Where to watch the game...and eat!

Along with being a huge fan of eating, I'm also a big fan of sports. When there's a big game on - for me, this means Packers, Brewers or Marquette - you can often find me watching the game at a sports bar. I love the atmosphere and who doesn't love a great burger and a beer?

I know that many people are fans of mega-sports bars such as Buffalo Wild Wings. That does nothing for me. The food and service are mediocre and, more often than not, the TVs aren't synced and you end up wondering why a table at the other end of the bar is always cheering 7 seconds before your team scores.

I like local places with local food and local beer and...local service. I like when I go to a spot a few times and they actually remember what I ordered. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's gold.

So, here are a few of my favorite sports bars:

Leff's Lucky Town - Hands-down, the best service I've ever had in a sports bar. We're always waited on quickly and often. The TVs are large and they're synced and if what you want to watch isn't on, they'll change a TV to something else. It's such a great atmosphere, especially in summer when the garage doors on the east side are open or even if you sit on the patio. LOVE this place. The food's not fancy or particularly unique, but it's decent pub food and the experience makes it worthwhile.

Upper 90 Sports Pub - Started going here recently before Marquette games and have absolutely fallen in love with it. The service is terrific and the food is great! Lots of unique and different offerings, including Alligator Bites, Lollipop Cornbrats and surprisingly terrific burgers, salads and sandwiches. PLUS, the atmosphere is awesome. It's actually one of Milwaukee's oldest pubs - pre-prohibition! Who knew?!

Colonel Hart's - This became a family favorite of ours after church. Yes, we are from Wisconsin. We take/took our kids to bars. (Ironically, neither of them are big drinkers. Clearly this tactic scared them off.) In any case, this is as local as can be. There are regulars and the kitchen is smaller than your front hall closet. Yet somehow, they manage to cook some good burgers and, what I think are the best cheese curds in Milwaukee. We watched two Marquette NCAA games here (that they were victories might be clouding my opinion) and it was fantastic. We even invited two strangers, who quickly became friends, to join our table.

McGinn's West - I love the atmosphere here and there are there are plenty of TVs at every angle. The service is great and the food is totally comfort food. If you leave here without having Reuben Rolls, you'll regret it. Yum. This place is cozy and nurturing...in a sports bar sort of way.

Bullwinkle's - One of the newbies in town, this is a good place to bring a family when you want to watch a game. It's HUGE and there are more TVs here than you'll find in the Best Buy TV department. (Better service too.) The food is fine - regular pub food and family favorites. If you're looking for less of a bar and more of a restaurant, this would be a safe choice.

Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon - If you're jonesing for bacon AND want to watch a game, this is the spot. Bacon seems to be a "man magnet" so you get an idea of the demographics of this bar. It's hard to find - tucked away behind a bank at a busy intersection, but once inside, it feels comfortable and there are plenty of TVs...and bacon...to keep everyone happy.

Here’s to the Ladies Who Lunch

Here's To The Ladies Who Lunch,
Everybody laugh.
Lounging in their caftans and planning
a brunch, on their own behalf.

- from "Company"

I really hate to be sexist in one of my first blogposts, but for women, lunch is more than just lunch. If location doesn’t matter and you’re able to pick and choose from one of the many restaurants around Milwaukee, then it’s all about ambiance, style and a damn good salad.

I’m not talking about a typical mid-day-break-from-work type lunch. I’m talking about a serious catch-up-with-your-girlfriends-lunch where you find out girlfriend things – how the kids are, how the husbands are, how the parents are, how the grandkids are, etc. It’s a time to unload that giant load of guilt to someone who can tell you you’re awesome and it’s not your fault that _______ (insert problem here.) It’s empowering and rejuvenating and faith-restoring.

In other words, lunch with girlfriends is an experience and you need a destination worthy of that experience. It is NOT a time to load up on calories and carbs. We’re always watching our waistlines, even as they expand. We want lighter fare that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Here, in no particular order, are just a few of my favorite lunch spots:

Anabe Team Room, Shorewood – I love this place because it makes you feel like you’ve left Milwaukee. (And I LOVE Milwaukee.) If you go, and the weather is appropriate, sit on the roof and take in the view. Simply beautiful.

Le Reve, Wauwatosa – This has to be one of the hottest lunch spots in Milwaukee because it’s always JAMMED. But it’s so worth it. Everything is great and light and if you’ve saved a calorie or two, venture down to the patisserie and choose a dessert. Hands-down, it will be the best part of your day.

Parkside 23, Brookfield – In an area positively swarming with chain restaurants, Parkside 23 is a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere is contemporary and warm and the food is farm fresh and unique. Sit on the patio in the summer and be sure to check out the “farm” that’s north of the restaurant. When they say their produce is fresh, they mean it!

Juniper 61, Wauwatosa – To me, the hippest part of Milwaukee is Bay View but those of us in Tosa get a little piece of Bay View in the form of Juniper 61. (The owners also own LuLu Cafe in Bay View.) The menu is hip and different and full of great flavor. Just a cool little place.

Honeypie Café, Bay View – Speaking of Bay View, this place, to me, is worth a trip. If you decide that you’re ready for a bit of a calorie splurge, head on over for some amazing comfort food. And be sure to leave room for pie. Trust me on this.

North Star American Bistro, Shorewood and Brookfield – North Star sets a nice table and has a menu that covers all the bases. It’s a great place for a little nicer lunch if you’re not on a tight budget.

Highlands Café, Wauwatosa – Newly expanded, this tiny café now has an executive chef and is offering some great new menu items that are perfect for lunch with girlfriends. The atmosphere is urban casual and cozy.

Café Perrin, Milwaukee – Just up the street from Highlands Café, Café Perrin has become a very popular lunch destination. The salads and sandwiches are great options with interesting flavors. Order a cup of coffee just to ooh and ahh over their adorable coffee cups.

Blue’s Egg, Milwaukee – A source of major crowds for breakfast, Blue’s also offers a luncheon menu that will please any foodie, guaranteed. The décor is hip and trendy and you definitely won’t leave hungry.

Eddie Martini’s, Wauwatosa – Sometimes you have a lunch worthy of a special celebration and therefore a special destination. Eddie Martini’s is that place. Sure, they have steaks to satisfy the carnivore in your group, but their salads and soups are simply divine and worth the extra expense. 

 

My Top 5 Milwaukee Restaurants

From time to time, people will ask me what my favorite restaurant is in Milwaukee. That's a question that I find impossible to answer. Do you mean fancy? Casual? Upscale? Home cooking? How can I pick just one?!

So instead, I give you a list of my Top 5. If somebody asks for my suggestion, these are the places that I'm pretty sure won't let them (or me) down. I take restaurant suggesting pretty seriously. I feel like it reflects back upon me. So here goes:

Crazy Water - Located in a teeny, tiny space that used to be a bar called Zur Krone, I've literally NEVER had a bad meal here. This place is small, in fact part of the bar is used to finish off plates in the front of the restaurant, but after you start eating you won't notice. The service is impeccable without being snobby. The wait staff can give you opinions if you're torn. Try anything. You'll love it.

Sanford - Sanford is, culinarily-speaking (is that even a word?), the big Kahuna in town. When you own a restaurant and Julia Child asks you to help prepare her 80th birthday meal, you clearly have some cooking skills and Sandy D'Amato does. Alas, all good things come to an end and Sandy has sold Sanford to his executive chef Justin Aprahamian. Somehow, I think things will continue to go swimmingly and I trust that Sandy has passed the baton to a worthy successor. A word of advice: This is probably the fanciest restaurant in Milwaukee. If you go, dress up. Do it just because. Leave the bar jacket and gym shoes at home. The atmosphere is very upscale, zen and streamlined, but I love this place because the service is friendly yet knowledgeable.

Ristorante Bartolotta - Full disclosure - I live within walking distance of the crown jewel of the Bartolotta Restaurant Empire (and quite an empire it has become.) I have no true and logical reason for loving this restaurant except that I do. I'm still pissed that they modified the Pappardelle con Ragu recipe, but it's still amazing. Everything is good, the service is impeccable and this is a place you can dress up or down, depending on the occasion. Is it perfect? No. I've hit a few bumps in my dining road there, but they have ALWAYS fixed it. ALWAYS. One of my favorite experiences is dining outside at Bartolotta's during the summer. The village of Tosa comes alive and it's just always a fantastic evening.

Braise - This is one of the newbie hotspots in town. Hard to get a table, so you'd better have a reservation. Located in trendy Walker's Point, the atmosphere is hip, young, modern and casual. The tables are made from repurposed bowling alleys that used to be bowled upon in the same space. In fact, that's my only (pardon the pun) beef with Braise are the "community" tables that you sometimes must share depending on the size of your party. But deal with it, because it's worthwhile. Braise is in my top 5 because it's one of a very few places where I took a bite of food and said, out loud, "WOW." The flavors, the unique pairing of foods and the unbelievable creativity is simply unmatched. Oh and it's probably no surprise that the chef/owner was formerly at Sanford.

Meritage - Like Norm from Cheers, I love it when people remember me. That's so rare in a city the size of Milwaukee, but apparently, hubby and I go to Meritage enough that we feel SO well-welcomed every time we go there. This has become our go-to place. On the fly, on a Friday night, we'll go here early before it gets crowded - and crowded it gets. Jan Kelly opened Meritage in 2007 and it has become an absolute gem in the Washington Heights neighborhood. The menu changes seasonally and the atmosphere is upscale casual with a bit of a bistro feel. The servers are top-notch and you'll be treated like royalty.

Happy dining!

What the heck is a dinner draft?

Several years ago, when our kids were very young, I was working full-time and my husband and I were stressed beyond belief. We (or actually probably more me) were looking for a way to make everyone happy. Yeah, that's a bad idea, right?

So we came up with an even worse idea - a dinner draft. We told the kids that they could write down a certain number of dinner options - favorite restaurants or a favorite meal at home - and we would do the same thing. We'd put all of the options into a bowl and then draw them out and put them on the calendar.

I know what you're thinking: This bad idea is getting worse. Oh wait, we went even further than that. We gave the kids "extra" votes so they would feel more empowered and then, hopefully, less whiny.

Yep, that about sums up my parenting skills right there.

The dinner draft was a miserable failure - both logistically and nutritionally. Too many nights at Chuck-E Cheese or having waffles at home. But it's a good story and we like to tell it.

Now that our nest is empty, we still dine out a lot and choosing a restaurant might be a little like a draft. It's based on time, mood, location...and often whether there's a game on that we want to see.

By day I'm a very part-time dining out columnist, NOT a food critic. By night, I'm a diner, with LOTS of opinions. Here is where I will share them. I hope to entertain you and inform you. For some reason, lots of people ask me where to eat. This is another way of doing that.

Bon appetit!