Amilinda, the downtown restaurant that nods to Spain and Portugal, could draw people in by virtue of its food alone, but I’m taken with its drink, service and atmosphere, too. The restaurant seems only to get better each year, from the yeasty rolls and roasted-vegetable spread that start dinner to the desserts that end it (like strawberry-rhubarb tart in the tenderest crust, with basil ice cream that I now want to eat with everything, please and thank you).
The 38 Essential Milwaukee Restaurants
From polka-fueled Friday fish fries at a craft brewery to saucy vegan burgers...