OK, before we get started we should probably explain exactly what it is we're doing here.

Basically, this is a food blog. We're going to review restaurants both new and old, familiar and maybe less so – and we might even branch out from time to time to cover locally produced food products. The key to this blog, though, is it'll be written both by me and my friend Savanah Ladd, by way of email messages. We'll visit a restaurant (either separately or at the same time) and then email each other back and forth discussing our experiences, our likes, our dislikes, etc. It'll be informal and conversational and, we hope, fun and interesting.

To ensure this blog got off on the right foot, we chose to eat at Odd Duck. Since opening this past April, this little Bay View hot spot has captured the hearts of Milwaukee diners like few other places. The praise was immediate and almost universal.

Since this was Savanah's first time eating at Odd Duck, I'll let her start us off. – Evan

Well hello, Evan! I indeed just got back from my first visit to Odd Duck. Honestly, I knew I couldn't dislike an establishment with a name like that. It's so fun to say, right?! Anyway, as it turns out, the place has even more to offer.

Before going to Odd Duck, I spoke to a few friends (including you) who had dined there before. The way they described the food reminded me of Braise or La Merenda, both of which I enjoy thoroughly. After tonight, I would say that I can see the similarities, but Odd Duck definitely has its own style that sets it apart.

One thing I noticed, which I thought was cool, was that there was an expeditor stationed outside the kitchen. He looked over every single dish before it went out. Fancy, right? It made me feel like they were really taking pride in what they were serving me.

Speaking of dishes, thanks for sending me the list of things you ordered during your dinner there last night. Was there anything you didn't try?

– Savanah

There were one or two things, maybe ... In my defense, there were four of us, so nine small plate dishes is hardly excessive. That's like 15 bites of food per person – and when I put it like that I feel like I should be commended for restraint.

But in all seriousness, that's about average for the few times I've been there, and I've never walked away from the table feeling overstuffed. I really enjoy the tapas dining experience for that reason. How else could someone eat beef tenderloin, scallops, ribs, corn bisque, stuffed peppers, beet salad, steamed mussels, bacon-wrapped dates, baked broccoli and chocolate cake and not want to die afterward?

Of that feast, it's hard to pick out a favorite dish – there really wasn't a single "bad" item. The baked broccoli was a tad underdone and the sweet corn bisque was perhaps a little thick, but they were both still absolutely delicious. But if I must choose (and I don't know why I must – this is our blog, after all), I'd pick the Hong Kong beef tenderloin with roasted baby peppers and sweet chili sauce. Those little chunks of beef (I think there were six of them) were beautifully charred on the outside yet remained a perfect medium rare on the inside. And that sauce! Obnoxious foodies throw around that word "umami" a lot, and I really don't know what it means. But I have a hunch that the accompanying sweet chili sauce is what that word is all about. It's so complex – striking a seemingly impossible balance between sweet, salty, spicy and slightly bitter – and just the perfect complement to that blackened beef.

Speaking of delicate balances, I'd be remiss not to mention the bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with gouda. Just read those ingredients again and try to imagine them not being delicious. It's not possible.

What were some of your favorites?

– Evan

Well, since there were only two of us, I didn't try nearly as much as you did, but the goat cheese-stuffed peppers were definitely my favorite. It was a fairly simple combination, but the warm goat cheese complimented the crisp bell peppers perfectly. I would say that the lamb kebobs were my least favorite. They were a bit chewy, and the plate only included two small skewers. The saving grace though, was the yogurt sauce that came with it. Like you said, the sauces at this restaurant are really exquisite. It seems that every dish comes with its own unique and complimentary sauce, which brings out the flavor rather than distracts from it.

Also, something amazing happened while we were there that I feel I must bring up. When my boyfriend got up to use the restroom, he took the napkin from his lap and placed it on the table.

While he was gone, a staff member actually came over to our table just to fold his napkin. I've just ... never experienced something like that before.

How was the service while you were there?

– Savanah

Yes! I found my napkin all beautifully folded and twisted upon my return from the bathroom too. That's a new thing. And while it's pretty silly when you really think about it, it does show diners just how much attention they're paying to every single detail (just like the visible expeditor you mentioned earlier).

I'm glad the lamb wasn't very good. Well, not "glad." Let's say relieved, because I was this close to ordering it, but instead opted for the pretzel-crusted scallops (a recommendation from our waiter-in-training whose name I forget but who did a great job). They were nice and perfectly cooked, but nothing really worth writing home about. And I'm totally with you on the stuffed peppers, though would it have killed them to remove the stems?

Overall, service was flawless. I'm curious, though: how many dishes did you order and in what sort of arrangement did they get served to you? I ask because the first few times I went to Odd Duck, I found the service to be way too fast. We'd order a bunch of dishes and within five minutes four of them would be at our table. We'd be in and out in less than an hour. After a few experiences with this I started to ask the waiter to please slow it down a bit and only bring one or two dishes at a time, which made the whole experience much more enjoyable. A plate would arrive, we'd pass it around the table, each taking a bite's worth, and as we were finishing up a new dish would be set down. Perfect.

This most recent time, though, I forgot to mention this to the waiter and three dishes arrived almost immediately. I was worried we were in for another dining sprint, but thankfully things slowed down with the remaining five dishes. I don't know – maybe it's just me.

– Evan

Yes, I did get a little anxious when I saw how quickly the first plate came out. Altogether we ordered two small plates, one large plate and dessert. Our waitress served us the small plates first, then held off until we were finished to serve the large plate. It worked out well, but I still couldn't help but feel a bit rushed.

I totally agree with you on the bell pepper stems! I just ended up eating them because I'm lazy. I suppose it does say something about us that we can't be bothered to cut the stems off some vegetables though ...

I think when I do go back to Odd Duck, I will try to round up a larger group of people to go with. It was fun with just my boyfriend, but I would love to be able to sample many different plates, as you did. With so much variety in the menu, it's hard to not want to try everything.

I know we both had the same dessert; what did you think of it?

- Savanah

You'll have to excuse me a moment, I'm still laughing at the idea of you eating the pepper stems ... you know ... just 'cause. This blog is not off to a good start.

Okay, I'm good.

Honestly, the dessert didn't leave much of an impression on me. It was a cheesecake-filled chocolate cake roll with whipped cream and a caramel sauce. It sounds amazing, no doubt, but I found the cake a little bland and didn't get much of that rich cheesecake flavor you'd expect. I ended up just mixing bites of the whipped cream (extra thick, just how I like it) with the caramel sauce and that was fine by me.

Looking back through this, we definitely picked a lot of nits, but overall we both thoroughly enjoyed our experiences. As I said earlier, Odd Duck took the Milwaukee dining scene by storm, and most impressive to me is they didn't seem to suffer any of those restaurant growing pains. They came out of the gate as a well-oiled machine (their speedy delivery notwithstanding) and that's rare.

My last thought is this: As charming as the inside is – and it really is – their back patio is great. Quaint and rustic and shaded by a few towering trees, it's a lovely place to enjoy a meal.

Any parting thoughts?

– Evan

I do love my desserts, but the chocolate cake roll didn't do too much for me either. The cheesecake center was decadent and delicious, but the outer cake portion was a bit bland. I would definitely like to try their other dessert options in the future, as they all sounded tempting.

Overall, I really did enjoy the dining experience. I think one of the things that impressed me the most was the fact that they update their menu every day to accommodate the ingredients that come in. It's really hard to top that kind of dedication.

And who knows? There may have been valuable nutrients in those pepper stems.

– Savanah