Sanford

While we are touring the art scene, it’s good to remember the culinary arts as well, and we did so on Feb. 23^rd by dining at Sanford, Milwaukee’s finest restaurant. Monday is a quiet night for restaurants generally, but we were a bit perturbed at how empty the place was. Like everyone else (except the cheapest eateries like George Webb and McDonald’s) they have lost business due to the hard times. However, we hope they can keep going, since the meal we had was in every way excellent.

I started off with a fino sherry as aperitif, which went nicely with the amuse bouche we were brought, which consisted of a nutmeg crème garnished with pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil. For starters, we had some wonderful salmon (gravlox), served with a rye biscuit, julienne of pickled rutabaga, and flavored with a mustard mousseline; which was delicious and definitely something new to do with rutabaga.  Then, there was a bowl of beet borscht with mushroom bits and some dumplings made of paper-thin dough stuffed with pork and “little ear” mushrooms.

The main course was a new thing on the menu, Seared Breast of Pheasant with Dried Plums, Leeks and Lemon Molasses Crispy Crumb Bread Sauce, which wasn’t quite as decadent as it sounds. I’ve had pheasant before, but this was by far the juciest and most flavorful preparation I’ve ever had. The staff had recommended a light Zinfandel to drink, and I found it an excellent pairing.

For dessert, we both had the Tart Cherry Clafoutis, a long-time favorite of ours. It is a rich pastry with the tart cherries baked in, drizzled with a dark cherry sauce, and a teensy scoop of Morello Cherry ice cream on the side. I accompanied the dessert with a cup of Sanford’s blend coffee, which was quite nice. It wasn’t that heavy a meal, but we were well filled, and took the homemade sweets that finish off the experience home with us.

Service was excellent as always, and we vowed to come back soon, hopefully with some friends.