Milwaukee WI. Last night, we had our annual Bonde cousin gathering marking the first weekend of August. Each year, some or all of Dale’s cousins come to town for the large family reunion that takes place about 90 minutes north of Milwaukee. I have to admit that these four, amazing women are some of my favorites to visit in his family. Each brings her own perspective on life but all have this united, caring attitude that clearly shows the great value system their parents have passed on. Okay, enough about the people…I could go on for days!
We stopped at Bosley for the first time. I can’t believe we’ve never been to this restaurant before.
First bite
Service started with an amuse-bouche of sliced cucumber, goat cheese, almonds, and honey. This very interesting combination did a great job combining sweet with pungent, crunchy with smooth and will be added to my future food pairing plans.
Appetizer
We then ordered a few small plates to share. Some of us had never had conch…so we ordered the fried conch fritters. These golf-ball sized, fried goodies were excellent and served with a sweet chili sauce and a tangy aioli. The other plate we ordered were the tempura green beans. We felt it necessary to order something healthy. Ignore the fatty breading that created an amazing appetizer. The result was a crunchy outer coating with a firm, but softened fresh green bean. They were drizzled with a teriyaki-soy reduction. The only warning on this dish is that it’s HUGE! You may want to ask your server how large the portions are. Otherwise, you may not be able to get to the main course. Last, we were served a small loaf of bread from Peter Sciortino’s bakery. This is a Milwaukee icon bakery also on Brady street. Though a very simple loaf, it was a special point to know that this restaurant partners with local businesses to create a great menu. I only wish that our city had more local bakeries. Unfortunately, our grocery stores in the area tend to focus on frozen dough bake-off to ensure uniformity of appearance and flavor. What happened to the art of baking?????
Main
We all ordered different menu items. Dale ordered the Brown Sugar Salmon. He was very pleased with the dish. Chris ordered the special..which was a mahi-mahi fillet marinated in a lemon olive marinade served over pasta with patty pan squash. It looked absolutely delicious. Liz had a chicken dish that looked fabulous. I can’t remember the name of the dish and their website is not current with the menu. I wound up having the Seafood Symphony. This dish is a series of smaller portion seafood items which included a beautiful, sweet scallop, blackened mahi-mahi, sesame crusted salmon, and butter-poached shrimp. All were over a large portion of risotto and broccolini.
Again, I can’t believe we haven’t been to this great Milwaukee restaurant before. I’m ashamed that I’d have gone to one of our “go to” local spots in lieu of this hot spot. If you have an opportunity to be in town and have a taste for good seafood, try Bosley out. In addition to the great food, our service was professional, attentive, and downright excellent. Last note…our server pointed out that Bosley recently was awarded the Wine Spectator Award for Excellence in 2010.
815 E Brady Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
