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00:00.
00:05Help steer this country boy into some fine cuisine.
00:08I'm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
00:10And while it's been known historically for its beer and cheese.
00:14This is the heart and soul of Wisconsin right here.
00:16Today, it's got a lot.
00:18This is out of control.
00:19More.
00:20Oh, my God.
00:21Going on.
00:22I have goosebumps.
00:23This is beautiful.
00:24Bon appetit.
00:26Everything is just good, good, good, good, good.
00:29That might be my favorite so far.
00:32My name is Braun Strowman.
00:34I make a living wrestling for WWE.
00:36If you can't tell, I like my carbs.
00:43It's time to feed the monster.
00:44It can be a tough job.
00:46The leg just exploded.
00:48But it has its perks.
00:49Gonna need a bigger table.
00:50Because when you're a monster like me, I know my way around the kitchen.
00:54I didn't get 350 pounds by accident.
00:56There's no better way to see a new town than to eat your wild way.
01:01Holy cow, this is good.
01:02Threw it.
01:03Come on.
01:04From hidden neighborhood gems.
01:06What's something that I have to have?
01:07To legendary, world-renowned kitchens.
01:09I have goosebumps.
01:10This is beautiful.
01:12You can't fully appreciate a restaurant unless you try it all.
01:15I'm supposed to pick a favorite, and y'all ain't making that easy.
01:19That's why I order everything on the menu.
01:26As a kid, when my friends talk about dream vacations, they'd be talking about theme parks,
01:32beaches, maybe even a safari.
01:35But for me, it was always something more exotic.
01:39Wisconsin.
01:41Because even though I was born and raised in North Carolina, Wisconsin to me meant family.
01:46So I'd go whenever I could.
01:48And it's the same way today.
01:50Wrestling in the WWE keeps me very busy.
01:53The European portion of this road to WrestleMania moves on to London.
01:58Look at this scene at the O2 Arena.
02:00Strowman and Knight for the title.
02:02It's a very demanding schedule.
02:04So between shows, I decided to steal a day, see some family, and hopefully find some incredible
02:10food.
02:11Whether you're looking for upscale dining or classic comfort food with a twist, Milwaukee,
02:17Wisconsin brings the flavor.
02:19Behind me is a Milwaukee institution known as Lakefront Brewery.
02:26Home for their amazing draft beers and world-famous cheese curds.
02:32As you can see, it's cooling off here in Milwaukee.
02:34So let's get inside to the cold beer, hot cheese curds, and let's have some fun like the Wisconsinites do.
02:40Often called the Brew City, Milwaukee is serious about its breweries, but this one in particular
02:51has become known not just for its delicious brews, but for having mouth-watering food that
02:57keeps locals and tourists coming back for more.
02:59I've been coming to Lakefront for about six or seven years.
03:02The cheese curds here are my favorite.
03:04Cheese curds are the go-to.
03:05I love that the inside is nice and gooey, the outside is crispy and light.
03:10You need to have that draw.
03:12Once you try it, you'll know what it is.
03:15Now in Wisconsin, deep-fried cheese curds are a staple.
03:19And today, I'm determined to find out if Lakefront Brewery's award-winning curds truly deserve all the hype.
03:26Kristen, how you doing?
03:27Ron Stroman.
03:28Nice to meet you.
03:29Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me.
03:31So I heard you're the magic maker that's helped make these cheese curds so amazing.
03:35Yeah, these cheese curds are gonna warm you up.
03:36What's the chance you can show me the process of making these beautiful little golden nuggets?
03:40I'm all ready to go for it.
03:41All right.
03:42Got the whole setup ready here.
03:43Oh, those are big cheese curds.
03:45Do you have a local cheese processor that you guys use locally here?
03:48Yeah, yeah.
03:49It's actually one of the only urban creamers in the Milwaukee area.
03:53Dairy capital of the world right here.
03:54We're standing in it.
03:55What makes a good fried cheese curd?
03:57Oh, there are so many things.
03:59First off, the freshness.
04:00They come in on Wednesdays, so we're getting them in really fresh.
04:03We hand batter them, and we also hand dredge them and fry them to order.
04:08But we have a couple of few sneaky tricks.
04:13One is that we toss them in cornstarch.
04:15Okay.
04:15Also, beer, because this is a brewery, and beer is great to cook with.
04:22Exactly.
04:23I would rather have beer than soda water anyways, of course.
04:25Much better flavor.
04:26Are you ready to get started?
04:27I'm ready.
04:28You're gonna get the big whisk.
04:29That's a big whisk.
04:30You're gonna help.
04:31First thing we're gonna make is the batter.
04:32We've got egg whites.
04:34You're gonna whisk those away.
04:37You can maybe add this to your workout regimen.
04:39Right?
04:40Look at that pump I'm already getting.
04:42Look at those bicep veins coming out.
04:45All right, that looks good.
04:46We've got salt, pepper, garlic, and baking powder.
04:50Then it's come in the beer.
04:51We are using our gluten-free nugris, which is a pilsner.
04:55It's not gonna take over the curds, which are a mild cheddar.
05:00And then flour to get us into the full batter.
05:03I mean, look at that arm.
05:05I know.
05:05Look at that.
05:05She's giving me a round of my money.
05:07Next time we have a mixed match tag challenge, I'm gonna call you up, right?
05:10Yeah.
05:11The following is a semi-final contest in the Mixed Match Challenge.
05:17This is one semi-final match-up.
05:21What would be your wrestling finish move?
05:23I think I'd have to take maybe a piece of our fried fish and, like, throw it down.
05:28Take another look at this.
05:30A headless fish.
05:31Friday night fish fries smackdown.
05:33If you were to ask my staff, I've already mastered this move when I get upset on Friday.
05:38All right, so watch out.
05:39If she gets hot, she's gonna hit you with a fish.
05:41Yeah.
05:43Nice coating of the batter right on there.
05:45So the wet batter first.
05:46Next step's gonna be breading.
05:48This is the monster order.
05:50Make sure everything's nice and breaded.
05:53All right, you told me a couple of ingredients.
05:55That's not just regular flour.
05:57No.
05:58There's something secret in there, isn't there?
05:59There is something secret.
06:01I can tell by looking at it.
06:02I was like, that's not plain flour.
06:03I was trying to get away from it.
06:04There's about 10 different seasonings in there, not 11,
06:08because we're not that warm place.
06:10Herbs and spices.
06:12I'm getting hungry.
06:13Well, I can get these cheese curds going.
06:16Dump them in that fatty jacuzzi.
06:18Let's go.
06:18Uh-huh.
06:19Down they go.
06:25When you're on the road as much as I am,
06:27you quickly come to appreciate the comfort foods that remind you of family.
06:31And what could be more classic Wisconsin than locally brewed beer?
06:35Prost.
06:36Appreciate it.
06:37Prost.
06:37Thank you, sir.
06:40And some monster cheese curds.
06:42Time to put these beauties to the test.
06:45Here we are.
06:45All right.
06:46That was fast.
06:46Fresh, piping, hot, glee-glee Wisconsin cheese curds.
06:51All right.
06:51The curd aficionado.
06:53Oh.
06:54Kristen herself.
06:55All right.
06:55So I heard one of the tricks here is to see how far you can get the curd to stretch, right?
07:00Yes.
07:00I bet picking the right cheese curd also makes a big difference.
07:03That's part of it.
07:03Let's see.
07:04I'm going to go with this one, because it's kind of long already.
07:06Dip it in the ranch.
07:07Well, these babies are hot.
07:08Not too bad, not too bad.
07:15Oh.
07:18Full pull.
07:18Come on, that's a full pull.
07:19That's a good one.
07:20That's a good one.
07:21Oh, my God.
07:23The cheese is unbelievable, huh?
07:26Real stringy, nice pull on it.
07:28They're just having to snap when you bite through them.
07:29The batter's so light and frothy.
07:31You see the pull and the cheese in there.
07:34What do you think, little girl?
07:35How's the cheese curds?
07:36Yummy.
07:37Yummy?
07:37Do the pull.
07:38Grab this side.
07:39Let's see how far we can stretch it.
07:40Go slow.
07:45Hot, hot, hot.
07:46Hot?
07:46All right, I got it.
07:46Still hot.
07:48That was a good one, huh?
07:49Yeah.
07:52We encourage playing with your food.
07:57This is my goddaughter, Brindley Jo, joining me here today.
08:01Are these good?
08:02What do you think of these cheese curds?
08:03Do you like them?
08:03Yum, yum.
08:04Wisconsin, you can't have cheese curds without a cold beer.
08:07So this is one of their in-house brewed beers.
08:14I mean, this is it.
08:15This is the heart and soul of Wisconsin right here.
08:17This is what I think of when I think summertime when I used to come up here as a kid.
08:22Hanging out with my parents, watching my parents drink beer, getting to eat the cheese here and stuff.
08:26Now full circle, here I am as an adult, getting to experience this with my family over here, getting to meet such amazing people.
08:32After finally getting a chance to experience this iconic institution, I can see why people love it so much.
08:40It's hearty, it's down home, and it's nostalgic.
08:43It's exactly what most people think about when Milwaukee comes to mind.
08:48The beer, the people, the overall vibe, and yeah, those cheese curds.
08:53You better believe I'll be back for more.
08:55But it doesn't represent everything that this city is.
09:02Milwaukee's food scene is blasting off faster than a rocket ship.
09:06Breaking boundaries and prioritizing flavor and tasting them curds just made me hungrier.
09:12Behind me is Loopy and Iris, home to legendary Milwaukee chef Adam Siegel.
09:18Loopy and Iris is known for some amazing dishes like their Dover sole, their veal chops,
09:24and I heard they have a 44-ounce porterhouse on the menu.
09:28You know, I gotta feed this monster, so I need to see what chef Adam has for me to get these hands on today.
09:35Chef Adam Siegel is a James Beard award-winning chef,
09:39cooking up a mix of French and Italian dishes inspired by the Mediterranean.
09:43He's a local legend on the food scene, and he doesn't exactly believe in a small menu.
09:50So I want to talk to the people dining here to figure out what's good.
09:54Sorry to interrupt if you don't mind.
09:55I'm walking around trying to figure out what I want to order off this menu.
09:59Are you all been here before? Locals? Any recommendations?
10:03Well, I'm one of the owners.
10:04Oh, we'll go right to the horse's mouth then.
10:06Help steer this country boy into some fine cuisine.
10:09I think you should get this. This is our corset to eat.
10:12Homemade pasta with our logo on it.
10:15This lemon pasta is delicious.
10:19I see a lot of smiles on people's faces. I know something good's going on.
10:23I had lemon pasta.
10:25Okay, so I had a suggestion over there of that.
10:27So that's two for the lemon pasta.
10:29I'll do the pork chop.
10:30Pork chop?
10:31Pork chop, yeah.
10:33How are y'all doing today?
10:34Are you guys locals here in Milwaukee?
10:36Just kidding. I know you guys are my family.
10:39That's my cousin, my aunt, my uncle.
10:42Bobby, Dale, Mary, and my little dude Spencer right there.
10:45Is that the lemon? Is it lemony?
10:46Okay, so that's the third one.
10:48We started with the tartare.
10:49No, that was when your aunt's first.
10:51That looks like, is that the lemony pasta?
10:53Yes.
10:54Okay, so that's the fourth person that's had that.
10:55So I'm definitely gonna have to try that one out.
10:57Very good.
10:57I'm in a different city, different state.
11:06Sometimes a different country every week to wrestle.
11:08This guy's a monster.
11:10Look at the size of him.
11:12So I take any chance I can get to sneak in a visit with my family between matches.
11:17And when they can recommend great food, well, even better.
11:21Loopy & Iris, headed by Adam Siegel, is the real deal.
11:25And it's setting the bar high.
11:27To say it's world-class fine dining is probably an understatement.
11:31And because they don't believe in small menus, I've really got my work cut out for me.
11:36And now it's time for the big man to dive into this big menu and order.
11:43Braun, the menu's quite extensive.
11:45Yes, it is, sir.
11:45There's always questions.
11:47I mean, everything looks unbelievable on here.
11:49The big porterhouse steak.
11:52Oh, my goodness.
11:53This is always the problem.
11:55I want to try everything on the menu.
11:58Awesome.
11:58Yeah, I want to try absolutely everything.
12:00Yes, sir.
12:01To fully understand what Loopy & Iris is all about, I've ordered everything on the menu.
12:06Today, that's about 21 items.
12:09The wood oven roasted veal chop is one of their most popular dishes.
12:13The Dover sole and handmade pasta also highly recommended.
12:18At first glance, I'm most excited to try their 44-ounce porterhouse.
12:23But the only way I'll be able to pick a favorite is to try them all.
12:31And now that I've got my order in, I'm going to sneak into the kitchen to meet Chef Adam to see
12:36if I can get him to teach me how to make one of their famous pastas.
12:39Oh, my goodness, look how good everything looks.
12:41Chef Adam, how you doing, sir?
12:43Wow, it's really beautiful in here, Chef.
12:47We got an official Loopy & Iris apron for you.
12:49Oh, let's go.
12:49All right.
12:50So you don't get too dirty.
12:52Fits like a glove.
12:54The counter hides for somebody my size, so sorry about that.
12:57It's all right.
12:58I'm used to it.
12:59We're going to make some Corzetti.
13:01And this is a very unique pasta because the dough is made with white wine and eggs.
13:06Corzetti are little pasta coins.
13:09And we stamp them with these after we roll them out.
13:12And this is very unique.
13:14Not many people do it.
13:15It's delicious.
13:16I think you're going to enjoy it.
13:17My mouth's already starting to water.
13:18So I'm going to show you how we roll out some pasta.
13:20All right.
13:21Anything special on the flour?
13:22Semolina?
13:23Semi?
13:24This is double-zero flour.
13:26Double-zero flour.
13:27We got our machine right here that we roll with.
13:29And we roll it out to a certain thickness.
13:32And we do this every day in the restaurant.
13:34We serve pasta as an appetizer.
13:36Most people, you know, when they go to a restaurant,
13:38they like to have it as an entree.
13:39But in fine dining, we go the other direction.
13:43See, fine dining is something I'm...
13:44This is new to me.
13:45I grew up in Sheryl's Fort, North Carolina.
13:47We had butcher boys.
13:49It was a mom and pop, soul food restaurant, and that was it.
13:51And waffle houses, right?
13:52And waffle houses, yeah.
13:53So we're almost done here rolling this out.
13:56See, we got it nice and thin at this point.
13:58Go ahead and give that a feel.
14:00Oh, wow.
14:00Very nice, malleable.
14:04It comes with its own neat little thing.
14:08And you just punch it out.
14:09So why don't you go ahead and punch out?
14:10Punch out our little coins.
14:12And then once we have them punched out,
14:13we put it right here like this.
14:17And give it a little press.
14:18That's beautiful.
14:20I'm probably not going to do it anywhere near as good,
14:22but let's see.
14:23Put it on the top.
14:25And let's give it a little...
14:26A little press.
14:27There you go.
14:30Now we need you to do about 2,000 of those.
14:33All right.
14:33And then just throw her down there.
14:34There you go, just like that.
14:37I'm pretty good at beating people up,
14:39but I might be better at making pasta.
14:41I think we found a new calling for you, bro.
14:43Let's see, right?
14:43Beating people up makes you hungry, right?
14:46Very, very hungry.
14:47I'll tell you this.
14:47When it comes to these three,
14:48they're hungry for an opportunity.
14:50And only one of them will get one in Toronto.
14:53All right, Chef.
14:54All this talking, the pasta making the pasta,
14:55seeing how it's done smelling this,
14:57what I've heard, the hype,
14:58I'm ready to experience it.
14:59Well, we can't wait to cook for you.
15:01Um, do I get to keep this?
15:02You get to keep that.
15:03Let's go.
15:09Here we go.
15:11Here we go.
15:12And to begin, the bistecca.
15:16You go straight for my heart with the first dish.
15:20Wow.
15:22What a beautiful cut of beef.
15:26Let's put the dover sole.
15:29Lamb, some duck.
15:31Swordfish, the roast chicken.
15:33That's an airline-style chicken brisk.
15:35Exactly.
15:43That's the corsetti pasta that we made.
15:45Hand-made by the monster of all monsters.
15:47This is out of control.
15:49Raviolis with squash.
15:50Scallops.
15:51Tartar de Boeuf.
15:52Oh, my God.
15:54The veal chop.
15:55So just a few plates of food in front of you.
15:57Wow.
15:58This is one of the largest menus I've ever tackled.
16:01And while I'm in no way complaining,
16:03I do have my work cut out for me.
16:05I have goosebumps.
16:06This is beautiful.
16:08Hope you're hungry.
16:09I'm gonna get down to the easy part now.
16:11Bon Appetit.
16:13Bon Appetit.
16:15I live my life on the road.
16:23It's true, man.
16:24And just like anyone else, I have good days and I have bad.
16:29But it's hard to have a bad day in Wisconsin.
16:31Oh.
16:32And I'm thinking it may be impossible to have a bad day at Loopy & Iris.
16:37I ordered everything on the menu.
16:40And I've never been more excited to dive in.
16:44So starting off with the Dover sole flown in fresh.
16:50Oh, my goodness.
16:53That is one of the absolute best pieces of fish I've ever eaten in my entire life.
16:57Really soft, meaty taste to it.
16:59Then you get this beautiful olive oil on it, the parsley, the lemon on top of it, everything.
17:03The charred grill from the fire that they cook it over, it's got a very light hint of smoke to it.
17:08The steak is calling my name.
17:11Cooked, medium rare.
17:25Unbelievable tenderness, cooked to perfection.
17:28Then you get the sauce on the back end of when you exhale.
17:30It's light on your palate.
17:31It's called persia.
17:32I don't know where to go to next.
17:33I'm going to try this tartare.
17:35And then there's some parsley, some chives.
17:39Like, that's nothing like I've ever eaten before.
17:41Veal chop.
17:42Let's drizzle a lemon over it.
17:46My taste buds are like, wow, because it's never had anything like this.
17:49And it's called me back for more bites, more bites, more bites.
17:52Wow.
17:55You should have your corsetti that you made.
17:56Oh, that's right.
17:57Handmade corsetti.
17:58Right off the bat, get that toothiness, the snap of that pasta, being the fresh pasta,
18:07and the walnut.
18:08Holy cow, it comes on so strong.
18:10Parmesan cheese on it, gives it that tart tang to it.
18:13And it's neat, too, because I've never seen pasta like this before that are stamped out.
18:17And you made it.
18:18Maybe that's why it's so good.
18:20Oh, my God, that really is phenomenal.
18:25Do you guys have a spare room in here that I can take a nap in?
18:29I'm trying another pasta dish.
18:30This was the lemon-based pasta, right?
18:32So it's lemon and ricotta and pecorino cheese with some basil.
18:36It's super, super rich, heavy on the lemon, but wow, the tartness of the lemon.
18:46It really makes your taste buds kind of go, whoa, what's going on right now?
18:50You're right.
18:51I kind of like the idea of the, you sort of said your posses are more of like an appetizer thing,
18:55because like, this is good, but if I eat a giant plate of it, like,
18:58I'm not going to want to do anything afterwards.
19:00All right, let's try this duck.
19:01Wow.
19:08That might be my favorite so far.
19:10That's something special.
19:11Get the really nice reduction of the kale, the ducks that get the duck.
19:15Tell them the monster sent you.
19:17All right, where are we at now?
19:19I'm at a loss for words, honestly.
19:20Like, I'm trying to think of cool ways to describe this other than, like,
19:23holy shit, this is good.
19:27We have the scallop.
19:27It looks like we've got a little roasted cauliflower in there.
19:31What's the puree?
19:32Is that minced up capers in there?
19:34It's a caper vinaigrette with brown butter.
19:36Mmm.
19:36All right, that might have just changed my opinion.
19:39One of my favorite dishes.
19:40I love scallops.
19:40Scallops are one of my favorite things to eat on earth.
19:44It's overwhelming how good everything is.
19:46Everything is just good, good, good, good, good.
19:49I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna.
19:50Oh, this was the egg.
19:51Oof, mole over the pork belly.
19:54You know it's fine dining these times when they're serving whole eggs.
19:57Chef, I'm blown away.
20:07Well, thank you.
20:07We appreciate that.
20:08So to know that, like, this is in my home state an hour from my house,
20:12if I could ever find a beautiful lady to go out on a date with me,
20:14I know where I'm bringing her.
20:15If I have to pick a top three for my favorite,
20:22the fish was phenomenal.
20:25Of course, the steak, the duck.
20:29It's all good.
20:30I mean, they, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.
20:32Uh, you got a doggy bag?
20:35We can make that happen.
20:36Milwaukee's food scene is clearly in very good hands.
20:45And I'm already making plans to come back to get these hands back into this menu.
20:5010 out of 10, Loopy and Iris.
20:52If you don't come here, you're going to get these hands.
20:55Because even though I couldn't pick a single favorite at Loopy and Iris today,
21:00I think Loopy and Iris may be my new favorite.
21:02And whether you're looking for Dover sole, duck, or a porterhouse with a cocktail,
21:08or fried cheese curds and a local beer from the iconic lakefront brewery,
21:13Milwaukee's got it going on.
21:16Now I know what I'm eating tomorrow on that charter flight to Italy, too.
21:20I'm going to whip out this bag and everybody's going to be like, what the hell?
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