A small town with some seriously big flavors
Recently we have found ourselves falling in love with a town right outside of Milwaukee that we had previously given little thought. This town is Delafield and, despite the downtown area only being a few blocks total, two of our favorite restaurants near Milwaukee can be found right down the street from one another in this community.
First, our #1 spot on our Best Brunch list goes to the former small church that is Belfrē Kitchen. The atmosphere and building’s history are a large part of the allure and make for a unique dining experience. The Belfrē Kitchen building is one of the oldest existing buildings on its original foundation in Delafield. It was originally built as a Presbyterian church in 1868, and retains that church-like small community presence. When the congregation grew too large for the building’s space, it was briefly transformed into a theater. After that, gift shops moved in and finally in October 2016, Belfrē opened to the public.
We have now dined at Belfrē twice, most recently this past weekend. When it came time to order drinks, our company was “disappointed” to discover that we could not recommend the bloodies or the mimosas. This is simply because it is a tie, and both are amazing. For mimosas, our criteria is this: you need to be able to taste the champagne, and there should be multiple flavor options. Belfrē goes one above this and offers a Mimosa Flight, so you can try 3 different unique flavors in generous sized glasses.
On the Bloody Mary, it’s all about the mix and vodka they use. Toppings are a bonus (sometimes a large bonus) and take away one point if you don’t offer the standard beer chaser Wisconsin has come to know and expect. Well, Belfrē doesn’t make their own mix, but their house-infused cucumber vodka more than makes up for it with bright and fresh cucumber flavor shining through. Combine that with a muenster cheese/sausage garnish and a chaser of Spotted Cow, and we have one of our top bloodies in the city.
For Best Dish at Belfrē, Eric’s sweet tooth gets the best of him and he can’t resist their fresh Garam Masala drop donuts served with homemade whip cream. Allison is partial to the seafood entrees: both the Crab Cake Benedict and the New England Lobster Roll (served on a delicious buttery split-top loaf). Both come with either a side of crispy breakfast potatoes or side salad with a champagne vinaigrette.
Our next recent experience was a small plates restaurant down the street from Belfrē - I.d. We may have mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: small plates are a BIG draw for us. As a foodie, who doesn’t want to be able to try MORE things? In a nutshell, every shared plate we tried at I.d. blew us away and we’ve actually struggled to give you one best dish. But if we were to attempt a list from the current menu:
Watercress Gnocchi- black garlic breadcrumbs, local mushrooms and goat cheese fondue. Hearty, creamy, complex flavors and textures.
Shrimp & Grits- two steps above your average shrimp & grits dish (which is already usually delicious), this one is complex and completed perfectly with a corn succotash
Hot & Cold Hudson Foie Gras- this was by far our waiter’s favorite, and maybe would be ours too if only there were more of it! Strawberry truffle toast with foie gras and yuzu green strawberries make for the perfect few bites
Lemon & Speculoos Baked Alaska- lemon thyme crème fraiche ice cream, speculoos cake, surrounded by a toasted meringue to look like a big toasty marshmallow. Refreshing if you were already full, but HAD to have dessert because you sat in front of the pastry chef all night watching her prep all the delicious desserts.
Wood Grilled Caesar- authentic with white anchovies, homemade croutons, and that charred lettuce flavor
The drinks were also strong and delicious
Their menu changes about once a month, which will have us coming back for sure but also maybe yearning for some of the amazing dishes we had that night. We have learned that there are also some favorites that are standard to the menu, and are curious what next month’s menu brings. As with Belfrē, atmosphere is also key at I.d. as the dining room is adorned with beautiful chandeliers and doubles as a wedding venue in a Boardwalk-like hotel setting. We were lucky to face the open kitchen as this is a concept we love and often reminds us of bigger city high-end dining. We have been slowly working towards another Best Dish list- Tapas & Small Plates, and we absolutely expect I.d. to covet one of the top spots on this list.
Delafield, we are so happy to have stumbled upon your small downtown and all it has to offer.
Best Dish
Belfrē:
Eric - Garam Masala Drop Donuts
Allison - Crab Cake Benedict/New England Lobster Roll
I.d.:
Both - Watercress Gnocchi, but seriously, order a lot and you won't be disappointed
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