Cari Taylor-Carlson

Wisconsin

Founder and Writer at Urban Milwaukee

Food lover, adventurer, world traveler, writer, mosaic artist

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Articles

Dining: Kinship Cafe Boasts Stunning Space, Tasty Meals

3 weeks ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

You will not find a more stunning space for breakfast or lunch than the Kinship Cafe that opened last November in the former Gimbels department store on MLK Jr. Drive. It is now the ThriveOn King center after an inspired renovation created a community hub, including this cafe, where everyone is welcome to visit, have a meal, and stay awhile. In the area around the café, you will see several places to sit, many tables, a large enclosed meeting room, and a stage ready for future events.
Dining: Himalayan Yak Offers Colorful, Delicious Cuisine

3 weeks ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

The lunch buffet at Himalayan Yak, a feast of entrees from Nepal and India, features more than 20 multi-colored dishes that will astonish you with their variety of flavors and choices. It is a beautiful display of a chef’s talent and artistry. The food at the new restaurant is so good I found myself going back twice in one week. On my first visit I came with two friends and we all ordered from the menu, which spans seven pages.
Dining: Movida Offers Lovely $25 Brunch

1 month ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

You will not find a better price for brunch than the $25.00 Classic Pink Breakfast at Movida at Hotel Madrid. Consider what you get for that price: The Pink Breakfast includes a Starter, a Main, Dessert, Coffee, and a drink. If you order each of these items separately, the total would come to $46.00. They serve this weekend brunch in a second-floor dining room which we accessed from a side door on Bruce Street.
Dining: La Finca Serves More Than Coffee

1 month ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

La Finca Coffeehouse is located near the lakefront and less than a mile south of Bay View at 3558 E. Sivyer Ave. in St. Francis. It offers a plethora of coffee drinks to satisfy aficionados of the bean. In 2017, this Mexican-inspired café opened in the building many may remember as FIXX, (the place with the cozy couches) and began a tradition of coffee excellence as they source all their beans from the family plantation in Oaxaca.
Dining: Aria Offers Lovely Brunches and Art Works

2 months ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

Brunch at Aria-The Restaurant at Saint Kate turned out to be a double header where the combination of delicious food filled our stomachs while we enjoyed Saint Kate’s extensive collection of contemporary paintings on view in the dining room. From the moment you enter the lobby of the hotel and see Big Piney, the oversized skeletal sculpture of a horse by artist Deborah Butterfield, you know you are going be surrounded and delighted by Saint Kate’s eclectic collection.
Dining: Mexican Restaurant-Bakery Replaces Lopez Bakery

2 months ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

If you are missing those well-loved rolls and pastries formerly found at Lopez Bakery on Historic Mitchell Street, fear not. A new place Del Valle Oaxaqueño and La Casa Del Pan 2 has filled that niche, operating in the same location with a restaurant and a tantalizing selection of rolls and pastries. Their pastry display case includes binge-worthy cookies, conchas, churros, cheesecake, rolls, desserts made with puff pastry, and much more.
Dining: Transfer Has Great Pizza

2 months ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

Thursday nights at Transfer Pizzeria Café are special as my companion and I discovered when we came for pizza recently. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Martini Jazz Lounge, various groups perform in a space that is less like a lounge than an intimate bar that also happens to showcase local music talent. We sat in the back room for our pizza until we noticed open seats at the bar where we could better appreciate the band, Robin Pleur and Company.
Dining: Lucky Liu’s Has a Massive Menu

2 months ago | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

Since 2009, Lucky Liu’s has been serving Chinese and Japanese cuisine in the Brady Street neighborhood. It’s located just around the corner on Van Buren Street and what a variety of food it offers. I stopped counting the dishes at some point, but it boasts more than 150 choices just the Chinese side of the mile-long menu. The restaurant is small, immaculate and, during both my visits, classical music played softly in the background.
Dining: Don’t Pass Up Hooligan’s Restaurant

Jan 18, 2025 | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

It was a photo of a hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep-fried, and covered with melted cheese, that led me to Hooligan’s Super Bar. That indulgent hot dog, known as the Frankenweenie, turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more. In addition to its combination of fat and more fat, it was served on a New England-style bun with a large opening that left room for the 1/4 lb. hot dog. The bun was grilled on both sides which added to the flavor of every crisp cheesy bacony bite.
Dining: Oakland Gyros Offers Truly Greek Fare

Jan 5, 2025 | urbanmilwaukee.com | Cari Taylor-Carlson

The first time I came to Oakland Gyros, I looked around to see what people were eating and all I saw were Gyros, large piles of thinly sliced meat topped with sliced tomatoes and sliced onions. That suggested the restaurant’s namesake dish would be something special and it was. The thin slices of meat included both lamb and beef, were served on top of warm pita, and came with a cup of Tzatzika sauce, the classic accompaniment, made with yogurt, preferable Greek, cucumber and garlic.