Dining - Oct. 24, 2009
Milwaukee's best use of local food, 2009: Roots
Roots Restaurant and Cellar was one of Milwaukee's first dining destinations to actively pursue the use of local ingredients. Using only naturally raised meats and fresh seafood from the start, they've evolved to mainly use produce grown in Wisconsin, too.
Tags: roots restaurant, local food, slow food, comet cafe, crazy water, hinterland, kil@wat, la merenda, transfer, riverwest co-op

Dining - Nov. 24, 2008
There's a New American culinary tradition in town
New American chefs are reinventing everything about American cuisine. From the ingredients to the method of cooking, New American savors the freedom to experiment and create. Characterized by seasonality, New American cuisine remakes classic American dishes in appreciation of the freshest ingredients available. Chefs playfully work with unlikely meats such as bison and antelope while opening the door to meat replacements like tofu and tempeh.
Tags: meritage, hinterland, cafe manna, crazy water, north star bistro, roots

Dining - Oct. 18, 2008
Milwaukee's best romantic dining, 2008: Lake Park Bistro
Brass accents, reproductions of French prints and four-star service all add to the overwhelming romanticism of this French-inspired fine dining restaurant.
Tags: lake park bistro, best of romantic, romantic dining, sanford, bacchus, roots, crazy water, dream dance, coquette cafe, tess, swig, osteria del mondo, sala da pranzo, pasta tree, Bartolotta's

Dining - June 18, 2007
Crazy Water still produces some of the best plates in town
Peggy Magister and Tony Betzhold opened Crazy Water, 839 S. 2nd St., in 2002 and have been serving up great big flavors from a tiny little kitchen ever since.
Tags: Crazy Water, Walker's Point, Peggy Magister, Tony Betzhold

Dining - Nov. 11, 2002
Saint Bessie's leaves diners feeling forsaken
The concept of naming an eatery after a mammoth gold cow statue earns instant points with this quirk seeker, but unfortunately, by the end of the evening, our good spirits were milked dry due to unfair service and lukewarm food.
Tags: bistro, sushi, crazy water, tess, babalu, soul food