One fall Sunday morning, Andrew and I were trying to figure out where to check out for brunch. Since starting the blog, we have been to many places in and around downtown. However, we had not tried any places south of the city. Looking at "The List" of places that readers of this blog have suggested to review, we decided to check out Sheridan's in Cudahy.

Since neither Andrew and I are familiar with Cudahy, we broke out the GPS and plugged in the address for the restaurant. We were too busy looking around at the nice houses and beautiful park, that we completely missed the parking lot for Sheridan's (completely my fault). This beautiful boutique hotel restaurant sits on the west side of the street (with parking to the south).

We walked in and were greeted by the hostess and a cute cafe style restaurant. On the wall opposite us sat a beautiful wine bar, which I am sure is a great place to catch a happy hour drink during the week. We were immediately sat in the next room where the wall is lined with a large bench. Andrew and I were seated in the corner and looked over the menu.

Our server Melanie came over and asked for our drink order. Andrew ordered a bloody mary ($7) and coffee ($2.25). He loved the bloody—just the right amount of spice, heat and flavor. The add-ons were good—mushroom, olive, onion, pickle, lemon and lime—but would have been even better with a cheese and/or beef stick. I ordered my usual, mimosa ($7), coffee and water. I was surprised to see the size of the mimosa. It wasn't a huge drink, but for mimosa standards it was larger than normal (extra points in my book).

We breezed over the large brunch menu and decided on our entrees. Andrew chose the Eggs Sheridan ($10). This dish is a cross between a traditional Eggs Benedict and a Florentine Benedict. Two poached eggs are perched upon a toasted baguette with wilted spinach and baked ham hidden between them. Topped with an amazing Hollandaise sauce, this dish had me salivating from across the table. The sauce was a perfect blend of rich, creamy butter with the zing of lemon that you want with a great Benedict. The ham and spinach were also tasted very good. The breakfast potatoes that were on the side were lightly salted and sprinkled with rosemary. What more would you want with this incredible brunch dish?!

When I was looking over the menu, one item stuck out to me—Prime Rib Omelette ($12). Just from the description, I knew this dish could be one of my favorite brunch items in the city. When the plate was delivered to our table, I was shocked by the size of this omelette. This three egg entree takes chunks of prime rib, chopped mushrooms, shallots and pepper jack cheese and created one of the best egg dishes in the city. But that is not all, it is slathered in the same amazing Hollandaise sauce that Andrew enjoyed on his Benedict. Served with a side of the same delicious breakfast potatoes and a choice of toast (I got rye), this omelette is simply spectacular.

If you enjoy a large brunch line-up (salads and sandwiches included) and want to check out a new restaurant, place Sheridan's at the top of your list. This south side secret is simply stunning. The upscale cafe atmosphere is welcoming along with the service. I cannot get over the size of the mimosa nor of my omelette. If this quick review takes an accurate snapshot of Sheridan's, expect a great midday meal. With a parking lot across the street, and a price of around $20 per person (with drinks), I highly recommend checking out Sheridan's soon for brunch!

I know how the saying goes—hotel restaurants are not that great. However, those who live by that statement have not tried the Hilton Milwaukee City Center's brunch. If you are looking for a brunch buffet that has style and class written all over it, then look no further than this downtown hotel.

Located on the corners of Fifth and Wisconsin, it is hard to miss this Milwaukee landmark. With over 700 rooms, it is the city's largest hotel. And with that, it has an attached parking garage. Walking into this grand hotel, you are taken back to a time when hotels were destinations all unto themselves. The marble floors, grand stair cases, crystal chandeliers and gold leaf transport you back to yesteryear. If you are going their for brunch, you head to the ground level and into the Cafe.

This modest dining area has several different seating areas, so you don't have to sit next to the table with the screaming kids if you don't want to. Andrew and I went one Sunday morning with his parents. We had been to this brunch buffet years ago when family members used to work there, but recently we have been brunching around town. It was really nice to get back to a place that felt familiar and welcoming.

We were sat at our table, and the server told us about the menu and all about the buffet. It was interesting to note of some changes. In addition to the normal brunch buffet there was a fruit of the month station and bloody mary bar. Instantly we all knew which brunch we were going to order. For $16 per person, we were about to brunch until we were content and check out the fruit and and bloody mary bar. It is important to note that all coffee, juice and water were included in this price. If we wanted vodka for the bloody marys, it would cost between $6 and $8 per shot depending on the vodka.

We ordered our drinks. Andrew and his dad ordered vodka to go in their bloody marys ($6). I ordered my usual, mimosa ($7), coffee and water. The mimosa took sometime to get to the table, but I was ok with it. Considering I had my choice of four different juices at the buffet, I got a small glass of cranberry juice while I waited. When the mimosa did come, i was surprised to see the fresh strawberry garnish! It was very tasty and the mimosa was just perfect—not too much pulp and not overly sweet. Andrew told me that he had the choice between two different bloody mary mixes—mild and spicy. He made himself up a mild bloody and had a great time choosing all the different add-ins he wanted for his drink. One thing we did notice was we were not offered any chaser for the bloody mary. But in the long run, it didn't matter much—there was still so much food to look over to eat!

I scanned over the buffet and made my choices wisely. I knew that I was hungry, but I wanted to try to sample everything in front of me. So, for the first plate I decided upon sausage links, bacon, breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs. Next to the eggs dish, the staff had laid out cheese, green onions and salsa to add on top! I thought this was great! I could add a little extra flavor to my eggs if I wanted to! I rounded the first corner of the buffet and noticed the Babybel cheese wheels. Now this has a special meaning to me and Andrew's mom, because I made some comment about this cheese the first time I had it. It makes the two of us laugh, and so I had to grab one for this photo. Lastly I added two different types of melon to my plate from the fruit of the month station. It was covered with melons—sliced, whole, balled, cubed. There were melons everywhere. They all looked delicious, but I knew I needed to pace myself for this buffet. Everything on my plate was delicious, and I was surprised on how fresh everything tasted.

Back at the table, our server came around again to let us know that if there was some thing else we wanted that was not on the buffet, to let him know. If we wanted hash browns rather than the breakfast potatoes or waffles or pancakes, we could just ask him for it. He would run back into the kitchen to have it prepared for us. While this was a very generous offer, I just wanted to get back up to the buffet for my second plate!

I returned to the buffet and started looking over the third and fourth rows of food. Yes, there are literally four rows of food to this buffet. I think my eyes caught up with my stomach because I didn't take nearly as much food the second time around. I settled on a bowl of granola with milk, a yogurt, some grapes and I just had to grab a small cinnamon roll. It was just too good to pass up. (I later found out that the cinnamon roll is home-made at the restaurant, and it was delicious!) I think it must have been that granola that filled me up, because after that plate, I couldn't eat anymore. And I did want to get back up there and try an omelet from the chef prepared omelet station.

Now, if you are not into the all-you-can-eat-fest that is this amazing Hilton Breakfast Buffet, the chef does offer a made-to order brunch menu with corned beef hash, benedicts and all sorts of omelets. Also for only $16 per person, there is a wide selection of food to choose from. "Come hungry and leave satisfied" should be the new saying for this hotel brunch option. The attached parking garage is also an added benefit. For only $5, it beats driving around to try and find parking when there is an event in town!

Until next time, hope you have a great weekend and happy brunching!

Full Disclosure:  Although we received our meals free of charge (many thanks to Chef Nicole Booker), I was not paid to advertise for the Cafe or the Hilton Hotel.  All opinions expressed in this blog entry are our own and are reflective of our experience.

What have been your experiences at the Hilton City Center? What are some other good entrees? Respond below in the comments or suggest other places for me to try around Milwaukee!

All the details you want to know: (on a five star rating)

Hilton Milwaukee (****½)
509 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 271-7250
hiltonmilwaukee.com


Brunch hours:
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Atmosphere: **** (very good)
Brick pillars, granite and wood tables, very traditional hotel restaurant setting

Food: ***** (awesome)
Great selection and the food was fresh

Service: **** (very good)
Impeccable, friendly and knowledgable. Perhaps overly attentive to the table.

Drinks: ****½ (very good)
Mimosa - ***** (awesome)
Bloody Mary - **** (very good) (perhaps a chaser for the bloody?)

Price: ***** (awesome)
$16 a person gets you a lot of food!