Zoo A La Carte

Getting our graze on

These days it's called Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A La Carte, but it will always be Zoo A La Carte to me. The eating extravaganza falls at the same time as Irish Fest each year, adding to the greatness of that particular Milwaukee weekend. 

The Lawler ties to the Milwaukee County Zoo are twofold. One: My mom's dad (Papa) loved the zoo. He had a Zoo Pass so he could go every day if he wanted — and sometimes he did. He was obsessed. Papa was also obsessed with his video camera. He taped everything from my First Communion to a close-up of each ornament on our Christmas tree to — you guessed it — the goings-on at the zoo. It's impossible for my family to make a trip back there without thinking of Papa and his video camera. The second reason we're so keen on the zoo: My brother Kevin does face painting there as a summertime job — and I must say he's amazing at it! 

This past weekend at Zoo A La Carte, we went on a Sunday evening just after Kevin finished up work. It was a perfect time to go — all the delicious eats and animal entertainment with a considerably smaller crowd. As for what we ate, there are two staples on my Must Eat list: roasted corn doused in butter and seasoned salt and a strawberry lemonade (no ice) from Aladdin.

 




















Then we always try something new. This time Kevin went for a macaroni and cheese burger, Adam tried the waffle-fries-nachos, and the tree of us shared "Asian donuts with Nutella drizzle" from Hue Vietnamese for dessert. I can't wait to see what goodies the zoo brings on board for next year's graze fest!