Each week on This Bites, sponsored by Whiskey Brown, 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.
The price of beef is going up, and it doesn’t sound like it’ll head in the other direction anytime soon. So while we’re always focused on getting the most bang for your culinary buck, it’s becoming increasingly important to make sure your hard-earned dollars are going to a well-prepared dish — even one like the humble hamburger.
Honestly, that adjective might not really apply to a lot of burgers out there, as chefs have gotten increasingly inventive while fine-tuning this American staple. You’re just as likely to find a burger in a “high end” establishment as the fast-food joint down the street. It doesn’t sound like Ann hit up too many of the latter in her search for Milwaukee’s best burgers, which uncovered a few familiar names:
- The Diplomat — We’re pointing to their Diplomac Burger, inspired by a classic offering from the Golden Arches. Ann goes so far as to call it a "bucket list kind of burger" and offers a pro tip: get the triple-blanched fries as a side.
- Wild Roots (in West Allis) — The Duck Fat Burger gets the love here, with an incredibly rich crust on the exterior and an interior best prepared medium rare to maintain its juiciness and tenderness.
- Uncle Wolfie's — Both locations offer a double smash burger called the Big McAllister, which features a topping Ann characterizes as a "nice, tangy, kind of sweet piquant sauce.”
Our discussion of the best burgers in Milwaukee also has an in memoriam segment to honor Mazos Hamburgers and Dairyland, before pivoting to another beloved burger provider in the city: Elsa’s on the Park. Of course, the restaurant on Cathedral Square does more than that. In fact, they recently announced that they’re walking back last winter’s revamp and restoring the vast majority of their classic menu, from the Just Broccoli appetizer to the Greek Maiden burger to the Pork Calabrese sandwich.
As for what else is on our conversational menu for this episode:
- Birch is firing up their Friends & Family series that features some of the brightest culinary minds from around the country.
- The good folks at Hill Valley Dairy are welcoming guests to the straightforwardly named Milwaukee Cheese Bar in Walker’s Point.
- There’s an influx of new restaurants coming to the downtown area, including French brasserie Cassis, modern Mediterranean from Āya and NYC-style Italian from Il Ponte.
- Nostalgia fans will want to head to the Summer of ‘85, a new bar opening in Bronzeville later this summer.
- Finally, Ann offers a few thoughts following her experience at the ambitious and inventive 1033 Omakase.
We hope you have some nice adjectives in mind to describe our podcast and might consider sharing a few of them in the form of a review on your preferred podcast platform. Or maybe send This Bites to a friend or family member so we can keep Milwaukee’s longest-running culinary podcast going a little longer. Thanks.
