The Diplomat

Our meal at The Diplomat was absolutely phenomenal from the first bite. Definitely James Beard worthy. I ate: Onion Salad - a bit on the small side but refreshing and herby Grits - these were velvety, rich and absolutely sublime! Knife & Fork Chicken + sides - what else can I say - I would eat this 1x/week if I lived in Milwaukee. Every side was to die for - especially the beans. The chicken was moist, savory, crispy - everything you want chicken to be. Dessert was peanut butter pie which was comforting and delicious. PS - they were so kind to my mom who has celiacs! Staff made sure she was safe and she ate as well as I did!

Gold stars: ambiance, cocktails Needs improvement: I am gluten-free, the server made me feel super awkward about it and made it seem like a huge drag to accommodate. Portions are SMALL. We spent $100/person and left hungry. Unacceptable: two glasses of wine were served with fruit flies in them (multiple in each glass). The co-owner personally apologized to our table but in a restaurant of this caliber, I find this is an huge oversight that the wine was served in the first place. We spotted the flies immediately, they were not hard to see. Also the trout tasted like a dirty fish farm. Overall: I really wanted to love this place, the ambiance is great, the menu is compelling, and Milwaukee could really use a great neighborhood spot like this. Unfortunately the service missteps left me feeling like they are resting their laurels on the James Beard thing and the experience just didn’t add up.