Get them While You Can: Summer Menu Items at Cafe Pfister

Sure, summer is coming to an end, but while they’re available, you can still enjoy the delicious tastes of summer that Chef Brian has put together for the Cafe Pfister’s menu. Including two of Chef Brian’s favorites, the WELLspa Caprese Salad and the incredible Floribbean Panini.
WELLspa Caprese Salad

featuring: fresh burrata, heirloom tomatoes, torn basil, cracked pepper, Skyhawk cold pressed olive oil & herb grilled bread

Floribbean Panini

featuring: Sofrito roasted pork, sliced ham, melted swiss, sliced pickle, mango mustard…

Milwaukee: The Best Deal In Chicago

Ah, big brother Chicago. Just two hundred years ago we were part of the same Illinois territory.

People come to Milwaukee for many reasons. Business. Dinner. Conventions. Celebrations. Sporting events. Art openings. Museums.

Visitors ask certain key questions which lead me to conclude they’re not from Milwaukee. This line of conversation usually takes place after someone says, “So how do I get a cab around here?” or “This place is great, where else should I visit?” Or they call the water drinking oasis a fountain instead of a bubbler.

I’ve noticed a trend of Chicagoans visiting us just…

Getting to know Chef Brian Frakes

The Pfister has received countless compliments on their Marcus Celebrated Chefs series. Many of the compliments centered around the hotel’s Executive Chef Brian Frakes. People talked about how generous he was with his knowledge and always sent them home with extra food. Guests went home energized with new ideas of how to invigorate their home cooking.

It turned out I’d met Brian briefly when I first came on as narrator. Concierge Peter Mortensen was giving me the introductory tour and we walked downstairs by the kitchen. Brian and I briefly shook hands and exchanged greetings. There were so…

The Work Behind the Wine

What is the meaning of life? I do not know and I’m quite sure many people are closer to having a conclusion than myself. The best I’ve managed to piece together is finding something you love and devising a way to make it pay your bills. Individuals who have successfully accomplished that have always fascinated me.

As an example I offer the sommelier. Their job is to become a walking wine database. How does one do this? Naturally, drinking wine is a large part of the job. But one can’t just become a lush and start wearing…

Family Dinner in Mason Street Grill

Saturday afternoon I swung in to Mason Street Grill. The restaurant wasn’t open and jazz played quietly while the fireplace crackled to an audience of empty bar stools. This Saturday was a sunny thaw of a day which followed a sudden Friday snowstorm. Roads now cleared by snowplows and sunshine generally forecasts a busy night for bars and restaurants. I was hoping to sit down and speak with Heather Kanter-Kowal, the restaurant’s assistant manager and sommelier. A sommelier is certified as a wine expert and anyone who has been able to pursue a field they love…

Marcus Restaurants Chef Series - Spring Edition

Back by popular demand, Marcus Restaurants has brought back its popular chef series starting on March 24th.

Every Saturday, our Marcus Restaurants chefs will host a special sequence of classes designed for guests to discover trade secrets from some of Wisconsin’s renowned culinary leaders.

Each class will feature a different beverage pairing to be sampled with each chef’s preparations, all while you learn great tips. Each class is limited to 18 guests, so you can enjoy a close-up look at cooking techniques in an intimate setting.

Our Spring Series will feature an array of classes from cooking…

Marcus Restaurants Extends Chef Series Program

The culinary fun isn’t over yet! Marcus Restaurants has extended its popular chef series through February 2012, after a successful autumn session. Each Saturday, Marcus Restaurants will host a special sequence of classes called Celebrated Chefs Winter 2012 Series. Guests will get to know some of the city’s culinary leaders, enjoy perfectly paired beverages and sample each chef’s preparations, while learning great tips. With classes limited to 18 guests, they’ll enjoy a close-up look at cooking techniques in an intimate setting.

The Winter Series will feature an array of…

Baking Up Hope This Holiday Season

Marcus Restaurants donates 500 cookies to Hope House

MILWAUKEE – December 22, 2011 – For the third year in a row, chefs from Marcus
Restaurants are helping to make this holiday season a little sweeter for those in need. This
morning, they donated 500 cookies to Hope House in Milwaukee. Hope House is an
emergency and transitional living facility serving those in need of food and shelter.
Hope House is sharing the treats with its residents and patrons of its food pantry. The
recipe for the White Chocolate Chip Chewy Gingerbread Cookies was provided by Anna
Baird-Luedke, winner of Milwaukee’s…

The Sparkling Season

I am a geek for sparkling wines.  This is one of my very favorite seasons as there are so MANY occasions to elegantly sip Champagne and share toasts with my friends and family.  I cannot imagine a Christmas Eve dinner at my house without a few bottles of something bubbly chilling in my outdoor cellar (AKA-the snow drift on my patio), a Christmas morning without Mimosas and waffles, or a tiring but rewarding night at the restaurant on New Year’s Eve without toasting at midnight with my battle weary co-workers.  Here are a few of my favorite…

How I Stopped Loathing, and Started Loving the Screwcap

I am a sommelier, and my most important job is to recommend the right wine for the right meal for the right guest at the right price.  After a thoughtful question and answer session with my diners, I will go to my cellar and produce a bottle that has been agreed to meet their specific parameters and desires.  Some nights, the bottle is sealed with a screwcap….oh, the horror!  The husband looks nervously at his wife…she looks with scorn at the bottle.  “We don’t drink cheap wine”…”I like the romance of a cork being pulled”…”Is…

Wine Swirls again, with the Pfister Sommelier

My name is Heather Kanter-Kowal and I am the Certified Sommelier and Assistant Manager of the Mason Street Grill in the Historic Pfister Hotel.  This is the first post in a series about wine that I will be sharing with the Pfister community.  We will discuss different wine regions of the world, how to taste & evaluate wine, wine & food pairings, how to open a bottle of Champagne (safely!), and many other fun wine related topics.

A little bit of background about me… I started my career in hospitality twelve years ago here at the Pfister Hotel.  While…

Cooking with Chef Ash: Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates

This dish is a stunning appetizer that can be served at every occasion. The plump, delicious dates are wrapped in thick, smokey bacon then gently sauteed in a savory sauce. Creamy goat cheese is delicately placed in the center of the sweet, chewy date helping to enhance its rich flavor. This is an elegant and satisfying dish that your guests will request at every gathering.

Ingredients

20 pieces pitted medjool dates
20 pieces of smoked bacon strips
Toothpicks

Directions

Stuff each date with the almond cheese and wrap with one slice of bacon and secure with a plain toothpick.
Bake…

Cooking with Chef Ash: Vanilla Creme Brulee

This recipe will surprise you! It’s incredibly delicious, but it’s also very easy to make. With a few simple ingredients you’ll be able to create this creamy, rich custard base coated with a decadent caramelized layer in minimal time. This is a one recipe you’ll turn to again and again.

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
10 each egg yolks
2 each vanilla beans

Directions

Split the vanilla beans in half and scrap the seeds place the whole bean and the seeds in a medium pot with the heavy cream.
Combine the granulated sugar…

Marcus Chefs at East Town Market

The East Town Market is celebrating its 15th summer at Cathedral Square Park and the Cafe Pfister and the Chefs of the Pfister, Intercontinental, Hilton, and Mason Street Grill are a part of this year’s live entertainment and food.  On Saturday mornings, from 9am – 1pm, The Cafe Pfister is proudly serving its Starbucks Coffee, Pfister Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas, cold drinks, pastries, and ice cream.  On Tuesday evenings from 3pm – 7pm the Café Pfister will sell sangria, assorted beers, wine, pastries and snacks.

The Chefs of Mason Street Grill, Pfister Hotel, Intercontinental, and Hilton will also be featured…

Tuna Salad Relleno with Chef Robert Ash

This isn’t your typical tuna salad. It’s a unique blend of tuna, onion, olive oil, watercress pesto and red pepper.
The creative and healthy combination is perfect as a light snack, but could also be served as a satisfying meal. The colorful watercress pesto adds the finishing flavors that will be pleasing to any palate.

Ingredients

4 cans albacore tuna
1 sm white onion, diced small
2 stalk celery, diced small
1 each lemons freshly squeezed
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
2 tbsp EVOO
TT Kosher salt
TT Fresh ground black pepper
4…

Ask Ash: Fresh or frozen vegetables?

Whether you want to learn how to perfect a particular cooking technique, learn how to use a certain ingredient or have a dish related question, Chef Robert Ash has the answers for you.

Fresh or frozen vegetables, is one better than the other?

The fresh versus frozen debate is a common one, however experts say one isn’t necessarily better than the other. Now that it’s spring, you will have an easier time finding fresh produce in season, but if you prefer to buy frozen that’s fine, and here’s the reason why. When companies freeze their fruits…