Chefs Battle + Trolley Ride = Fun

It was a much anticipated Saturday morning, the morning of the final Battle of the Chefs! I’ve been looking forward to this competition since the last preliminary round a couple weeks ago.

The event is a culmination of four preliminary rounds - June 16 and 30, July 14 and 28 - which resulted in six chef finalists – Shane Valenti of Brew City, Jarvis Williams of Carnevor, Mike Wolf from The Knick, Andy Stiyer of Moceans, David Piette from Sabor, and Time McLean of Whole Foods – to compete for the title of "Best Chef in East Town."

It was difficult waking up early this particular Saturday morning mostly due to a hectic week and watching Stardust at the Marcus Theater in Mequon until late. Thus, I was longing to hit the snooze button on my annoying alarm clock and stay in bed until lunchtime. Still, I knew excitement was awaiting me at the East Town Market, so it was a little easier to wipe the sleep from my eyes and roll out of bed five minutes later.

After several cups of Kona coffee and a bite of cinnamon raisin toast, Eric and I were out the door and heading on our bikes to Cathedral Square.

I really enjoy biking in the morning for two reasons:

1. There’s less traffic to weave around. 
2. It is a way to fully wake-up and a great activity to jump-start your energy.

(Plus, it’s always easier to find parking when you can chain your bike to any pole.)

The morning air was thick and stifling, even worse than the past competition as I remembered borrowing napkins from Market vendors to wipe my brow. On this day while I was fanning my neck with a brochure from the visitors stand, I wondered how the chefs could bear hovering over hot stovetops all morning.

Again, the East Town Market was packed with town’s people gathering around the six chefs as they cooked feverishly. Emcee John McGivern announced that each competition drew in a greater number of spectators. This wasn’t hard to believe. It’s about time people caught on to a unique and exciting event such as this.

Besides the increased number of contestants, the concept for the battle was practically the same; except this time contestant had 45 minutes to transform their ingredients into three courses – an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. In addition to the $50 spent on Market goods, the chefs were given basic pantry items once again, plus mystery ingredients from Metro Market – scallops, black eyed peas, tilapia, and Froot Loops. Yes, Froot Loops.

The finalists had to plate one course every fifteen minutes or so and present each to the five judges – Carole Kane from WKLH’s morning show and Alderman Bauman to name a few.

The judges sat around a large table and sampled each course bite by bite. After clearing their plates and adjusting their belts, the judges took several minutes to rank each course on a scale of one to five, and then took additional time to tally their final scores.

In the end, Mike Wolf, executive chef at The Knick, was given the title of “Best Chef in East Town!” Also worth mentioning is Chef David Piette of Sabor Brazilian Churrascaria who came in a close second (only losing by one point)! Both Sabor and The Knick are two restaurants I have on my list to try and will make sure they’re at the top of it.

Without delay, the crowd dispersed and continued their afternoon in the city. Eric and I browsed the East Town Market vendors and found lunch at a local couple’s smoothie stand. After we grabbed a picnic table, I slowly sucked down my strawberry banana smoothie to avoid head freeze and waited for the trolley.

Getting around Milwaukee got a little easier when the trolleys went into action on June 6. This unique form of city transportation allows tourists and residents to take a free ride to all of their favorite spots throughout Milwaukee. Did I say it was free?

“In the interim we feel it is critical to maintain at least some level of unique public transit that appeals to the downtown community and to our visitors,” said the spokesperson for Milwaukee Downtown.

Clearly something is going right. Especially since the downtown Trolley Loop increased ridership by 52 percent just last year!

After seeing several trolleys around the city all summer-long, I had an increased urge to take a ride on one of the old-fashioned transits. Eric and I waited for nearly 10 minutes until the trolley stopped in East Town and we began the 40 minute loop around Milwaukee checking out the sights, shops, and eateries along the way.

The rubber-tired trolley system – small busses that look like old-fashioned streetcars – run from East Town to Westown, Water Street to Old World Third Street, and the Historic Third Ward to stops along the lakefront.

The Milwaukee Trolley Loop has great access to the shops of Grand Avenue, hotels like the Pfister, the Third Ward boutiques and restaurants, the Bradley Center, the Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World.

Passing along the buildings downtown, I discovered several shops and restaurants I either forgot about or haven’t see before such as Buck Bradley’s that boasts of having the largest bar in Brew City and Lucille’s Rockin’ Pianos where my old roommate frequented, but I’ve never been. Also, Yaffa Lounge with a large menu of Mediterranean food, Discovery World that I hear has a great aquarium, and Tequila Ritas that replaced the Terrace on Water Street; plus the assortment of boutiques on Wisconsin Avenue and Milwaukee Street.

At every stop patrons came on board or unloaded. For half of our ride the trolley was overflowing with passengers – couples heading to the Art Museum, families simply enjoying a free ride around Milwaukee, or city workers going home after an early morning shift.

In contrast to this year, in 2005 the loop route charged $2 for an all-day ride. Then in 2006, two new stops were added along the lakefront – at the Milwaukee Art Museum and at Pier Wisconsin. I’m waiting for a Brady Street addition, although the streets might be a bit too narrow. It’s just a thought anyway.

The Milwaukee Trolley Loop is a great addition to the Milwaukee Transit System. For one, it’s a unique way for visitors to see the city. (A college friend of mine is coming to visit next week and I plan to use the trolley as a means to show her the city’s sights.) In addition, the trolleys are a cheap way to commute to work and are a quaint and attractive way to move from shop to restaurant or bar to bar.

Again, this Saturday afternoon was a highlight of my weekend and once again proved that residents don’t have to go to Chicago for fine dinning or even out West to San Francisco to ride a trolley (even though ours have rubber tires).

Milwaukee Trolley Loops 
Effective until August 18 (this Saturday).
Hours of Operation: Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Comments

[suzieQ]

Thanks for the update. I was rooting for Carnevor because when I went there I thought it was AMAZING, but it's nice that the Knick won (they are a little less known it seems)

[Eric]

aaaah fruit loops...gross. Can't imagine that tasting good. Such an artificial taste.

[KarenC]

Actually the Froot Loop crusted French toast that Brew City made didn't sound too bad. I also like the combination of pickles and vanilla ice cream... so what do I know?

[Eric]

I think I'd prefer the avocado and bacon ice-cream from top chef

[meg]

Both of you are gross. j/k