Text 17261, 85 rader
Skriven 2011-10-31 06:07:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: trip 134
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I'd imagined the Fairfield Inn & Suites Milwaukee Airport
might be near the airport. Rather, it's in one of those odd
knots of hotels (here Mainstay, Clarion, Crowne Plaza,
Comfort Suites, and Fairfield Inn) - that pop up several miles
away from airports in some random spot all within a block of
each other, somewhat inconvenient to the airport, but there
are economies when the hotels share shuttle services and so
on. Our original plan was to dump the car, get a ride to
the airport, then take the shuttle to the hotel. But as we
were going to be late anyway, and as Three Brothers was
still on my list, we decided to spring for a $30 extension.
Drove to the hotel, got fresh-baked cookies just made by
the check-in girl, unloaded our stuff, got more cookies
and the news that over at the Comfort Inn there was free
beer and wine AYCD from 5:30-7:30 and free pizza at 7 AYCE
if you can deal with the scrum.

The beer is supposed to be domestic draft, but the taps were
off, so bottled Miller products were on offer instead - hey,
the price was right, and one can do worse than MGD. The red
wine was worth almost what we paid. As 7 approached, more
patrons did, as well, including some who looked as though
they perhaps were not paying customers. We debated going the
cheap route but decided that my happiness was more important
(especially with it being my turn) and so rode through the
rain up to the little cut-off area where the restaurant
stands: it was surprisingly easy to find.

Three Brothers is a winner of the James Beard American
Classic award, given to non-white-tablecloth places that
nonetheless serve as prime examples of a local cuisine and
provide an exceptional how you say dining experience. I'd
always wanted to try it (as well as all the other winners -
I've eaten at half the ones from the last century but have
not tried - or even heard of - most of the honorees of the
past decade). It's in a residential neighborhood (must have
been a local bar) in an obvious little Europe type location
orphaned by the opening of a superhighway.

There was a getting on toward closing time, just a few
tables occupied, and we were I believe the last guests to
show up on their doorstep - they serve from 5-9 or according
to the pleasure of the kitchen - but throughout the meal we
didn't feel rushed. The surly service sometimes noted in the
Internet reviews was not experienced by us: instead, we got
smiles and courtly (not fast, nor overly slow) attention
throughout. First on the table was kaymak and brown bread,
the former a bit ovine to my taste, the latter a bit
carawayed, so not for me. We eschewed the salad, as our
tastebuds were all set up for roast meat in the European
style, and salad seems too modern and American. For my
appetizer I had a glass of pear brandy, sweeter than I
expected but quite pleasant. Lilli had some kaymak and
bread - she's not a big eater anyhow.

Her roast suckling pig was a half rack of tiny baby
chops, the skin cooked rather harder than I like but
still quite good. The meat was tender and delicious, and
the fat harked back to the Charles Lamb description, if
you recall that. Having ordered the roast goose, I was
informed by the waitress that the duck was crisper, to
which I responded that that was okay: in fact, the goose
skin was totally uncrisp, which was fine with me - the
bird was halfway between roast and braised and as a result
was moist and gray throughout, not a big problem, though
I find this treatment a bit of an unhappy compromise in
that it offers neither the delicious browning of a true
roast nor the tenderness of a true braise. On the other
hand, it does preserve all the fattiness of the bird,
which of course is drained off in a roast and cooks down
in a braise. The stuffing, bread with minced green pepper
and gizzard, was sinfully rich, almost liquid, with the fat.

One set of veggies for the two of us, at our request - we
do know our limits, after all. Stewed carrots were savory
rather than sweet, which was good, and sauerkraut was
sauerkraut, which was good but less good.

Ample portions, offering enough for one lunch next day.
As a result, no room for dessert, though I did have a glass
of plum brandy, during the sipping of which the ancient
proprietor, one of the eponymous brothers, came through for
a brief chat.
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