I know it's always fashionable for us trendy Coastal types (whether East or West) to shrug and dismiss the Great Middle of the Country as "Flyover Country", and chuckle condescendingly about the sparse choices of food and wine available. Sure, there are quain local customs and cuisines here and there, but not the vaunted "cutting edge" places that dare to venture onto daring new ground.
That is, of course, arogant and elitist, not too mention narcissistic. And sometimes (often?) just plain downright wrong.
Case in point: Just finished a brief business visit to Milwaukee, and at random went to two different restaurants in the area, one close to downtown Milwaukee, another in the quasi-distant suburb town of Delafield. Both were fun and interesting, and both were places I would happily go back to.
The first was Roots, perched over the river in what used to be a thoroughly disreputable district and is now a regenerated community of fashionable (but oversaturated and distressingly similary) condominiums. Roots is first and foremost a welcoming place, and though I've only been there in the dreary fall//winter months (of which there are about 10, alas), I'm quite sure it is a lively and lovely place to be in the summertime. It's on two levels, with a more casual bar/pub atmosphere below (almost a necessity in tavern-friendly Milwaukee, I think), and a minimalist themed upper restaurant above, with a great veiw of the downtown skyline.
The menu was instantly appealling. Here was a Chef who was quite willing to challenge himself and his customers with an only slightly bizarre mixture of good solid Midwestern meat dishes (emphasis on substance: this is, after all, the general area where people will go to Charlie Trotter's, then stop for an Italian Beef on the way home) and meatless, vegetarian, and vegan offerings. Thing is, the meatless/vegan are damned interesting, as in the Seichan "meatballs", both vegan and hearty. I can personally attest to how good the "Amish Chicken" is; if you go there and it's on the list, order it and you won't be sorry. They have some beautiful and creative appetizer selections too, from the Walleye Pike Fingers with a delectable sauce to some "Eggplant Fries" that are good enough to write home about.
The wine list was not quite up to the same level as the food. On the other hand, it was pretty damned good, covered all the bases, and had some outstanding selections on it. It wasn't awesome, and it perhaps unveiled a bit more of the buyer's interests than I thought necessary---on the other hand, it was more daring, and more interesting than a bunch of East Coast/West Coast restaurants I can name, and it did have a personality. Plus, the buyer's interest coincided with mine enought to resonate comfortably, so who am I to complain? I suspect the buyer is working with what he/she has available, and also taking care to put enough comfort zone of old reliables out there to work for hi clientele.
All in all, the food at Roots was great, and the wine list was above average. The bar scene is great too. I can see why the place is popular.
The other restaurant was reccoed by a local. It is "Zin", and it's in Delafield, a lovely little lakeside community just off I94 between Milwaukee and Madison (and right next to the Kettle Moraine Park area, which all visitors should see). This tidy little community is a delightful little place, and situated perfectly: just close enough to the metro areas, but just far enough from the Freeway to maintain a small town feel.
Zin was a bit closer to the "upscale pizza and pasta" joint. Again, very minimalist, but minimalist with lots of light, bright woods enhance by splashes of colorful modern art. The place has a friendly, casual vibe and attracts a goodly crowd. We were graced with one of the cutest, and friendliest waiters, Tiana, who charmed us with her bubbly personality and just-right banter, to help make our evening easy and pleasant. The sizable cocktails with extra-heavy pours didn't hurt either; great bar scene, if that's your wont.
As said, the primary menu draws are the upscale pizzas and pastas, and we could handle a little carbo-loading about then, so we all opted for pasta dishes. So I can't say anything about the main course/meat dishes, except that they certainly looked interesting and appetizing. And each of the pastas was spot-on, from a rich scallop capellini to a pesto-driven frutti di mare (!) to a shrimp and chicken tagliatelle in very light tomato sauce (following an adage I heard a long time ago about good Italian restaurants: a good sauce should be a sauce, not a drowning in gravy). Great food, creatively prepared.
Here the wine list was a bit closer to the usual suspects---but the usual suspects were at least nice, reputable guys. And they shied away from fruit bombs and jam jars so common and dominat today. There was some careful selectivity going on: not a daring list, no, but very selectively chosen to fit with the food.
So I'd give high marks to the Milwaukee area based on what I've sampled recently (and the last couple of visits, especially to the trendy Third Ward). There are some fun and challenging things going on for foodies in the area, and the wine scene is getting better all the time.