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From Pan To Mouth, 1111 W Riverside Dr, Kohler, WI (2026)

06/03/2026

Wangs Broth – Taoyuan, Taiwan
Overall: B

Braised pork on rice with Shiitake mushroom combo - steamed minced pork with pickles in broth, braised duck egg, fried tofu, braised cabbage, shredded bamboo shoots, cold brewed tea

Overview - Wangs Broth is a casual Taiwanese restaurant known for its braised pork rice. I visited their Taoyuan Airport location.

Pork Rice Combo – The braised pork rice itself came with a mushroom-forward savory pork mixture over steamed white rice. It was light, umami, and earthy. The soup had some pork meatballs that tasted as though they’d started tough and been cooked until tender. The egg was quite tough and I didn’t enjoy it. Braised cabbage and bamboo shoots added a nice vegetal element.

Summary – My cynicism tells me that as an airport restaurant, this is probably just a facsimile of the real deal, but it was still quite tasty. I hope one day to eat in Taiwan more properly.

06/02/2026

Comet – Milwaukee, WI
Overall: A-

Compact Turkey Dinner - Thanksgiving dinner, all rolled into one! A mix of slow-roasted turkey, sage stuffing, & chive mashed potatoes that’s beer-battered, fried, & topped with country gravy. Served with Vegetable of the Day
Buffalo Chicken Sammie - Hand-breaded fried chicken, house pickles, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, on a sesame seed bun. Served with fries & a pickle spear

Overview – Comet Café is a diner in Milwaukee’s east side. They have a medium-size space with a wrap-around bar – half standard bar and half low-top counter seating. Their menu includes a mix of breakfast food, sandwiches, a few entrees, sides, salads, apps, and pie all of which are elevated beyond conventional diner offerings.

Turkey Dinner – Turkey and stuffing were folded into mashed potato balls that were then battered and fried until crispy. They came drizzled with gravy and served with a side of green beans with almonds and cranberries. The balls were mashed potato forward with most of the flavor coming from the potatoes, chives, and the gravy, which combined nicely. Stuffing was pretty muted and the turkey was present mostly in texture with a mild flavor. The creamy-tender-crunchy texture combination was very nice. The beans were cooked simply and effectively. The almond added a nice textural contrast. The cranberried added acidity but I found them to be an ineffective flavor pairing.

Buffalo Chicken Sammie – The crispy chicken sandwich ordered buffalo style. Chicken sandwich was great – tender chicken with crispy breading, great buffalo character with moderate heat and tang. Pickle acidity, chipotle mayo added creamy richness, lettuce and tomato added vegetal balance, bun was tender. Fries were very crispy and tender inside, well salted.

Summary – Elevated yet non-pretentious comfort food. Comet integrates into Milwaukee in a way that makes it somewhat under the radar yet simultaneously a celebration of Midwest food.

06/01/2026

Publican Tavern – Chicago, IL
Overall: B+

Pub Burger - Slagel beef, Bongards american cheese, gem lettuce, balsamic onion, special sauce, brioche. Side upgraded to fries.

Overview – Publican Tavern is an outpost of the lauded Publican in Chicago O’Hare airport. They offer farm-to-table simple American dishes in their medium-size space with a bar and a dining room.

Burger – A beef patty with actual beef flavor! About ½” thick, ordered medium, came medium-well. Mild-flavored American cheese was fairly melted. Tangy and rich special sauce with a nice horseradish kick. Crispy lettuce, balancing onion. Great toasted brioche bun.

Fries - Potatoey, moderately crisp and moderately fluff. Sprinkled with coarse salt.

Summary – Expensive, but probably the best restaurant in O’Hare. Quality ingredients, good ex*****on.

05/23/2026

Bakehouse – Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Overall: A

Sourdough Egg Tarts
Sausage Roll
Salted Egg Caramel Bolo

Overview – Bakehouse is a small chain of bakeries in Hong Kong run by Swiss Chef Gregoire Michaud. I visited their Tsim Sha Tsui location which was strictly to go with a coffee window and a queue along the street to buy pastries.

Egg Tart - Lightly sweet, rich flavor. Custard was very creamy and barely set. Lightly crispy slightly soggy pastry on one of the two at the bottom. Great blend of custard and butter character.

Sausage - Super flaky and extremely short pastry. Great flavor from fennel and poppy with the rich smooth sausage. Buttery, rich. That’s a winner.

Bolo – A phenomenal deep salted caramel flavor defined the profile. Tender bread, crispy edges, crispy craquelin. Custard was more heavily set than the egg tart.

Summary – World class bakery. All of the pastries were great but the sausage roll particularly wowed me.

05/23/2026

Lok Tin – Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Overall: B+

Pineapple Bun

Overview – Lok Tin is a café in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui neighborhood. I visited close to their closing and ordered from their street window.

Pineapple Bun - Like a fluffier pan dulce. Very airy, very lightly sweet, nice crunchy topping.

Summary – My first pineapple bun. It was very pleasant!

05/22/2026

Lu Niang Zi – Xiamen, China
Overall: A-

Spicy Pickled Cabbage Beef Noodles with Braised Beef Tongue

Overview – Lu Niang Zi is a noodle shop in Xiamen. They have a small high-ceiling space.

Noodles - Thicker noodles maintain some chew. Beef was thin, tender, and gelatinous. Broth with rich and beefy with a light heat. Mustard greens were spicy and a little numbing flavor. Cooked lettuce leaves were at the bottom of the bowl, a concept I’m a little foreign - lightly vegetal and bitter.

Beef Tongue - Chewier than the beef in the soup but with great beef flavor. I added it in to the soup.

Summary – This was an awesome bowl of noodles.

05/20/2026

Lao Zheng Xing – Shanghai, China
Overall: A-

Stir Fried River Shrimp
Stewed Soft Silky Tofu and Crab Meat
Smoked Fish, Shanghai Style

Overview – Lao Zheng Xing is an upscale Shanghainese restaurant. They have a medium-sized second floor location with minimal decoration.

Shrimp - Delicate - lightly sweet, very lightly briny, clean flavor. I normally dislike shell-on shrimp where you’re intended to eat the shell but these were cooked perfectly with moist meat and just crispy enough shells to not feel like fingernails. Really perfectly done.

Stewed Tofu with Crab Meat - Delicate tofu with crab, mostly roe with little meat. A pleasant tofu flavor dominated the profile with a little crab character in the background. Needed salt to me.

Smoked Fish – Fish was crispy with dense flesh. Some pieces had bones. Simply lacquered, lightly smoky, very tasty.

Summary – Everything was good but the shrimp really stood out as a dish unlike anything I’ve had before.

05/19/2026

Jia Jia Tang Bao – Shanghai, China
Overall: A-

Soup Dumplings Stuffed With Crab and Meat

Overview – Jia Jia Tang Bao is a dumpling restaurant with several locations around Shanghai. I visited their location on Huanghe road which was medium-size with a bright, minimally decorated interior.

Dumplings – Jia Jia Tang Bao is famous for their xiao long so that’s what I ordered. They had a few varieties and I opted for their crab and meat (pork) ones. They were slightly on the smaller side and a little irregularly crimped, filled with a mixture of pork, crab, and soup. The flavor was very rich and pork-forward with sweet crab filling in the background. Really excellent, especially with a bit of vinegar.

Summary – When researching xiao long bao in Shanghai, I read many recommendations for Jia Jia Tang Bao. They were warranted and the dumplings were excellent. I felt that the xlb from Qiao Ai Lai Lai were slightly better, but also required waiting in a line and were quite a bit more expensive. Take your pick; I pick … both!

05/17/2026

Wei Xiang Zhai – Shanghai, China
Overall: A-

Sesame Paste Noodles
Fried Pork Chop

Overview – Wei Xiang Zhai is a small Shanghai restaurant specializing in sesame noodles. They have a fairly small space with minimal decoration.

Pork Chop – Bone-in, battered and fried. Tender, fairly crispy batter was pleasant. Well-seasoned with a mild pork flavor, rich batter, perfect acidic balance from a splash of vinegar.

Noodles – Warm noodles served with chili oil, sesame paste, and scallion. Noodles were tender. Chili oil and sesame paste came together into a nutty and spicy mixture accented by the herbaceous scallion. Simple, clean, delicious.

Summary – Refined simplicity. Delicious.

05/17/2026

Qiao Ai Lai Lai Xiao Long – Shanghai, China
Overall: A-

Fried Chicken Skewer
Pure Pork Xiao Long Bao
Pure Crab Xiao Long Bao
Crab (and pork) Xiao Long Bao

Overview – Qiao Ai Lai Lai Xiao Long is a dumpling shop in Shanghai. They have a small-medium cramped space split between two small dining areas. Famous for their xiao long bao, I found a long queue growing in the street when I walked by at 8 am.

Chicken Skewer – The chicken slightly tough, but not unpleasant. It had a mild-moderate slow burn heat. The fried batter was softened as though it were dipped in liquid after frying.

Pork Xiao Long Bao – Very rich with a clear pork flavor. Balance of rich broth and meat encased in a fairly thin wrapper. Particularly nice with a touch of the vinegar and ginger.

Pure Crab Xiao Long Bao – A mixture of crab meat, crab row, and broth. The order came with a small number of larger dumplings than the pork or pork and crab version. Textural was great, flavor was bold with an intense and nuanced yet very clean crab flavor. This is easily among the best forms of crab I’ve ever eaten. The only neg was that I found a bit of crab shell.

Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao – Is it possible to get even better than the pure crab xiao long bao? Apparently so. The bold and vibrant crab flavor with the richness of pork. A match made in heaven.

Summary – These are the best xiao long bao I’ve ever had. The ones with crab were particularly excellent. The chicken skewer didn’t do it for me.

From Pan To Mouth

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