Best Bites: 5 of the best dishes our dining critic ate in the Milwaukee area in December

In her Best Bites series, dining critic Rachel Bernhard rounds up some of the most delicious dishes she ate around Milwaukee in recent weeks. From food-truck finds to fine-dining dishes, these are some of her favorite things to cross her plate each month.

Happy New Year, everyone! With 2023 behind me, I can confidently say it was the biggest eating year of my life, and I ate at more restaurants around Milwaukee than ever before (I mean, naturally ... it comes with the job).

But there’s a new year ahead and so many more places to dine. What were some of the best dishes you tried last year? I’d love to know. Drop me a note at rseis@gannett.com and dish on your faves — I'm always looking for more recommendations.

December was busy as ever, squeezing in bites between holiday parties, restaurant reviews and end-of-year deadlines. But, as I’ve learned, there’s always time to find a new favorite dish, and these are a few of my most memorable December eats.

Filipino-style pork belly lechon kawali from Odd Duck

I was grateful for the walk-ins-welcome bar area at Odd Duck, 939 S. Second St., on an early December evening when I needed to squeeze in dinner before attending a show at Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade. Reservations are difficult to come by this time of year, and Odd Duck’s come-as-you-are bar was the perfect spot for a few small plates before the show.

I loved everything I had (including the huitlacoche and chihuahua cheese pupusas that were new to the menu that day), but the lechon kawali was the highlight of the evening. Thick slices of extra crispy, crackling pork belly were shingled over a thick kare-kare sauce. Kare-kare is a traditional Filipino peanutty stew, but here, it's reduced to a rich, thick sauce like a velvety paste. The kare-kare balanced with the fatty pork belly so well, and I loved the side of mustard greens that helped add a little freshness and zip to the dish. They’re served with a side of puffy sesame rice crisps, which I used as a vehicle to make mini “boats” with the pork belly, greens and sauce. Such a fun, elevated spin on a classic Filipino dish — the kind of thing Odd Duck excels at.

Chicken pho from Vientiane Noodle Shop

Last month, I highlighted a few of my favorite places to eat in Milwaukee’s Silver City neighborhood. I love writing my Moveable Feasts neighborhood series for so many reasons, chief among them being an excuse to revisit spots I hadn’t visited in far too long. Vientiane Noodle Shop, 3422 W. National Ave., was one of the places I highlighted, and its soothing bowls of pho was just as delicious as I’d remembered.

I ordered the chicken pho, served in a massive bowl brimming with a clear, earthy broth and huge, juicy hunks of dark and white chicken. The wispy rice noodles held up well in the broth — no sogginess here, and I had to excuse myself for all the messy slurps I took while mowing my way through the bowl in record time.

Heaps of cilantro and sliced green onion are served on top, and a platter of fresh holy basil, bean sprouts and lime wedges come on the side. But I never stop there: bring on the drip of hoisin, teensy spoonful of chili oil (it packs serious heat!) and dash of soy sauce, which add so much depth and flavor. With soup season in full swing, I won’t wait so long before my next visit.

Silver City Dining Guide: Where to eat in Silver City, from Orenda Cafe to Brother's Backyard Barbecue

Bianca pizza from Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co.

Incredible pizza from a coffee shop? If you know, you know.

Seriously. I love the pizza made at Anodyne’s Bay View coffee shop, 2920 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., so much. It’s made in a huge, wood-fired oven (that’s why those split-wood logs are piled high along the shop’s walls, like a homesteader collecting firewood for the winter) at extremely high heat. That means the Neapolitan-style pizzas are served lickety-split and the crust bubbles up extra chewy with tasty, charred edges.

Their Bianca pizza is a favorite of mine, and it came in handy last month when I needed a quick dinner, like ... now. It’s a relatively simple pie, with a white sauce base topped with fresh mozzarella, pinches of Italian sausage and arugula. Its delish as-is, but I’ll often add sliced mushrooms and onions for good measure.

So many times I fool myself into thinking I won’t finish an entire 12-inch pizza in one sitting. But as that ravenous Thursday night proved, Anodyne’s pizza is often too good to leave leftovers.

Chilaquiles from La Crema

I’d had La Crema, 3431 E Plankinton Ave, Cudahy, on my list of places to try for brunch since it opened early in 2022. I’d heard good things from folks I trust, plus, I wanted to see how the building had been transformed since it was renovated after longtime Mexican restaurant Samano’s closed in 2020.

The space is cozy and modern with big, cushy booths and a sunlit dining room. The old bar has been transformed into a large coffee station to better serve La Crema’s breakfast-and-lunch crowd.

But onto the food! I ordered the chilaquiles, a heaping mound of fried corn tortilla triangles blanketed in a house-made salsa verde. Chilaquiles aren’t exactly known for being a light brunch option, but everything on my plate tasted so fresh I tricked myself into thinking I was being healthy. I loved the tangy pico de gallo, which added a zesty punch to the dish and cut right through the queso fresco and sour cream. My over-easy eggs were cooked perfectly — the yolks smooth and saucy when broken into. I left feeling so happy — with what I’d ordered and the fact that I had a new brunch place I’d love to return to.

Honolulu carryout meal from Ono Kine Grindz

This one may be a little unorthodox, but when Ono Kine Grindz, the awesome little Hawaiian restaurant and market at 7215 W. North Ave. in Wauwatosa, announced they were creating new, heat-at-home carryout meals that feed two to six people, I thought it was a brilliant idea during hustle-and-bustle season. Between errands one evening, I ordered one to see what it was all about.

There are three meal options: The Honolulu, which feeds two to three people ($50), the King Kamehameha, which feeds two to four ($65) and the Lahaina, which feeds four to six ($100). I tried the Honolulu, and get a load of everything that comes with it: a pint of homemade soup du jour, a pound of fresh kohlrabi or carrot slaw, a pound of macaroni potato salad, a pound of char siu chicken or huli-huli Cornish game hen, a pound of kalua pork, a pound of purple sticky rice and two desserts of your choice. What a deal! I think it could easily feed four people for the large portions that come with each dish.

I reheated the char siu chicken, kalua pork and sticky rice at home. The soup (a Portuguese sausage and bean soup) was frozen, so I saved it for another busy day. Altogether it took me about 10 minutes to bring everything up to heat, and it was all just as delicious as the takeout versions I’ve had from Ono Kine Grindz. The char siu chicken was the standout — juicy, tender, and a little sweet and smoky.

I also want to save a little space for the desserts; I chose the firm, spiced mooncake (filled with nuts and warm spices, a flavor similar to baklava) and the guava cake, a moist and fluffy layer cake with whipped cream frosting topped by a thick guava glaze. Both were incredible, and that pretty pink guava cake might be my birthday request from now on.

The meal is well worth it when you're strapped for time, need to feed a family (or two very hungry adults) and want a taste of the tropics during the doldrums of winter. Mahalo, Ono Kine Grindz!

Rachel Bernhard joined the Journal Sentinel as dining critic in June 2023. She’s been busy exploring the Milwaukee area food scene to share her favorite finds with readers along the way. Like all Journal Sentinel reporters, she buys all meals, accepts no gifts and is independent of all establishments she covers.

What should she cover next? Contact her at rseis@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @rachelbernhard or on Instagram at @rach.eats.mke.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 of the best dishes our dining critic ate in December