Braise & Mumford Night

Last night ranks really high on my list of dinner and concert evenings! My friend Shauna and I tried out Braise before the Mumford & Sons concert last night and we were really impressed.

Braise is one of a handful of restaurants in Milwaukee that really focuses on using local ingredients. It is Milwaukee’s first Community Supported Restaurant (CSR!) We chose to go to Braise as part of the Eat Milwaukee Challenge, that I found out thru this Nibble, going on now through September 15. I figured if I couldn’t make dinner with fresh Farmer’s Market fair, I could at least try to eat local and this was a great option. I hope to get to the Waukesha Farmer’s Market Saturday and pick up some goodies!

Ok back to dinner. We made a reservation not knowing that the place really isn’t very busy at 5:30 on a Tuesday night, but we didn’t want to risk the chance of being late to Mumford, so I’m glad we made one. We decided to sit outside on cute copper colored chairs and butcher block-esque tables. Shauna had seen on the restaurant’s Facebook page that they offer different sliders each day, however the sliders are only available at the bar and we were already seated outside. When she found out they were a beef and horseradish slider, I thought I was going to be eating solo and texting her while she ate at the bar, but she said she would come back for the sliders some other time.

Our server promptly greeted us with water and fresh bread and butter and told us a bit about the menu. They have a Market Menu each week that is a 3-course meal – either Root-To-Leaf or Head-To-Tail. Last night was a pork option or a heirloom tomato and although tempting, I thought I would be too full if I ordered it. (No one wants a sleepy person next to them at a concert!)

After reviewing the impressive cocktail and wine list, I settled on a Zuma Rosso red and Shauna went with a white wine. I chose the Kale & Quark Tart with tomatoes and chickpeas on the side and Shauna got the Roasted Chicken with feta and veggies. We enjoyed the nice summer breeze and chitty-chatted a bit. On Saturday, Shauna asked me to be her Maid of Honor (squeeeee!!!!!) and so most of the talk revolved around wedding planning. I’m beyond excited and honored to be a part of her and Jack’s big day next summer!

I was very impressed with the plate presentation of the food. Everything was so colorful and fresh.

Forgot to grab a shot before I dug in!

My kale was cooked down with onions and oil and placed onto warm Quark (from Clock Shadow Creamery I must assume) inside the tart. It was heavenly and not too rich. The cherry tomatoes were cut in half and scattered amongst chickpeas covered in a Greek yogurt sauce.

Braise Milwaukee

Shauna’s chicken breast was sliced over a bed of veggies and she said it was lovely. It was very Greek and she liked the flavors together very much.

We enjoyed another glass of wine each and she got an espresso before we left. She said it was nice and strong just what she needed before the concert. I used the restroom before leaving and they truly are trying to leave as small of a carbon footprint as possible with their place. Actual towels are used to dry our hands and a basket is under the sink for the used ones to go into. Yay for not killing too many trees!

I will definitely go back to Braise for another meal (sliders) and classes. If I enjoy it as much next time, I might consider becoming a member. There are some great perks and I love staying local 🙂

We drove around for a bit trying to find free/close parking and ended up about a mile away on Barclay and Oregon. It was a beautiful night so we didn’t mind the walk.

Beautiful Milwaukee sunset

Our friend Tory’s “house” in the distance

The concert was at the Marcus Amphitheater and so before we took our seats, we enjoyed the views (and smells, whew!) of Lake Michigan. We caught it right at sunset. Bear’s Den is a great opening act for Mumford, but The Vaccines were a bit too hard for my taste.

Milwaukee from Marcus

Mumford & Sons – Milwaukee

Mumford did not disappoint. I have waiting forever for them to come to town and regardless the review the silly JSOnline reporter gave the show, I thought it was outstanding. The intimate lighting was a highlight for me!

I thought the band was personable and fun while still being crazy-skilled musicians. Marcus choked on a bug during Light and laughed his way through two more songs while he reminisced the scene from Dumb & Dumber about eating a June Bug. Too awesome. Then they zoomed in on an instrument with a sticker that said Milwaukee America’s Drunkest City and he told us he has shotgunned a PBR or two in his days! So fun. The lighting, the sound, the voices, the singing along of the crowd – it was a great show.

Mumford & Sons – Milwaukee

Mumford is going to take some time off and just live for a bit and then get in the studio and write and record another album but the plan to be back and I plan to be there!