What’s New at Old Town?

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When Old Town (522 W. Lincoln Ave.) opened in the early ‘70s, it was an oasis in a food desert, offering family recipes from another corner of the world—Serbia—in a city of limited variety when it came to restaurants. This century, ownership passed from Old Town’s founder, Alex Radicevich, to his daughter Natalia. She has endeavored to keep the menu of homecooked Serbian favorites, including burek and chicken paprikash, from becoming static in a new world of trendy restaurants, culinary fusions and ethnic offerings that had never previously been available in Milwaukee.

Recently, Old Town introduced a bar menu distinct from the dinner menu, available only in the separate bar room at the restaurant’s entrance. On a recent Saturday, Old Town’s bar was crowded, with several patrons opting for the bar menu as well as the bar stock.

That menu is short but packed with flavor. The Old Town meze—a word through much of the Balkans and Near East for appetizers—is attractively served with grilled bruschetta sharing the platter with cold sausage and thin-sliced prosciutto, two kinds of pickled beets (the veggies change monthly) and three kinds of cheese including little cubes of feta. The small meze ($8, but $15 for the larger portion) is ample enough for one to enjoy or two to share. The plescavica ($12) is a Serbian interpretation of a cheeseburger, a meat patty spread with kajmak (creamy cheese) and topped with crumpled bits of feta, black olives, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers—a tasty mouthful between two large pieces of toasted homemade pita bread. 

The baked feta ($12) comes on a hot iron skillet, the cheese covered in a tasty, fruity tomato sauce with a kick of spice and served with more of that grilled bruschetta. On some nights, a Serbian fish fry or fish skewers are available. For dessert, sample the Serbian truffles, handcrafted chocolate in a variety of fruit or brandy flavors. All of it goes deliciously with a glass of Old Town’s own Dalmatian wine ($7), a robust red.

The bar menu is served at happy hour, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The dining room with the full menu opens 5-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. There will be special events in the near future including wine tasting from the Balkans on Feb. 23. For reservations and more information, visit oldtownserbian.com.