MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin - page 95

Asian
First off, yes, yes, we all know Chinese food is better on the coasts. Yet after two decades
of living in and traveling around China, this author was impressed by the cuisine at Jing's
(207 E. Buffalo St., 414/271-7788, www.jingsmke.com , 11:30am-9:30pm daily, $9-13), a
pan-Cathay place but with a specialty in the east and southeast provinces—think sweeter
rather than hotter. Ask for the special menu. Trust me.
Venerable Izumi's (2150 N. Prospect Ave., 414/271-5278, 11:30am-2pm and
5pm-10pm Mon.-Fri., 5pm-10:30pm Sat., 4pm-9pm Sun., $6-26), run by a Japanese chef/
owner well trained by years of experience in Milwaukee Japanese eateries, tops the choices
in town. The food here is impeccably well thought out and executed; this author's fave has
to be its chef's remarkable take on the Milwaukee fish fry!
The upscale Asian fusion with a heady concentration of Japanese eclectic at M Umami
Moto (718N.MilwaukeeSt.,414/727-9333,11am-2pmMon.-Fri.,5pm-10pmMon.-Wed.,
5pm-11pm Thurs.-Sat., $13-25) is worth any trip. Extraordinary.
NORTH OF DOWNTOWN
Coffee
The Fuel Cafe (818 E. Center St.) is exceedingly young, hip, and alternative. Here you'll
find cribbage players and riot grrls. The decor is mismatched rummage-sale furniture with
an arty flair. The service bills itself as lousy, but it isn't, and there's a great menu of cof-
feedrinks,bakeryitems,salads,sandwiches,andevenPop-Tarts.TrytheKevorkianKrush:
three shots of espresso and mocha.
Custard
Frozen custard is an absolute must of a Milwaukee cultural experience; the dozens of Mil-
waukee family custard stands were the inspiration for Big Al's Drive-In on the 1970s TV
show Happy Days. An informal poll of 20 Milwaukeeans resulted in a dozen different re-
commendations for where to experience frozen custard. Most often mentioned (but you
really can't go wrong anywhere): Kopp's (5373 N. Port Washington Rd., 414/961-2006,
www.kopps.com , 10:30am-11pmdaily),whichdoescustardsoseriouslythatithasaflavor-
of-the-day hotline.
Vegetarian and Health Food
A longtime standby for a low-key and decidedly body-friendly meal is Beans and Barley
(1901 E. North Ave., 414/278-7878, 8am-9pm Mon.-Sat., to 8pm Sun., $4 and up). Very