Braise Restaurant & Culinary School

"When Braise opened in 2011, it was the city’s first farm-to-table restaurant, and there are still plenty of reasons to go today. Despite the high-end quality of the food, which often takes inspiration from Asian cuisines, there’s nothing fancy about the space. The tables were made out of bowling alley lanes (the building did indeed used to be a bowling alley and arcade), and you can absolutely wear jeans to dinner without getting glared at. Sit in the dining room as opposed to the bar—that way, you can watch the chefs make dishes like steamed pork buns and pollo verde. They also operate a culinary school on-site, in case your meal inspires you to become a better cook." - kristine hansen

"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

"Braise is a time honored cooking method rooted in technique. This purity in cooking is showcased in our reverence for local ingredients. All the food is hand crafted; we make our own bread, we butcher our own meats and craft our own cocktails. The food is seasonal, honest and fresh."

Another fancier one but good if you want something more elevated in the area.