Kil@wat -- Milwaukee, WI

So, this is the first entry. I printed out my OpenTable reservation history and I am going to try to critique as many restaurants as I can remember. I am going to start from the most recent so I can ensure that I actually remember what I ate.

Kilw@at sticks out because it was honestly one of the best meals I have ever had. So, my meal:

Food:

1. Bacon wrapped medjool dates -- These were absolutely amazing. My waitress suggested them so I ordered them. This is not something I would usually order. I am not a huge bacon person. However, 6 little presents came out and I figured I would eat 3-4 at most...I ate all of them. They were addicting. I have since tried to replicate these in my own kitchen and I came quasi close, but not the same.
   
2. Olive oil and rosemary marinated mozzarella fresca -- This was simple and fresh. I loved it. I loved it because it was so simple and I could easily do this at home. This was a nice accompaniment to the figs because they were both so simple yet so fantastic. It really made me realize how great simple foods can be. I do not give credit to the chef but rather to the ingredients.
   
3. Soup of the day -- This happened to be an and fennel based soup with a lobster salad. I questioned this with my server and she aptly provided me with a sample. This, once again, was amazing. It was like a portal into Fall. I loved this soup. I literally turned the bowl to the side to scrap out the remnants. The Lobster sald was added the perfect contrast to the soup. The most obvious ingredient besides the smooth lobster was the celery. I loved the texture of the celery with the rest of the soup. If you can order this, feel privileged.
   
4. Hamachi samishi ceviche, jalepeno, lemon grass mint: I have never had hamichi. It was an elegant fish. It was firm and actually perfect for this ceviche. This was unlike any ceviche I have ever had. I am used to citrusy ceviches. This was more elegant and more filling. Strips of celery (once again) provided a nice contrasting texture and the thai flavors were magnificent. I really do not need to say anything else besides I advise you to order this.
5. Sea Scallops, gingered shitakes, sesame, miso glaze: This was my final dish and once again was suggested by the waitress. On a side note if you have Heather as you server, please DO take advantage of her knowledge and experience of the menu. The scallops were done perfectly and with the shitakes and the temperature of this dish I essentially manipulated it to move into fall. I feel slightly bad for taking advantage of this dish. This was the perfect end to my meal. I opted for a more "tapas" like dinner and this dish was by far the most filling. I am sure Kil@wat has lovely main dishes but their appetizers were perfect for me.
   

Drinks:

1. I started off with a Sauvignon Blanc. It was mid September and unusually cool. I honestly felt that I was about to rediscover my inner red wine but I opted for a last ditch effort to enjoy summer
2. I supported my meal with 3 glasses of Albarino. I cannot remeber what the name of the wine was (and this is not because I did enjoy a few glasses of wine but rather because when I drank the wine, I did not have this blog started). I had first heard about Albarino a few weeks ago in a USA Today article stating that Albarino would be the "it' wine of 2008. So naturally being a snobby, snoody, yuppy suburban guy, I wanted to try it. It was actually quite good (could you not tell from the 3 glasses I had?) and it was nice to try something different. I felt it was more crisp yet velvety then Chardonnay. It went well with my meal and I was very pleased.
3. Ended my night not with a creme brulee but a 12 yr. Mclellan Scotch neat. It was perfect and I need not say more.

All in all, fantastic meal. I had great service, fantastic food and amazing drinks. I highly advise anyone staying in Milwaukee enjoy this restaurant. I feel like I need to write more but I really don't want to. The food will explain itself if you try it.

Preface

I would like everyone to know that I am not a picky eater. I definitely have certain foods that I love more then others but I like to consider myself an equal opportunity foodie. I the website www.opentable.com to book most of my restaurants when I am traveling. This is a great way to find nice restaurants, review their menu prior to visiting and then potentially earn free gift certificates down the road. Check out their site if you have more questions.

I admit that by using OpenTable, I am limiting my options. I think they have a nice database of restaurants but I am missing out on many fantastic eateries by primarily booking on OpenTable. The fact is, I look forward to my free $50 or $100 gift certificates so I can comfortably go to yet another restaurant and hopefully create another lasting food memory.

This does not always happen which is the point of this blog. I wish that I would have started this one year ago and then I could look at my archive and bathe in the quantity of restaurant reviews I have logged. Moreover, I would be interested to see those entries which I did not stand up to the expectations that I conjured prior to my dining experience.

I love drinks. I am NOT an equal opportunity employer of drinks, I have to admit. I drink beer, wine and whiskey (preferably scotch). However, my point is that I subscribe to the liquid can make any consumption experience better. I do not just mean drinking wine with your meal (though this is typically a necessity). I believe I live a relatively healthy lifestyle. However, one of my largest vices lies in coffee and pastries. Honestly does it get any better then a hot, dark and smoky black coffee and a cinnamon scone? About the only thing would be a fantastic meal with a smooth glass of wine and a 12+ yr old scotch (neat) to wash it all down with.

Finally, one of the things that I began to truly appreciate over this past year of travel was scenery. Why should I enjoy a seared ahi tuna steak with a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc more on warm day in Park City, UT more then when I am sitting in my own apartment and can actually take credit for the dish in front of me? Honestly, those moments when you can just sit outside (or inside) and just revel in all that is around you are the best. They truly add so much thought to the culinary experience (for me). I begin to sit and think (all be it queerly)...this wine is better and this salmon more appealing because I am sitting on a balcony overlooking the Pacific ocean in Monterey, CA. Or, this Petite Syrah does pair lovely with this Filet Mignon, but it warms me while I am looking out at mountains covered in snow.

Like I said, maybe I am queer or just like to get lost in the moment but I find that these are the moments when I begin to contemplate life. My mom (and probably most of my friends) would say, "You're gay." (***Disclaimer: My mom, family, friends and I all know that your choice of scenery, beverage or dinner plate plays no role in your sexual orientation, it is simply a figure of speech and it is not meant to offend anyone. I have gay friends and they are fantastic). Back on point, for me, scenery adds to my dining experience. Does it add to your's? Moreover, scenery is not limited to the lovely seagulls flocking above near the ocean (which I hope do not crap on my brand new dress shirt or cuff links). Scenery can extend to the couple sitting kiddy corner to me that appear to be having a lovely meal but after further examination, THEY DO NOT TALK!!!!!! Please kill me if I ever am in that relationshiT. Hopefully I will already have taken care of the damage.

I guess I lied earlier, the last and final preface is that I tend to be a tangent creator. I often find myself in conversations, emails, blog postings running off into the sunset on the largest tangent that was ever created. I apologize for that in advance. However, it is my blog and as a result, if you do not like tangents yet you are still reading this self professed tangent, then pity on you.

Mazel,

James A.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Jim Watson. I am a clinical research associate and I travel a lot. I visit doctors in different areas of the country who are partaking in a clinical trial and I make sure they are testing the non-FDA approved drug appropriately.

So, now that is out of the way, my job is nuts. I travel all the time and sometimes rarely sleep in my own bed. As a result, I needed to find a way to stay sane. I found working out and my per diem. Essentially, I sought to make my road work more like my home work. I often workout at home, why can't I workout on the road? Secondly, I didn't want to be in a new city, eating dinner in my hotel room every night. I needed to take some time away from the hotel and my suitcase and feel like a normal person. So, I took advantage of my per diem and sought out different restaurants from which I would gain a city specific perspective on food. So I decided to implement my love of food into my job.

Let me take a step back....From 2003-2005, I lived in Boston, MA for grad school. It was the first time I had ever truly been on my own and alone in a big city. The entire process was so self gratifying and wonderful. In my spare time, I taught myself to cook, visit the farmer's market, learn more about wine and simply begin to shape my culinary IQ into a number at least higher then zero. Trust me, there was nowhere to go but up.

The point of this blog is multidisciplinary:

1. I wanted to have a place where I could review the restaurants I dine at in the different cities I am traveling to.
   
2. I wanted this quasi food journal to be legible, er go the blog.
   
3. I wanted a place that I could openly comment on some of the things I see as a young business traveler. You would not believe some of the things that I see. I personally think that a lot of young people do not stop to assess their surroundings and as a result, they miss out on a lot.
   
4. Finally, I wanted a place where I could write what I wanted to write. If people want to read, great, if not that is fine as well.

So, if you are actually reading this, I hope you find my blog interesting, educational and more importantly entertaining. I think that we all can learn so much from other's experiences. I am not saying my experiences are more profound or groundbreaking then your's. Rather, they are my experiences so they are different then your day to day happenings.

I preface this blog with only one disclaimer: I am sarcastic. That has been my sense of humor for a long time. I hope I offend no one but realistically, I know this is not a goal I will ever achieve.

Enjoy....