French Food and New Beginnings in Milwaukee

In New York, we say "actor, waiter, singer, dancer", at one establishment in Milwaukee, you have a polymath in the form of one French bartender who not only serves cocktails, wine and food at the bar, but also teaches English literature, expounds on Hamlet and Mark Twain, is a webmaster who learns code in milliseconds and feeds a family of four! 

So, after being severely chastised by said bartender, one Jerome Mohsen, for not having kept my promise last October, I am now writing after two separate visits to PASTICHE (http://pastichebistro.com/), an extraordinary culinary outpost situated in Bay View, Wisconsin. Pastiche is an EXCELLENT French restaurant in Milwaukee serving much more than just "bistro" fare. The Cassoulet - which I HIGHLY recommend - is one of the best Cassoulets I have ever eaten outside of France. The tapas night on Tuesdays is also extremely good. There is a wide variety of items on the menu(s) reflecting a vast and comprehensive repertoire in the kitchen. Sit at the bar and dine casually with the very charming Jerome (Mon & Tue only) who will tend to your every need. Nothing is hurried, nothing is fussy. This is French cooking at its best; it is truly the real deal. What I love most, though, is the fact that this food speaks to you; it jumps out of the plate and says: "eat me!"

The first night I was there I started with Frogs Legs which were dipped in a batter and fried to a crisp perfection just begging to be devoured. The Coquilles St. Jacques, beefy tender scallops bathed in sauce and barely singed in the broiler, harkened back to those halcyon days of Escoffier's masterful French cuisine. The cassoulet, as I said earlier was truly a dream of the past, only recreated under the oaks in the Southwestern countryside of France. I have never eaten confit of duck as I ate that night, tender and full of flavor sitting pretty in a bed of flageolets,  sausage and lamb. 

On Tuesday nights, they serve tapas. Or rather, French fare served in small portions, which once delivered to you aren't small at all. A plate of Oysters with pomegranates and Cava glided by to another customer that looked so delicious (it is June - no R in the month - so we refrained). We started with Scallops served with incredibly delicious Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Risotto, and moved on to the Spring Vegetable medley of seasonal (and local) vegetables, in our case, corn, fresh peas and asparagus. The Skate Wing was sautéed and served with capers and arugula. A dish of baby octopus alla nicoise with fingerling potatoes and outrageous pickled yellow cherry tomatoes and black olives was also very delicious but the octopus was tough. We decided to bite the bullet and splurge with the grilled lamb with cherries: one-half of a rack (four chops) which will have you gnawing at the bone extracting every last bit of flavorful meat. 

The dessert menu is no less ambitious. The first night we ate there, after all was said and done, we shared a chocolate mousse cake served with Creme Chantilly, Creme Anglaise, a raspberry sauce with whole blackberries and raspberries and ice cream. Gilding the lily you say? I don't think so.

N.B. I asked for the sauces on the side, so the presentation isn't
indicative of the pastry chef's talent, which is formidable.

As you have probably observed, I have a thing for desserts so, on our second visit my dear friend Suzanne and I shared the poached pear tartlet which was over the top as you can see from the photograph below.

Poached Pear Tartlet

Judging by the full house and the avid patrons who were dining with relish, I think Pastiche is  here to stay and for that, Milwaukeeans - and I - shall be eternally grateful.

Pastiche Bistro and Wine Bar is located at 3001 South Kinnickinnic Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (414) 482-1446. They also have a wine store on the second floor of their building and have wine tastings from their rather sizable and varied selections from around the world.

To be fair, I also ate at another interesting restaurant (twice) in downtown Milwaukee called Wolf-Peach.

Located on a hill, the restaurant overlooks the entire Milwaukee River valley with panoramic vistas of downtown Milwaukee, the East Side to Lake Michigan and the very popular Brady Street neighborhood. The name Wolf-Peach comes from German folklore associating the tomato (a night shade plant) with witchcraft ("you say tomato, we say Wolf-Peach" is their mantra). I am here to verify that they certainly perform some kind of magic in the kitchen - with or without the tomato! 

This restaurant serves in an unusual manner called Come Viene. The food is more than just interesting and delicious. The portions of all plates are tapas sized but I'm here to tell you that even with five people, after consuming eight dishes "as they came" (to be literal here) we were  more than satisfied.

Everything here is seasonal as I found out when I had to call to enquire about the roasted asparagus  which is no longer on the menu (more on that in a moment!). At first we ordered the Vadouvan Cauliflower to start but then saw the fried broccoli at another table - deep fried in batter and served with a pickled jalapeño aioli and shredded parmesan cheese - and had to have that as well. Both dishes were a major hit. The huge Cauliflower florets are yellow and pungent with the flavor of curry and spices and are served with a combination of black lentils, shaved fennel, raisins, basil and pistachios. The smoked beef marrow platter is loaded with bones and delicious breads baked on the premises. The foccaccia with tomatoes and oregano tasted just like my grandmother's bread - really! There was also a lamb sausage pizza for one that could have been a meal in itself for two people. I could go on and on about the food but the winner in my estimation was the Roasted Asparagus with a fried egg aioli with Saba and a 3 milk (cow, sheep and goat) Marissa cheese sauce. If you don't know what Saba is, it's an elixir made in the same method as Balsamic Vinegar, BUT, it's made from the skins of the grapes - something dense and wonderful, like Amarone! This, melded with the creamy gooey Aioli, OMG, it was heaven! Small or not, these plates were traveling around the table all night and everyone was smiling.

On Mondays, they serve Mussels three ways and it's all you can eat all night long. 

The food at Wolf-Peach also speaks to me, but beware, Wolf-Peach has one wall of nothing but windows so the decibel level by 8:00 will rise exponentially. Reservations are a must. Communal seating and tables for two and four.

Buon appetito!