Lazy Susan MKE

This is the first time checking out Lazy Susan and we picked a great night as it was their KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) night. Seriously the best chicken I have ever had. The chicken was moist, but the highlight was the crust on the fried chicken. I wish they would just serve up a plate of that alone. The breading was a little bit more substantial but wasn’t heavy and the crunch, wow! The KFC comes with several sides: kimchee, spam mac ‘n cheese, green beans and sticky rice. All very good. We didn’t call ahead to reserve a chicken which next time I would recommend, because they only make so many extra.

Now let me tell you, I am a FAN of brunch. I could eat breakfast foods for every meal. So when my fellow Unilocal friend asked me out for brunch I was SO in. This was my first time going to Lazy Susan. I am not normally a bloody mary person, but what they had to offer sounded so appealing, and I was feeling frisky. I am a bacon girl. and a hot head (love my spicy foods!), so when I heard the options of housemade bacon gin bloody AND their daily special of green chili pepper bloody, I was torn. I went with the green chili, and probably could have drank a few!!! Their brunch menu, although not large, did not disappoint. Everything sounded tasty, and unique! I chose the seasonal hash, which consisted of two sunny side up eggs, fingerling potatoes, caramelized onions, and portobello mushrooms (I got mine special made with tofu instead of steak). I was in heaven. Delicious with a buttery taste to it… but in a healthy way if that makes sense.
Overall, friendly waitstaff, cool atmosphere, great food.
I will definitely be going back to try more more more!

Lazy Susan was disappointing — I expected more from one of the JSOnline Top 20 restaurants. My friend and I made an 8:30 reservation for a Friday night. We didn’t need the reservation, as we were one of two parties in the dining room. While the service was very good, the rest of the experience was so-​so:
Food = ³⁄₅
Service = 4.5 /​5
Ambiance = ³⁄₅
Value = ³⁄₅
Total rating = 3.375 (will round down to 3)
We started with 2 appetizers — the Mushroom Julienne and an Indian-​inspired poutine. The mushroom dish was great, as most cheesy/​mushroom/​bread dishes are. While the poutine sounded interesting, it was really a large, under-​seasoned plate of soft potato wedges. … meh.
We then shared 2 entrees — a venison tagine and a potato-​crusted trout. The tagine was under-​seasoned and tasted more like a so-​so impression of a tagine vs. an authentic dish. The trout, while looking pretty, was dry and came with a massive heap of potatoes, which we’d already had enough of. My summary of the entrees: quantity over quality. We had a ton of food left over, and neither my friend nor I cared enough to take it with us. A note to readers: Lazy Susan is NOT small plates (not sure why I thought that).
We also shared a bottle of wine — and I found the beer and wine list to be a bit on the pricey side. Our bill was $ 110 for the two of us, including tax and tip. For this price, I’d recommend many of the other JSOnline Top 20 over Lazy Susan.

I’m a little underwhelmed with this place.
I came here on a Friday night around 7 worried that I should have made a reservation, but I was pleasantly surprised when we were seated immediately! For those of you who are Seinfeld fans, the best way I can describe our waiter is «low talker». He spoke so quietly I could hardly make out what he was saying. He tried giving us a little background on the restaurant and chef, but all I made out was the chef previously worked at LuLu’s and Pastiche.
Apparently the menu is always changing, so a lot of the food mentioned by other reviewers was not available. All their food is meant to be shared, and they offer both appetizer sized dishes and larger dishes. My boyfriend and I did 2 appetizers and 1 main dish which turned out to be the perfect amount of food. We went for the elk sliders, a squash special with chorizo, and a venison dish with tomatoes and apricots. The elk sliders are served on pretzel rolls, but they really don’t stand out from a standard burger. The squash special was probably my favorite dish, and had a good mix of flavors between the chorizo, rice, cheddar, and boursin cheese. I don’t know if I’m a good judge of venison, because I’m pretty sure I just don’t like venison. However, the spices were nice and I enjoyed the apricots in the dish.
Overall, between all the small plates options in Milwaukee (La Merenda, Braise, and Odd Duck to name a few) this place is pretty low on my list. the portions were perhaps a little more generous than other small plates restaurants, but the flavors are just lacking.

What do you need to know about Lazy Susan? Get the Elk Sliders. Major highlight of dinner. Get em, you won’t be disappointed.
Overall a solid spot, cute atmosphere and the cocktail selections sounded quite impressive, some interesting old fashioned twists that I would like to come back for.

Elk sliders.
Elk sliders.
Elk sliders.
So incredibly freaking delicious, I could eat approximately one hundred of them.
[insert heart eyes emoji here]
Elk sliders + bottle of malbec = what more could you want in this world, really?
Thoughtful service, too! Great job, Lazy Susan.

Adorable and comfy. Both the food and atmosphere strike a nice balance at this place. Feels like going into grandmas house for a warm meal.
As first timers we tried the cheese plate –plenty to share for two with some nice local selections including a warm grilled justo cheese. Next up was the Pad Thai made with spaghetti squash noodles. Great flavor and lower carb for those who care. Last but not least was the pork chops with apples. To die for! Great flavor and tender with just the right amount of baked chunk apples. Very homey!
Ambience included cute old fashioned salt shakers in each table — we had a pair of foxes. China plates on the walls and of course bigger tables have a lazy Susan. Thank goodness the color décor wasn’t the avocado green and burnt orange of the 70s. Thanks for leaving that piece of nostalgia back where it belongs.

Food is great! Ordered mushroom appetizer, venison, and scallop dishes. Tasted wonderful. Not insanely pricy either. Good portion, good service. The Brew City soda wasn’t that great though — but didn’t matter much to the meal.

I remember when I first saw that LS was going to be opening in Bay View — my boyfriend and I consider ourselves foodies and have always prided ourselves in trying new places — so of course, we were excited. It took a little longer than we expected, but once it opened, we were there within the first week and later again within the first six months to try it out. Both times we left disappointed at the lack of customer service, creativity and taste in a majority of the dishes and drinks we tried. If I’m being honest, the second time we tried Lazy Susan, we left mid meal, extremely upset at our experience and headed over to Odd Duck to finish our date.
Last night, we had no intention of stopping by. We were actually headed to GTO (Mexican food joint down the street) but ended up parking further due to the lack of parking spaces available out front. It was our pre-​anniversary dinner and for some reason it came up, as we were walking by, that maybe we should give LS another chance. So, we stopped in.
Immediately we were greeted by the bartender, Sal; Having sat in the dining room instead of the bar in the past, we decided maybe we would have a different experience at the bar, and WE DID. Sal was knowledgeable and shared some pretty great wines with us, ones that we might have not tried otherwise (but I’m glad we did!). Last night was also $ 5 old fashioned night, and he was able to tailor it to my liking (sweet, not bitter/​sour) — which I appreciate. His ability to fluctuate and change recipes depending on the client’s need is a talent that should be fostered and enjoyed.
Our first course was the cheese plate — it came with all Wisconsin cheeses (yay local!), sausage, blueberries, pear, apple mustard and a house-​made tomato jam. IT WAS FUCKING REMARKABLE. This is easily the best (in taste and presentation) cheese board I have had here in Wisconsin. This was probably the highlight of our meal.
Next we had the venison hunters stew — I’m not much for meat, but this was also pretty tasty. I picked out much of the venison and ate more of the sauce and potatoes (so the boyfriend ate most of the meat) — but it was a great blend of flavors, with the venison being perfectly cooked. Kudos to whomever is in the kitchen, as not everyone can cook venison well.
We also had the Asian steak & eggs — though, to be clear, the eggs aspect is the egg aioli they use. Also very delicious, and I love my meat cooked medium rare — though I do think it was sitting out for a bit as by the time we got it, it was cooled down significantly. The mixture of the kimchi, potatoes, mushrooms and aioli was great though. I love the spicy kick it had to it, too.
For our desert (s) — we chose the pot de crème (YUM!) and the apple crisp — both were absolutely delish. I love the added cinnamon ice cream.
My only real complaint this time around, which isn’t a big one (at all), is that it is a limited menu and not a whole lot of variety — but definitely creative. I really don’t know if it was because we sat at the bar — or maybe they have new staff in the kitchen — but this place seems to be a total 180 from any of our previous visits and I would highly recommend it.

It seems I’m behind on my Lazy Susan updates. I believe I’ve had 3 dinner visits and one brunch visit since my last update. I guess the key takeaway is that I keep going back.
Some dishes haven’t resonated with me, while others have. One night I struggled to find anything on the menu that I wanted to eat because the bar was set so high on my prior visits that the menu seemed boring by comparison. I think I settled on rabbit tacos that night.
While I can’t remember my brunch items, I will tell you that Lazy Susan blew me away with the brunch items my friends and I ordered, such as Corned Beef Hash! Their menu explains the hash, among other menu items, changes often.
One difference between my dinner experiences and the lone brunch experience is that at dinner, the dishes are staggered, while at brunch, the dishes seemed to all come out at the same time. We were told that was intentional for brunch. I wish we knew that ahead of time. If that is still the case, I know better now. Our table was pretty crowded that day.
Last night for dinner, we ordered two vegetarian dishes and two meat dishes. The first to arrive was the Fall Slaw, made with beets, parsnips, carrots, and arugula with a maple white balsamic dressing. It was very good but I wasn’t in the mood for it, so I just sampled it.
The Elk Sliders came next. This was the best item of the night and one of the best things I’ve ever eaten — EVER! The elk patty was generously seasoned and topped with fried onions, gherkins (pickled cucumber slices) and a bouban bacon aioli. Served on a pretzel roll, this slider was amazing!
Next arrived the Butternut Squash mac n cheese and the Hunter’s Stew. The BUtternut Squash was cooked perfectly and served in cubes above the creamy macn n cheese, which I preferred on it’s own.
The Hunter’s Stew was served with largely diced venison, carrots, and potatoes in a dark and rich roux, then topped with mashed potatoes. This dish was large and very filling. I had leftovers for lunch today.
Overall, a good visit to Lazy Susan and I still plan to return, but I think brunch needs to happen there again soon.

Oh tiny blueberry ricotta pancakes, why aren’t you a bit more affordable so that I would come here every weekend? So far I’ve only had brunches, as come supper time there’s just so many other good restaurants that get in the way. To quickly surmise, if it’s a starch item it will be awesome! If it’s a meat item, it may be lacking a bit. If your meat is bacon in the Bacon Bloody Mary, you won’t care. I recommend the both versions, but truly the gin. Once time we lucky enough to get the dregs of the bacon infused gin, outright straining the fat to make us a last Bloody. The bartender didn’t want to give it up/​scare us with the plethora of ugly fat bits that float in it; OMG tasty! Blueberry cakes, coco Ftoast, cheesy potatoes, mini-​donuts, bacon bloody will be your new church if you let it.

Finally– I made it to a new spot in Bayview that has people talking. I will say, that I would honestly give this place a 3.5, but since I can’t, I rounded up, deserved more than 3.
First off… LOVE the interior. It has been describes as a place meant to feel like you are eating at home… Or someone’s home. They nailed it! The colors are warm, the Devore is minimal, but personal. It’s the most homey, non– kitschy place I have been and I loved it!
Service– was wonderful! Friendly, gave honest recommendations and paid just enough attention without being intrusive.
My partner in dining this evening started with an old fashion, the cocktail of the evening, which she described as «meh». I was more reserved and just had water.
The menu is definitely unique. They state that rash plate is enough to share, which I agree. But they are also perfect portions for a personal meal as well (for us who just don’t feel like sharing sometimes). We started with the deviled eggs, which delicious and I thought the portion (5 halves) was totally reasonable, considering many restaurants charge this for 1 or 2. Oddly though– the menu said they were vegetarian friendly, but they were topped with bacon? May be something for the veggie peeps to inquire about.
Although we love small plates and the opportunity to share– tonight was not that night as we both decided on the surf and turf. When the meal arrived, I was delighted with the presentation (see pic). I loved the long plate, the sliced steak (much easier to share) and the color! The steak, potatoes and avocado purée were all delicious and perfectly prepared. The ceviche– well… Neither of us loved it. The flavors were okay, but the shrimp were an odd size and texture. I’m thinking they weren’t the best quality shrimp and that they had been sitting in the acid a little too long and were over cooked. This would have been easily disguised if presented in the typical chopped fashion and stacked to the side.
And finally. I topped my meal off with a dessert. I am not one to order dessert often, but if it’s that time of year for peach cobbler– you have me sold! But I was disappointed with this cobbler. While I loved the simple presentation (see pic) I didn’t love that the skin was left on the peaches– this makes it hard to eat and it was just unexpected. Also… A little too light on the pastry and butter– there is a perfect balance to a cobbler, and this fell short.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant– and the menu was intriguing. So I will be back– lots of potential here.

I have been waiting for a few visits to finally write a review for Lazy Susan. We visited a few weeks after they first opened and the experience was not memorable so we had to give them a couple more chances.
Since the first time we have been there three additional times and the food quality was finally up to my expectation. Brunch choices are decent with a section for bread and pancakes and the «egg» section. The two egg breakfast is an easy option and includes their incredible cheese potatoes… opt for the sausage because it is delicious. Another option is the english toast which is good but next time I will have them toast the muffin a little more for extra crunch. Prices are slightly more expensive than other comparable places but still not a bad deal.
The dinner options are very creative with the most interesting one… jackfruit huaraches. This is a veggie/​vegan meal and you would NEVER know that the «meat» you are eating is smoked jackfruit. It is definitely worth a try! We also had the kebabs, a beef entrée and some others. The kebabs were flavorful and another hit with the group.
Service can be spotty at Lazy Susan. You can wait 15 minutes for a drink at times. Also, don’t be shocked at dinner when your plates come out as they are finished. They don’t wait for all of your order to be complete.
This is definitely a place to eat as a group because a small plate restaurant isn’t fun unless you have four or more people. Brunch can be much more intimate since this isn’t a sharing event.

After reading a few of Lazy Susan’s reviews my boyfriend and I decided to use our city tin to check out their Sunday brunch. The brunch menu on their website seems pretty generic but upon visit I realized that is because they tailor the menu with seasonal fresh items. So the seasonal hash became beef tip hash with potatoes, peppers, spinach and eggs. I had the savory sweet potato pancakes with a sorghum topping and I added an egg on the side. Somehow we resisted the mini donuts but will definitely give them a try next time. Be warned, they offer them at the end of the meal like a dessert so your guard is down!
The décor is pretty much exactly how I would decorate a brunch place if I owned one, bright colors, cute knick knacks, lots of natural light. Unfortunately our two seater table didn’t have a lazy susan on it!

The place: service was good. We got a great wine special for $ 16 for a bottle, and yes, the two of us drank the whole bottle, and yes, I might still be a little tipsy. The coat rack has hooks that are bent pieces of silverware, which I found amusing. Also, we had reservations for 7pm and the place was pretty packed.
The taste: we shared 3 dishes for dinner. The radish and kohlrabi salad. We inhaled it. It was crisp and light and the citrus vinaigrette was great. The purée under the cardamom orange scallops was freakin out of this world. (Rub it all over my body so I can lick it off myself, as I think how I described it at dinner) and the mlt sliders. Listed as veg, v these mushroom and Lettuce sliders with aioli and the mushroom «bacon» tasted amazing. I was thinking after 3 glasses of wine, the small buns would also be great to absorb some of the alcohol. We almost ordered a second order of the sliders, but when my husband asked, they were out. He then asked how they got the mushrooms to be like that — crisp and «bacony»
This is where the waiter said «they soak them in bacon grease.»
I was initially bummed about that, but then…
EDIT: I received notice from the Lazy Susan staff that this is in fact a fallacy, and this dish is truly vegetarian. It seems that maybe this was a joke from our server, but I didn’t really find it funny. Knowing that they ARE in fact vegetarian, I hope we can go back and eat them again. The MLTs were truly a revelation.
After this debacle, we shared the pear
Upside down cake. Decent.
Not amazing, but solid.
My face: $ 71 pre-​tip, including a bottle of wine was pretty good. Flushed, and blurry from the wine, I left with a smile after a successful date night with my love. Would I go back? Yes. Without reservations? No way, jose.

My second visit to Lazy Susan was on New Year’s Eve night. The menu consisted of all the things from 2014 that were requested by patrons most. Our group of 7 shared a lot of food items and it was fun to try so many different things together.
I don’t really understand the whole sharing concept that Lazy Susan boasts because the plates are small, not as small as tapas, but also not large enough to be considered family style. They are just smaller-​average single portions.
The peanut butter curry toast with arugula and apple was very creative and something I could easily have fun with at home if I were entertaining guests.
My favorite dish was the skate. It’s a ray fish (as in stingray-​like). It was a stringy and somewhat sweeter fish reminiscent of crab meat. It was prepared schnitzel style, with a light crust. On top were capers and the side was sweet potato spaetzel.
Another favorite was the cauliflower bacon quinoa pasta. It was even much better than the lobster Mac and cheese which had a bit too much lemon and the lobster a tad chewy.
My first visit I remember having the Bi Bim Bop. And also remember it being pretty tasteless. I’m spoiled and have had it in Chicago prepared by Koreans so I expect a lot! That night someone else ordered it so I was happy to discover that they changed it up and gave it more flavor. A great addition was the forbidden rice instead of white. The seasoning was improved, too.
The spicy potatoes with paneer definitely deserves a shout out. The way the paneer was browned was a texturally wonderful twist.
I’m not a chicken wing person myself, but a taste of the Cambodian stuffed wings packed a lot of flavor punch!
The steak and patatas bravas was actually the most boring thing on the table.
Lazy Susan had a lot of unique and delicious items on their menu and our evening there left everyone feeling happy! :)

Went for a risotto tasting class and brunch.
The class was perfect — small, intimate and informative. We received five different tasting portions of risottos and 5 glasses of wine for $ 25. Chef/​owner AJ walked us through making risotto, answered questions and was perfect. It was relaxed and delicious and a fun way to do a class. I left with tons of knowledge and a full belly — what more could you ask for?
Brunch was tasty as well. Our service could have been a little better — the last folks to arrive waited awhile for coffee because it needed to be brewed and then I was out of water for most of my meal, which is something that drives me nuts.
As Joanna mentioned, the quiche was to. die. for. My guess is that there was crème fraîche mixed with the eggs, but whatever it was, they were so light and fluffy, but the piece of quiche stayed together. I’m crust picky, but this one was flaky and not too dry — it didn’t overwhelm it’s delicate contents.
The cheesy potato side seemed to have mustard in them, which was an odd choice when it overpowered the other flavors, but find when the bite was more melded.
Another great little spot — love that so many of the dishes are seasonal and the menu isn’t trying to do 9,000 things.

My review of Lazy Susan is for brunch only.
Atmosphere: B
It’s a small space — maybe 15 or 20 tables so it will be crowded on a busy night. Call ahead. Décor is simple and clean — I like the vintage china plates on the walls instead of pictures.
Menu: B+
Again — for brunch only. It’s a small menu but well thought out. There are 4-​ish «pancake» type options which included a coconut French toast and sweet potato latkes on our visit. The «egg» section has 4 dishes also and 3 of those change regularly (a quiche, a scramble and a hash).
Food: A
I went with the daily quiche which was described as 3 cheese — fontina, cheddar and gorgonzola. I didn’t really get any gorgonzola flavor but hands down it was the BEST quiche I’ve ever had. I don’t know what they mixed in with the eggs but it had a custard-​y texture while being fully cooked and there was a little pesto on top which was delightful. Egg dishes come with fruit, salad or cheesy potatoes. The potatoes are really more of a cheesy hashbrown casserole and are very good. I felt like the portion size was quite generous.
Service: B–
Our server was really pleasant and seemed to know the menu well. I do think things like coffee and water could have been filled more frequently but she also didn’t mind that we lingered a little after brunch was done to do some chatting.
Overall: A solid option for brunch.

Look, I feel like a schmuck giving a place two stars. But this place is so thoroughly «meh,» it would be charity to give it more than two.
I went to Lazy Susan in a group – three couples, in total. Right away we’re told that they can’t split the bill, which brings a dark cloud over our experience immediately. This is a small plates joint – if you’ve seen the «Portlandia» tapas episode, or if you’ve been screwed in the past, you know that you do *not* want to split the bill evenly unless you’re comfortable subsidizing someone else’s costlier food/​booze. But okay. Moving on.
The interior was cozy enough and there was a lazy Susan in the center of the table. True to theme, I guess? Other than that, I couldn’t tell you what the aim of the ambiance is, assuming there is an aim.
No beer on tap but a decent selection of bottles. For dinner, we tried the poutine, vegetable baklava and sweet potato latkes. I had high hopes for the poutine but it was nothing more than wedge fries, a few curds and a little bit of chili on top. At around $ 12, I expected something a little more inspired. The baklava ($ 16) was a bunch of warm vegetables with a layer of phyllo dough on the top. It was bland. Edible, fine, but entirely bland. Not sure what the mark-​up was for a collection of in-​season veggies and phyllo. The sweet potato latkes (~$ 8) were as advertised. Not terribly flavorful, but inoffensive.
I didn’t hate Lazy Susan, but I certainly didn’t like it. I won’t be returning here when I can spend less and eat better at any other nearby Bay View establishment, or spend the same and eat more innovative/​flavorful/​thoughtful dishes at another small plates spot in town.
Sorry, Lazy Susan. Just wasn’t working for me.

Update to a five star for awesome consistence of service and food! They still need a bike rack though.
My last brunch ever (starting a weekend job) and I chose Lazy Susan! We have been brunching for years and lazy Susan brings a totally unique menu for brunch. Pass on those ordinary eggs you find at other places (although you can order a side of these if you please) and try Swiss chard pancakes, blueberry ricotta pancakes, banana coconut French toast, brisket hash, cheesy potatoes! Seriously, you can’t go wrong!!! Now bacon bloody infused gin!!! Oh my, our informative and super awesome bartender for the day really pulled through for us and made me one from some gin/​bacon juice he just started infusing in the morning since they ran out. I highly suggest the gin bacon bloody with anything on the menu actually.
I’m wondering how the cheesy potatoes and French toast will be if the husbands gets it to go for me??? Hmmmmm :)