Dining Out- Week of October 3rd, 2005

Yanni’s
Milwaukee- Downtown


Dinners start with a nice selection of bread and regular butter, cherry/nut butter, herb infused olive oil and cheddar/bacon butter.


Wood Stone Baked Crab Cakes
Jumbo lump blue crab, peppers, onion and spicy Dijonaise remoulade sauce

Crab cake critiques invariably mention the filling. This standout puck barely had any by revealing a woven web of crab in the creamy center which was draped by a crispy exterior. Hot and strong tasting sauce is a poor accompaniment. I’d put it in third place behind The Pines (Delafield) and Etta’s (Seattle).


Rib Eye Steak
Served with homemade coleslaw and shoestring potatoes

They uses USDA prime, aged for 28-35 days and then broiled at 1800 degrees. Based on my medium cut’s perfectly pink center, tenderness and juiciness Yanni’s is on track to be a top steak destination for Milwaukee.


Skillet Apple Pie a la Mode
Home baked pie crust filled with Granny Smith apples, cinnamon and honey; topped with streusel and vanilla ice cream

My eyes bugged out, “That’s a whole pie! I’ll have leftovers for two weeks.” Particularly enjoyable although a bit soupy with dry crust edges. So it worked out to push those edges into the middle. It implored for each bite to have tart apple, sweet filling, grainy streusel and saturated bottom crust. I’ve found the leftovers are great cold since it all congealed.


Décor: An updated contemporary 40s supper club.
Service: The server team of 3 did a great job but started checking in and walking by while glancing too much. There is a point of being overly attentive and then becoming hounding.

4 out of 5 stars



Mr. Slow’s
Oconomowoc


Turkey Breast Sandwich

The bread. It was all about the bread. But I digress. I’ve driven by this place numerous times intrigued by the “The best d*** sandwich maker in town” sign and finally had my go at it. They’re lucky to have a great bread vendor, whoever it may be. Best in town? Out of 5 sandwiches 1 is a burger, 3 are deli type and one is beef and cheese so it is more about assembly and having good ingredients.


Décor: Heck, it’s basically a tavern.
Service: Fill out a sheet, turn it in, they bring you your basket. Oh, and food delivery was quick. Not slow.

3 out of 5 stars