Milwaukee Foodie News: Meatball Mania and Bacon Brat on a Stick

(Fill in the Blank) On-A-Stick at State Fair

One of the greatest things about the Wisconsin State Fair is checking out all the unusual food that debuts each year...and this year is no exception. The folks at the fair unveiled 70 additions to the fair's fare this year — including 21 "on-a-stick" items. Among our favorites: bacon brat on-a-stick, beer-battered bacon wrapped cheddar hot dog on-a-stick, beer doughnuts, Frosted Flakes chicken on-a-stick, and the Thanksgiving waffle, which one must assume involves turkey and gravy.

A Big Step for a Tall Guy

For the last four years, Dan Nowak has made a name for himself by whipping up homemade meatballs and other specialties in his part-time catering business, Tall Guy and  Grill. Business has been great and now Nowak is opening up a Tall Guy carryout store on North Avenue in Wauwatosa.  The store will feature items like bourbon barbecue port meatballs and Grandma Betty's meatball, locally sourced grass fed beef meatballs in house marinara sauce. Read more on Wauwatosa Patch. 

Somebody Catch That Meatball

And sticking with the meatball theme, a new eatery called The Runaway Meatball has opened its doors in Shorewood. The Sicilian-style pizza restaurant at 3592 N. Oakland Ave., serves Italian sandwiches, chicken wings, specialty hot dogs, and a spaghetti and meatball dinner. We're not sure where the restaurant's name comes from, but it immediately brought to mind the "On Top of Spaghetti" song we used to sing around the campfire. Read more about the Italian restaurant on Shorewood Patch.

The Place to Grab a Beer Is...

The nationally known travel blog, Jason's Travels, has come up with its list of the best five places to drink a beer in Milwaukee. Remember, this isn't a list of the best beer in town, but rather a list of the best places to get the "Milwaukee feel" if you want to grab a beer. For those of you who don't want to bother reading the blog, we'll save you the time: No. 1 on the list is the Lakefront Brewery.

New Braille Menus Fill an Important Need

Here's some pretty cool foodie news: Shorewood has become the first community in the nation in which all restaurants will soon be offering Braille menus. Cheryl Organs, who is blind and is the executive director of Audio and Braille Literacy Enhancement, created braille menus for nearly 25 restaurants in her hometown of Shorewood. Some of the funding for the program came from the Shorewood Men's Club. Read more on Shorewood Patch.

A Moment of Silence, Please

And, alas, not all the news in this "foodie" column is good as we mark the demise of a couple of restaurants in the Milwaukee area. Or rather, the Journal Sentinel's Carol Deptolla noted the passing of these establishments on JSOnline. Eateries that have recently closed their doors include: Coa, a Mexican restaurant in the Bayshore Town Center; Bravo Cucina Italian, also at Bayshore; Pho 27, a south side Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant; and South Shore Cafe. But not to worry, foodies. It seems as though for every restaurant closing its doors, there is a new one taking its place.