Best bites: 5 of the best things our dining critic ate in Wisconsin in February

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 that crossed her plate each month.

Even though February was warmer than we're typically used to, I was chasing all the deep-winter comfort food I crave when I’ve had just about enough of pitch-dark evenings and stomping around snow banks in big boots.

When I wasn’t spending my Fridays visiting your favorite fish-fry spots, I found time to seek out new-to-me bakeries, revisit some of the city’s most-acclaimed eateries and even squeezed in a visit to Madison.

And while February may be the shortest month of the year, it certainly didn’t skimp on the good eats. Here are just some of the best things I ate last month.

AB's Korean-style French onion bagel — Allie Boy's Bagelry & Luncheonette

I’m not proud about how much Instagram scrolling I do on a daily basis, but often it results in stumbling across a post from Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette, 135 E. National Ave., sharing one of its always delectable-looking specials of the week.

One Saturday during one of my morning scrolls, I saw a photo of its Korean-style French onion bagel and suddenly my breakfast plans were made. The shop was bumping when I arrived, so I grabbed my bagel to go — and I’m glad I did, because the sight of me devouring this giant bagel would not have been pretty to all those innocent bystanders.

It’s a stroke of genius if you ask me — a massive hand-rolled bagel stuffed with beefy caramelized onion cream cheese, which gets a quick bath in garlic butter (be still, my heart … and soon it may be), topped with Gruyère cheese and baked till golden and bubbly.

I didn’t know I needed a bagel that tastes exactly like French onion soup in my life, but on that ultra-indulgent Saturday morning, I felt richer for it. I’ll apologize in advance, because it likely won’t be on special when you’re reading this, but don’t worry, there’s undoubtedly another Allie Boy’s creation offered now that would make you change your Saturday plans just the same.

Vegan combo + doro wat — Alem Ethiopian Village

I love the ritual of eating Ethiopian food. It’s typically brought out on a gebeta, a large circular platter, covered by a colorful woven lid. The lid is removed with gusto, unveiling piles of vibrant stews flanked by thin rolls of spongey injera bread, which you tear pieces from to use as your utensil to pick up the stew.

Who needs a spoon anyway? Especially once you try the injera, bubbly and thin with a bit of sour flavor that goes so well with any kind of stew. It can be addictive.

The night I visited Alem Ethiopian Village, 307 E. Wisconsin Ave., my dining partner and I shared the vegan combo, which included yemiser wot (spicy red lentils with red pepper sauce), gomen (steamed collard greens with garlic and pepper), yater alitcha (yellow split peas in a mild yellow sauce) and yatakilt alitcha (steamed cabbage with onion, garlic and ginger). Along with the combo, I added a portion of doro wot (a spicy stew with red pepper sauce served over a roasted chicken leg and hard-cooked egg).

There wasn’t a miss on the gebeta. I happily tore through the injera, plucking from the stews, mixing and matching them, and shifting my rankings of my favorites as I went (the doro wot and yesimer wot narrowly topped the list just because of my love for spicy food). It was one of the most fun meals I’d had in a while, washed down with a bottle of extremely smooth St. Geroge Ethiopian beer. The next time I go, I’ll bring a larger group of friends, because, although the food is incredible, the best part about eating Ethiopian food is sharing it.

Pâte feuilletée — North Shore Boulangerie

I was looking for a pit stop while out running errands one morning and ducked into North Shore Boulangerie, 4401 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood, a sweet French-inspired bakery and cafe. I was craving an almond croissant, but they were out for the day, so I scanned the bakery case for the next best thing.

I found it in this puffy pastry (pâte feuilleté is French for “puff pastry,”), so flaky and buttery with layers you can pluck off piece by piece. It’s made with laminated dough to achieve that airiness — think of it like a croissant, except it’s one big puff — not rolled and shaped like a crescent. The whole thing is brushed with butter and dusted with confectioners' sugar. It’s both rich and light, sweet and yeasty. And it should be mandatory to be enjoyed alongside a steamy cup of coffee.

I ate half at the cafe and forced myself to save the rest for later. When I went back to it that afternoon, the pastry hadn’t dried out at all, and every bite was just as dreamy as it was on-site at the bakery. I patted myself on the back for my self-control earlier in the day, but if I lived anywhere close to North Shore Boulangerie, that self-control wouldn’t be strong enough to stop me from making a puff-pastry pit stop at least a couple times a week.

Chicken-fried lion’s mane — Mint Mark (Madison)

On a weekend trip to Madison, I managed to snag a spot at the chef’s table at Mint Mark, 1929 Winnebago St., Madison, an already buzzy plant-forward, small-plates restaurant that’s garnered even more hype after Chef Sean Pharr secured his second nomination for the Best Chef, Midwest James Beard Award earlier this year.

To be honest, every dish I had that night — from the tender, ricotta-stuffed gnudi in vodka sauce to the roasted carrots dusted with ras el hanout spices served with lemon yogurt, blood oranges and pistachio — could have made this list this month. I was blown away by the creativity, flavor and presentation of every dish I tried, but the one that struck me the most was the chicken-fried lion’s mane.

It’s the vegetarian cousin of the chicken-fried steak and pure south comfort. A meaty hunk of lion’s mane mushroom is breaded and fried till beautifully crispy and dolloped with sawmill gravy, then served on a bed of impossibly creamy stone-ground grits with earthy collard greens sandwiched in between. My goodness. Southern food sits close to my heart, and I was so impressed by this meatless take on the West Texas staple — especially the way the breading clung so tightly to the lion’s mane mushroom, which was so juicy and hearty you truly don’t miss the meat.

Have it alongside Mint Mark’s crazy-good buttery biscuit hot from the oven and you’re practically whisked away to Mamaw’s country kitchen. Bless Mint Mark’s soul.

Braised beef cheeks — Amilinda

We’re just two months into the year, and I’ve already declared a beef cheek dish as a “best bite” in back-to-back months. I try not to be too same-y in the dishes I order — or what I write about here — but in this case, it’s warranted.

Last month, I raved about the beef cheek-stuffed rendang rolls at The Wolf on Broadway. This month, I headed to its around-the-corner neighbor Amilinda, 315 E. Wisconsin Ave., where their braised beef cheek entrée stole the show on a buzzy Friday night. The dish was so unctuous, meaty and juicy and so comforting on what seemed like the one frigid night that month. The slow-roasted beef was shredded and topped with a ladle of poppy chimichurri, which helped cut all the richness of the dish.

It was all served atop roasted marble potatoes, halved so the starchy flesh could soak up the rich juices from the meat. It’s pure meat-and-potato comfort, done the elevated way you’d expect from a restaurant that recently snagged a spot on the James Beard Awards’ semifinalist list for outstanding chef in the U.S.

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: Best bites: 5 of the best things our dining critic ate in February