"Chef-owner Dave Swanson’s Braise has been at the forefront of all things hip since opening in 2011. It offers cooking classes ranging from beginner to 10-week boot camps, private rooftop dining, in-home private dining, farm dinners, and local and in-house groceries. It is also just a restaurant, where an ever-changing menu might skip through steamed pork buns, Filipino braised chicken, or a grilled pork chop with jalapeno-molasses-topped apples. There is such attention to detail that even a piece of roasted focaccia with whipped garlic butter can feel a bit transcendent. Braise is Milwaukee’s pesky overachiever — which is what makes it so delicious." - Todd Lazarski