[blue_wolf]

My in-laws are coming up this summer to visit. They are from Kentucky. They want to hit a major city in Wisconsin they haven't been (Madison, The Dells and LaCrosse are already taken care of). They were talking about Milwaukee, and want us to join them for a day or two. My question is about restaurants. Where is a nice place to eat, something impressive. My experience with Milwaukee is limited, dealing with a few bars on Water Street and the Safe House. I don't want to take them to a bar. Any suggestions?

[kuan]

Coquette

[Mezzaluna]

Oh, yeah Kuan, that's a good one. The exec chef is Sandy D'Amato. It's casual and authentic French bistro food. He also has a find dining spot called Sanford that is superb. (He's a Beard Award winner and cooked for Julia Child's 80th birthday).

Take a look at our local paper's dining reviews here. The reviewer, Dennis Getto, is usually right on. He recently re-reviewed Sanford and again gave it four stars. The review is posted right now, but will be archived I'm sure.

For dining with a view of the lake and gorgeous art museum, try Coast. For fine dining with a flair, try Lake Park Bistro. Those are just a start. Post questions about specific restaurants here, and somebody is bound to reply! We have a lot of people here who live in or around Milwaukee, or who visit often. There's a LOT more to Milwaukee cuisine than beer, brats and cheese (although they are good when the time is right).

[blue_wolf]

Thank you for the restaurants and links. This gives me plenty of options for that occasion and for just the two of us to try things her parents might find "too odd". There are several places I would like to take them in Madison, which when they come up to visit is where we should be living. The only problem is they are fairly down to earth, simple is best. No caviar, no sweet breads, no words they can't pronounce. The last time we went out and picked the restaurant, I ended up "translating" the menu for them, which became an intresting experience.

[bubbamom]

There are many good restaurants in Milwaukee for "no frills, no translation needed" dining and the following come to mind.

Steak - The Rafters, The Black Kettle, The Packing House
Seafood - River Lane Inn or Third Street Pier
German - Maders or Karl Rasch'
Chinese - Yen Ching
Ribs - Pitch's
And of course - the Friday nite fish fry: Serb Hall

I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of these. In fact, just thinking about the fine meals we've enjoyed at these places is making me hungry!

[Ebonyks]

All of bubbamom's reccomendations are great (Although from what i hear, karl rasch's quality has gone down in the past few years) and would all be wonderful choices if cost is an issue. Yen Ching in particular is a great bargin.

The single best place in town, however, (if you really want to impress your in-laws) is Sanford's. Just be warned, it's also the most pricey. A meal for me and a friend ended up costing just shy of 200 dollars, and that was without wine.

[Mezzaluna]

Yen Ching has been very uneven, in my experience. I've had wonderful meals there and mediocre ones, too. My favorite for more authentic Chinese is now Peony on Bluemound Road in Wauwautosa. Regularly we see many Asian people enjoying meals with their families.

Speed Queen's BBQ beats Pitch's any day, but they don't have seating. I do agree Pitch's is good.

The River Lane in, or its sister establishment The Riversite are great. I first tasted skate wings at the Riversite, and applaud their dedication to fresh seafood in spite of being a thousand miles from an ocean. Jake's in Brookfield also has great seafood, and you can count on The Anchorage at the Hilton on the Milwaukee River, too.

Serb Hall's fish fry is on my "to do" list. Someday....!

For authentic Greek, I like Greek Village just down the street from Peony.