“I believe passion emanates from the relationships we’ve developed with farmers, staff, and guests. Knowing how something is produced or raised gives one context in how to prepare and respect that ingredient.”

Dirty chai beets: coffee-roasted beets with chai reduction, crème fraîche and toasted walnuts; lamb schnitzel with barley spaetzle, wilted spinach, black pepper Parmesan broth, and sunflower pesto; steamed pork buns with chive vinaigrette and crushed spicy peanuts.

At Braise, you’ll find thoughtfully prepared dishes that exemplify chef/owner David Swanson’s food philosophy: food that is simple, straightforward, and seasonal. It’s also locally sourced and foraged, and delicious. Swanson and Chef de Cuisine Matt Plummer source produce from two hundred local farms, and developed a local distribution system to bring those items efficiently to the restaurant through their Restaurant Supported Agriculture model, the first in the country. They also grow 500 pounds of herbs annually on their rooftop garden, which is pollinated by their rooftop beehive that also yields honey products for the menu. The garden reduces their carbon footprint and is also an outdoor classroom for students in their hands-on cooking classes, offered to the public, and residents of nearby Hope House, a transitional housing program.

“You might think eating seasonally and locally in Wisconsin in winter could be a grim affair. But dinners at Braise dazzled with their variety and flavors. These plates are among the most interesting being served in Milwaukee.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel