Worth the wait
by Jay Ratkowski (4 reviews)
September 24, 2009 - Really likes it
Tried this place on a whim after reading a favorable review in the paper (which I rarely consult for food choices). There's a sign on the door asking you to be patient as it's a small kitchen. I believe it's the owner's wife and mom doing the cooking, that's it. The owner runs the entire floor of the restaurant/bar. So, you need patience. Some other charms... while they have a pretty simple regular menu, the real delight is in the daily specials. There is a 2-sided chalk board when you walk in with maybe 6-8 specials. You have to get up to look at it, but again, that's charm in my mind. The cooks may also make up some other specials on the fly, which you have to ask about.With the waiting... we went on a Friday night and got there before 6PM. It was empty, we put our orders in. By the time our appetizers came the entire place was full and people were looking at easily a 1-1.5 hour wait to get any food. And they were running out of dishes. So, arrive early and don't go if you're in a rush. On the bright side, the owner is super friendly as are the guests. Typical of a south side place, everyone wants to talk. Most people sit at the oval shaped bar, and will chat with each other the whole night.Anyway, the food... sooo good. Had calamari for an appetizer, which is usually a dull choice. Not here. Well seasoned, lightly breaded, perfectly fried to keep everything very tender. Spicy oil to dip and a basil pesto on top. It's on the regular menu and well worth ordering.My wife got a salmon with a ginger glaze that came with mashed potatoes and some veggies I can't recall. It was a special and it was perfectly cooked. Sauce was not overwhelming and complimented the fish quite well.I also got a special, deep fried lobster. Wow! Two ~8oz tails, no shell, seasoned, lightly breaded, fried. Very moist, very delicious. I think it was $28 and I would easily pay $10-15 more without batting an eye. So yeah... I never write restaurant reviews, but this place more than deserved one. Go there, now.
Kristina P.
San Francisco, CA
8/1/2010 I've stumbled upon this restaurant through yelp after arriving at the Milwaukee Airport. I'm not from the area at all, and I'm so glad we found this place!
From the outside & inside, it looks just like a neighborhood pub, but the food is on par with fine dining!
The menu changes every day and it's written on a chalkboard. Everything is made to order! The owner was friendly and welcoming.
I had the fried green tomatoes as a starter then had a vegetable sandwich. Both we're great. I highly recommend this place to everyone who visits Milwaukee!
Jen Y.
Milwaukee, WI
8/9/2009 Our new favorite place! Sweet little bar with "gourmet" bar food! Inside is small, sit at the bar or a few booths/little tables on the sides. Weekends get crazy busy, so we try to get there right at 5 when they open to get a seat and get our order in. Weeknights aren't so bad.
Menu is the standard fried foods, sandwiches, salads. Specials change daily, listed on the sandwich board by the door. Jason, the owner will greet you, ask your name and remember you and what you like! His girlfriend is the cook, she's amazing. And you'll see his Grandma come out once in awhile, she's helping in the kitchen!
With this small staff, service is slow but it's totally cool. Like hanging out with old friends. We like to get in early to get our order in, they have like 2 friers but we really don't mind the wait. Nice music, tv's on and great company. Lots of old family photos, Brewers memoribilla, and PBR mementos! It's an experience.
Now food.... amazing!!! Portions are pretty big, prices are reasonable. I'm vegetarian and they do a great job accomodiating. The salads are great, veggie sandwich deliscious! Fries are homemade from yukon gold potatoes! Yum...
My husband the meat eater swears they have the best steak sandwich ever!... and scallops. The pruschito wrapped scallop appetizer is one of his favorite things ever. He also had a crabby scallop special that he loved (escentially a scallop with a crab cake on top). Another great special was the fish fried lobster tails. Things are very creative, and wonderfully done.
Desserts are also creative and outstanding. Usual nights they do rootbeer floats, ginger floats but when they are not busy they do a fried wonton (wonton wrappers with chocolate inside!) that's good. And weeknights they'll have a dessert special, my favorite was an apple bread with vanilla ice cream, drizzled w/caramel. It was a take on an apple pie, the bread was kind of the size of biscotti, but it was soft in the middle and lightly toasted on the crust, amazing! Never had anything like it.
Highly recommend this place, it's an adventure!
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Rocko
