BEST NEW restaurant of 2017
It’s a smorgasbord, this 2017 list of the best new restaurants, picked from restaurants reviewed during the calendar year. Seafood and fried chicken, high end and low end, swanky digs and simple, fine dining and hearty home-style: Delicious food is a given, but these places also contributed something fresh and engaging. As usual, some restaurants that could have been contenders for this list haven’t been reviewed yet, most of them because they opened later in the year. Places like Birch + Butcher at downtown’s northern edge and Strange Town on the east side, to name a couple, will be reviewed in 2018 and eligible for next year’s list. But for now, let’s celebrate the 2017 class, in alphabetical order:
AppeThai
Bang Tongkumbunjong, a restaurant veteran, wanted to serve more than the expected menu items when he opened AppeThai — he also wanted to serve dishes that reminded him of home. We all benefit from his nostalgia, tasting dishes such as nua toon, braised beef brisket with dipping sauce, and the sour-spicy soup tom sabb, holding pork spare-rib meat, mushrooms and herbs. What’s more, service is sharp, and the storefront restaurant’s polished, tropical decor is charming enough for date night.
Reviewed in February. 3900 W. Brown Deer Road, Suite 110, in Kildeer Court, Brown Deer. (414) 362-4264. appethairestaurant.com
EsterEv
The weekends-only tasting-menu restaurant that’s named for chefs Dan Jacobs’ and Dan Van Rite’s grandmothers finds inspiration in favorite foods from childhood on, then rethinks the dishes in new and delightful ways. Pastrami, for instance, took shape as pastrami-spiced short rib over red cabbage puree, with crisped pumpernickel bits, an ethereal potato cake, pickled mustard seed and frilly red mustard greens, all presented just so. At $80 for 10 courses (before beverages, tax and tip), it’s a splurge, but it’s not every dinner that gives you a sense of wonder the way EsterEv does.
Reviewed in August. 360 E. Erie St., in the Chinese-American restaurant Dandan. (414) 488-8036. esterev.com
Kindred
Once you’re settled in one of the intimate nooks in the Kindred dining room — or, if you travel with an entourage, at the front-and-center communal table — you can craft whatever sort of meal you’re in the mood for. Something to share, maybe, like a board of cheeses, bread and chicken liver mousse; something that looks like a special night out, like scallops
with parsnip puree and delicate swirls of thyme butter sauce; a juicy burger, because it’s Tuesday and you’re hungry. Chef Patrick Murphy makes all sorts of comforting dishes in this restaurant led by sisters Marija and Vesna Madunic.
Reviewed in December. 2535 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., in the Kinn MKE Guesthouse. (414) 446-3640. kindredonkk. com
The Diplomat
Everything seems to come together at the Diplomat: Top-notch service, a handsome, cozy atmosphere and delicious dishes by chef-owner Dane Baldwin. He’s worked here, there and everywhere, and his broad experience comes to bear; the former Mr. B’s chef makes a mean steak-and-potatoes dish, and he comes up with inspired combinations like gnocchi with pureed rutabaga, greens, caraway and Concord grape. Baldwin even makes the fine desserts, a skill he picked up at the SURG group. Baldwin’s history results in a style that’s his own.
Reviewed in November. 815 E. Brady St. (414) 800-5816. thediplomatmke. com
The Laughing Taco
Sources for tacos in Milwaukee seem endless, and many are excellent. The Laughing Taco brings something new to the field: instantly craveable cheesegrilled tacos, a take on griddled cheese that co-owner Lucia Munoz remembers from her hometown of Monterrey, Mexico.
The Laughing Taco, which she opened with her husband, Ardent chef Justin Carlisle, is among the few places in town with a trompo, a vertical rotisserie stacked with marinated pork. The menu is tacos only (beef from the Carlisle family farm is tops; cactus has great texture), and orders are taken at the counter. It's like a taco truck with a stripped-down menu, but with the convenience of seats, shelter from the elements and beer and boozy slushies.
Reviewed in October. 1033 S. 1st St. (414) 210-3086. laughingtaco.com
The Tandem
Crunchy, moist fried chicken, check. A juicy, flavorful burger, check. Vegetarian dishes, too, like roasted vegetable salads in perfect dressings? Oh, yes, check that, too. At chef-owner Caitlin Cullen’s the Tandem, the menu holds all sorts of favorites, including Southern classics. Appealing dishes at moderate prices in a handsomely restored gem of a building make the Tandem a must-visit restaurant.
Reviewed in March. 1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave. (414) 885-1919. tandemmke. com
Third Coast Provisions
There’s not another seafood restaurant like it in Milwaukee. Chef and coowner Andrew Miller gives fish and shellfish a fresh take at this gorgeous restaurant, and he’s not afraid to go rich. Lobster pot pie, for instance, is capped in phyllo dough layered with black-truffle butter and crowned with tail meat in a lobster-enhanced glaze. Nothing escapes the quest to suffuse foods with deeper flavor, even the broccoli that was poached, marinated and charred before it was served with a steak dish. Third Coast has its own style.
Reviewed in March. 724 N. Milwaukee St. (414) 323-7434 thirdcoast provisions.com
Look for Carol Deptolla’s restaurant news column, Side Dish, in Friday’s Weekend Tap section. Contact her at (414) 224-2841, carol.deptolla@jrn.com or on Twitter, @mkediner.