The Diplomat

"Open for: DinnerPrice range: $$$Owner Dane Baldwin was named the 2022 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef in the Midwest, a loud recognition of this quietly elegant East Side nook. True to its name, the restaurant strikes a diplomatic balance between classy and comfortable. The dining room welcomes couples on date nights with Negronis, duck breast, and roasted beet salad, while also catering to simpler, everyman appetites with deviled eggs, triple-blanched fries, and the infamous Diplomac, a pristinely chef-ified recreation of a Big Mac. Baldwin’s prestige has helped restore some of the luster to Brady Street, making it once again a beacon for grown-up dining.   Best for: Double dates where you can share almost the entire menu." - Todd Lazarski

"Chef Dane Baldwin's Milwaukee restaurant, The Diplomat, is known for its hands-on approach and mentorship for new chefs. The restaurant, which debuted in 2017, has gained acclaim in the Midwestern dining scene and earned Baldwin the title of Best Chef: Midwest from the James Beard Awards in 2022. Signature dishes include tempura soft shell crab over bok choy salad and the knife-and-fork chicken, which features intricately prepared birds marinated in a brine of tea, citrus, buttermilk, and herbs, then served with sunchokes, Swiss chard, and Yukon gold potatoes. The restaurant also offers a lemon posset dessert made by co-owner Anna Baldwin, served with rhubarb compote and crumbled shortbread cookies." - Amy McCarthy

"The Diplomat on Brady Street makes inventive twists on comfort food that feel exciting without entering Mad Lib territory. The menu seems to state the obvious with dish names—Pretzels, Trout, Scallops, etc.—until you actually taste them and think, “Wait, is that salt cod in the hashbrown?” We always start meals here with the pickled deviled eggs with dill salt, and then order something that uses some fancy cheese—we’ve had things like truffle grits that fold in Pleasant Ridge Reserve—as a makeshift side to their roast chicken. Wrap things up with banana bread like you’ve never had it before, made with butterscotch pudding and golden raisin emulsion. Try to sit near the window so you can look out at the neighborhood, which was founded by Italian immigrants and still has some street vendors selling cannoli. " - kristine hansen

"The Diplomat on Brady Street makes inventive twists on comfort food that feel exciting without entering Mad Lib territory. The menu seems to state the obvious with dish names—Pretzels, Trout, Scallops, etc.—until you actually taste them and think, “Wait, is that salt cod in the hashbrown?” We always start meals here with the pickled deviled eggs with dill salt, and then order something that uses some fancy cheese—we’ve had things like truffle grits that fold in Pleasant Ridge Reserve—as a makeshift side to their roast chicken. Wrap things up with banana bread like you’ve never had it before, made with butterscotch pudding and golden raisin emulsion. Try to sit near the window so you can look out at the neighborhood, which was founded by Italian immigrants and still has some street vendors selling cannoli." - Kristine Hansen

"Won Dane Baldwin the James Beard Award for best chef in the Midwest in 2022."