Crocus Restaurant, Milwaukee

Crocus Restaurant's story begins in Cold War–era Poland, when Andrzej and Elzbeita Wasielewski emigrated to America in 1964. Nineteen years later, they established the eatery, whose name refers to the crocus flower––one of the first spring blooms in the old country. Today, the Wasielewskis have passed the torch to Dorota and Joel Rewolinski, the latter being a third-generation Polish chef. In the festive restaurant, Joel and his kitchen staff keep things traditional, preparing classics such as braised-beef roll-ups, breaded pork chops, stuffed cabbage, and platefuls of pierogi.