If you’ve been to Eldr+Rime, the Scandinavian-inspired restaurant which opened last year at 2300 N. Mayfair Rd., you’ve likely experienced the tasty (and eye-catching) dishes and cocktails being served up by Executive Chef Gary Baca and his team.
You may have also experienced the beauty of the restaurant’s well-appointed patio, a pergola-covered respite surrounded by colorful foliage that might make you forget you're anywhere near the bustle of Mayfair Road.
If you haven't, it's the perfect place to gather with friends and enjoy a leisurely meal and fresh, summery cocktails.
That's no surprise. After all, providing a comfortable outdoor area for guests (along with an indoor seating area that conjures elements of the outdoors) is among a cadre of ways that Eldr+Rime honors the Scandinavian notion of friluftsliv (“open-air living"), a term which embodies passion and appreciation for nature and its reviving energy. It’s a practice that Scandinavians observe on a daily basis, and it assists in keeping them centered, content and free of unnecessary stress.
Garden fresh herbs
Like folks in Scandinavian countries, Eldr+Rime also makes full use of the warmer seasons by growing fresh herbs and flowers that can be used by both the kitchen and bar.
Peek around the corner on the West Side of the patio, you’ll also find a 2,500 square foot green space that’s dedicated to the restaurant’s Chef's Garden. The area features seven 8’x3’ cedar planters, all of which are currently teeming with herbs and edible flowers.
“Green space was part of the original design for the restaurant,” says Eldr+Rime General Manager Vik Khokhar. “In addition to the importance of the outdoors, growing, preserving and harvesting are also important elements in the Scandinavian culinary experience and lifestyle. So we wanted to incorporate all of those elements into the restaurant.”
By the time the restaurant opened last August, it was too late to utilize the garden. But this spring, the staff took full advantage, planting a laundry list of edible items from dill and rosemary to tarragon, sage and thyme.
They interspersed those herbs with pops of color from edible pansies and nasturtiums with names like “Apricot” and “Bloody Mary" (and bright colors to match).
“Our culinary team harvests herbs from the garden on a daily basis,” says Khokar. “They look at what’s fresh and beautiful and then find ways to incorporate them into dishes on the menu. The same is true for our mixologists, who gather fresh herbs for cocktails as they are setting up the bar.”
The summer menu includes dishes like wild Alaskan halibut, which is served alongside a miso creamed corn with pickled green chilies. But the plate is also supplemented with fresh garden herbs (including Scandinavian staples like dill) and edible flowers, both of which enhance the dining experience.
“Just the color of the nasturtiums make the dish pop,” says Khokar, “But the edible nasturtium flowers also offer a slightly peppery flavor that balances the sweetness of the corn.”
On any given day, you might find Tomahawk steak could be enhanced with thyme or rosemary or whatever looks fresh. And the same is true for almost every item on the Eldr+Rime menu, from the sweet French tarragon mayo that accompanies the crispy smashed fingerling potatoes to the chive skyr and crème fraiche served with the potato spelt dumplings filled with creamy Clock Shadow cheese curds (pictured below).
The same is true at the bar, which is currently serving a number of summer cocktails which incorporate fresh herbs. Take for instance the Margarita Picante made with rosemary and jalapeno infused tequila or the Herbed Paloma enhanced by St. Germaine and rosemary.
Fresh herbs are also showcased in one of Eldr+Rime’s staple cocktails, the Thyme for the Bramble which features thyme-infused Hendrick's gin, Creme de Mure, lemon and blackberries (pictured above).
“We love the idea that we can inspire guests with this sort of lifestyle,” says Khokhar. “And we can show them how easily it is to incorporate these fresh elements – whether its herbs or flowers – into their daily lives.”
Eldr+Rime is open for dinner service Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. Guests can also stop by the bar Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. for Hygge Time (happy hour).
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
