Birthday Dinner at Braise

For my birthday this year, I choose to go to Braise restaurant to celebrate with Chris.  Braise is a fairly new restaurant located south of downtown Milwaukee, just past Walker's Point.  Their focus is local, seasonable food provided by over 300 Wisconsin farmers.  Because of this, their menu changes daily.  The restaurant has a rustic decor and comfy atmosphere.  I just learned that the restaurant is actually a former bowling alley.  I wish I had known that before, so I could really checkout the transformation.   The dining rooms, the bar and outside tables were busy during our entire meal.  We sat in the main dining room which is pretty close quarters, basically one long bench on one side, separated by 2 and 4 top tables.  The other dining room offered more intimate tables and tables for larger parties.  Service was phenomenal as well.  I would have to say Braise is in my top 3 favorites restaurants in Milwaukee currently (joining my other favorites Odd Duck & Pastiche).

To begin we had steamed pork buns as recommended by our waitress.  Crunchy, sauteed pork belly, doughy buns, served with an asian green sauce.  A small portion which is perfect because the Foreseasons are all about getting multiple courses in order to try everything.

Since we are in tomato season, their small plates menu offered a lot of items with heirloom tomatoes.  Chris had the heirloom tomato salad and I had the roasted tomato soup.

For his entree, Chris had the veal cutlet served atop a kale risotto and tomatillo sauce.

I had the homemade gnocchi with sauteed zucchini, summer squash, portabello mushrooms and goat cheese.  A nice light dish and, oh man, can you tell the difference between homemade gnocchi and the store bought stuff. 

For dessert we shared fresh apricots with fresh mint, creme fraiche and a shortbread cookie which we ate prior to this picture.   

Our bill before tip was just under $100 which is pretty reasonable considering we had several courses, including a glass of wine with dinner and coffee and chai tea with dessert.  I would definitely recommend making a reservation at Braise for your next dinner out in Milwaukee!