View MKE has a love of locally sourced ingredients, a casual yet chic neighborhood vibe and an extraordinary view of the city. Everything about this restaurant seems to celebrate Milwaukee, and its location on top of Brewer’s Hill affords a view that reminds us of just how spectacular a city it is. With all the doors to the patio open, seated inside or out, you feel like you are dining al fresco. Modern global inspirations pair locally sourced ingredients with spices from all over the world.
Shareable plates are the focus of a good portion of the menu. The house chips ($4), perfect for snacking while mulling over the next course, were crisp, salty and light—the perfect complement to our before-dinner cocktail. The craft cocktail list included interesting choices such as the Brewer’s Hill beet with mezcal that was vibrant in color and smoky in flavor, and the Cream City cucumber fizz was a refreshing Tom Collins-like cocktail perfect for a hot summer night. The list of beer and wine is well rounded and offers some great local brews on tap. The wines are showcased by intensity and priced by a five-ounce pour or by the bottle.
View MKE offers six “Milwaukee Style” pizzas plus a special pizza with an international profile. I think of Milwaukee style as a thin cracker crust, but their crust had a delightful chewier texture with a crisp snap to it. We opted for the special, featuring a layer of Spanish sofrito, two cheeses and Peppadews finished with an avocado cream drizzle. The flavors worked well together, and it was a nice size portion for sharing. Other pizza choices include a three cheese-three mushroom combo and a pimento cheese and kale ($14-$15).
The rest of the menu is divided into categories. First: Boards & Snacks, where you will find not only cheese and charcuterie, but also a pickled veggie flight made with chef’s choice of house pickled items. Besides the chips, other small snacks offered, including marinated olives or adobo roasted peanuts ($4-$22), are perfect for nibbling. Next on the menu is a breakdown of Land, Sea and Garden. Land offers crispy pork belly with a tamarind glaze, sliced thin and tender and sitting on top of puffed rice. The chef recommends taking a bite of all the components together for a true culinary experience, and it did not disappoint. Korean short ribs and a pan-seared chicken also roam the land side of the menu.
On the Sea side of things, scallops, charred octopus and a beautiful bowl of steaming piri piri mussels with a hint of orange and fennel all have interesting flavors. I was intrigued by the Garden selection that included curried cauliflower with yogurt, pepitas, craisins and pickled chilies. It was a good dish, but I would have liked a little more of the curry flavor. However, the fried Brussels sprouts with goat cheese and pistachios drizzled with hot honey, and the compressed watermelon with pickled strawberries, cantaloupe, fresh mozzarella and balsamic all had intense flavors, wonderful textures and were beautifully presented.
View MKE serves an eclectic and fun brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. The Toast Board with everything bagel crunch and pickled shallots, house-made biscuits (also used as the base for the eggs benedict) and the Okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake that literally means “as you like it”) were all top notch. View MKE’s brunch and dinner menu offers a diverse melting pot of cultures and flavors that celebrate our city and make it shine right along with that breathtaking view.
