One Milwaukeean's guide for Eats, Drinks, & Activities

Hello Race Fans! It’s great to have the Izod INDYCAR series return to the Milwaukee Mile this weekend! I'm hoping that results in a good turnout for the weekend.

A little history of America’s most legendary oval:

• Started out in 1876 as a private horse track, then purchased in 1891 to be a permanent site for the State Fair grounds (It is used during the fair for concerts & parking).
• The first race was held in 1903 on September 11th.
• July 17th 1933 was considered the first Champ Car race at the track. The race was rained out that day & the drivers convinced the track promoters to run the race the following day. The term “Rain Date” was then born!
• The track was last measured to be 1.032 miles. All teams please make a note of that for your fuel calculations (~coughs~ Ganassi).
• It is the oldest Operating speedway in North America (Take that Indy!!!), running at least one race every year with the exceptions of World War 2, & 2010 (Unless you count the two Asa races that were run in 2010).
• Track Record: CART: Patrick Carpentier ran a lap of 20.028 seconds which was 185.500mph in 1998.

2011 prediction on who will win? Dario. I would love to see Ed Carpenter win or even TK win, but the red cars are tough to beat on ovals.

I put together a little bit of a guide for out of town guests with other local activities that are taking place during this weekend if you were looking for things to do after you leave the track. Included in the guide are several restaurants & bars near the track or in downtown Milwaukee.

Baseball: Sorry the Brewers are out of town playing the Boston Red Sox. But you can still go ahead to TGI Fridays for Dinner.

Boating / Lakefront Activities

Take a stroll on Bradford beach, & stop at Northpoint Custard & grab a burger & some custard & watch the sunset by the lake! 2272 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive

Alterra at the Lake 1701 N Lincoln Memorial Dr. Located in an old River Flushing Station built in 1888 (Don’t worry it was cleaned before they put the coffee shop in).

How about a booze cruise? Milwaukee River Cruises has a Margarita Fiesta cruise or a Late Night Party cruise for you to enjoy! Spend about 90minutes on a boat that takes you through the Milwaukee area where you can drink all the Margaritas & beer you want, along with all you can eat taco & nacho bars! At $26 a ticket it should be a blast! Book a reservation ahead of time. They fill up fast http://www.edelweissboats.com/public/

Festivals

Polish Fest: Friday / Sat from noon – midnight & Sunday from noon – 10pm– Summerfest Grounds 200 North Harbor Drive Milwaukee WI 53202: Get your Polka on at Polish Fest while eating some of the finest Polish food! There is even Vodka tastings for an additional $12. There are some great admission deals Friday & Saturday. Go to: http://www.polishfest.org/index.html for more information.

Hartfest: Friday / Saturday http://www.hartfest.com/ Hart Park is about 10minutes away from the fair park. This year Hartfest will be benefiting The Wisconsin Humane Society, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Heart of Gold, the Wauwatosa East Boosters Club & the National Spinal Cord Injury Association.

Dining

These places are within a few miles of the Fair Grounds so you won’t miss any action during the day or good places to eat at on the way back to the hotel.

Pauly’s Pub & Eatery. 8031 W. Greenfield Ave: A great place to escape the track for a decent meal & a beer at a reasonable price. It’s right across from turn 1! Saturday night 2009 they had some giveaways & a few members of Team Penske were present.

Benno’s Genuine Pub & Grill 7413 West Greenfield Ave: Over 30 varieties of beer on tap! Stop & try one, or all 30. Just make sure you can make it to race day.

Johnny V’s Classic Café 1650 S 84th St: They serve burgers, & other s&wiches with breakfast 24hrs a day. After bar close this is one of the areas most popular spot for best drunk food. If you see someone flashing a sideways peace sign don’t be afraid they are headin to the V’s for some much needed food!

Yester Years Pub & Grill 9427 W. Greenfield Ave: A nice place to stop for a few drinks, shoot some pool & hangout. Checkout the old racing pictures, though a lot of it is NASCAR. Sandwiches are named after NASCAR drivers as well. They usually have a b& or DJ on the weekends.

The Painted Parrot 8028 W National Ave: A fun Caribbean style restaurant. They always seem to be filled with people on a Friday night. Order the Big Ass Nachos if you go with friends! They are very good & will fill you up.

A little further away from the track but worth the trip:
El Beso Mexican Restaurant 5030 S 74th St Greenfield: Just opened in April! They have excellent food & bottomless refills on the chips & salsa. Be prepared to spend over $20, as the prices are around $10-$18 a plate depending what you get & if you want a Margarita (Very strong!). If you go with multiple people I suggest getting the pitchers to ease the pain of the price. Ask for Pablo if he is working, he is hilarious. Great tamales, but if you want something with some kick go with the

Filippo's Italian Restaurant 6915 W Lincoln Ave: Fine Italian dining. They offer thick & thin crust pizzas, as well as other authentic Italian dishes. Ganassi used to get pizzas from here in the 90s.

Downtown Dining

Botana’s 816 S. 5th Street Milwaukee: Awesome Nachos Gringos, & Tamales.

La Perla Mexican Restaurant 734 South 5th Street Milwaukee: Another popular Mexican Restaurant. Don’t forget to ride the chili pepper after your done eating!

Water Buffalo 249 N. Water Street, Milwaukee: Great Riverside dining experience & great customer service. Try the beef tenderloin kabob over rice.

Burgers & custard! What’s more Milwaukee than that?

AJ Bombers 1241 N Water Street, Milwaukee (@ajbombers): Travel channel's Foodwars champion of best Milwaukee Burger. I recommend the cheese curds for an appetizer & the Barrie Burger with extra peanut butter. Peanut Allergy warning! They serve peanuts here & there are peanut shells all over the place. You have been warned .

Sobelman’s 1900 W Saint Paul Ave Milwaukee: A burger joint loved by Marquette students. Not a bad burger but was runner up to AJ Bombers in the Foodwars challenge.

Kopps Frozen Custard 7631 West Layton Avenue, Greenfield: Dario Franchitti’s favorite place! They have awesome burgers & custard here. The buns are lathered with lots of butter & then lightly toasted on the grill. Add fried onions to the burger with the spicy brown mustard. They usually have multiple flavors of the day. It can be a very busy place on a hot summer night!

Golden Gyros 7233 West Lincoln Avenue Milwaukee: Excellent custard & close to the race track. The custard is a lot richer than Kopps, & usually offers one flavor a day. Excellent Gyros & Greek fries. Cash only!

Gilles Frozen Custard 7515 W Bluemound Rd Milwaukee: Another custard st& close to the race track for fans to enjoy. One of the oldest custard st&s around since 1938. Bud Selig the commissioner can be seen here on Mondays getting a burger & cone. The traditional way to eat here is in your car not at the tables inside. Even in the middle of winter people can be seen eating in their cars.

Leon’s Frozen Custard 3131 S 27th St, Milwaukee: Another amazing place for custard that has been around since 1942. They are open daily from 10am – midnight. If your craving custard & you’re supposed to be on a diet sneak on over when the spouse is asleep! Cash only!

Bars

You’re in Milwaukee right? Drinking is a must; it’s a past time around here. Water Street is a must stop if you are interested in checking out several bars at once. Listed below are few of the popular bars on Water St. Please note Wisconsin law prohibits smoking inside of ALL Wisconsin bars. Most bars will have smokers right outside by the door.

International Exports, LTD (AKA: The Safehouse) 779 North Front Street. Milwaukee: Are you a spy? Are you being followed? Are you looking for a Safe House? Well you’re in luck in Milwaukee we have one that is over 40years old! Check out this amazing spy themed bar/restaurant for an epic experience. Try one of their many special mixed drinks. After 7pm a cover of $3-$5 may be charged, but it is worth it if you love spy themed stuff.

Bar Louie 1114 North Water Street, Milwaukee: Offers several different types of beers & drinks.

Bar None 1139 N Water St Milwaukee: This is the smallest bar on Water St but a great staff. Saturdays from 9:30 – 10:30pm (11:30 for ladies) $1 rails & domestic taps!

Trinity Three Irish Pubs 125 East Juneau Milwaukee: Great Irish Bar just off of Water St with a wonderful patio. Order a Pint of Guinness & an order of Rueben Rolls!

The Harp Irish Pub 113 E Juneau Ave Milwaukee: Another amazing Irish bar with a patio that sits next to the Milwaukee River.

Rosie’s Water Works 1111 North Water St: A popular place with great drinks & staff. Home of the Birthday Mug with bottomless drinks! Friends get 2 for 1 on bombs & $5 pitchers! It’s impossible not to leave here sober during a birthday celebration!

Lucille’s Rockin Pianos 1110 North Old World 3rd St Milwaukee: A fun place to go with the right group of people! Get hammered & sing your favorite songs played on two gr& pianos competing with each other! Yes they do play Billy Joel’s Piano man & everyone sings along. Note: There is a cover charge to enter & drinks are a little pricey. About 2years ago the cover was $10.

The Horny Goat Hideaway 2011 South 1st Street Milwaukee: Milwaukee’s largest outdoor patio is the place to be on a summer night. They make their own beer & have their 6 most common flavors on tap & offer a seasonal beer or 2. I recommend the Exposed & Red Vixen. The have an amazing menu with a great Friday Fish Fry. There is no better place to be than the Horny Hideaway on a Friday or Saturday night just kicking back with a beer in h& sitting by one of their fire pits!

After bar close eats
Try one of the many street vendors! All what you need is basically pocket change (Nothing more than $4 for most items).

My favorite is Street-za Pizza. They serve huge slices of pizza off of Water Street & Juneau until about 3am for only $3.75 on Fridays & Saturdays. Try one of the regular slices, or try their slice of the day. Your best bet is to follow them on Twitter @streetzapizza for their location for the night. They also have an Iphone App you can download that will show you where they are located.

Real Chili 419 East Wells Street: Another Milwaukee favorite food to cure a hangover! When ordering from here it’s like going to Coldstone Creamery. Pick your choice chili (Mild, Medium, or Hot), then choose additional toppings to go with it. Chili comes with a heaping bowl of Oyster crackers just like when momma gave you chili! Want more? Order a 2nd bowl for half price!

Rather have breakfast or a Hamburger? Why not try George Webbs. www.georgewebbs.com

There are over 6 locations throughout the Milwaukee area & George Webbs is the unofficial hangover food of Milwaukee! Breakfast is served daily from 12:00am – 11:59pm. The chicken flavored noodle soup goes well with any of their s&wiches. The best deal is if the Milwaukee Brewers score 5 runs or more (Regardless if they are home or away win or lose), you can get 6 burgers for $5 (Cheese is extra).

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy your visit in our city & hope you can checkout some of these local establishments. If there is anything in particular you might be looking for that isn’t covered (German food or places in another nearby city), tweet me @donny2001 . Any locals reading this feel free to post some of your favorite places below!

Thanks & enjoy the race!

DON!