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Out of the way Mexican - Fernando's (West Oklahoma & 16th? or 17th?) - looks like every other south side corner bar, but has great homemade chips with 3 fresh salsas, yummy poppers (get there early before they run out at dinner time) and they do a pretty good take on the Friday fish fry.

As long as you're on the ss, try to catch the traveling corn guy for the corn on the cob slathered in butter & mayo with queso cheese and chili powder. I know it's an artery-hardner, but I have to chase him down the block every time I hear the horn.

My fav new pizza - Transfer. Hands down. Any of the garlic pizzas are beyond great. They also support local growers.

love the MKE shout-outs, but also have to respectfully object to Adam's custard comment. I don't even consider Shake Shack's 'tard in the same food group as the MKE version. shake shack chocolate tastes like vanilla that a hershey bar once said hello to. and in terms of shakes, a true custard aficionado would expect a refund on the soupy mess the shack is trying to pass off on unwitting new yorkers--$3.50 in the Brew gets you twice the custard to liquid ratio that $6 buys at Madison Square Park.

@Nezrite: I thought so, too. But the link Adam included was this: http://marcos.com/ and according to the website: "Marco’s Pizza (Marco’s Franchising, LLC), headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is one of the 25 largest pizza chains in the U.S., as ranked by PMQ's Pizza Magazine."

This is not the Marco's we order from, is what I was saying. I think we order from the same place, but it ain't the place on that website...

Oh, and as an addendum to my comment above: BBQ Slow Roasted Pork Pizza there is great: BBQ Sauce, pulled pork, jalepeno peppers, and cream cheese, on a thin crust. Yumsville.

Okay, I rescind my previous comments about Marco's. There are apparently a few Marco's in Milwaukee. The one we call isn't on South 27th, it's a non-chain Marco's on 84th and Lisbon. That's what my dad tells me, anyway. I had no idea they were different, actually.

Isn't Milwaukee style pizza similar to Chicago thin crust? It's basically the same, right? I'm just curious.

@Adam:

Yes, I noticed and appreciated your review and your lack of pizza provincialism.

California, Roman, NY, Chicago, or Milwaukee--I love all the beautiful pizza.

Peace,
Garvey

I would like to reassure you that the pepperoni cannoli guy is still alive and well, and prowling the bars late at night. The last time I saw him he climbed through the window at Rascall's on Murray the night the Brewers clinched the wild card.....(late September 2008)

Oh, where to start. Nice to see Milwaukee get some love, there are a ton of great places to eat, though I wish you would have visited under better circumstances.

Beer first. Forget the Miller tour, Lakefront is the way to go. Try any beer by them or New Glarus (of Spotted Cow fame). Milwaukee Ale House does good work. I'm meh on most Sprecher beers, but their Black Bavarian and root beer are both excellent. If you see a Bell's beer on tap, particularly Two Hearted Ale, try it (a Michigan brewery, but who's counting).

Mexican: South side is indeed the way to go. Conejitos has a nice cheap paper plate vibe, Cempuzachi is a good one too. I like Riviera Maya for more traditional Mexican, Botanas for well done Tex-Mex, and any El Rey location for my cheap and good fix. Avoid La Perla at all costs.

Someone mentioned Comet for breakfast, but their open faced meat loaf "sandwich" seems like it might be right up your alley. Cafe Lulu is always worth a soup and sandwich stop - the Mediterranean steak pita with chips or the roasted veg salad with a tuna steak on top are both money.

Pizza, as has been said, may well be avoided, but either DeMarini's location would be my suggestion. I prefer Mama's for the sit at the bar and eat vibe.

For upscale but surprisingly cheap, Coquette Cafe (coq au vin) and Meritage (any braised meat on the menu) are great.

As for curds, like you guessed, most good bars in the city, my place of employment included. The corner bar culture is alive and kicking here, it's really one of my favorite parts about this city. Conversations with interesting functional alcoholic strangers FTW.

Simma's cheesecake. Singha Thai's pad thai. Not much good Indian, but Anmol does excellent Pakistani. Coffee: Anodyne > Stone Creek >>>>>>> Alterra. Bloody Mary at any Diablo Rojo place (Cafe Hollander, Cafe Centraal, Trocadero), though I find their food mostly overpriced and underwhelming. Sobelman's for a burger (still) - though I haven't been to Solly's, I hear good things. Jake's for Jewish deli goodness. Good call on the National.

I'm out of gas, but that should get you started.

I grew up in Milwaukee, have lived in Brooklyn for 8 years, and am planning a visit to M'waukee and my brother there in a few weeks. Where will I go:

Cempazuchi: Truly terrific slightly upscale Mexican food. Where I first learned to love fish tacos and where the salsas are strangely addictive.

Kopp's: I'm sorry--you're just wrong about Shake Shack--Kopp's frozen custard is supreme. Well, at least in my humble opinion.

Cafe Hollander: A relatively new place my bro introduced me to with a dish I sometimes long for: a Guinness Stout-laced waffle covered with corned beef, Yukon gold potato hash, poached eggs and horseradish cream sauce. O mah gawd.

Sprecher Brewing Company: And have you been to the Sprecher Brewery for its tour and end-of-tour beer tasting madness? Its microbrews? And its absolutely perfect Root Beer?

And then there's Kringle. And thanks for the Maria's Pizza recommendation--I'm there!

Aww, Racine Kringles. I forgot about those. An institution.

Adam, if you ever want to shuffle the extra 75 miles west, The Old Fashioned restaurant in Madison specializes in Wisco fare and could get you a really good fried cheese curd fix. They also sell Schlitz in cans and have pickled eggs and landjaeger up at the bar.

1.Simma's, not just for morning buns (get there early) but also the BEST CHEESECAKE ON THE PLANET. I'm very serious about it. You have to get a whole cake, bc if you just do a square slice, it doesn't have the chocolate cake layer on the bottom.
2. Balestreri's is right across the street from Simma's. It's the westside fave.
3.Kegel's Inn on National for a real German friday fish fry. Their potato pancakes are tops. Also kick-ass selection of beer on tap- get an Optimator and go home happy. Besides, isn't the name alone enough to make you want to check it out???
4. Everyone has already said this, but Solly's for a butterburger.
5. Skip IHOP next time and go to Ted's on North Ave, in Wauwatosa for really great waffles and good other breakfast stuff too.
6. You can get Usinger's at any grocery store (but I understand the allure of the factory)