Hello Race Fans! Its great to have Indycar & Asa return to America's most legendary oval this week. Heres to a great week of nonstop action all week.
Last year, 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 and kind of rehashed last years blog with some update and new places. 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 the Royals & Twins (Besides you are here for RACING). But you can still go
ahead to TGI Fridays for Dinner at Miller Park. From State Fair Park just take I94 East for a few miles & get off the Miller Park Exit. The souvineer shops are usually open and during the afternoons they have stadium tours.
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, dinner 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 (booze cruises only)! 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!
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 sandwiches 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 after a night of bar hopping!
The Painted Parrot 8028 W National Ave: A fun
Caribbean style bar. 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 if you are on a budget.
A little further away from the track but
worth the trip:
Wauwatosa - Wauwatosa (Or as the naitves call it Tosa) has several good dining establishments along State St. Try Left's Luckytown for some awesome bar food (Cheese curds, Big Ass Pretzel, chicken wings, etc). Cafe Hollander has a fine assortment of beers and foods. Ristorante Bartolotta has many northern Italy dishes cooked with the freshest ingridients. They also have a very large wine selection to go with your meals. Maxie's Southern Comfort home to Cajun cooking.
El Beso Mexican Restaurant 5030 S 74th St Greenfield: They have excellent food & bottomless refills on the chips
& salsa. Be prepared to spend over $20, as the prices are around $12-$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 Steak Bistec Ala Mexicana.
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. Awesome tamales (Notice a trend with me LOL), empanadas, and more. They have the best margaritas in town! 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
.
Kopps Frozen Custard 7631 West Layton Avenue,
Greenfield: Dario Franchitti’s favorite place for custard. 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 stand close to the race track for fans to enjoy.
One of the oldest custard stands 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 or on their patios.
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.
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. With the Juneau St bridge closed for repairs it is a nice peaceful spot near downtown.
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. FOr more information visit: http://lucillesmke.com/
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 SEVERAL seasonal beers. 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 hand sitting by one of their fire pits listening to the band play!
http://www.hghideaway.com/
After bar close eats
Try one of the many street
vendors or street carts! All what you need is basically pocket change (Nothing more than $4 for
most items). I would post their Twitter accounts but its really random who will show up on Water St most weekends. Most of them can be found at McKinley & Water.
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 sandwiches. 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 races this week!
DON
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Slow cooked ham in beer
Another Successful Don Nelson Act of Cookery!
Alright so alot of you know that the last month, I have been trying to take on the skilled art of cookery. I already know I am miles behind the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Justin Wilson (The southern chef who was on PBS not the Indycar driver. WHOOOOO WEEE! I guranteeee it), and Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet on PBS, who is deceased).
Though I am probably catching up to the likes of Chef Paul, and Food network's Giada. Common guys you all know about Giada. The sadistical smiling Italian with the low cut tops and cheesy porn music playing in the background as she cuts vegetables. Yea her! Its just wrong but its like a bad car accident and you cant help but watch with curiosity which vegetable is going to face the knife next!!!! Ladies the next time you see your man watching this show, you should challenge him to make one of her dishes to see if he is really watching for cooking or not. Moving along.....
I am pleased to bring you recipe #2 Slow cooked ham in beer! (I am up to 5 recipes I just haven written about the other 3 which could make a complete meal LOL)
It can't get any simpler than this.
1. Thaw out yer ham! Depending on the size of the ham this can take awhile. Figure about 4-5hrs per pound. I had a 9lb ham took it out of the freezer Friday morning, it was ready Sunday morning.
2. Line the bottom of your slow cooker with brown sugar. Sorry I don't measure I just made sure the bottom wasn't showing :)
3. Drop the ham in the slow cooker, and add the desired beer. For this recipe I used Point Special Lager. Again its totally up to you just don't use a light beer. I filled the slow cooker up about 3/4" of the way.
4. Set the temperature to low and let it cook for about 5hrs. About every hour or so I poured some of the beer on the top to keep it extra moist.
5. Place the ham in pan to cool, carve it and enjoy! Your ham should look like this:
*The lighting in the kitchen sucks & the ham looks better in person.
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010 Highlights
8. Festivals! Festivals! Festivals!
There were so many I went to this year, each one of them had great highlights & memories. I even went to State Fair twice (Yes I still hate State Fair, but can't get enough of the Herb Kohl milk!). Oktoberfest in Lacrosse, Portwashington Fishdays, Summerfest, Polishfest, Germanfest, Irishfest (The Redhot Chili Pipers), Mexican fiesta, Festa, church festivals! Need I say more? They were all a blast & so were the people I went to them with.
7. Eric Clapton & Roger Daltry in concert at Summerfest.
Alot of people would have this at number one I'm sure. It was great hearing Daltry play some great songs from The Who, & Eric Clapton on the guitar, enuff said! Plus it was at Summerfest the best music festival in Milwaukee!
6. Seeing the Transsiberieran Orchestra in concert for the first time.
I fell in love with TSO in 1997 and have always wanted to go to their concerts when they came to Milwaukee. However I didn't have the money or the shows sold out so fast. This year I finally got to go & if you have been debating about going, I highly recommend you to go. Its 3hrs of great music, pyrotechnics, a guitarist named Angus its truly amazing. A slight recommendation, remember that its an ORCHESTRA so dress somewhat nice. Motley Crue shirts are not acceptable attire as you will get weird looks from people. LOL
These last ones were the hardest to rank.
5. Attending the Indianapolis Colts vs New York Jets AFC Championship game...... In the basement!
I'm not really a Colts fan. I like some of the Players but my friend Aaron is a huge Colts fan. So a bunch of us thought it would be fun to drag him down there to witness the championship game. They had a huge tailgate party for the fans & let us watch the game in the basement of the stadium. I feel so lucky to be able to say I have been in Lucas Oil Stadium's basement & the basement of the Indianapolis Motor speedway Museums' coveted basement. Also we met alot of nice JETS fans while we were in Green Bay Packer gear!
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4. 1st Badger football game at Camp Randall Stadium.
I have never been to Camp Randall, but have driven by it several times. Again its always come down to a money issue or broken promises, or plans that have fallen through. Thanks to our great reps over at Charter Communications I was able to score 2 tickets against Arizona State University. Go figure one of the games that we should have put up 70pts against an opponent and we just squeaked out with a win. Oh well it was still alot of fun. The 5th quarter was a party in itself & watching the student section the whole game was entertaining.
3. Doing the Polar Bear Plunge on New Years Day.
It was a balmy -2 degrees and my friend Lisa & I both agreed your not a true Milwaukeean if you don't experience the Polar Bear Plunge at least once. So we did it. Plus it was a bucket list item. Its not so bad once you are in the water. Its the getting out part where you catch cold real fast. A true Polar Bear though just doesn't stand in the lake for a few seconds. No sir, he frog splashes into the lake and gets fully submerged! Plus it gives the crowd something to laugh at & cheer. I think I heard this year its supposed to be like 23degrees for the plunge.... Wusses!
2. Friends!
No not the TV show Friends! I'm talking about all the new friends & people I met this year! Its always great to "Network" with people & have great conversations. Social Media is becoming more & more important in this day & age & its important to network, & connect with people with similar interests. Old friends I haven't forgotten about you. My year would have been boring without most of you people! Especially going to alot of them festivals! It was great to reconnect with old friends & coworkers on Facebook as well this year. I cant wait to see what 2011 brings us.
1. MY 1ST INDIANAPOLIS 500!
So the nice thing to do would be to say my friends were the highlight of my year.... Well not this year (Next Year isn't looking too good either lol). Everyone who is a race fan should at least witness the Indianapolis 500 in person once in their life. I guarantee you will want to go back year after year! I'm already looking forward to May 2011 (You can go with me if you want). The parties, the marching bands, the feelings you experience, the crowd, hearing Jim Nabors belt out "Back Home Again in Indiana" (That will bring a tear to your eye I guarantee it!), oh yea & theres a great race that takes place! Theres so much to take in. Watching all the drivers emotions during the month of may on TV just doesn't do any justice. The tension before the start of the race is so thick you have to cut it with a chainsaw!
Well there you have it. 2010 was one of the best years ever! I cant wait to see what 2011 brings to the table. All I know is I'm taking the same approach to 2011 as I did with 2010. Grabbin the bull by the horns and going for it all!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Don's Damn Good Drunken Chicken Wings!
Look out ladies this single man can cook & BBQ!
So it all began at work, I was sitting at my desk craving chicken wings for dinner. The problem is I didn't feel like paying a ton of money for mediocre chicken wings from some chain restaurants and be disappointed later on. So I decided to venture to the grocery store and buy a bag of naked chicken wings. A 3lb bag at Pick N Save was on sale for $6.99! Not a bad deal! The hard part was making them & the sauce, as I had no clue where to begin. After a little research all these thoughts & ideas were running through my head. Alot of websites had great ideas however, none of them sounded really good or were complicated. So I did it my way, which as you know either turns out really really good or really really bad.
Alot of you know I refuse to share my soon to be famous Beer Brat recipe, unless you are married to me, one of my kids, or I'm on my death bed ready to croak and want my legacy to be carried on. So in fairness I thought I would share this one with anyone who was interested.
Don's Damn Good Drunken Chicken Wings!
Cook time approx 1hr
Ingredients
*1 3-5# bag of chicken wings
*1 bottle of Franks Red Hot (Or your favorite type)
* 1 large bottle of Open Pit BBQ sauce
*Brown Sugar
*Butter
*2 Bottles of beer (1 for the recipe and 1 for the hardworking chef). I used Horny Goat's Exposed
*Choose your cooking personality: Chef Gordon Ramsay, or that Italian chef Giada De Laurentiis.
The one that you swear is like watching a porno with the music playing in the background and all her teeth are showing (Whats going on underneath that counter....) & them outfits! I swear Julia Child must be rolling in her grave calling her the skank of cookery! Perhaps shes sadistic & has some sick thrill cutting up things, and one day may go postal with a meat cleaver. Moving along......
Make the sauce:
Get a large pot & add the following items to it:
2 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of Franks Red Hot
1 cup of Open Bit BBQ Sauce
1 bottle of Beer (Speaking of beer did you take a sip of yours yet?)
1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
Stir all ingredients on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Start frying up the wings!
Heat up a frying pan with vegetable oil or olive oil. (You could use a deep fryer if you have one).
Start tossing the wings into the pan. I did about 7 or 8 at a time.
Cook the wings for about 5-7 minutes & turn them over.
Once the wings are fully cooked, place them in the pot of sauce.
Stir the wings in the sauce and let them simmer for about 5 minutes
*Now is a good time to take another swig from your beer!
After 5 minutes place the wings on a cookie sheet. To prevent a mess I used tinfoil and sprayed it with Pam. I added a little bit more sauce to each wing just to keep them moist during the baking process.
Preheat your oven to 425.
Bake the wings on each side for 5-7 minutes until they are golden brown & have reached your desired level of crispiness. While waiting finish your beer! What else are you going to do with it.
DING! WINGS ARE DONE!
Enjoy! I hope you bought a six pack, as you should have 4 bottles left to enjoy with these awesome wings!
I am already drawing up other ingredients to add to the mix for the next one: IE: Lime Juice, flour to thicken the sauce up a bit, Jack Daniels for a whiskey tasting wing, some garlic for flavor, & even a Secret Sauce wing. Feel free to add any input below or share a recipe. I was nervous when making this one at first, especially when I saw the sauce in the pot. Then it all came together!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yea Im Goin to Hell
My comments might speed up the process or I might get struck by Lightning!
So I have been trying to find ways to "blog" more for my friends and occasional readers. I was going to do restaurant reviews, which I am cooking up a few. But then I had the idea of blogging about certain thoughts. I have these strange & out of the ordinary thoughts that could result in me burning in Hell & high fiving Lucifer. Thus the Yea I'm Goin to Hell section is born!
Beware your comments or agreeances could result in you joining me :)
Ozzy's Mr Crowley was playing on my MP3 player today on my way to work. I always get excited & can feel the hair on my neck raising whenever I hear the opening of this song.
Its gotta be the same feeling a Catholic priest has after mass when he knows the alter boys are all alone & he dims the lights walking up to them with a single lit candle & a eye to eye grin on his face with organ music playing in the background! Or when Michael Jackson walks into a Daycare..... Well leave that one alone for now.
With this thought & analysis I'm probably going to Hell!!! Unless God has a sense of humor. Its sunny out as I type this so there are no chances of a lightning strike :)~
Disclaimer: **Please note I am joking with this & by no means wish this upon anyone and are just random thoughts. If you take this seriously or are offended you are more than welcome to read the other billions of blogs posted out on the inter webs. Comments are always welcomed and appreciated or if you want to join in on the fun. I am Catholic, & take my religion seriously, with an occasional poke here and there :)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A Huge Bode of Thanks to AJ Bombers!
A great place to eat, with an awesome staff!
As a lot of you may know all of my jobs have been focused on customer service. Whether it was putting groceries in little old lady’s cars, educating customers on doing household repairs (Do not start a chainsaw on your knee! Turn the power off when replacing electrical outlets!), to offering people support with computers, and phones. Everyday is a different adventure and brings fourth new challenges. With this you always have to be alert and ready, and to make sure both the company and the customer is satisfied with the level of support you have provided.
I have been a part of the Twitter world since May of 2009. The Izod Indycar series drivers, pr staff and teams, piqued my interest in using Twitter to read Tweets during the month of May for the Indy500. There I was able to read tweets about how the cars were handling, rumors in the series, and various road trips to race tracks (Especially the detour they made to Kopps frozen Custard on their way to Milwaukee). Though my use of Twitter has evolved to more than just following racing, I have depended on Twitter to alert me of traffic conditions, weather, news, sports, making new friends, technology trends, and of course FOOD! During my use of Twitter I was being followed by a restaurant called AJ Bombers.
I finally decided to try AJ Bombers in January, as I was craving a hamburger and I wasn’t in the mood to try the usual places. I will admit I am ashamed of waiting to try this gem for such a long time! The food is unbelievable. I consider myself to be some sort of burger connoisseur. The more condiments I have to add to a burger it means I’m disappointed in the overall taste of the burger. Not here I don’t use any Ketchup or Mustard on my burger. To the people that know me… Wipe off your monitor screens off of that beverage you just spewed all over it and reread that last sentence again. Yes Don the man who puts ketchup on anything and everything (Not steak or seafood) eats a burger with no ketchup on it. My definition of the perfect burger here: The Barrie Burger (Contains bacon and natural chunky peanut butter), add some fried onions, and mushrooms and it equals heaven on a delicious bun!
Though its not only the awesome burger AJ Bombers has, or their awesome sides (Sweet Potato Chips, the cheese bullets, or the Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls), or the awesome atmosphere (Ask for a serving of peanuts once!), it’s the customer service! Every time I have gone to AJ Bombers the staff is extremely friendly, funny and provides a very relaxing atmosphere. Almost like a tailgate party (They will provide the endless bowl of peanuts!). Staffs check up on you frequently to make sure you’re doing alright and ask how the food is, or to make conversation, and when you leave, everyone including the owner if he is around thanks you for stopping in and wishes you a wonderful day. It’s no wonder that AJ Bombers is a very successful business, and it even shows everyday on their Twitter stream (Which you can watch while you are eating), of all the people post positive feedback.
Newspaper advertising, billboards, radio ads? Not at AJ Bombers. They are a Social Media advertising machine (The owner has even written a book with others called #Twitter Works http://twitterworks.tv/preview ! From the minute they open, to the minute they close they are online retweeting compliments from customers, and advertising their specials for the day.
So here I am providing a great restaurant with free advertisement of how great they are and how many other establishments around Milwaukee should learn from AJ Bombers experience and take note. It pays off! If you are a non Milwaukee resident, the next time you are in the area, I encourage you to visit them, as they are on my highly recommended list. If you have had them and didn’t like them well nuts to you!
Keep up the good work guys and you will be seeing me whenever I crave a Barrie Burger!!
Website: http://ajbombers.com/
Twitter: @ajbombers
Facebook: http://www.facebok.com/ajbombers
* I think Ill make this a new column in my blogs (A Huge Bode of Thanks) for whenever I receive great customer service, or response to customer complaints.
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