Milwaukee Dinner Date Night Ideas // On My Mind Monday 

Foodie: ˈfo͞odē/, noun : A foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and unique alcoholic beverages. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger.
Based off that definition Caleb and I are probably/most likely/definitely foodies. We really love trying new restaurants and ordering unique menu items, but we do have our go-to restaurants that never disappoint us. For this week’s edition of On My Mind Monday, I am sharing some of our favorite date-night dinner ideas along with a list of locations we are excited to try. Enjoy!
Dinner at Vanguard & Dessert at Purple Door 
Vanguard has easily become a staple of Bay View due to its’ casual atmosphere with cocktails on tap, an extensive beer list, and incredible homemade sausages. If you are a non-meat eater, don’t worry they have vegetarian and vegan options. The vegetarian Italian with the potato balls, paired with a shot of the whiskey of the day is my go-to dinner pick on the menu.
With a focus on local, organic ingredients Purple Door Ice Cream sure does know what they are doing. In addition to traditional flavors, this 5th Ward creamery offers more creative flavors such as Brandy Old Fashioned, Raspberry Green Tea, and embracing its Milwaukee heritage, Beer & Pretzels. Their flavors change weekly, but are always delicious and the perfect way to end a toasty or chilly evening in the city.
https://www.facebook.com/vanguardmke/
http://purpledooricecream.com
Dinner at Triskele’s
I know trying to keep up with Milwaukee’s ever-changing restaurant scene can be exhausting, so why not stick with a classic and head over to Triskele’s. At Triskele’s, you will find a frequently changing menu (meat, vegetarian, and sea food), with spectacular new takes on classic dishes such as mac & cheese and chicken pot pie. Triskele’s is located in the heart of the trendy Walkers Point neighborhood.
Caleb has been dining here since he bought his first home in Walker’s Point 7 years ago and then he introduced it to me when we first started dating. It was not long before we would come here once or more every week, especially since it was just down the street from us. Even though we moved we still try our best to dine her as much as possible!
Caleb and I always sit at the bar so that we can chat with owners as they pour our drinks and prepare the food. You can easily spend your entire evening here; slowly tackling the menu starting with apps, slowly devouring your main entire, and ending with a cocktail & shared dessert.
They have great specials throughout the week:
Tuesday: All you can eat Mussels. Wednesday: 1/2 Off Bottles of Wine Thursday: $5 Appetizers Friday: Fish Fry Everyday: Happy Hour from 4-6: $3 Draft Beer, $1 Off Rail Drinks, $4 House Wine, $6.25 Mac & Cheese, and $5 Burgers.
http://www.triskelesrestaurant.com
KFC Dinner at Lazy Susan & Pin Ball at Blackbird Bar
Start your evening with a casual dinner at the quaintest restaurant in Bay View; Lazy Susan. Lazy Susan has a frequently changing menu offering various options for meat & seafood lovers, vegetarians, vegans, and even those that are gluten free. I suggest dining here on a Thursday so you can have Korean Fried Chicken! But, get here any night of the week and it will still be amazing. Their food is always perfectly presented and much of it locally sourced. I highly recommend ordering “That’s My Jam” to sip on during dinner . . . a cocktail muddled with homemade jam?? Now THAT certainly is my jam.
The KFC is gluten free and they run out rather quickly, so I would advise calling ahead to reserve a bird; 414-988-7086.
After enjoying your meal, I recommend heading to Blackbird Bar for some pinball. Located further south down KK Ave in Bay View, BBB is a dimly lit, casual hole-in-the-wall gem. If you’re lucky, you might even make it here in time for Happy Hour; buy one get one rail drinks & $2 dollar tap beers.
http://lazysusanmke.com
https://www.facebook.com/blackbird.bar/
Dinner at Palomino & A Show at the Cactus Club 
Palomino, the cousin of the Honey Pie restaurant, has great food, fair prices, a dim atmosphere, and quite the whiskey collection behind the bar to brag about. My favorite menu item at Palomino is the homemade tater tots & Caleb’s is the spicy fried chicken sandwich. If you want to eat & drink like a true local, definitely give Palomino a go! Oh! And make sure you snag a slice of Pie!!
After dinner, walk down the street and catch a show at the Cactus Club. Indie, national, and local music finds its way to the Cactus Club stage.
http://palominobar.com
Dinner at Fushinami Sushi (formally Fushimi) & a Movie at the Oriental Theatre
All you can eat sushi, wth buffet include? Yes, Please! Caleb and I frequent this east side sushi restaurant often. We always sit at the bar and enjoy our rolls with a cocktail or beer. I always order the Cumber Gin Gimlet & and Caleb orders one of the Japanese beers.
After you’ve had your fill on rolls, head north on Farewell to the Oriental Theatre. The Oriental Theatre is a historical gem, built in 1927 and is beautifully decorated with East Indian artwork. My first time visiting this Theatre was in college during an art class, when we were drawing the beautiful interior throughout the venue.
http://www.fushinami.com
https://www.landmarktheatres.com/milwaukee/oriental-theatre
Bonus!!! Here is great idea for a weekend morning breakfast date and my favorite cafe in MKE . . .
The National Cafe & Antiquing at Antiques on Pierce
Caleb and I have a pre-wedding ritual that includes eating at The National Cafe, sitting at one of the window tables, and ordering the same thing every darn time: Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich with ham, 1 peanut butter chocolate bar, and 2 coffees. If you are on instagram and type in the hashtag: #studio29nationalcafepreweddingritual you can see our breakfast posts before weddings.
Needless to say, I will always recommend the Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich, but honestly, everything we have tried on their menu is amazing. We also really enjoy the French Toast, Tonkotsu Ramen, and BLT&A.
After we eat our breakfast, we usually wander down the street to Antiques on Pierce. Formally known as Antiques on Second, this shop is still full of endless treasures and has multiple floors to explore.
http://www.nationaleats.com
http://www.antiquesonpierce.com
Restaurants we are excited to try soon:

• Easy Tyger: https://www.easytygermke.net   ** Update, we dined here twice for Brunch and loved it!! See the post HERE. 
• Supper: http://supper.restaurant
• Gypsy Taco: https://www.facebook.com/Gypsytaco/
• Iron Grate BBQ: https://www.facebook.com/GrateBbq/  ** Update, we got lunch here last weekend and it was phenomenal! The beef brisket is incredible!

 
What are some of YOUR favorite places for date night in Milwaukee?