The Milwaukee 50, with Milwaukee's Top 30 restaurants, ranked

After meals at more than 100 restaurants in four months, the Milwaukee 50 is here, with the Top 30 restaurants ranked.

Work for the list really goes on all year, though, as I keep notes on newcomers and old-timers alike for consideration.

The list could have been longer — easily — and it pained me to leave off a number of restaurants that served excellent meals. Truly, 2017 was the best year in dining since I started keeping the list in 2009.

It's not just that the chefs were skilled. It was the thought behind dishes, the effort to prepare seasonal meals (now the norm at a certain caliber of restaurant), the work that went into making complex dishes look easy.

At best, a restaurant does all that while feeling like an escape, where you can forget everything for a while, except for how much you're enjoying yourself and the people you're with.

In coming up with this list, I considered how well each restaurant did what it set out to do. Service factored in; ambience did, too, but to a lesser degree.

Restaurants that debuted after June 1 or that changed chefs after July 1 (such as Harbor House and I.d. in Delafield) will be considered for next year's list. That's because they need time to get their footing and I need time to assess them, and there wasn't enough of it before my deadline.

Also, I’ve done something a little different this year.

The list previously was labeled in distinct parts, Top 30 and 20 Good Eats, with the idea that the Good Eats would be more oriented toward everyday dining, even carryout on the way home from work.

This year I’m simply framing it as the Milwaukee 50, with the Top 30 ranked. Many of the unranked restaurants remain good sources for carryout, but some are a splurge or a place for a special occasion.

The Milwaukee 50 is very much a personal list; I have no doubt your list would look different from mine, and I’d love to hear from you about it.

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But first, let’s eat.

1. Ardent

1751 N. Farwell Ave.

(414) 897-7022

ardentmke.com

Dinner at Ardent, a tasting menu of 10 courses plus savory and sweet snacks, is set before you by the people who cooked it. Ardent is a celebration of craft — the food, yes, but also objects like Milwaukee-made knives for the beef from chef-owner Justin Carlisle’s family farm, and aprons by the chef's mother.

The menu always changes, but count on two signature plates: the bread course (in which milk from a single milking now goes into the rolls, cultured butter and Muenster cheese), and the ultimate beef tartare (seasoned with lemon oil, crowned with thin layers of deviled egg yolk and pure white marrow). With them, a New Glarus beer; the milk, beef and beer all come from within 10 miles of each other. The rest of the menu is a surprise, dishes that show a fresh way of thinking and a rhythm with the seasons that link grower, maker and diner.

Hours: Seatings from 6-6:45 and 8-8:45 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Prices: Tasting menu is $90; optional beverage pairing is $60. Reservations: Make them online with a credit card; for parties of five or more, call the restaurant.

2. EsterEv

360 E. Erie St., in Dandan restaurant

(414) 488-8036

esterev.com

EsterEv takes the familiar and makes it surprising. The tiny restaurant is a side project for Dandan chefs Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs — double the chefs, double the creativity. The tasting menu, 10 courses including savory and sweet snacks to start and end dinner, changes with the seasons and at the chefs’ whims.

You might find a dish like pastrami short rib with the lightest potato latke, red cabbage puree, pickled mustard seed and crisped pumpernickel, the short rib slow-cooked for 72 hours. This is the place to go when you’re in the mood for a dinner party — the room’s two big tables seat 10 each, and the chefs are your hosts. Say hey to your tablemates, sit back and enjoy.

Hours: One seating Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m. reception. Prices: Tasting menu, $80; optional beverage pairings, $40. Reservations: Make required reservations with a credit card through the website or by calling the restaurant.

3. Sanford

1547 N. Jackson St.

(414) 276-9608

sanfordrestaurant.com

This is one of my favorite dining rooms in the city. Sanford telegraphs that a special evening lies ahead: It’s modern and serene but lively with the chatter of guests. The service is sure and gracious, and the food is delicious. Try the surprise tasting menu, a seven-course extravaganza, for a spendy special occasion, or the changing, seasonal exploration menu at four courses. Or chart your own course.

Chef Justin Aprahamian employs the best ingredients for his seasonal cooking, whether it’s wild sockeye salmon from the Pacific, or an artisanal aged Wisconsin goat cheese for a salad of pickled quince, toasted almonds and greens. Some beloved Sanford classic dishes hold a place on the menu, and it’s a delight to see new ones, like a great spring dish of cured salmon with gin sorbet, celery root and roasted beets. Count on a brief but delicious list of cocktails along with beer and an ample wine list.

Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $34-$36; four-course menu, $49; seven-course tasting menu, $89, pluse $40 with optional wine pairings. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; call the restaurant after 1 p.m.

4. c.1880

1100 S. 1st St.

(414) 431-9271

c1880.com

Note: c.1880 plans to close in late April. Circa looks like a corner restaurant-bar that’s been there forever. It’s been five years since chef-owner Thomas Hauck opened c.1880 in Walker’s Point, distinguishing his plates with clear flavors and gorgeous plating. The menu changes frequently, but sweet, huge scallops were pure pleasure in summer, served over corn resembling creamy risotto, with rainbow chard and pickled bell pepper to counter the sweetness.

I’ve always considered c.1880 a splurge restaurant, but I can picture popping in to share one of the many moderately priced bottles of interesting wines over a lighter supper of appetizers or soup and a salad. Well... as long as I’m there, some dessert, too. In summer, berry sorbet, fresh berries and nectarine slices over shortbread were covered with thin cheesecake-like shards that melted on the tongue. The flavor was familiar; the sensation was new.

Hours: 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $19-$35; a five-course tasting menu is $80, $115 with half-pours of wine, $135 with full pours. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; can be made through the website.

5. Third Coast Provisions

724 N. Milwaukee St.

(414) 323-7434

thirdcoastprovisions.com

After years of dining rooms with a muscular, industrial edge, here comes chef and co-owner Andrew Miller’s Third Coast Provisions, putting the gorgeous back in restaurants. But glam will get you only so far unless the food is good, and at Third Coast it’s great. The focus is seafood on this fresh, fun menu.

So much to try, like the chargrilled oysters (in several preparations, like the Milwaukee, with pastrami, beer, garlic and shallot) and rich, rich, rich lobster pot holes (where lobster and lump crab swim together in garlic-herb butter). Half or more of the menu is plates to share; the rest is mains like Lake Superior walleye with cabbage, potato puree and dill pickle vinaigrette. Non-fish-eaters, note that the fine filet comes with incredible potatoes aligot, whipped with more Gruyere cheese than is decent anywhere but France and Wisconsin. At the bar, lighter cocktails and a white-heavy wine list are good matches for the menu.

Hours: Restaurant, 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Oak & Oyster bar downstairs, opens 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Small plates, mostly $13-$19; entrées, $29-$46. Reservations: Recommended Thursday-Saturday; available through the website.

6. Wolf Peach

1818 N. Hubbard St.

(414) 374-8480

wolf-peach.com

Note: Wolf Peach closed in March. It wasn’t exactly a quantum shift late last year when Wolf Peach changed chefs (Cole Ersel left and sous chef Kyle Toner moved up to the executive role); the restaurant still serves wood-fired pizzas and seasonal dishes that can be shared. But Toner has put his own imprint on the food, and I like it.

Although the menu is not overtly Italian (just some dishes here and there with Italian roots and those pizzas, the best Neapolitan-style pies in town), Toner’s aesthetic seems thoroughly Italian. It’s clear flavors in balance, not too much of anything, and the right acidic notes to brighten a dish. It showed through on light, crisp cod fritters served with romesco sauce; greens tossed with tahini ranch dressing and meaty mushrooms made to taste like bacon; and olive-crusted tuna with sweet-and-sour squash and yogurt. They’re well-crafted plates worthy of Wolf Peach’s stunning view of downtown.

Hours: Dinner, 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday; brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Prices: Plates small to large, $8-$41. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday, although seating is unreserved at communal tables; call for reservations.

7. Braise

1101 S. 2nd St.

(414) 212-8843

braiselocalfood.com

Vegetable lovers, this is the place — although Braise suits carnivores, too; chef-owner David Swanson brings out the best in both vegetables and meats. The chef makes the most of what’s fresh right now, thanks to his network of farmers and a rooftop garden, and harvests are preserved for use all year round. In late spring that rooftop supplied perfect radishes with greens attached and laid on a board, sprinkled with salt and morel powder and served with butter blended with ramps. It looked like a Renaissance still life.

Small plates make the most of meats and fish, too, like squares of luscious pork fried in a dusting of cornmeal, or smoked trout parfait. Braise also serves meat, fish and vegetarian dishes family-style, sized for two (or more, if you’re sharing other plates). Each dish was a winner. Have a seat in the dining room for a view of the open kitchen, but tables in the bar are awfully cozy.

Hours: Dinner, 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Prices: Small plates, $6-$14; family-style for two, $18-$28 a person. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; can be made through the website.

8. Dandan

360 E. Erie St.

(414) 488-8036

dandanmke.com

I liked the American Chinese restaurant Dandan when it opened last year, including its smart lineup of cocktails, but I loved it when I went back to the lively dining room in summer. Chefs Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs zeroed in on flavors in their dishes, like perfectly formed chicken and cabbage dumplings, the crisped mung bean-kimchi pancake and the Laotian fish fry, crisp cod with pineapple fish sauce and a sticky rice cake. Their Peking duck for two to four people is one of the city's must-have dinners. Dandan closes the meal with desserts to remember, especially summer’s mandarin orange icebox pie with vanilla mousse and orange segments.

Prices: Entrées, $12-$69 (Peking duck for two to four); most are less than $20. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday and for large parties; can be made through the website.

9. Odd Duck

2352 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

(414) 763-5881

oddduckrestaurant.com

Everything about Odd Duck is exuberant — the atmosphere as well as the restaurant’s energetic approach to food and drink. Shareable plates bound around the country and the globe for delicious flavors and techniques, and chef and co-owner Ross Bachhuber and chef de cuisine Matt Bauer weave in what’s fresh in local produce (the bar gets into the act, too).

Dishes read like spring on a plate back in May; a crespelle, or Italian crepe, was filled with ham, peas, ricotta and herbs, and garnished with radish and pea shoots, while flavorful ramp and rabbit sausage nestled with gnocchi, Sarvecchio cheese, spruce tips, morels and charred green onion. It’s always adventurous, delicious dining.

Hours: Dinner, 5-10 p.m. daily; the bar opens at 3 p.m. and closes at midnight. Prices: Small plates, $4-$16. Reservations: Recommended; make them by phone.

10. Morel

430 S. 2nd St.

(414) 897-0747

morelmke.com

Finally, I’d made it to chef-owner Jonathan Manyo’s restaurant during the namesake morel season, and a dish made with the celebrated mushroom was worth the wait — a fricassee in garlic and butter over soft polenta. Meat does take center stage here, though; the menu changes both with the seasons and as the chef cooks his way through whole animals butchered at the restaurant. A counter at the open kitchen lets guests watch the chef and his crew at work, preparing plates such as duck confit with excellent smoky pheasant-wild rice sausage, for one, or snappy pork sausage with pork shoulder in a mole of hickory nuts, giving the Mexican sauce a Midwestern stamp. The bar mixes tasty cocktails, and the wine list leans toward California and Oregon.

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $20-$32. Reservations: Recommended (although 20 seats are set aside for walk-ins nightly). They can be made through the website; call the restaurant for parties of five or more.

11. Story Hill BKC

5100 W. Blue Mound Road.

(414) 539-4424

storyhillbkc.com

A feel-good space and a taste-good menu is an unbeatable combination. At Story Hill BKC (for bottle, kitchen, cocktail), chef and co-owner Joe Muench and executive chef Eric Malmsted craft a shareable menu with the Upper Midwest in mind and ramp it up with global flavors. Which are, after all, the flavors of the region’s immigrant people.

Dishes can taste like home, like the crisped chicken thighs in sherry-giblet pan gravy or the country spare ribs with whipped potatoes, sour cabbage and yellow split peas; ordering the fresh-baked butter-flake rolls should be required, they’re that good. Story Hill BKC, which has a bottle shop attached where customers can buy beer and wine for home, is a busy place for lunch and weekend brunch, too.

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; brunch, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday; dinner, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Prices: Dinner plates, small to large, $3-$30; lunch, $7-$16. Reservations: Accepted for dinner and recommended Friday-Saturday nights; emailing is an option. At lunch and brunch, diners can use the Yelp mobile app or NoWait app to get in a digital line; parties larger than six should phone in.

12. Tre Rivali

200 N. Broadway

(414) 291-3971

trerivalirestaurant.com

Tre Rivali, the restaurant in the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, injects some of the sunny Mediterranean into the Third Ward. The dining room is a looker, and the menu by chef Heather Terhune is one delicious dish after another that takes cues from Italy, Spain and beyond. The wood-fired oven turns out pizzas, and the kitchen crew makes the pastas, including pillow-like carrot gnocchi with rabbit sausage and pea shoots.

Much of the menu is snacks and smaller plates to share, like half artichokes grilled over a wood fire and served with tarragon aioli, a rare treat. But there are a half-dozen large plates, too, such as excellent grilled swordfish in summer with corn flan, tomato jam and carrots roasted in curry powder. The don’t-miss dessert here is the ice cream sandwich fashioned from coiled churros and “hot chocolate” ice cream.

Hours: Breakfast, 7-10 a.m. Monday-Friday; lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; snacks, pizza and burgers at the bar, 2-5 p.m.; dinner, 5-10 p.m. daily; brunch, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Prices: Cicheti, tapas and other smaller plates, $6-$19; pizza and pasta, $16-$19; large plates, $14-$44. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; they can be made through the website.

13. Ristorante Bartolotta

7616 W. State St., Wauwatosa

(414) 771-7910

bartolottaristorante.com

The prolific Bartolotta Restaurants group now owns or operates more than a dozen places, but its first is still my favorite, Ristorante, in the heart of Wauwatosa. Chef Juan Urbieta is a master of Italian cooking, whether it’s pastas, fish or meat. The standing menu changes little from year to year, and sometimes I want nothing more than Ristorante’s perfectly crisp chicken, roasted in the Tuscan style. But more often I look to the three-course chef’s menu, which takes a more seasonal approach. In spring it included an ultra-savory dish of emmer wheat prepared like risotto, with salami, Grana Padano and spinach folded in, and topped with crisped shallot.

Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5:30-10 p.m. Friday; 5-10 p.m. Saturday; 5-8 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Entrées, $24-$40. Reservations: Recommended; they can be made through the website.

14. Dream Dance Steak

1721 W. Canal St., in Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

(414) 847-7883

paysbig.com/dining

For dinner with a side of glamorous dining room and attentive service, Dream Dance Steak is it — although diners do have to make their way through the Potawatomi casino to get to the restaurant, not the most convenient path. But your arrival will be rewarded with house-baked breads and butter and a delicious dinner by chef Chase Anderson. In summer, that meant appetizers such as tender pork belly with the flavors of corn, cherry, jalapeño and cilantro.

The restaurant has a full lineup of steaks for high-rollers, but note that steaks will be sold a la carte starting Sept. 19, and prices across the board for main dishes will drop as the menu is recast and simplified; go this weekend if you want to experience the menu (and an amuse-bouche) in its current glory. Well-made desserts were prettily constructed here, especially the fanciful raspberry lemonade cake.

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $27-$75 (plus market price for Japanese steak); as of Sept. 19, main dish prices will be $14-$59. Five-course tasting menu, $75; with wines, $115, will be an off-menu request starting with the new menu. Reservations: They can be made through the website.

15. Goodkind

2457 S. Wentworth Ave.

(414) 763-4706

goodkindbayview.com

One of the great things about dining out in 2017 is how easy it is to find a meal that’s the caliber of fine dining but in an utterly casual setting. That’s the case at Goodkind, where chefs and part owners Paul Zerkel and Lisa Kirkpatrick’s kitchen seizes on seasonal produce. By late summer, juicy tomatoes composed a salad along with sunflower sprouts, onions and rye granola. In spring, pickled ramps accented fried smelt with slaw in buttermilk dressing, just great.

The idea is to share, whether it’s composed plates, small or large, or rotisserie meats like juicy pork, with a side such as potatoes and vegetables roasted in meats’ drippings. Diabolically clever. Cocktails are composed as thoughtfully as the plates, and the restaurant has appealing wine and craft beer lists, too. The good kind, indeed.

Hours: Kitchen open 5 p.m.-1 a.m. daily; the bar is open 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices: Small to large sharing plates, $8-$30. Reservations: Recommended for peak hours; taken by phone. Bar seating unreserved.

16. Bavette La Boucherie

330 E. Menomonee St.

(414) 273-3375

bavettelaboucherie.com

You can expect a butcher shop-restaurant to serve great meat, but don’t forget that Bavette chef-owner Karen Bell has a remarkable way with fruits and vegetables. She often uses produce’s flavors to amplify the high-quality meats: Peach chutney and roasted zucchini, for instance, really make the sandwich when paired with rosy, flavorful roast pork along with bacon and goat cheese. Vegetables do stand on their own, though, in plates such as fried squash blossoms stuffed with corn and zucchini, served with a corn cake, cherry tomatoes, avocado and chorizo-clam vinaigrette.

Besides sandwiches and small plates, Bavette serves salads, cheese and charcuterie, spreads and snacks (like deviled eggs as light as a hen's feather) that are good accompaniments for the wines, beers and cocktails. Note: The restaurant is closed through Sept. 18 as Bell leads a wine trip to Spain.

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Prices: Snacks and shared plates, $6-$28; sandwiches and salads, $10.75-$14. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; call the restaurant.

17. Lazy Susan

2378 S. Howell Ave.

(414) 988-7086

lazysusanmke.com

In her charming little laid-back restaurant where quirky vintage salt-and-pepper shakers stand on the tables, chef-owner A.J. Dixon is always trying something new. That’s because the menu changes as the growing season does. In early summer, that meant sharing plates of green beans fried in chickpea-cilantro batter with tomato chutney, and herbed salmon cakes on creamed leeks with English pea salad.

Dinner at Lazy Susan is a good value in general, especially with features like the $40 Wednesday four-course dinners for two (gluten free) and Thursday’s juicy, super-crunchy Korean fried chicken (also gluten-free) with plenty of trimmings at $30 for a half and $60 for a whole bird. Call ahead to reserve the chicken if you have your taste buds set on it — it frequently sells out.

Hours: Dinner 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Small to large plates, $5-$26. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; taken by phone.

18. Le Rêve Patisserie & Cafe

7610 Harwood Ave., Wauwatosa

(414) 778-3333

lerevecafe.com

Wauwatosa’s charming Village business district feels a little European; it helps that Le Rêve is a touch of Paris at its center. Chef Andrew Schneider and chef de cuisine Sarah O'Bear are turning out dishes like canard au bourgignon, wine-braised duck leg and tender seared duck breast with carrots, asparagus and fingerling potatoes. Look to Le Rêve for very good steak frites, whether it’s filet, hanger or bone-in ribeye. Lunch or dinner isn’t complete without a stop at the pretty-as-a-picture pastry case, with lovelies like chocolate caramel tartlets lined up inside.

Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Saturday; breakfast menu served 8-11 a.m. Monday-Saturday. Prices: Dinner entrées, $11.50-$28. Reservations: Accepted for parties of six or more; they can be made online.

19. Amilinda

315 E. Wisconsin Ave.

(414) 369-3683

amilinda.com

Chef Gregory León’s warm Amilinda takes its cue from growers as much as it does from the food and drink of Spain and Portugal. The time of year is clear right from the first course, as in an early summer strawberry salad with grilled rhubarb and dandelion greens, made lovelier with edible flower petals. In main dishes like the “drunken goat” sausage — made with gin and juniper berries — the accompaniment was English pea cakes and couscous. For dessert, cherry crisp; this is Wisconsin, after all. The wine list is all Spanish and Portuguese wines, and smart, tasty cocktails carry the theme through with gin, Madeira and sherry.

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $20-$28. Reservations: Recommended; can be made through the website.

20. All Purpose

814 S. 2nd St.

(414) 672-6000

apbarandkitchen.com

Note: All Purpose closed in fall 2017 and was being replaced. All Purpose has everything a diner needs: great cocktails and wine list, terrific service, warm atmosphere and a seasonal, rustic (mostly) menu. In June, a roast spring chicken was served in a concentrated broth with fried strands of green garlic and hen of the woods mushrooms — comfort-plus. For a polished plate, order the hamachi crudo; the accompaniments change, but the fish's quality will be excellent.

And I’m pleased to report that the burger I went head-over-heels for four years ago when the restaurant opened was every bit as juicy and chargrilled-delicious this summer.

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and Sunday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Small to large plates, $4-$25. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; can be made through the website.

21. Lagniappe Brasserie

17001 W. Greenfield Ave., New Berlin

(262) 782-7530

lagniappebrasserie.com

At Lagniappe Brasserie in New Berlin, chef Andrew Tenaglia prepares a little gift for his guests, a lagniappe, such as a bite of quiche presented with the flourish of a curly garlic scape in early summer. Breads baked at the restaurant are served with butter, herb-scented olive oil and chicken liver mousse. And if all that weren’t enough, the price of entrées includes scratch-made soup or salad.

The menu changes continually; I was glad to be there when house-cured, hot-smoked salmon from Michigan was on the menu, a gorgeous board with toasts, dilled cream cheese, capers, red onion, chopped egg and a fresh, sweet fig. The restaurant’s own garden and area growers supply produce in season, such as tomatoes for the wild boar osso bucco’s sauce. Here’s another gift: The cozy dining room lets diners have a conversation without shouting, something that’s hard to come by in dining in 2017.

Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Prices: Dinner entrées, $17-$32. Reservations: Recommended Thursday-Saturday; make them by calling the restaurant.

22. Pastiche Bistro

411 E. Mason St. at Hotel Metro. (414) 225-3270;

4313 W. River Lane, Brown Deer. (414) 354-1995

pastichebistro.com

French restaurant Pastiche has undergone major changes in the past year or so. First, founding chef Michael Engel opened a second location in Brown Deer; then Pastiche left the original Bay View location for downtown, with chef Rachael Karr leading the kitchen. Pastiche at the Metro was in transit as last year’s Top 30 list was being compiled, and Pastiche Brown Deer was still seeking its footing. With time, both restaurants have reached their top form.

The lamb rack coated in mustard and breadcrumbs I had in Brown Deer was exceptional, both in the quality of the meat and its preparation. Dinner at the Metro was delicious, too, including Tuesday night tapas of seared scallops in beurre blanc with sautéed grapes and Marcona almonds.

Brown Deer hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday, dinner 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Downtown hours: Breakfast 6:30-11 a.m. Monday-Friday; brunch 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 4 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. Prices: Dinner entrées, $14-$32 in Brown Deer, $15-$32 downtown; Tuesday tapas, about $6-$12. Reservations: Can be made on the Pastiche mobile app and online.

23. Tofte’s Table

331 Riverfront Plaza, Waukesha

(262) 408-5633

toftestable.com

How would chef Jason Tofte cook for you if you were invited to his home? Pretty much as he does for customers at Tofte’s Table, he says, the stylish, relaxed restaurant he and his wife, Cristina, opened in downtown Waukesha a year ago. The shareable plates have a homey feel but are served with the polish an accomplished chef provides.

Chicken and duck thighs are served with gnocchi and broccolini in the birds’ juices; octopus is grilled and served with greens in a bright lemon-mustard dressing. It’s all thoroughly delicious. The restaurant is as good for date night as it is for groups, especially with a communal table front and center.

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 Friday-Saturday. Prices: Shareable plates from $2.50 to $21; most $15 or less. Reservations: Taken for parties of six or more by phone.

24. Three Brothers

2414 S. St. Clair St.

(414) 481-7530

On Facebook

To call the traditional Serbian dishes at Three Brothers comfort food falls short somehow. Yes, the plate of beef goulash with potato dumplings conveys utter warmth, but seeing an entire golden brown burek of fresh spinach and cheese sheathed in flaky pastry is nothing short of a thrill. It’s perfect. Three Brothers is such a classic, and it’s heartwarming to see people breaking bread around vintage kitchen tables in the former Schlitz tavern, built in 1898. The restaurant also is undergoing updates, though, since the next generation took it over. Look for special events at Three Brothers this year and the return of bar stools and the jukebox. Next summer, expect to see outdoor dining.

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday, 4-10 p.m. Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Entrées, $14.50-$22.50. Reservations: Recommended Thursday to Sunday; reserving via Facebook is an option. Note: Payment is cash or check only.

25. Carnevor

718 N. Milwaukee St.

(414) 223-2200

carnevor.com

SURG’s dimly lighted Carnevor sets a classic steakhouse mood without resorting to the usual steakhouse design cliches. It’s modern and stylish, and the contemporary feeling carries over to a number of the plates. A newer appetizer by chef Mario Giuliani is grilled octopus, particularly good with the dish's pickled tomato vinaigrette. Carnevor’s steaks are among the finest; some of them, along with the heritage Mangalitsa pork, come from an owner’s farm. I can always count on the steaks to be seasoned and cooked just right. With plenty of options for red meat, Carnevor is still my first thought for steak downtown.

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Entrées, $29-$76 (Japanese Wagyu, $161). Reservations: Recommended; can be made through the website.

26. Jake’s

21445 W. Gumina Road, Pewaukee

(262) 781-7995

jakes-restaurant.com

Open since 1960, Jake's steakhouse artfully balances delivering the classics and keeping current. Just as he’s made decor updates to the restaurant’s rustic setting, built from a 19th-century barn, chef-owner Jake Replogle Jr. adds new dishes to the menu and weaves in seasonal produce while honoring the classics, like a top-notch filet and crisp-skinned roast duck. At dinner’s end, try a dessert made with seasonal fruit or the cheese plate; in June the plate held some of the state’s best cheeses with creative accompaniments, like LaClare Farms’ Evalon with peach, chamomile and pink peppercorn.

Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, 5-9:30 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $18-$79.90 (36-ounce Porterhouse for two); most items less than $40. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; they can be made through the website.

27. The Union House

S42-W31320 Highway 83, Genesee Depot

(262) 968-4281

theunionhouse.com

I can always count on a well-made meal by chef John Mollett at the Union House. Steaks will be cooked to perfect temperature; the game special will be appealing and flavorful, like a pair of quail, roasted and tender and accented with a blackberry sauce in summer. Dessert includes a long lineup of sweets made by co-owner Patty Robinson, such as a perfect, custard-like bread pudding with cashews and caramel sauce. With the setting in a rustic 1861 building and the possibility of an ice cream drink at meal’s end, it feels like a classic Wisconsin night out. It’s only too perfect to leave at night and, away from city lights, see a sky full of stars.

Hours: 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4:30-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $24-$44. Reservations: Recommended; they can be made through the website. Parties of six or more are asked to call.

28. Bacchus

925 E. Wells St., in the Cudahy Tower

(414) 765-1166

bacchusmke.com

Elegant plates and an elegant dining room, an expansive wine list and solid service are the calling cards of Bacchus, a Bartolotta restaurant. Chef Nick Wirth is bringing world flavors onto the menu; in summer, a bavette-cut steak was served with Mexican corn salad, charred red onion and cumin vinaigrette. Desserts, almost too pretty to eat (almost), are a necessary thing at Bacchus, such as a St. Honoré puff filled with pistachio cream.

Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $33-$44, plus market price for a chef's cut for two. Five-course tasting menu, $75, and optional beverage pairings, $40; seven-course tasting, $95, beverage pairings, $55. Reservations: They can be made through the website.

29. Lake Park Bistro

3133 E. Newberry Blvd.

(414) 962-6300

lakeparkbistro.com

The setting is special at this Bartolotta restaurant — in Lake Park, with a view of Lake Michigan — and so is the French menu. Keep an eye out for seasonal dishes by chef de cuisine John Raymond, such as halibut with caramelized fennel, asparagus, fingerlings and basil. Desserts put the exclamation point on dinner, courtesy of French classics like lemon tart with a gorgeous honey meringue, and seasonal sweets such as rhubarb semifreddo with poached rhubarb, strawberries and pistachio crumble.

Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday, 5-8:30 p.m. Sunday; brunch, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Dinner entrées, $22-$55. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; they can be made through the website.

30. Sebastian’s

6025 Douglas Ave., Caledonia

(262) 681-5465

sebastiansracine.com

At chef-owner Scott Sebastian’s restaurant, a diner can order classic Americana, like grilled oysters and an excellent steak, or perfect duck breast with tart cherries and grilled cauliflower. But world flavors are there, too, as in samosas stuffed with curried potato and peas with chutneys. “Whatever the guest wants” seems to be the motto here, and the friendly service hits the mark. Dinner in the polished, comfortable dining room is an evening well-spent. (For something more casual in the warm months, the patio has its own menu, wood-fired oven and bar.)

Hours: 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Entrees, $17-$48; three-course menu Fridays, $22.95. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; they can be made through the website.

Meraki

939 S. 2nd St.

(414) 897-7230

restaurantmeraki.com

Meraki offers something out of the ordinary. Chef Chad Meier prepares small and large plates to share, made from pork, fish, beef and vegetables but also delicious, lower-fat goat and rabbit, the rabbit lately served with root vegetables. At dessert, a whole peach, its skin charred, was cut open at the table to reveal a center of blueberries, pistachios, vanilla and coconut fat, luscious and creamy but vegan to boot. It was the final course of a tasting menu for the table to share, and it's stayed on my mind. Dining out is so much fun when the chef reaches beyond the usual.

Hours: Dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Small plates, $7-$12; entrées, $18-$25; culinary adventure (shareable tasting menu), $35, $50 and $65 a person. Reservations: Can be made online.

Cafe Grace

11200 W. Burleigh St., Wauwatosa, at the Mayfair Collection

(414) 837-6310

cafegracemke.com

Mall food was never like this. A relaxed French restaurant that keeps the menu fairly simple, Cafe Grace makes for a lovely, polished setting. (The restaurant is owned by the shopping center’s Phoenix Development Group and will be operated by Bartolotta Restaurants until about Nov. 1.) It’s a refuge where shoppers, or anyone hopping off the nearby freeway exit, can pause for just a bite — crisp gougeres filled with fondue, maybe, or silky chicken liver mousse or a buckwheat crepe with ham and cheese. Or they can stay for a dinner as elaborate as they care to make it, including towers of chilled seafood. Entrées by chef de cuisine Klayton Mutchler include reliably juicy rotisserie meats such as chicken and top sirloin, and plates like scallop and lobster fricassee, served over a chickpea-flour cake with corn, fennel and zucchini in a creamy, aromatic broth, an elegant dish.

Hours: Dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2-9 p.m. Saturday, 2-8 Sunday; brunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Entrées, $20-$39.50. Reservations: They can be made through the website.

Red Light Ramen

1749 N. Farwell Ave.

(414) 837-5107

redlightramen.com

The tiny ramen shop by Ardent chef Justin Carlisle is probably best known for its sticky-rich tonkotsu ramen, pork soup slow-cooked until milky, then stocked with noodles, pork and more. See, too, what small plates the crew has dreamed up. Delicious ones in summer included cauliflower with beef tendon, and crisp nuggets of pork with watermelon, sesame seeds and green onion. The light-as-air chawanmushi, aerated savory custard garnished with crabmeat, is a classic, and the tins of Spanish seafood are a treat. Order a spiked slushie or some sake and let the good times roll.

Hours: 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Prices: $6-$12 for snacks, $13 for ramen, $16 for donabe. Reservations: Not taken.

The Cheel

105 S. Main St., Thiensville

(262) 236-9463

thecheel.com

To find the Milwaukee area’s only Nepalese restaurant, head to Thiensville. That’s where Jesse and Barkha Daily opened the Cheel, in a renovated Victorian with an Art Deco bar where smart, modern cocktails are made. Both of them are from the mountains — he’s from the Rockies, she’s from the Himalayas — and the menu reflects that, with Nepalese dishes and American plates with Nepalese seasonings. Momo, the dumplings stuffed with goat, lamb or vegetables, are positively addictive, even more so with classic aachar, one of several complex dipping sauces. Or a diner could bridge the American and Nepalese plates with one of the best sandwiches around, the jogi hoagie, lamb meatballs with tomato-onion sauce, five-spice mayonnaise, bacon and Gouda on a crisped roll — terrific. Live jazz and blues music is another draw on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next year, look for a beer garden to be built next door.

Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, brunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Small plates, $6-$12; entrées, $10-$49. Reservations: Accepted by phone for parties of eight or more Monday-Thursday.

Jing’s Chinese Restaurant

207 E. Buffalo St., Suite 101

(414) 271-7788

jingsmke.com

At this Third Ward restaurant that's stylish enough for a date night, a traditional Chinese menu supplements the Chinese-American menu. It's best to order family-style: an appetizer to share such as a crisp scallion pancake, a fish or meat dish, some vegetables. One happy combination to consider is rice with green onion and egg; the wonderful red-waved sole, fish fried crisp and draped in lightly sweet sauce; and baby bok choy with mushrooms. The menu includes delicately flavored dishes from Shanghai, the hometown of owner Jing Wang.

Hours: 4-9 p.m. Sunday, 4-8:30 p.m. Monday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $9.50-$16.95. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday.

Blue’s Egg

317 N. 76th St.

(414) 299-3180

bluesegg.com

If you get just one thing at the brunch restaurant Blue’s Egg, make it the crunchy hash browns, stuffed with pulled ham or other savory ingredients. But really, why stop there? Consider the mushroom and provolone omelet with tarragon sauce, or dessert-for-breakfast lemon cheesecake French toast, or a flavorful vegetarian sausage patty. Watch for creative daily specials, too. Wait times for a table can be epic on the weekend, but you can buy a coffee while you wait for a table, and once you’re seated, a server brings grapes to snack on.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Prices $6.50-$13.95. Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. Reservations: Taken for parties of seven or more Monday-Friday; using the NoWait or Yelp mobile app will put you in a digital line any day

Iron Grate BBQ Co.

4125 S. Howell Ave.

(414) 455-1776

irongratebbq.com

Iron Grate moved to cozy new digs this summer, just a couple doors up from its previous home on the south side. The move gave the counter-service restaurant a chance to expand its hours and its menu. To the roster of meats like the excellent beef brisket, chef-owner Aaron Patin added chicken quarters, and they’re fantastic — juicy, crisp-skinned and smoky from their time in the all-wood smoker named Edna. Head-on shrimp in buttery, smoky hot sauce, at first a special at the barbecue restaurant, now has a well-deserved permanent slot on the menu.

Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Prices: Entrées, $17-$32 (for three meats and three sides, serving two); meats by the pound, $13 and $17. Reservations: Not taken; counter service.

Carnitas Don Lucho

565 W. Lincoln Ave.

(414) 643-1744

The irresistible lure of Carnitas Don Lucho has a scent — of the rich porky goodness of carnitas, of the more-savory-than-spicy house chorizo, of roast lamb. Lower your nose to the plate and smell the corn dough of the fresh tortillas (made by a small battalion of kitchen workers as fast as customers order them), the incredible eight salsas, most of them unlike ones you'll find elsewhere in Milwaukee. Carnitas Don Lucho, operated by Jose Luis Mejia and his family, is open only Friday through Sunday, usually selling out in the afternoon — go early for this food made Michoacan style. Don Lucho has table service as well as a takeout counter at the back of the restaurant.

Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays (carnitas only); full menu 4 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Prices: Tacos, $2.75; meals for 3-4 served family style, $14.99-$19.99; takeout by the pound, $7.99-$9.99. Reservations: Not taken.

The Vanguard

2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

(414) 539-3593

vanguardbar.com

At first blush, the Vanguard looks like it could be any popular neighborhood bar, but something will tell you otherwise. Maybe it’s the large photo of Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher illuminated on the wall like a religious icon. Anyway, pick up a menu before stepping to the counter and it’s plain that the Vanguard’s fare transcends typical bar food. Chef Shay Linkus makes sausages such as hot dogs, bratwurst and vegan Italians, and also duck-bacon, venison-sour orange and lamb-pork, paired with well-matched toppings. His ode to Nashville hot chicken is genius: a chicken sausage spiced with paprika and cayenne that's deep-fried and dressed with slivered pickle and mayonnaise. Dang, that’s good. Take the menu’s pairing suggestions for beers, or try a tap cocktail or one of the multitude of bourbons. Cheers.

Hours: Kitchen is open from 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday; brunch items and the full menu served 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Prices: $4-$9. Reservations: Not taken; counter service. Delivery recently added through UberEats.

Ethiopian Cottage

1824 N. Farwell Ave.

(414) 224-5226

ethiopiancottagerest.com

Rich spice blends and aromatics combine with meats and vegetables for delicious, comforting dishes at Ethiopian Cottage, which Yigletu Debebe and his wife, Almaz Bekele, opened 10 years ago. Ethiopian cuisine is the orginal share plate: Order communally, since that’s how the food is served, and then tear off pieces of the sourdough flatbread to scoop up the stews and sautés served atop it. It’s all so flavorful, such as the kitfo, seasoned steak tartare and the red lentil dish called yemisir wat. But the last part might be the best part — the little islands of injera that remain after the meats and vegetables are gone, having soaked up the sauces and juices and butter. Remember to share, as hard as it may be. Drinks include Ethiopian beers, the country’s honey wine and Ethiopian coffee, roasted daily.

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 12:30-10 p.m. Saturday, 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Prices: Individual entrées, $10.50-$14.75; combinations from $18.75 for one person, $32.75 for two. Reservations: By phone and by email, yigletudebebe@gmail.com.

Chilango Express

6821 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis

(414) 807-7948

chilangoexpresswi.com

You’ll find some of the very best Mexican food in this little storefront beside a gas station, whether you’re looking for meat or vegetables. Roast lamb is available on the weekends (it can sell out before dinnertime) and it’s a great deal. For $13 for a pound, the lamb comes with six fresh-made corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro and lime plus salsa. Ask for lamb broth stocked with chickpeas, carrots and potatoes, if you like. It’s enough for two very hungry people. Fresh dough for tortillas means Chilango Express also makes huge, folded quesadillas and distinctive huaraches with a refried-bean center; toppings and fillings include mushroom, pumpkin flowers and cactus. And if you love meat and vegetables alike, try the full-flavored Chilango Especial, steak with chorizo, poblano and cactus. Owners Juan and Guadalupe Ortiz, originally from near Mexico City, offer table service at the restaurant’s few tables, as well as takeout.

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Prices: $1.75-$8.50, $13 for roast lamb meal with soup (feeds 2-4). Reservations: Not taken.

Kim’s Thai Restaurant

938 W. Layton Ave., in the IHOP plaza

(414) 282-8687

kimsthairestaurant.com

My advice: Go with a few family members or friends to this little storefront restaurant and order dishes to share family-style. It’s a feast that will put the range of Thai flavors on full display, sweet and sour and delicious. Dishes like green papaya salad in lime juice will wake up your taste buds; larb, the meat salad, can be ordered with duck offal here in addition to the usual pork, beef or chicken. The enormous, crisp chicken wings stuffed with glass noodles are a must (but calling ahead is a good idea; quantities are limited and orders take 30 to 40 minutes).The only thing that can make the meal better is if owner Kim Paneboune has time to stop by your table and gently tease you about the spice levels.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Prices: Entrées, $8.95-$17.95. Reservations: Accepted for more than 10 people.

Wy’east Pizza

5601 W. Vliet St.

(414) 943-3278

wyeastpizza.com

A pitch-perfect meal to match the season was a salad and pizza at Wy’east. It was late spring-early summer, when local produce was just getting rolling in Wisconsin: To start, slices of radish, sugar snap peas and feta in a light vinaigrette, flecked with fresh mint and sumac, and then the Deschiutto pizza (served Wednesdays and Sundays into October), lavish prosciutto and pea shoots over goat cheese and mozzarella, chutney, herbs and olive oil on Wy’east’s excellent New York-meets-Naples crust, crisp and chewy and deeply flavorful. I couldn’t have been happier. Order at the counter, find a seat in the small dining room or, in warm weather, on the landscaped patio; sip one of the well-chosen wines or beers and wait for your pizza, and you might find happiness, too.

Hours: 4:30-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Prices: Pizzas, $14-$22. Reservations: Not taken; counter service. Wy'east now accepts phone orders for takeout.

Mekong Cafe

5930 W. North Ave.

(414) 257-2228

mekong-cafe.com

Serving the cuisines of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, Mekong Cafe is named for the river that flows past all three countries. Co-owner and chef Banh Phongsavat cooks a dizzying variety of dishes. You could visit all three countries in a single meal, so to speak: for instance, Vietnamese steamed rice-flour dumplings called banh cuon, filled with ground chicken and bits of wood ear mushrooms and served with sweet-and-sour sauce; green papaya salad Laotian style, with fermented crab paste; and house-made green curry with pork or any meat (or tofu) you desire. The possibilities seem to go on forever — certainly for many, many more dinners. Mekong Cafe, which has started serving sake cocktails, has a popular lunchtime buffet that sometimes offers dishes not on the regular menu.

Hours: Lunch buffet ($8.95), 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; full menu 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 3-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Happy hour menu, 3-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Prices: Entrées, $7.95-$19.95. Reservations: Recommended for parties of more than 10 Thursday-Saturday

Mr. Wok

2128 Silvernail Road, Pewaukee, in the Silvernail Plaza

(262) 521-9780

When customers come in for Chinese takeout at this little plaza storefront, I always want to pipe up, “Get a Malaysian dish, too!” The menu at Jian and C.S. Tan's Mr. Wok covers several Asian cuisines, but where else can you find Malaysian food around here? Nowhere else, that’s where. And it’s so delicious. The curry laksa could give ramen and pho a run for their money, I tell you: fat noodles at that perfect point where firm and tender meet, with slices of chicken, and fresh shrimp cooked just until pink, all of it kept warm in a rich coconut curry soup that feels like pure luxury, an extravagance. It is $9.95. Other Malaysian dishes, many with the funky undercurrent of dried-shrimp paste, are just as beguiling. Mr. Wok is casual and quick, but so, so satisfying.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 4-9 p.m. Saturday; lunch buffet 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. Prices: Entrées, $6.95-$14.95. Reservations: Accepted for more than six people.

Holyland Restaurant

2755 W. Ramsey Ave., Greenfield, inside Holyland Grocery

(414) 817-1959

facebook.com/holylandgrocery

You can’t miss the rotisseries behind the counter at this small restaurant within Holyland grocery store; one is stacked with chicken for shawarma sandwiches while the other holds a mix of beef and lamb that’s basted with melting fat as it cooks. Besides excellent shawarma sandwiches, the restaurant makes an array of items, including falafel made nutty with sesame seeds; kifta kebab, the skewers of ground beef and lamb; and ful medames, the fava bean dip. Everything is very good, and the plates and takeout containers all but overflow; vegans and carnivores alike will be satisfied here. The restaurant has a few tables for customers dining in; many take their orders to go.

Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday (the store is open an hour later). Prices: $3.99-$10.99. Plate for five-seven people is $49.99. Reservations: Not taken; counter service.

Gypsy Taco

2151 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., on the patio of Boone & Crockett bar

facebook.com/Gypsytaco

Walk through Boone & Crockett bar and onto the patio — yes, even in winter — and up to the food trailer permanently residing there for chef Mitch Ciohon’s memorable takes on tacos. He’ll be the first to say they’re not authentic. They’re straight-up delicious, though, with meats like Dr Pepper-braised pork brightened with cilantro, pickles and jalapeño, or grilled, marinated chicken with pickled peppers and feta. Seasonings are courtesy Ciohon’s Gypsy Dust blend; spice it up more with Gypsy Danger hot sauce. On the side, get Ciohon’s version of queso called Kwayso: The warm cheese dip with house tortilla chips hides a surprise inside — guacamole. It’s like striking gold.

Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Prices: Tacos typically $4-$7 apiece; sides and desserts, $3-$4. Reservation: Not taken; counter service.

Irie Zulu

7237 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa

(414) 509-6014

iriezulu.com

Before the restaurant, there were owner Yollande Deacon's Afro Fusion Cuisine spice blends, and spices are a thread throughout the menu of this African and Jamaican restaurant (she was born in Cameroon, her husband’s family is from Jamaica). Jamaican jerk wings have a happy, insistent heat; maffe, a peanut butter stew, is a rich, satisfying dish. In just a couple of years, the pretty little restaurant has become a gathering spot for Wauwatosa neighbors and for diners seeking a taste of home.

Hours: 3-9 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday (African menu); 3-9 p.m. Thursday and 3-10 p.m. Friday (Jamaican menu); 3-10 p.m. Saturday (African and Jamaican); Sunday brunch, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., shifting to noon to 5 p.m. starting Oct. 1. Prices: Entrées, $17-$25, market price for fish. Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday.

The Tandem

1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

(414) 885-1919

facebook.com/tandemmke

First came the restoration of a handsome old tavern (those intricate tile floors!) that sat unused for a dozen years. Then, chef Caitlin Cullen’s the Tandem moved in to give the building purpose. The kitchen sends out fried chicken by the trayful (take home the leftovers; they’ll still be crisp the next day) and juicy half-pound burgers. Too much meat? The Tandem also makes powerfully delicious salads and a great veggie burger and (at lunch) a beet reuben.

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (last seating 9 p.m.); brunch, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Prices: Entrées, $9-$16; whole chicken with three sides, $36; whole chicken alone, $26. Reservations: Recommended Friday night.

Hello Falafel

2301 S. Howell Ave.

(414) 509-5924

hellofalafelmke.com

Note: Hello Falafel closed in January to become event space. Combine the interest in seasonal, local ingredients, Middle Eastern flavors, healthful eating and casual, quick dining, and the dream result is Hello Falafel, opened by the owners of Odd Duck in 2016. Chef de cuisine Nick Hamersky oversees the kitchen, making dishes lush with herbs and fresh and pickled vegetables. Falafel sandwiches (plus a meaty-tasting mushroom shawarma) are the centerpiece; they come in combinations such as the Red, with roasted red pepper spread, olives, feta, radish and pickled vegetables. Choose from salads and side dishes, too, plus fresh-squeezed juices at the counter. It’s good to have healthy options.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, with brunch until 3 Sunday. Prices: $4 to $8. Reservations: Not taken; counter service.

Contact Carol Deptolla at carol.deptolla@jrn.com, (414) 224-2841 or on Twitter, @mkediner.