Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub - Milwaukee, WI - 2ND VISIT

A week later we returned (see post of 11/7/09). Our nephew loves this type of food, so we decided to return with him.

They say you can never go back and it's true. This experience was quite different than last week's. First it was very crowded, so the noise level was high compared to last time. There are two sides to the restaurant, so maybe the accoustics vary from side to side.

We were seated for a while before our server came to offer drinks. That's not a good way to start. It really seemed that she had too many big tables, so throughout the evening we were always wanting for something or sitting their with our empty plates in front of us.

The food, however, was still good except for one thing, which I'll address later.

The menu does appear to change daily. There are some staples as far as proteins, just a different preparation.

I again started with the hamachi (I'm dieting so there aren't a whole lot of other choices). The preparation was basically the same, but the price this time was $15. Again I'm going to say it's not worth it.

My husband started with abalone. He was so excited to see abalone on the menu. It's one thing he really likes that you rarely see. I even tasted it (I was a little leary), but it had a great texture and a wonderful flavor. It was served with matsutake mushrooms, delicata squash and verjus.

My nephew had the Kentucky Fried Quail which was served on top of a waffle, topped with a fried quail egg and maple syrup. Now if I weren't dieting this is what I would have ordered. I did get a taste and it was very good. The quail was actually bigger than I would have expected.

For entrees I had Pan Seared Hawaiin Uhu served with pumpkin gnocchi, french beans, pine nuts, tomato and brown butter. First, let me say the pumpkin gnocchi was unbelievable. I was really wishing that there was more on the plate. Skip the fish, let's have more gnocchi! Actually the fish was very good too, perfectly cooked. The beans were a little crispy for my liking.

My husband had the Wood-fire Grilled Elk Tenderloin served with sweet potato and foie gras bread pudding, almonds, french beans and a foie gras emulsion. He loved it, but didn't really notice any foie gras flavor. I tasted it, also liked it and I didn't notice that flavor either and I really don't care for foie gras. I was pleasantly surprised that the elk did not have any gamey taste at all.

My nephew had the Lamb Rack served with garbanzo beans and many other things he doesn't eat. So basically all he ate was the lamb. Now I really do not like lamb, but tried it and it too had no gaminess to it all all. This is where the food went wrong. He had three racks. Two were sitting on top of the third. The first two were perfectly done, very pink in the center. The third one was well done. It almost seemed as if the chef was trying to hide the well done piece under the two perfect pieces because my nephew did not notice it until the very end. He was very disappointed.

Because my nephew was with us, dessert was considered. I did not order anything but tried both things that were ordered.

There was a peanut butter tart with grape sorbet and frozen whole milk. Peanut butter & jelly! And that's exactly what it tasted like.

The other dessert we ordered was flourless chocolate cake served with ice cream, a chocolate covered pretzel, peanut butter ball and condensed milk caramel. The cake was the best part.

Even though our experience was not as good as the first time, it doesn't mean we won't give it another shot. This restaurant falls into the category of "for the prices charged it better be good every time". If not, we're done.

http://hinterlandbeer.com/

Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub - Milwaukee, WI

We were looking for something different and found this restaurant on Open Table. I believe we have probably overlooked it because of the name. To me the name gives a certain perception, which really turned out not to be true.

The atmosphere is so inviting. When you enter there is a really nice-sized bar on the left. The actual restaurant is up a couple steps. The tables are well-spaced, which is very important to me. I really don't like sitting along a bench where they always put couples. Usually tables are so close you end up listening to the conversation at the table next to you!

The server arrived promptly after we were seated and we had drinks right away. The wine by the glass is a little pricey, but the pours were decent.

Although our service was great, we overhead another server explaining the menu and he really went into great detail about the restaurant and how/why the menu changes every day. I was sorry we didn't get the full presentation.

The menu touts that they support local farms that practice sound agriculture and sustainable farming and that all fish is fresh and delivered daily from both coasts.

All the dishes are very creative and the entrees lean towards items you don't see routinely, like boar, bison and elk.

We started with appetizers. I ordered the Hamachi Sashimi which was served with chive and a mustard miso sauce. There was four pieces of sashimi presented very nicely. It was very good, but I would not say it was worth the $13 price.

My husband started with Elk Sausage Stuffed Calamari. Now that was worth every penny of the $12 price. It was served with a Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce. The flavors went very nicely together.

For entrees I had the Seared Diver Scallops served with morel mushrooms, quinoa, braised beef short ribs and a celery root emulsion. The portions are small, so you definitely need to order at least a salad or an appetizer in addition to the main course. Everything on my plate was excellent.

My husband had the Andouille Sausage Crusted Halibut service with fingerling potato, pancetta, sweet corn and bell pepper hash, chive aioli and a red hot butter sauce. This is similar to a dish he had at a related restaurant - Whistling Swan in Door County. We didn't even know they were related until tonight. This was just as good as the preparation in Door County. I tasted it and it
was very good, maybe a little too spicy for me.

We were very happy to have found this restaurant and look forward to coming back soon. It was a great surprise.

http://hinterlandbeer.com/