This Bites

Our weekly delicious dive into Milwaukee's culinary scene gets a splash of mash-up on this episode, as Ann shares her review of IVR Bar — that's "International Variety Restaurant," by the way, and the new eatery comes by that title honestly. The ambitious project is a sports bar capable of seating 300 people, which all sounds pretty standard ... until you get to the Indian-Mexican fusion part. On...

It's another flavor-packed episode as we dive into Milwaukee's vibrant food scene, starting with news about Elsa's on the Park as they bring back fan-favorite menu items while keeping their new pizza offerings. Ann then shares her enviable quest to uncover Milwaukee's Best Burgers (the latest Milwaukee Magazine cover story), featuring must-try spots like The Diplomat and Wild Roots. Next, you'll g...

This Bites is sponsored by Whiskey Brown and our Radio Milwaukee members. *** Oysters are divisive. Some people love them. Others run screaming from the table when presented with them. The folks in that last category might want to avoid Barnacle Buds on Aug. 5, as the riverfront eatery throws its inaugural Oyster Fest. The event, which gets the featured spot at the top of this episode, will take p...

Big voices can make a big impact on a restaurant. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a positive review from a well-respected critic. Other times, all it takes is a recognizable face popping into your eatery. That’s what happened recently to Carnevor and Room Service, both of which got a visit from celebrity chef and influencer Keith Lee while he was in town for his manager’s wedding. So far, Lee h...

Two stars of Milwaukee's food-and-drink scene sit at the top of this episode, starting with John Dye's exciting new plans for legendary German bar Von Trier. The East Side stalwart recently held its soft opening as the new owner focuses on preserving a piece of Milwaukee history while continuing to serve food out of the historic spot. Our second stop takes us to Bavette La Boucherie, where the Jam...

We're used to tying ourselves in knots as we criss-cross the city for the latest Milwaukee food news, but we hit a new level in this one as we dive into the amazing world of ... pretzels! Milwaukee Pretzel Company pretzels, to be precise, which are well worth the extra effort except for the fact that you don't need to put in quite as much effort to find them these days. You can get them everywhere...

After our recent triple-digit temperatures, it seemed like a good time to help you cool things down by serving up a few of our favorite heat-beating drinks and dishes from around the Milwaukee area. That’s where we start this episode, which finds Ann sharing her personal approach to finding the best summer beverages. It’s actually pretty genius: Ask the experts. We’re talking bartenders, baristas...

In this episode, Tarik and Ann are buzzing over a new Italian spot from the James Beard Award-winning owners of Lupi & Iris, as well as an upscale Mediterranean eatery coming to the ground floor of the new Ascent MKE building near Cathedral Square. Our duo also dishes on beloved Jamaican restaurant Uppa Yard as it expands with a second downtown location on Water Street, promising classic dishe...

On this episode, Tarik and Ann lead things off by previewing the No Rules Dinner Party, a remarkable 19-course event celebrating women-owned businesses. You'll also hear them celebrate the highly anticipated first brick-and-mortar location of Ruby's Bagels; explore the history of the often-overlooked Muffaletta sandwich (as well as the place to get one in Milwaukee); talk about the Oaxacan cuisine...

As the weather warms up (any day now), the culinary scene often turns up the temperature as well — and that’s definitely the case on this very stuffed episode. Taking things chronologically, we’re less than a week away from the start of Downtown Dining Week, which has been treating diners to deals at some of Milwaukee’s top restaurants for nearly two decades. This year’s event runs from May 29 to...

Everyone’s got mom on the brain this week (rightfully so), which hopefully means you’ve already made plans to say thanks to that special person by treating her to some outstanding food. In case you haven’t, we start this episode with three suggestion for where to take mom — if they’re still taking reservations: Blackwolf Run in Kohler is offering a Mother's Day brunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that i...

Our latest helping of Milwaukee food news starts with savory pasties from Mr. Dye's Pies , gets festive with the inaugural Miche Fest (as in Michelada) at Zocalo and explores the enticing menu of Sinta, a Filipino pop-up at Bavette. We also preview Semolina's hands-on Sunday Supper series, share the new tenant taking over Crossroads Collective and check out Southern-style eats at Bronzeville's soo...

Because we like to keep things fresh around here, let’s flip the usual approach and start with the roundup so we can close with the centerpiece of this episode: As our hosts are both dumpling aficionados, they were happy to talk about the places doing them right around the city . They also check in on Kinship Café, which got some well-deserved attention thanks to a recent visit from  comedian (and...

On this episode, Ann and Tarik interview Chef Alex Hanesakda of Sapsap about his upcoming event, " Rivers Run Deep ," happening at Cactus Club at 3 p.m. this Saturday, April 12. The event commemorates five decades since Oceanian refugees arrived in the United States after the Vietnam War, focusing on the often-overlooked history of the war in Laos and the genocide in Cambodia. Chef Alex discusses...

For almost exactly one year, Discourse Coffee Workshop has been a roommate of sorts, serving out of the southwest corner of Radio Milwaukee HQ. It’s been a pleasure watching them get comfortable in the space and expanding their presence in the city through other ventures like Agency, the hybrid cocktail bar they operate inside the Dubbel Dutch Hotel. Making it even more fun was the news that Disco...

From baseball legends to fast-food tributes, we're serving up another helping from Milwaukee's vibrant food scene. On this episode, Ann and Tarik sample Kopp's new custard flavor inspired by the late legend Bob Uecker (called, what else, "Mr. Baseball"). The hosts also preview the Milwaukee Wine Weekend and get real about restaurant service, sharing tips on how diners can be better customers. Plus...

We always try to give you a meal, metaphorically speaking, on every episode of This Bites . But there are some weeks when we live up to our name and deliver more of a mouthful than a bellyful — a small-plate version of the podcast, if you will. So let's skip the longer run-up and jump straight into what you'll hear on this episode: Because you should respect your elders, we start with Ann’s review...

There are times when the calendar decides it wants to be your friend — like your birthday falling on a Saturday or St. Patrick’s Day coinciding with the first day of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament (that one really only applies to bar owners and Notre Dame fans). Today, the calendar has smiled on your humble This Bites hosts, because our regularly scheduled episode release day just so happens...

This episode finds us hitting the home stretch of Black History Month, which means it's time to get moving and support Milwaukee's Black-owned restaurants (something we should do year-round). Ann gave us all a helping hand by putting together a sizable list for  Milwaukee Magazine that includes everything from soul food to barbecue and Ethiopian to Jamaican. Toward the end of the podcast, we also...

Sometimes, the universe just doesn’t want you to make a dish. You hand-pick all your ingredients, do your chopping and dicing and mixing, pull out your go-to cookware and … the stove won’t light. This food metaphor is meant to soften the blow of there not being a full podcast this week. Ann and Tarik were in the studio with their rundown of food news all set to go, and then our fancy audio equipme...

We love “the new.” Especially when it comes to the restaurant scene, we get excited about the spot that just opened its doors or discovering a place the rest of the community hasn’t caught on to yet. While the rookies get everyone worked up, it’s the veterans who create the foundation of a city’s food identity. And we’ve got two of them leading the lineup for this episode of the podcast. First up...

We’re a day away from February, which is not important. We’re also a day away from Phobruary, which is very important — so important, in fact, that we slapped it at the top of this episode. If you’ve somehow not partaken of Phobruary in its previous 11 years of existence, the gist is that it’s an annual celebration of the Vietnamese noodle soup at a handful of restaurants in Milwaukee’s Silver Cit...

The James Beard Awards are kind of like the NBA season: They crown the champs, and it seems like training camps start two days later. Making the cyclical process all the more tolerable is how well Milwaukee does — a trend that continued when the James Beard Foundation named its semifinalists earlier this week. Since we’re in the back-patting business, that’s where we start this episode of the podc...

For the first episode of 2025 — our 11th(!) year bringing This Bites to your ears — we started in a very familiar (and familial) place: the recently closed Ardent, which is welcoming the first of hopefully many more things to come from its former chef, Vanessa Rose. Rose will bring some playful flavors to the space when she hosts an extended pop-up called Mother’s that hosts its first diners today...

Just a few days before Christmas, Chef Ray and his business partner Cherry Phetleung gave our city a gift by welcoming their first guests to 1033 Omakase as part of its soft opening. The non-numerical part of the restaurant’s name means “I leave it up to you,” reflecting the control that diners turn over to the chef as part of their experience. For this initial phase, 1033 Omakase will offer just...