Out Of The Pan And Into My Mouth

Fortune - West Allis, WI

Overall: B-

Barbecue Pork

Steamed Pork Buns

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria - Brookfield, WI

Overall: B

Pepperoni Traditional Pizza

Parker John’s BBQ & Pizza - Sheboygan, WI

Overall: B

Trattoria Stefano - Sheboygan, WI

Overall: A-

Bread and Olive Oil

Pollo al Tartufo - Crispy roasted semi-boneless half chicken smothered with black truffle mushroom butter and light chicken stock pan sauce. With sautéed green and yellow beans in garlic and shallot and smoked lardo potatoes

After many great experiences at Stefano’s offshoot Il Ritrovo, I felt that I needed to try the parent restaurant itself. Walking in, I was surprised to see a framed document on the wall recognizing Stefano’s being a Semifinalist for the 2018 James Beard Best Chef of the Midwest. I was both surprised that anywhere in Sheboygan made it to the semifinals and surprised that I’d somehow never heard about it. That being said, the nomination certainly helped to reinforce and formalize what praise of Stefano’s I’d heard before.  

The meal started with the same bread as at Il Ritrovo. While the bread itself is very good, I find it very strange how it is served somewhat cool and how the olive oil that’s available to dip it in is in what is essentially a dasher bottle that cannot actually be poured from at both Stefano’s and Il Ritrovo. Regardless, tasty.

For my main course, I tried to balance ordering something interesting (ie not bolognese) with being somewhat cost-conscious as this was a spontaneous Thursday evening trip. The Pollo al Tartufo perfectly fit the bill. Upon arrival, I have to admit, it looked pretty monotone and drab. Yes, yes “brown is flavor”, but this was certainly not built for Instragram. However, that’s pretty much the only demerit I can offer. This dish was exceptional. The beans were were very garlicy and crisp without being at all tough. Mixed in with them were also some bright, umami-heavy bits of tomato. The chicken was 8.5/10 on the juicy scale and 9.5/10 on the crispy skin scale, which is an A in my book. This not to mention the mouth wateringly delicious truffle butter and pan sauce that topped it. FLAVOR EXPLOSION!!! While perhaps a hair on the salty side, this sauce delivered on every bite while making you to come back for more. This is getting into that territory of foods that dance around in the back of my mind until they force me to learn how to cook them because I need to get my fix. 

And then the potatoes, oh the potatoes. Some people may say “potatoes are meant to be fluffy! these are crap”. We will not listen to those people because they are clearly wrong and we will instead forcibly annex the potatoes from their plate. These were little nuggets of goodness. These potatoes were smashed and then cooked with smoked lardo. The lard gave them this incredible crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside texture. It also brought a deep, incredible savory flavor that was honestly the star of the dish. Similarly to the chicken, while I normally cook russet potatoes, these were inspirational and make me want to try new varieties and cook them as close to this was as possible. 

Carnitas Don Lucho - Milwaukee, WI

Overall: B+

Carnitas Tacos

Al Pastor Taco

Cochenita Taco

Bourbon Street - Sheboygan, WI

Hacienda Beer Co North Ave Taproom - Milwaukee, WI

Braise - Milwaukee, WI

Overall: B+

Steamed Pork Buns - scallion vinaigrette & spicy crushed peanuts

Culver’s - Lake Geneva, WI

Overall: B-

Butter Burger Cheese Basket

Pho VN - Sheboygan, WI

Overall: B

Taco Loco - Milwaukee, WI

Frida - Milwaukee, WI

Overall: B

Duck Po’Boy - Sliced duck breast confit, arugula, plum, sauce, lemon vinaigrette on a hoagie roll

Funky Fusion Chips

Vietnamese Noodles of Mequon - Mequon, WI

Overall: B-

Pho with Rare Beef and Tendon