Wolf Peach was next on the culinary tour of Milwaukee. The name "Wolf Peach" stems from European folklore:

"When the tomato was first introduced, it was widely considered poisonous. Aristocrats dined on pewter; the acid in tomatoes reacted with the metal, causing lead poisoning. Peasants ate from plates made of wood and were unaffected, so tomatoes became the poor man’s food. The legend grew, as legends do, to include stories of witches using tomatoes, a member of the deadly nightshade family, to conjure werewolves. The wild tomato’s Latin genus name, Lycopersicon, translates to “Wolf Peach.” Wolf Peach pays homage to rustic European cuisine that draws inspiration regional ingredients - including the illustrious tomato."

I had actually made reservations for this restaurant, but, because I'm stupid, I got the reservation time mixed up with the time change to Central from Eastern. This led to us walking around the entire area for about an hour until it was actually time for our reservation.



Wolf Peach does things a little differently. For one, they have communal dining in one part of the restaurant so that folks who don't know each other can eat together. Also, they bring dishes out as they are ready, as opposed to coursing the dishes to "ensuring that they are fresh, bright and ready to enjoy."

"Fueled by passion and a 6,000-pound wood-fired oven, we pair beautiful ingredients from local farms, purveyors and artisans to create food to feed the soul. Our style of service is casual and communal ... We believe dining should be as much about enjoying the company as it is about savoring the fare ... Our menu is an eclectic mix of large and small plates designed to encourage sharing, cultivate interaction and foster a sense of dining at a family table."

We started off our dinner with an appetizer of the smoked bone marrow. Yes, bone marrow - which has become trendy in recent years. It has this odd, carnal appeal - scraping animal bones free of the rich, gelatinous marrow. But, it has become this sort of delicacy - as raw or grisly as it may seem.

It was served with sea salt, parsley, red onion jam and fresh bread. It has this buttery but almost sweet flavor. The red onion jam gave it more of a sweetness, and the bread gave it some much-needed texture. This was good, but mostly it was interesting.

We ordered a pizza with whipped ricotta, baby summer squash, garden tomato, and fresh oregano. When I read this on their menu online, it included a honey Sriracha sauce and something else. I had my heart set on that already, and when we got to the restaurant, the pizza was slightly different. I still wanted to go with it.

I wish I had taken a closer look at some of the other options, because this definitely did not wow me. It was actually pretty bland. It needed a heavy-handed dash of salt and other spices. The vegetables were not particularly flavorful, either. I wanted something light, but not flavorless. That honey Sriracha drizzle could've done wonders. I ended up taking the leftover sweet onion jam and putting it on the slices of pizza. If you visit, opt for a different one. Many others sound tasty.

Grade: B