In this episode, Tarik and Ann are buzzing over a new Italian spot from the James Beard Award-winning owners of Lupi & Iris, as well as an upscale Mediterranean eatery coming to the ground floor of the new Ascent MKE building near Cathedral Square.

Our duo also dishes on beloved Jamaican restaurant Uppa Yard as it expands with a second downtown location on Water Street, promising classic dishes like jerk chicken and oxtail, plus new additions like live music. It isn't all good news, though, as burger lovers took a hit with the recent announcement that Dairyland will leave (or, rather, was asked to leave) the Third Street Market Hall.

We return to sunnier topics as Ann takes us on a nostalgic road trip through Wisconsin's historic drive-ins, sharing favorite spots like Ardy & Ed’s in Oshkosh and Big Star in Kenoha, as well as the unique experience of car hops and frosted root beer mugs. Finally, we wrap things up with details about Purslane, chef-owner Mary Kastman's newly opened restaurant that took over the former Ardent space.

On this episode, Tarik and Ann lead things off by previewing the No Rules Dinner Party, a remarkable 19-course event celebrating women-owned businesses. You'll also hear them celebrate the highly anticipated first brick-and-mortar location of Ruby's Bagels; explore the history of the often-overlooked Muffaletta sandwich (as well as the place to get one in Milwaukee); talk about the Oaxacan cuisine you can get at new restaurant Flor de Piña; and deliver the scoop on Halal Restaurant Week happening June 7-15.

As the weather warms up (any day now), the culinary scene often turns up the temperature as well — and that’s definitely the case on this very stuffed episode.

Taking things chronologically, we’re less than a week away from the start of Downtown Dining Week, which has been treating diners to deals at some of Milwaukee’s top restaurants for nearly two decades. This year’s event runs from May 29 to June 5 and offers discounts for lunch ($15 or $25 per person) and dinner ($35, $45 and $55).

With 29 eateries participating, we’re once again spoiled for choice. That’s why we decided to share a couple standouts to get you started:

Because we’re a full-service podcast, we don’t stop at mere recommendations. We also include some pro tips in this episode, one of which is to reserve early because the prime slots on Friday and Saturday fill up fast. You’ll have to listen for the rest.

Speaking of the rest, here are the oh-so-many things we talk about on this one:

Everyone’s got mom on the brain this week (rightfully so), which hopefully means you’ve already made plans to say thanks to that special person by treating her to some outstanding food. In case you haven’t, we start this episode with three suggestion for where to take mom — if they’re still taking reservations:

Blackwolf Run in Kohler is offering a Mother's Day brunch from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that includes salads, fruits, crudites, sausages, avocado toast, grilled citrus salmon, red wine braised chicken and pepper steak sauté, carving stations, omelet stations and desserts.

Crafty Cow has you covered at all of their locations with some very cool-sounding fare. The cinnamon roll funnel cake jumps out, but there’s also the "Mother of All Hangovers" (a burger with cheddar, jalapeno, fried eggs and chipotle aioli) and the "Mother's Morning Bowl" (waffled hash browns with smoked cheddar, Nashville fried chicken and chicken gravy).

EsterEv opted for a different direction with high-tea service from 12:30 to 3 p.m. You’ll find 10 menu items paired with offerings from Rishi Tea and served in ceramics crafted by Kate Riley. Breakfast cocktails will also be available.

You’ll hear a few decidedly global news items as well, led by the exciting news that SapSap has officially joined the regular food-truck lineup at Zócalo Food Park. SapSap will also take part in an upcoming event titled “Hidden Flavors of Asia” that’s going down June 1 at Pilot Project Brewery, while a taste of the Mediterranean will soon find a home at the top of the world’s tallest mass-timber building.

If you’re looking for something food to do a little sooner, The Cooperage will host Sashay & Souffle this Friday to benefit Midwest Sad. In addition to the culinary portion of the title, the drag-show fundraiser will include “show-stopping performances” and “fierce fundraising.” This weekend will also bring a new menu to Outlaw Oyster that features dishes like Octopus Aguachile Negro, Caviar & Hash Browns and something called an Octodog.

Our latest helping of Milwaukee food news starts with savory pasties from Mr. Dye's Pies, gets festive with the inaugural Miche Fest (as in Michelada) at Zocalo and explores the enticing menu of Sinta, a Filipino pop-up at Bavette. We also preview Semolina's hands-on Sunday Supper series, share the new tenant taking over Crossroads Collective and check out Southern-style eats at Bronzeville's soon-to-open sports bar, One-Seven Cafe & Lounge.

Because we like to keep things fresh around here, let’s flip the usual approach and start with the roundup so we can close with the centerpiece of this episode:

All caught up? Great. We’ve got special guests to introduce.

Chris Corkery established Hundred Acre during what can be generously called tumultuous times. It was 2020, and just about everyone had suddenly gotten to know the term “supply chain” and how disrupting it can change pretty much everyone’s lives.

One of the areas most affected in those circumstances is the food system, especially when it comes to underserved areas in cities like outs. Corkery decided to address the situation by establishing Hundred Acre — an urban farm “providing a rapid response solution to food insecurity in the heart of Milwaukee.”

It’s an ambitious project that’s still going strong five years later, and yet somehow we’ve never had Corkery on the podcast to talk about it. So we made up for lost time by covering the farm’s origin story, why he chose Milwaukee over other cities, “pesto with purpose” and growing even more in the years ahead.

On this episode, Ann and Tarik interview Chef Alex Hanesakda of Sapsap about his upcoming event, "Rivers Run Deep," happening at Cactus Club at 3 p.m. this Saturday, April 12. The event commemorates five decades since Oceanian refugees arrived in the United States after the Vietnam War, focusing on the often-overlooked history of the war in Laos and the genocide in Cambodia.

Chef Alex discusses the symbolism of the Mekong River in his family's escape from Laos, and highlights how breakdancing connected Southeast Asian immigrants with Black and Brown communities in Milwaukee. The conversation also touches on the hypocrisy of anti-immigrant sentiments alongside the popularity of immigrant food.

Alex explains that Lao Oceanian cuisine at events like "Rivers Run Deep" aims to share the stories and struggles behind the food and preserve cultural memory. He also shares a few of the meaningful ingredients from the culture, like lemongrass and fish sauce.

In addition to the chat with Chef Alex, Ann and Tarik also touch on budget-friendly Monday night bites in Milwaukee from Paloma Taco & Tequila, Lucky Joe's and The Vanguard.

For almost exactly one year, Discourse Coffee Workshop has been a roommate of sorts, serving out of the southwest corner of Radio Milwaukee HQ. It’s been a pleasure watching them get comfortable in the space and expanding their presence in the city through other ventures like Agency, the hybrid cocktail bar they operate inside the Dubbel Dutch Hotel.

Making it even more fun was the news that Discourse partners Ryan Castelaz and Sean Liu received earlier this week: that Agency is the lone Wisconsin finalist in this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards.

We start this episode talking about the honor, which keeps Agency in the running for Best New Bar along with Bar Colette (Dallas), Indentidad Cocktail Bar (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Merai (Brookline, Mass.) and ViceVersa (Miami). The category is making its debut this year, meaning the winner will be the first-ever recognized by the James Beard Foundation.

We’ll find out if the hometown boys take home one of those fancy medals June 16, when the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards are handed out at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Fortunately, we have a few more items to tide us over as we wait for the ceremony:

From baseball legends to fast-food tributes, we're serving up another helping from Milwaukee's vibrant food scene. On this episode, Ann and Tarik sample Kopp's new custard flavor inspired by the late legend Bob Uecker (called, what else, "Mr. Baseball"). The hosts also preview the Milwaukee Wine Weekend and get real about restaurant service, sharing tips on how diners can be better customers. Plus, Big Daddy's Barbecue gets a new name (Big Boss BBQ), and Crafty Cow celebrates April Fool's Day with a menu that puts a gourmet spin on fast-food classics.

We always try to give you a meal, metaphorically speaking, on every episode of This Bites. But there are some weeks when we live up to our name and deliver more of a mouthful than a bellyful — a small-plate version of the podcast, if you will. So let's skip the longer run-up and jump straight into what you'll hear on this episode: