Each week on This Bites, dining critic Ann Christenson from Milwaukee Magazine and Radio Milwaukee’s resident foodie Tarik Moody dig into the city’s culinary and restaurant culture to help you find new spots, old favorites and the best ingestibles around Milwaukee.
It’s not often that we put aside our usual exhaustive efforts to cover as much of Milwaukee’s food scene as possible. However, it’s also not often that we get a chance to welcome someone deeply involved with an event as exciting as the one coming up in November.
A couple weeks ago, we told you about Flavors of Africa & Diaspora: Best Chefs Wisconsin, a gala and competition the likes of which we haven’t seen around here too often. In addition to the more typical tastings and competitive elements, the Nov. 10 event will be preceded by an eight-week residency program. Forty individuals will get invited to the learning experience, which includes discussions, field trips and site visits covering topics like food literacy and cultural sensitivity.
It’s a very cool wrinkle to your usual food-focused event, so we decided to track down Yollande Tchouapi for an insider’s perspective on putting the whole thing together. Our conversation rightfully takes up most of this episode, although we do find a little time to explore another destination on the global food map.
Last week, a taste of Japan came to Walker’s Point — although it was a different approach than we typically see around the city. Cute Robot Japanese Kitchen took over the former home of The Noble at 704 S. 2nd St. and brought with it a menu of yoshoku dishes, which applies a Western influence to comfort food.
The sample menu is an interesting read, with entrees like Brown Butter Salmon Set (Wasabi-rubbed pan-fried salmon seared in brown butter) and adventurous starters such as Takoyaki (diced octopus, scallions, tempura flakes and red pickled ginger). The vibe sounds pretty cool as well, with an anime theme in the dining room that has at least one host of this podcast (me) eager to check it out. Cute Robot’s full menu is available here, and they’re open from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 5-10 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
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