Flavors of France, Spain and beyond mingle at Mistral in Milwaukee
You might not expect to find a destination-worthy restaurant sharing a building with a movie theater, but there it is: Mistral, just off the lobby doors of Bay View’s Avalon Theater.
It can be easy to miss; only a smallish, tasteful neon sign in the window marks it from the outside. Inside, once past the first set of doors to the theater, you must look immediately to your right to see the restaurant’s entry.
The room was a bar when the Avalon reopened in late 2014, after being restored to its 1929 Mediterranean Revival glory. The bar became Mistral a few months ago, after theater co-owners Lee Barczak and Jane Schilz turned the intimate dining room (just 30 seats) into a little jewel box, with touches like pendant lights that suggest Morocco.
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It’s a stylish little dining room to settle into with wine from countries that touch the Mediterranean Sea, craft beer or one of the smart cocktails (the Pink Pilot, $10, gets its color from one of the legion of bitter aperitivo so hot right now, Rinomato, mixed here with gin).
With the Avalon’s exuberantly Mediterranean style, Moorish arches and all, how smart to make Mistral a restaurant that looks to the Mediterranean, both in its sexy decor and on its menu by chef Joe Schreiter.
Schreiter worked at Bartolotta restaurants for years, at Bacchus, Harbor House and as head chef at Joey Gerard’s in Greendale. A few years ago, he became the chef at Sheridan House in Cudahy, also owned by Barczak and Schilz. And now, he’s setting the tone at Mistral.
The chef has plenty of leeway for his menu. The Mediterranean Sea touches a lot of countries — Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Israel and Lebanon, to name a fraction of them.
And those boundaries are pretty fluid on the menu. A dish might include sherry, say, in the barbecue sauce that lacquers an appetizer of duck wings ($11), plus Israeli couscous with golden raisins and pine nuts, and seasoned with garam masala, too (decidedly not Mediterranean). Somehow it all works. “These wings are delicious,” you’ll think as you lick your fingers.
As big a playground as Mediterranean cuisine is, the menu is concise — a half-dozen each of appetizers and entrées that change seasonally (Mistral’s first menu change will be in April). It seems most restaurants super-size appetizers for a table to share these days; Mistral’s refreshingly could satisfy one. Imagine, ordering the appetizer you want without having to negotiate with the rest of the table or call in reinforcements to help eat it (or sharing only because you want to, not because you need to).
Some dishes, like the duck wings, absorb influences broadly; others, like the charred octopus ($13) focus mainly on one place, in this case Spain: meaty, tender octopus with cured chorizo and romesco sauce (oh, and fondant potatoes, the little rounds browned and tender, borrowed from neighbor France).
Some appetizers seem to telegraph the Mediterranean sun, such as the pair of seared scallops ($14) with a salad of fennel, potatoes, blood orange and arugula, brightened with preserved lemon, parsley and garlic. Or cauliflower roasted with turmeric ($8), served over htipiti, the Greek blend of feta and roasted red pepper, and accented with granola seasoned with vadouvan, the gentle French version of an Indian curry spice blend.
Even a grilled romaine salad ($9) bears saturated flavors: a creamy dressing made savory with black garlic, the pop of salty fried capers, the depth of Parmesan in a crunchy baked crisp, the delicate but insistent brininess of white anchovies.
Some of the main dishes convey that sunny Mediterranean feeling, too, like the Spanish mackerel ($21) that’s cured with fennel and citrus, seared and served with a salad of beets, squash, pita chips and Greek yogurt.
But there were grounding dishes for Milwaukee’s cold winter and early spring days, like rabbit cacciatore ($19), an excellent plate of tender leg over more meat braised in tomato and served with polenta and roasted mushrooms. Or pork crepinette ($17), the sausage patty suspended over clear pork broth on braised kale and white beans, injected with smokiness from bacon gastrique.
Dishes like gnocchi ($15) are bound to change soon; it’s prepared with a wintry blend of spaghetti squash and pumpkin ragout, with the tannic burst of walnuts and saltiness of Pecorino Romano.
Steak and frites ($21) are eternal, though. The fries, perfectly crisp and golden, were seasoned with za’atar; the flat iron steak fell toward the rare end of medium rare.
Mistral has but one dessert ($6), a few bites, just lightly sweet. It’s apt — dried apricots filled with mascarpone and pistachio, a crisp Moroccan-style cookie with saffron cream, and a chocolate truffle flavored with orange.
A dessert lover might like an option or two. But a dessert lover also would be happy with Mistral’s parting gift for diners, the little fruit jellies called pate de fruit.
The cooking at Mistral largely was impeccable; I admired every dish. But even though the plates wisely had been warmed, food sometimes cooled on its way from kitchen to dining room (the two are not attached). Food shouldn’t be the temperature of molten lava, but barely warm usually isn’t optimal, either.
I guess I’ll continue my one-woman campaign to bring back the cloche, the heat-conserving metal dome for plates last seen with tuxedoed waiters in black-and-white 1930s movies.
Still, the food was delicious. Like the films being shown nearby, a restaurant can take someone to another place. At Mistral, it’s a place with sunny flavors.
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Find dining news in Friday’s Weekend Tap and in the daily Business sections. Contact Carol Deptolla at carol.deptolla@jrn.com, (414) 224-2841 or on Twitter, @mkediner.
MISTRAL
2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., in the Avalon Theater building
* * * (very good)
Food: * * *
Service: * * ½
Ambience: * * * ½
Fare: Mediterranean influences, Spain, France and beyond
Atmosphere: Warm and cozy, a stylish setting with Mediterranean touches
Hours: 5-10 p.m. daily
Prices: Starters, $8-$14; main dishes, $15-$23
Parking: On street
Wheelchair access: Yes, entry and restrooms. Some parts of dining room inaccessible.
Payment: MasterCard, Visa, Discover
Of special note: Vegetarian items; high chairs, booster seats; private parties up to 30 can rent the restaurant
Reservations: Recommended Friday-Saturday; can be made online
Noise level: Comfortable
Deptolla’s star ratings
**** Extraordinary. Consistently outstanding in all areas, including food, service, atmosphere and value. A first-class dining experience.
*** Very good. Most menu items are excellent, though a few might miss the mark. Service generally is very good. A memorable meal is guaranteed.
** Good. A worthy restaurant; food is generally appealing.
* Fair. A few entrées may be very good; most are average. Work is needed.
Poor restaurants would receive no stars.
Carol Deptolla strives to dine anonymously, with food and drink paid for by the Journal Sentinel. To sign up for the Journal Sentinel’s weekly food and dining newsletter, visit jsonline.com/newsletters
