Dish on Dining

The Recessionista Bar Menu
20 for $10 and under. That’s the new mantra on the lounge menu at Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub (222 E. Erie St., 414-727-9300). Starting tomorrow night (Friday, a.k.a. Gallery Night), Hinterland will debut its new selections in the front bar. They’re all small plates, which make them perfect for nibbling with a glass of wine. Allow me to give you a few “for instances”: Fingerling potato and andouille sausage hash ($5), potato curry samosas with lemon vinegar sauce ($7), vegetable pad thai ($7), shrimp dumplings with lemon miso broth ($5), seared Rushing Waters trout with capers, parsley and brown butter ($10) and Nueske’s smoked duck and foie gras wontons ($7). Starting Saturday, the menu will be available in the back lounge as well. Hungry? I sure am.

Saturday’s Something Different
What happened to poker night? And bridge night? I imagine somewhere someone is still playing bridge. I know these days, people are playing Scrabble on the Internet, but there’s still the old-fashioned board game. On Saturday nights at Thief Wine Shop & Bar, you can hang out and play Cranium and Connect 4, Taboo and Pictionary. The Wine Thieves (owners Aimee Murphy and Phil Bilodeau) have a selection of games, including the ones I’ve mentioned. I would bring Trouble if I came. (I’ve always been a fan of Trouble.) Anyway, the bar is open 6-10 p.m., and the Thieves have instituted a 10 percent discount on whatever you order. Give a call first if you want to reserve a game: 414-277-7707. If you’re unfamiliar with Thief, it’s located dead center inside the Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St. Also see thiefwine.com.

Panic on a Bun
In these times, the word “free” has some muscle. Especially “free food.” Fat Abbey, one of the children in the Diablos Rojos family of restaurants (sibs include Cafe Hollander and Trocadero), is running a special every Wednesday – the Free Panic Burger. All you need to do is purchase a Belgian beer while you're at Fat Abbey. The Panic Burger includes a single topping. If you want more, they’re $1 each. Fries are $1 extra, too. So not everything is

A Football Stupor
Yeah, it’s true. The Green Bay Packers will not be in the Super Bowl this year. But I guess there’s still a reason to watch the game. Why would you pass up chili, taco dip and all those other oh-so-good festive football foods? The folks at LuLu Cafe & Bar have given their Super Bowl party a great name: the Stupor Bowl. Admittedly, this event has little to do with dining and a lot to do with bowling, but well, I couldn’t resist including it. Head over to the Bay View Bowl, where a $30 (per person) fee sets you up with shoe rental, three games, a couple of pitchers of beer, a T-shirt and free food afterwards at LuLu. Entertainment by the Squeezettes. Jan. 25th, starting at noon. Bay View Bowl: 2416 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

The Baby-It’s-Cold-Outside Dinner
Are wine dinners too... intimidating? Or do you just like beer a lot more? Next week, Wild Earth (at Potawatomi Bingo Casino) will have a New Glarus Beer Dinner. (The brewery, headquartered in New Glarus, Wis., produces year-round beers like Fat Squirrel, Spotted Cow and Hop Hearty.) I’m not usually a beer drinker, but this cold snap has put me in the mood for fermented alcoholic beverages. Monday night’s dinner is four courses long, a beer paired with each course. Chef Audrey Vandenburgh will suit up for the food side. Here’s a look at the menu: an amuse bouche of smoked whitefish on crostini with Organic Revolution Pale Ale, and an iceberg wedge salad with Maytag blue cheese and Nueske’s bacon served with Fat Squirrel Ale. The entrée: daube (a braised French dish) of beef with pearl onions, carrots and celery, reduced in bock beer sauce. It comes with New Glarus’ Wisconsin Belgian Red Ale. Sounds like a hearty meal all around. Make your reservation now. $30 per person. Jan. 19th, 6 p.m. 721 W. Canal St., 414-847-7626.

Can’t get enough dining? I chat about restaurants every week with Jane Matenaer and Kidd O’Shea on “The Mix.” Listen at 6:10 a.m. – a new time! – on Friday, January 16th. That’s 99.1 WMYX-FM.