Morel

Morel has a wonderful, rustic atmosphere that is great for a semi-​casual dinner or special occasion. The wait staff is friendly and on top of their game.
The menu offers a variety of small plates, ideal for sharing. Everything is fresh and seasonal, which is hard to beat! Between our party of six, we tried a good portion of the menu and everyone got to try a little bit of everything. The short ribs and all if the dishes featuring mushrooms were outstanding. The cheese board was also impressive, with a great selection of award winning cheeses.
However, the food fell flat in the pork department. The pork shoulder and pork belly appetizer failed to meet expectations. The pork in both dishes tasted as though it was reheated. The pork shoulder sauce was fairly greasy and almost too acidic.
Overall, the ambiance and food were impressive, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

Jeez Louiseeeee.
This is one of our favorite places. We’ve now been here three times — once, on our own as we restaurant hopped down 2^nd Street’s many restaurants, once for a Unilocal event, and most recently on an off night for us when we were in need of some good food and enjoyment.
When you walk in, the décor is absolutely gorgeous. When I think local and farm to table food, this is the type of place that comes to mind. Not only can you taste the freshness in their food, they proudly display their local suppliers and purveyors on the chalkboard above the kitchen grill. Seating is available at the bar, in front of the kitchen, in the dining room and then an in-​between. Personally, we enjoyed sitting at the bar seats in front of the kitchen and we would recommend that anyone who loves food and seeing how it’s made do the same.
Drinkwise, Morel has a wide range of local beers, wine, and housemade cocktails. Everything was reasonably priced, and there is a good variety going on there.
Foodwise, our favorite dish there is probably the ham biscuit with honey — every time we’ve been here, it’s been the one thing we have repeatedly ordered. The menu does seem to change — I imagine to cater to the availability of what is in season, which I appreciate. Boyfriend ordered a beef short rib plate and it was absolutely to die for. Lots of flavors in there and very filling. I ordered the gnocchi which came with asparagus and I believe mushrooms. The gnocchi was unlike any kind that I’ve tasted elsewhere — very moist and rich, and the portion was generous. Desertwise we ordered the bread pudding which basically melted in my mouth.
I would absolutely recommend coming here — whether for a special occasion or a weekly pick me up, the food and service here are outstanding.

Simply tasty food. I had a fantastic experience, really pleasantly surprised!
Ambience: if I ever own a restaurant, this is what I want it to look like. Wood everywhere, exposed stone, vintage lighting — it’s beautiful. You can dress up or down for this place.
Service: Great, no complaints here.
Food: wow. Nothing pretentious, nothing trying to be more elevated than necessary. Just really tasty flavors coming together in perfectly composed dishes.
Mushroom fricasse — stunning. This was my first bite of the night and it set up high expectations for the mains. The mushrooms were juicy and oozing umami flavor. The polenta had the best corn flavor I’ve have ever tasted in a polenta. Balsamic added a tang to brighten it beautifully.
Pheasant ragout — pappardelle had a perfect bite to it. Tons of woodears and pheasant meat. The pheasant was just a bit dry, but overall really really enjoyed this one.
Lamb leg — meat was cooked very well with an almost crisp exterior. Potatoes might not have been all the way done though. The patty was ridiculous — so incredibly juicy and beautiful flavor.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND coming to visit morel!

4 Stars — Ambiance
4 Stars — Menu
5 Stars — Service
5 Stars — Value
5 Stars– Portions
5 Stars — The Chef’s Counter
Would I go there again? Yes! What would I have? The Burrata… and sit at the chef counter. It was mesmerizing watching the chefs work their magic. Best seat in the house!
The ambience at Morel has an urban chic vibe with weathered wood, brick and Steel. Which gives the restaurant a casual, yet elegant feel. Morel is a strong supporter of farm to table dining. They list their suppliers on the chalkboard above the chefs counter. So everyone knows exactly where their food came from.
Our waiter Mike, was an excellent source of information, from The menu to the perfect wine pairing. His helpful suggestions elevated my entire meal.
We began the meal with the Burrata, A luscious ball of soft mozzarella with a delicious creamy center. To contrast the richness of the cheese it was served with field greens lightly dressed with the vinaigrette, grilled rosemary flatbread, and spiced pears. Mike suggested a rose’ for the Burrata. It was perfect, light acidity, fresh fruit, and semi dry.
My husband opted to order the special of the evening, grilled flank steak with a blue cheese butter. Served with hand cut fries, lemon aioli and a simple salad. It is important to mention that they ran out of the specials by 7 PM on a Saturday night. So, come early if you want to get the most options.
I chose the pheasant breast. And my pheasant was lovingly bathed in thyme butter, served on a bed of roasted vegetables and celery root purée. This food is amazingly good… Not dietetic, there is a difference. Mike made another stellar wine choice, a Pinot Noir. I am not a sommelier, so I appreciate any help I can get. And, frankly a good wine choice can make the wine taste better and the food!
The entire experience was wonderful. I highly recommend the chefs counter. And, if possible ask for Mike to be your server. Then, just sit back and enjoy the show.

Morel seriously KILLED it! The vibe in Morel is great, really relaxed and hip. I’ve only been once, but I was fortunate enough to try a few dishes from a limited menu lineup right off the bat!
Each dish I was able to try had so many layer in both flavor, and texture. Every plate seemed to feature a little something extra for example, pickled cherries in the salad that were like little flavor bombs.
I’ll absolutely be back for more… l :)

This is the food dreams are made of. We kicked off this food dream with a ham biscuit. I would be happy to eat one of these every single day for the rest of my life. I’d like to say I’ve eaten ham on a biscuit before but it’s never been quite this good. Then I spotted burrata so of course we had to order that. AMAZING. For my entrée, I got some sort of short rib dish swimming in a heavenly sauce. It was one of those magical dishes where you just touch the meat with your fork and it falls apart. I don’t even remember what I got for dessert. By then I was in such a food coma, I just said yes when our waitress asked about dessert. I vaguely remember a pyramid of caramel goodness — potentially of a pudding variation? Not sure but I wasn’t mad about it. Come here. Eat the things. You won’t be disappointed.

I visited Morel last night after a year and a half plus since my prior visits. I found a few dishes held over on the menu since then, such as the Lamb and Short Rib. Another holdover is the Ham Biscuit.
I liked it when I had it before, and I think it’s better now. Our server, Zoe (or Zoey), told us that Morel now churns the butter in house, as well as the buttermilk used to make the biscuits. Nice!
The Ham Biscuit ($ 6) is sliced, filled with a savory and tender ham, and topped with honey. The biscuit wasn’t dry or too dense as I find biscuits can sometimes be. It was crisp on the outside with a fluffy center. It’s a solid starter!
Next we ordered the Grilled Herb Flatbread with housemade burrata topped with a cranberry agrodolce and a garnish of lettuce and fennel ($ 12). Spreading the burrata and cranberry agrodolce over the soft pieces of grilled flat bread made for a pleasing experience for our taste buds!
The dinner special for the night was a Grilled Pork Chop with parsley gnocchi and turnip ($ 30). Sometimes I’ll remember to ask if the gnocchi is made from potato or ricotta. I forgot this time. I don’t like the texture of ricotta gnocchi. However, this gnocchi was made with ricotta and patachout (a dough) that added density to the gnocchi and I enjoyed it. The pork chop had more fat around the edge than I expected, about a half inch worth, but I thought it was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. I loved the flavor. The chef cooks it to medium rare, which looked more like medium but again, I thought it was perfect. The dish was garnished with diced turnip and bacon bits. The bacon added another dimension of salt that I wasn’t expecting. It worked to offset the bland taste of the turnip.
My friend ordered the Beef Short Rib ($ 32), served with celery root, bacon, king trumpet mushrooms, parsley, garlic and topped with a slightly thick beef jus. I cut off a piece that was slightly dry and tougher than I expected but then tried another piece later that was closet to what I was expecting. Overall, the meat wasn’t as tender as I thought it would be, but the flavor was definitely what I expected. It was delicious!
For dessert, we shared a Salted Caramel Mousse with Dark Chocolate Hazelnut, an Espresso anglaise which I’ve never seen in this solid form, and a slightly crisp hazelnut croquant ($ 8). Morel’s desserts are all made in house. The presentation and texture was not what I expected. The dessert arrived in the form of a pyramid. There was a slightly crunchy texture at the base, but most of the dessert had a soft texture, a combination of mousse and nougat. I would have preferred more contrasts in textures and presentation of the ingredients. I probably wouldn’t order this dessert again, but it tasted fine.
Our server was great, and the dishes did not take long to come out. The server recommended ordered the food courses together because the dishes are made from scratch and it would reduce wait time between courses. We did that and it worked well.
It was pretty empty at 6:00 on a Wednesday, but tables did start to fill an hour later. Mid week, early evening seems to be a good time to go to ensure getting a table. I’d like to go back and try the Rabbit Ragout sometime. Hopefully I can get back sooner than another year and a half.
By the way, aside from street parking, Morel has a private parking lot across the street, north of the empty building.

Walked in for our Valentine’s dinner and I was hit by an amazing smell at the door. The greatness did not stop there. Both bartenders were super helpful, recommending and explaining some amazing drinks (and humoring me in my tales of red beer from Nebraska).
Amazing cocktails were followed by amazing appetizers. The special tonight was some sort of pillowy honey ham biscuit from heaven. We also got the pork belly and it did not disappoint (though I could have eaten that ham biscuit for app, entrée, and dessert].
For entrees, I had the rabbit ragout which was legit one of the best dishes I’ve had in a while (so much flavor packed on top of some super crazy awesome pasta) and hubs had the special bone in giant ribeye on top of some genius fried Brussel sprouts.
Dessert was the salted caramel mousse. Super tasty, and though we were full, we ate it all.
Service was fantastic and ambiance was perfect — not too big, not too small, not too frivolous but not too boring. Loved it.
Definitely going back. Hopefully soon (hint, hint).

There’s a lot of confidence in everything Morel offers, though I had a brief love affair with a short rib entrée. Fork tender and aggressively seasoned, it was beef to the second degree. Sitting it on top of pureed celery root and adorned with watercress, bacon, and jus, it was meat and potatoes, but not in the conventional sense. I was talked into adding some Maitake mushrooms which added an extra element of umami in an already very loud dish.
It was fun to sit and watch the open kitchen, particularly as the cooks got increasingly exasperated at the large number of diners who followed in my desire to try the short rib on that particular night. It’s not our fault it’s so good!

Want to be inspired by food? Stop on in.
The food is outstanding. Burrata Flatbread — Oh. My. Goodness. I could eat so much of this. The ham biscuit was delightful. The short rib… yumzers. The caramel dessert… OMGWTFwasthatIjustputinmymouthdoitagain.
This was one of those meals where we lost track of time and enjoyed great food and a bottle of wine. Those are my favorite. I have every expectation that when I go back I’ll have the same experience.

I had the duck confit with sausage, thyme pear cocktail, another cocktail before that lol, salty chocolate dessert (don’t remember the name) with a cookie base. .We started with the pork belly app-​it was very amazing and lived up to the other Unilocal reviewers’ testimonies. I tried my date’s steak-​was okay but have had much better. Also had some of his blue cheese, onion rings and a tangy dip. My duck confit was pretty good, but generally, I dislike the duck leg type presentation-​tastes more like turkey, still was good, however-​good pairing with kale! The sausage was a little tough but still good. Service was pretty good but I was getting hot being seated by the chef’s corner and would have preferred a table. I would definitely return and try everything else!

Morel has officially stolen my heart. Good lord was the food here good. So good.
I recently went on a Tuesday night for celebrations Tuesdays are half price wine night, yes please. We had reservations but had to wait at the bar for a little bit, which was alright, the bartender was great and we got to preview some of the food being made in the open kitchen by the bar. Our bartender was incredibly knowledgable on both the food and booze and was happy to tell us more about whatever we were drooling over in the kitchen. Once we were sat I immediately order the house made biscuit and ham appetizer (if they have it order it — I promise you won’t be disappointed). After a lot of back and forth and personal struggle of what to order (everything sounded so good, it was a really hard decision) but I finally decided on the braised short rib, man was that the right choice. I’m pretty sure it just melted the second it hit my tongue. Every bite was better than the last and I can’t wait to come back to try more. Dessert options also sounded great, but by that time we were so full that we didn’t get to order any, but next time I will be sure to get something, as I am sure it would be amazing.
Five stars and then some for Morel, I can’t wait to be back.

Came in on a weeknight with 3 coworkers. We had a reservation and walked in to a crowded restaurant and a ready table. Our server was knowledgable about the menu and took care of us throughout the dinner. I love when I don’t need things and don’t feel bothered at dinner it’s the perfect balance.
We had a pork belly app (NOM NOM) and I had the Short Rib for dinner which was also fantastic. Portions are a little small, but about perfect if you don’t expect to leave stuffed.
The menu claims to be seasonal, but since my first visit was only a few weeks back and the online menu still seems to be the same, I’m not sure how often it changes. I do look forward to going back and trying some other items as well as what they might change.
I have to say this place impressed on all fronts and didn’t punish your wallet in doing so. Highly recommend making a visit.

After just one visit, I can see why this place is getting so much positive attention. We’ve been meaning to check out Morel for quite a while and decided to go for our recent anniversary.
When you enter, it’s tempting to think the operators pulled out the «Trendy New Walkers Point Restaurant Paint by Numbers Kit» (you know, reclaimed wood, farm to table, craft cocktails, etc) but from what I can tell Morel is coming from a really authentic place. They certainly hit on all cylinders for our meal.
Drinks — no matter what you like they’ve got you covered. Creative cocktails, classic spirits, local-​centric beer list and a very thoughtful (and relatively reasonably priced) wine list. I especially appreciate the number of by-​the-​glass choices.
Starter — we had a cheese slate which included a chevre drizzled with honey, Hook’s Blue Boy, Hook’s 10-​year Cheddar and Pleasant Ridge Reserve. A plate full of heavy hitters, that’s for sure. Having eaten my share of skimpy cheese plates, I can assure you that Morel’s version is VERY generous.
Apps — the Mister had a lovely cheese soup enhanced with mushrooms which he really liked and I went with the beet appetizer. This was three types of beets (yellow, striped, red) presented three ways (pickled, cooked, raw) and served with a salsa verde. Absolutely full of different flavors and textures and something I’d happily order again.
Mains — they were running a Ginormatron Pork Chop special (not really the name but that’s what it was) which my husband ordered. Wow — it looked to be a good pound of meat, served perfectly tender and medium rare. I opted for the herb lemon trout (from Rushing Waters of course) and can’t recall liking a cooked piece of fish so much. It was perfect — flaky, delicate and a great balance of seasonings.
Dessert — if they have the Salted Caramel Mousse, order it. In fact, order two. You will not regret it, trust me. The texture is unique — a mix between ice cream and mousse and all that is wonderful.
Service — also excellent. Courses were perfectly timed and our server was knowledgeable and really fun. I appreciate that we truly had a «fine dining» experience in every way, but it wasn’t stuffy in the least. Most people were in jeans, just hanging out and having a great meal.
Go here — you won’t regret it.

Came in with a group of 6 on a Sat night. We had a late reservation and ended up being the last group in the restaurant. The service was exquisite all the way through. Our waitress was knowledgeable and accommodating. She made great recommendations on apps and entrees.
The food– Delicious! Deeeelliiicciious! I would comment on everyone else’s dishes but I didn’t get to try it because no one was in the sharing mood– that’s how good the food was! I got the pork shoulder with the boudin blanc, andouille, German potato salad and sauerkraut. The only thing I wished for-​more pork shoulder! Otherwise, I have nothing bad to say.
I can’t wait to go back and try more of their menu-​which on the site boasts a change based on seasonal and local ingredients. 5 stars all around!

Morel might be my new favorite Milwaukee restaurant.
Scratch that — Morel IS my new favorite Milwaukee restaurant.
The dirty secret here is that even as Unilocal Milwaukee cruise ship director, I don’t get out to new restaurants often as I should. I have an ever-​amounting list of «to-​trys» and lately I’ve been traveling a lot in addition to my normal-​busy schedule. Add to that the fact that I like to give restaurants a bit of time to settle into themselves, and well… I’m never first in line. I’m not riding «dat hype» wave. I like to take my time, and sometimes time takes awhile.
So Morel had been at the top of my list for a solid six months now, and last week I finally made it in. Newsflash but maybe not to you guys: EVERYTHING was PHENOMENAL.
Some highlights:
+wine/​beer/​cocktails (lists thoughtful, local-​ish, boutique-​y where appropriate)
+Cheese board feat. Pleasant Ridge Reserve? Yes.
+App special featuring smoked ham and a house-​made biscuit? Shut up.
+Lamb ragout, so perfectly perfect in its confluence of flavors and textures that I could eat it everyday if my insides would let me. (They won’t and I shouldn’t do that anyways.)
The price points are solid for value and offering, the ambiance is warm and inviting without trying too hard, the service is professional and attentive without being stuffy (even at the chef’s counter) and well, just… all the yes. This place is my new jam.
Five big fat stars for Morel on 2^nd Street!

Recently went here for my bday dinner and it was excellent! First, there is a lot across the street for customers which will save you a lot of headache looking for parking! (Kudos)
For starters order the lardo spread that comes fresh rocket baby bread! TO DIE FOR! Just ask them to replace the whipped butter with that, take my word for it! Overall, the ambiance was great… Open kitchen, rustic and even though our reso was at 9:30 and we were there past closing the staff was great and service never faltered!

Morel delivers a beautiful American dinner in a quaint rustic space. They delivered on all fronts. Ambiance, food and service were great!
Started with the pulled herb flatbread and burrata for an appetizer. Simply delicious. The flatbread had just the right amount of herbs within it and still had a nice softness to it. Balanced beautifully with the burrata.
After looking at Unilocal photos before I went I was hoping to see pheasant on the menu. Sadly it wasn’t. Instead I tried the pork loin with andouille sausage, sauerkraut and potato salad. Pork loin was done nicely and the sausage with fantastic. I learned that they do the sausage in house. The only room for improvement would be the potato salad. I love warm potato salads and this one fell a little flat. I’d like for it to have a bit more of a vinegar kick to balanced out the flavors in the meat.

After reading all the gushing reviews for Morel on Unilocal,the husb and I decided to check it out for V-​Day. We called ahead (three weeks, I think) and made reservations — for the time we wanted, only the chef’s table was available, so that’s what we reserved.
We were dismayed to discover that our reserved seats were at the end of the bar, in bright, kitchen lighting, adjacent to where the servers gathered to enter in orders and suchlike. We immediately felt that those seats didn’t were not conducive to a chill, relaxing dinner — luckily, husb asked the hostess if we could sit at the bar instead, and so we were moved to the middle of the bar, where the lighting and ambiance was much better.
And also better because we were in the presence of two of the nicest and best bartenders we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Matt and Mike did a phenomenal job all night. For example — one of them (Matt, I think) stuffed two olives with blue cheese for my martini even though they don’t typically have stuffed olives for drinks at Morel. I mean — bartenders hate stuffing olives, right? And how nice of him to do it for my martini. Seriously, was very impressed. Our drinks throughout the night were fantastic. Ever had a mezcaloni — mezcal + negroni? It’s phenomenal. I highly recommend it.
Now that we’ve discussed seating, service, and drinks, let’s move on to the food. I had the apple celeriac soup as my appetizer, and I found the flavors to be bright without being overwhelming — I could taste the celeriac, which isn’t my favorite vegetable, but it went really well with the sweetness of the apple. The husb had their ham and honey biscuit (something they’re known for — the biscuit is homemade), and it was delicious. Four thumbs up.
I’m torn as to how to rate my actual entrée. I ordered the duck breast, which is a bit outside my comfort zone. I am not that familiar with meat and tend to stick with fish entrees, so ordering duck was a new experience for me. I was shocked when the meal came out and there was about an inch of fat around the breast. I have heard that some people like eating duck fat, and I realize that duck is fatty, but I really didn’t expect so MUCH fat — more fat than meat on some pieces. And the fat was hard to separate from the meat — after a few pieces, I gave the rest to the husb because I was getting annoyed. The flavors of the mean we’re good, but not mind-​blowing. I much preferred the side, which was cubed squash — it was my favorite taste of the night.
The husb got the pork medallion, which came with a few sausages as well as potatoes. The pork was good, cooked to perfection, but the flavor of the sausages was bland. One of them seemed undercooked, but perhaps it was just really tender.
Mike (I think) recommended a salted Carmel dessert to compliment our drinks, and, since I was still hungry, we were all over it. His choice was on point — I have never had a dessert that went so well with a drink (the mescaloni, although it complemented my martini as well).
Finally, since I was still hungry and eyeing up the adjacent couple’s charcuterie board, we decided to take one to go. When we got home, everything was jumbled up in the box, and we had no idea what we were eating (aside from some smoked fish). We probably should have ate it at the bar, because it was really underwhelming at home.
Okay, so I gave Morel four stars based on their excellent service from both the bartenders (thanks Mike and Matt!!) and the hostess, and also for their outstanding cocktails and appetizers. I knocked off a star for the entrees, which didn’t live up to our expectations based on other reviewers’ comments, and also because I felt like our initial seating was awkward because we were so close to the servers station. In a nutshell, we weren’t blown away but we ended up having a great time anyway. We’ll definitely be back for mescalonis!

This place has won me over and I will be make many times over.
This place has amazing cocktails, a great wine selection, and the menu is to die for. I went on a Friday night with reservations and the place was packed, even the bar.
Our server was extremely helpful in explaining the various cocktails and food items. All of these mushroom options were delicious and definitely can’t find them anywhere else. We started off with a special of the night of a mushroom fricassee that contained 5 mushrooms and was absolutely delicious.
Then comes the cocktails — these were all amazing and really completed the meal.
For the main course I was told by a colleague to get their pork chop yet this night they have a special Strauss farms hazelnut-​fed pork chop. This was by far the best pork chop I’ve ever had.
The service was amazing and super attentive. We ended up splitting dessert and they brought out champagne to celebrate the special occasion we were there for.
Great date night place.