Dish on Dining

SPiN Cycle
The new SPiN Milwaukee (a.k.a., “Milwaukee’s Premier Ping-Pong Club”)… is it just an emporium for table tennis? No sir. Besides 13 courts – one of them is described as a “stadium-like” center court – the 16,500-square-feet place (233 E. Chicago St., 414-831-7746) contains a pro shop, bar, lounge, two private rooms and, yes, a restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner. There’s a sign on the sidewalk outside the building promising those very things. You don’t need to play ping-pong to eat here. You can even get food to-go if you’re not interested in staying. Options for eating-in range from a dining room (which faces Chicago Street and is separate from the ping-pong area) to the bar to the couches and tables surrounding the ping-pong tables. The menu is available daily from 11 a.m.-midnight. The options stick to the “appetizers, salads and sandwiches” formula. They include: pecan-crusted chicken fingers ($9), steamed mussels ($8), fried Italian meatballs ($8), a tuna salad with ginger-coconut dressing ($13), Port-poached pears on spinach with crumbled chevre ($9), a third-pound burger ($11), and grilled cheese with roasted red peppers, avocado and sriracha mayo ($9). You may have read about SPiN New York, co-owned by actress Susan Sarandon. SPiN Milwaukee is the first full-service franchise of the 1-year-old New York joint. Sarandon is also part-owner of the Milwaukee business.

A Burger of Epic Proportion
When Comet Cafe’s Adam Lucks appeared on an episode last year of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” he made a burger. Not any old burger, mind you. It had a grilled cheese sandwich on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the bottom. Good luck eating that. Lucks isn’t afraid of making things intense or messy. For radio station WMSE 91.7 FM’s upcoming Food Slam fundraiser, Lucks came up with a burger he calls The Local Yokel. Before I tell you what’s on it, you should know that the burger will be available at Comet (1947 N. Farwell Ave.) and sister restaurant Honeypie (2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) during the month of September. It’s $12, and 2 bucks of each burger will go to WMSE. This sandwich is not for shrinking violets, and I can’t give you any pointers on how to eat it daintily. Besides the burger patty, it has barbecued pork, bacon, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms, beer-battered jalapeno sticks, ranch dressing, and a sunny-side-up egg. That’s all layered inside the bun with a breakfast sausage skewered through the top bun. And mark your calendar for the Food Slam, which will take place Oct. 1 at the Grohmann Museum (MSOE campus).

Changes of Address
Stay with me here. About five weeks ago, Bistro 120 (120 Simmons Ave., Pewaukee) opened in the one-time digs of Eli’s Restaurant in Pewaukee. The bistro’s owners, Ted and Karen Eliades, also operated Eli’s. After Eli’s closed, the space became Daniel’s Grill. But Daniel’s has moved to the building most recently occupied by the Baja Grill (W279 N2221 Prospect Ave.), which is now kaput. Bistro 120, open daily for lunch and dinner (and breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays), is doing a Mediterranean-American menu with a lot of variety. On one side, there’s a chicken Caesar wrap and New York strip steak sandwich; on another, baked mostaccioli, fettuccini Alfredo, barbecued ribs and sautéed grouper. Friday night is sacred fried fish ground – baked or breaded cod, and deep-fried lake perch ($12-$13.50). If you’re thinking about a reservation – to Bistro 120, I mean – call 262-691-5862.

Frosting on the Cake
Milwaukee’s

Kimberly Hall is ready for her 60 seconds of fame. Hall, a home cake decorator and aspiring bakeshop owner, e-mailed me last week about her news. In early August, she flew to New York to compete in the Food Network’s Hometown Showdown Birthday Bakeoff. Each of the four home bakers in this competition had to decorate a birthday cake for a Brooklyn child’s first birthday. A Brooklyn theme was required. Hall nailed that cake and will appear on a 60-second, commercial-length piece that will air during the Food Network Challenge this Sunday, Sept. 5. If the website for this show is correct, the segment will run during the “Runaway Chocolate” episode.

Tomato Tamer
Love is a many splendored thing. A field of tomato plants, for instance. About a month ago, the Bartolotta restaurants held its weeklong Heirloom Tomato Fest, the heirlooms supplied by Racine-based Milaeger’s. The tomato season is winding to a close, kids are going back to school, and Milaeger’s is throwing a major party to honor the splendorous tomato. It is called Tomatomania, and it is in its ninth year. The free event will include a blind taste test of 140 tomato varieties, all grown at Milaeger’s. Tomatoes red, yellow, black and bicolor. Thirty kinds of peppers, too. Itching to try the “world’s hottest” pepper? That would be the Ghost Pepper, and it will be a featured guest here. Beyond the general tomato and pepper sampling, there will be salsas and guacamoles. Milaeger’s (4838 Douglas Ave., 800-669-1229) will also offer menu specials that day at the Java Garden Cafe, as well as wines, Bloody Marys and various beers. The event is free. Sounds like a road trip to Racine is in order. Saturday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Amazing Race
It may be news to you that there’s a big, countrywide truck race going on. Food trucks. By way of intro, the Food Network is currently running a show called The Great Food Truck Race. Seven food truck teams travel to various cities to cook and sell as much as they can. The teams that make the most money move on to the next episode. (The team that makes the least is outta there.) At some point, only one team will remain, and it will win big money. Recently, the Food Network announced a chance for anyone to vote for his or her favorite food truck. A lucky food truck owner will win $10,000 and the chance to appear on the food truck show. Which brings us to Milwaukee. Our city’s food truckers – Streetza Pizza, for one – would really like to be on that show. If you go to this link, you’ll see which trucks are currently in the Top 10. In number-one position (as of this writing) is Big Truck Tacos from Oklahoma City. Keep in mind these are trucks from all over the U.S. If you’re wondering what all the food truck hubbub is about, go to Cathedral Square Park tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 3) for the amazing, tummy-grumbling Food Truck Friday! Hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Participants include Streetza, Pita Brothers (Lebanese-inspired pita sandwiches), Tigerbite (egg rolls, Asian “tacos,” quesadillas) and Satellite Crêpes.

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And don’t miss this week’s Shopaholic to learn about new stores and events in the world of local retail.

If you spot any restaurant openings or closings, don’t hesitate to post them on my column, or e-mail me directly: ann.christenson@milwaukeemagazine.com.