(Clockwise from left)

BOSLEY ON BRADY: Florida

Gulf grouper with potato pancakes. BACCHUS: tuna au poivre on arugula- fennel salad.

LA MERENDA:

Almond Joy chocolate crème brûlée.

world is that? Flaky puff pastry with sala- mi, Pepper Jack cheese and Dijon mustard. Simple but sensational. Kelly picked up that recipe from her family’s long-running Orange, Calif., restaurant, T e Hobbit, where it’s a staple. Kelly’s forte is keeping a menu from getting stale. I’m pretty certain she always has food on the brain. To keep seasonal and as local as possible, she’s part of Braise RSA (restaurant supported agri- culture), which puts fresh ingredients from area farms in chefs’ hands. Along with that, there’s the mantra “midpriced in Washing- ton Heights.” Kelly uses rubs and sauces on more inexpensive protein sources, proving great dining doesn’t have to mean a $40 entrée. Some examples: tandoori lamb with coconut milk-potato stew; mushroom potato lasagna with sherry cream sauce; and chicken with antipasto stuffi ng, po- lenta and vin cotto sauce. Entrées $12-$19.

(5921 W. Vliet St., 414-479-0620)

LE RÊVE PATISSERIE & CAFE

It’s bewildering that a diner can bypass

the ooo-la-la Versailles of loveliness – the glowing glass pastry case – to mount the steps to the bustling mezzanine dining room. I am forever tempted to make a meal out of the chocolate Valrhona tart, pots de crème and Paris brest (a coupling of pâte à choux, hazelnut diplomat cream and Chantilly cream). T ere is no end to cream. But with eff ort, composure is restored. Owners Andy Schneider and T erese Hittman opened their French phenom in a 100-year-old bank building almost two years ago. T e ceiling height, exposed brick and remnants of terrazzo add to its charm. T e rich, hearty entrée menu bears signs of classic Frenchness – from steak-frites to bouillabaisse. T e spring menu is lighter and brighter, out with (some of ) the cream sauces, in with the stock-based dishes, a la Basque-style striped bass. T e single caveat of note is the noise level – it can become very distracting when you're seated in the mezzanine. Entrées $16.95-$21.95.

(7610 Harwood Ave., Wauwatosa, 414-778-3333)

Bosley photo by Jessica Kaminski; Bacchus and La Merenda photos by John Cizmas

JAKE’S

On a recent bright moonlit night, the parking lot at this venerable steak joint is packed. Monday night, even. T en ding, ding, ding. It hits me. Customer Bailout Night, when Jake’s off ers its 8-ounce tenderloin with accoutrements for $10.95 (and will off er, until folks stop visiting en masse). T e steal-and-a-deal has certainly helped animate a habitually lifeless night in the industry. And perhaps it brings in diners who will branch beyond the wallet- warmer and experience the jewels this middle-aged bastion – dark paneled walls, supper club ambiance and all – has to off er. T ey include rumaki with a local touch (Nueske’s bacon-wrapped water chest- nuts with truffl e honey); crumby-yummy escargot Gruyère; co-owner/chef Jake Re- plogle’s seasonal fi sh (seared striped bass, a winter highlight); and the steer tenderloin fi let mignon. A beautiful bruiser of a steak. T e half-century birthday Jake’s celebrates this year warrants a feast. Perhaps on the brand-new patio, due to debut this season.

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