The third annual Big Taste benefit for the Children's Outing Association is slated to take place Sunday, July 18 at Pier Wisconsin.
The indoor/outdoor, casual, family-friendly event includes live music all night long and some of the best seats in town for the Festa Italiana grand finale fireworks.
But the real draw is the food that will be served up by area restaurants, including Bartolotta Restaurant Group, Ward's House of Prime, Roots, Hue, Pastiche, Weissgerber's Gasthaus, Joey's Seafood Grill, Seven Seas, Osteria del Mondo, Indulge, Casablanca, Meritage, Tenuta's, El Guapo, Port of Call Bistro, Shakers, Sake-tumi, Paciugo Gelato, Antigua, COA and Cubanitas.
Doors open at 6 p.m., food is served from 7 to 9 p.m. and there's a cash bar from 6 until 10:45 p.m.
Tickets are $45 in advance or $350 for a VIP table for eight. Last year, the event sold out nearly a week in advance, so if you're interested, don't dilly-dally. Order tickets by calling (414) 687-5365 or click here.
While you're there, direct your gaze to the north to the former site of Pieces and Eight and you'll see Bartolotta's Harbor House in action. It opens on Thursday, July 15, according to John Wise, Bartolotta's director of operations.
I don't know about you, but I'm excited at the thought of another seafood place in town and especially one with such an amazing view.
Walking past on the way to Summerfest last week, I was surprised to see work was so far along, but now I know why. You'd never recognize the place as having once been home to Pieces of Eight. It is completely transformed.
Get a look at the menu, wine list and more, in advance, at the restaurant's Web site, which is already up and running.
Wise also tells us that the episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" show -- on the Travel Channel -- that was filmed in Milwaukee in April, will air on Monday, July 12.
According to an e-mail from Wise, "Featured in Milwaukee were Joe Bartolotta, and Bacchus and Lake Park Executive Chef Adam Siegel. Adam was filmed visiting several top area locations shopping for local ingredients -- Strauss Veal, The Spice House, Larry's Brown Deer Market and Sprecher Brewery -- with a lunch stop at Solly's.
"Adam was picking up items he incorporated into an ‘Ultimate Gourmet Wisconsin Dinner' that he served to Tony and Joe, at Bacchus. Filming was long, over two days and we believe there is only 10-15 minutes being used. (There's) no way of knowing what particular places made it into the show or not."
So, you'll just have to watch and see.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
