Traditional Vietnamese dish of grilled pork, rice noodles, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, cucumber with a Vietnamese egg roll

All in all a nice assembly of variation- the meat, cold noodles, crunchy bean sprouts and peanuts, sweet and a little spicy sauce. But some pieces of the pork were fatty and/or tough.

Décor: Pink?! Walls, chairs, table cloths, carpet. Leftover from whatever restaurant this was in the 50s no doubt.
Service: Sllloooowww and bad.

3 out of 5 stars

Mia Famiglia Ristorante
Hales Corners


Salmone Spiedini
Skewers of honey-marinated salmon filets, peppers, cherry tomatoes and oranges served over lemon saffron pilaf and tarragon-honey-mandarin orange aioli.

Does the picture do justice to the artful presentation of a mound of food? All these great pieces were made better by dredging them in the creamy intricate aioli.

Décor: Inviting- low lighting, subdued furnishings.
Service: Enthusiastic.

4 out of 5 stars

1/26/05

Holy Smokes Deli
Okauchee

Timberline Chili
Stick to your ribs good. Super thick and gummy. Chock full of beef.

3 ½ out of 5 stars


Taqueria Restaurant
Waukesha

Taco Con Aquacate
Avocado, BBQ pork and onions wrapped in a grilled tortilla

My high hopes were dashed. The avocado didn’t have the prevalence I anticipated and the meek pork had no barbecue flavor.

Décor: Check out that open grill
Service: The humble guy behind the counters English was better than my Spanish, but I still didn’t know what was on the menu. Luckily a lady overheard and helped.

2 ½ out of 5 stars

1/27/05


Glenda’s Café
Okauchee

Broiled Sword Fish Sandwich
Honey mustard basted on a grilled Kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato.

Satisfactory light tasting with the roll helping out with its softness. Served with earthy baked beans and sweet coleslaw.

Décor: Down right homey. Blue-checkered valances and tablecloths, blue trim over white walls, kid’s ‘growth stick’ on a support beam.
Service: That’s Brenda serving and Glenn at the grill

3 out of 5 stars

1/28/05

Eli’s
Pewaukee- Oakton at Hwy 16

House Salad
Satisfying to see a nice selection of field greens. However the dressing was light tasting, too light, and drowning those greens.

Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni
Cannelloni stuffed with spinach, chicken, garlic, herbs, fontina and Romano and topped with a cream sauce.

Still confused. A cannelloni should be a pasta tube. This was a crepe. Oddly enough it was the only good thing about the dish. The stuffing was void of taste and after some searching I was excited to find a few flakes of chicken. The sauce suffered the same blandness.

Décor: Looking for a fine dining look they used dark to medium neutral tones. A quiet space only interrupted by the open kitchen.
Service: Disjointed

2 out of 5 stars