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.
If you pressed me into picking my favorite cultural dishes, my compass would likely point east — way east. So you can bet I was particularly up for the two topics leading off this episode of the podcast, both of which involve Asian cuisine.
First up is the serious business of dumplings. Go at them in the wrong direction, and you end up with a mouthful of … well, nothing good. By the end of this month, the Milwaukee area will have a promising new option when Serious Dumplings — a small chain that up until now was limited to five locations in Florida — opens on Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa.
The new spot just north of the Milwaukee County Zoo will fill a glaring hole spotted by sharp folks like myself and Journal Sentinel dining critic Rachel Bernhard: a high-quality dim sum parlor. A quick look at Serious Dumplings’ menu reveals a solid dim sum section, plus the restaurant’s titular dumplings, noodles and rice, and other items I’ll be curious to try when it starts serving Sept. 27.
Our other topic du jour captured my attention based on the name alone. On Sept. 22, Chucho’s Red Tacos will host the inaugural Pho 1 Pho Contest and B-Boy Battle. I mean, the Pho face-off is one thing, but combining it with a breakdancing competition just isn’t fair. The event is a team-up among Chucho’s, ElevAsian and SapSap, and will feature a roster of local restaurants vying for the title of Milwaukee’s best Pho. Plus breakdancing.
That’s a tough slice of food news to top, but we press on:
- Victory Garden Initiative will hold its end-of-season block party Sept. 21, and this year it doubles as a 15-year anniversary celebration.
- It seems like Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio just left Wisconsin, and now he’s coming back Oct. 14 to sit down with Paul Bartolotta for a special night at the Riverside Theater.
- Elections aren’t our territory, but food definitely is, and Senator Tammy Baldwin had something to say to President Biden about getting Wisconsin meats and cheeses to international markets.
Ann and I choose our words carefully every week, and we appreciate that you’re around to hear them. If you want to send some appreciation our way, leave a rating or review wherever you listen. Thanks.
