Third Ward Cafe

Third Ward Cafe
225 E. St. Paul
Milwaukee, WI.

The Third Ward Cafe is located directly across the street from the MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET which, by the way, the letter "L" in "PUBLIC" has been burned out on their big neon sign for almost a year, which has not gone unnoticed by me. I keep wondering if anyone over there is going to take notice of what a huge public relations blunder this is (Or maybe I should say PUBIC RELATIONS)?
The occasion for visiting the Third Ward Cafe was my wife's & my birthday. We decided to park the daughter with my sister in-law and head out for a fancy date. No reservation was necessary.
The food served here is Italian Bistro Style. There is a rather brightly lit dining room with an olive & beechwood theme reminiscent of a WILLIAMS SONOMA store. It is flanked by an Italian Deli & small Italian grocery which is all part of the same enterprise. A rather casual meal can be had to go from the deli, including pasta salads, panini and pizza or, an entire picnic could be planned, right down to the basket, from the grocery store.
From my perspective, I was treating this as a fancy night out and I expected the staff to reciprocate though, to my surprise the service (except for the hostess) was very brusque and short. I got no sense from the wait staff that they gave a durn that this was a fancy experience for us. It seemed that, for most 3rd Ward residents who appear to have the best of everything, this was just a casual place to blow 150 dollars on a meal.
This aside, the food was well prepared and straighforward. For starters we had two different salads. A Spinach, Peach, Strawberry Salad with Pralines and a Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Door County Cherrries. The ingredients were fresh and excellent. The salads lugged along a 10 - 12 dollar price tag. An appetizer of mussels and several soup selections also caught my eye.
For our entrees I had the Chicken Piccata. This consisted of two chicken breasts pan fried with a tangy lemon caper sauce. It was served with a simple side of steamed carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. My partner had Pasta Livorno in Tomato Cream Sauce with Salmon. The salmon was cooked medium well and served in chunks on top of the pasta & sauce which was infused with the flavor of dill. Both of these dishes carried hefty 22 & 19 dollar price tags, respectively.
Some other menu items which looked tempting were the Braised Beef Short Ribs (24 dollars) and the Seared Scallops with Cannellini Beans and Pancetta (25 Dollars). Several of the entrees could be made with either chicken or veal. There was also a pizza section and a create your own pasta dish section. I still couldn't get over the prices of the fare, which seemed to be marked up about 25 to 30 percent more than it should have been.
Dessert consisted of Lemon Gelato with Limoncello Liqueur served in a flute glass, and Mandarin Orange Gelato, which was served in a hollowed out mandarin orange hull. The desserts were quite tasty. They carried a price tag in the neighborhood of 10 dollars each.
Throw in one glass of Pinot Noir and a Peroni and the bill came out to one hundred dollars. I guess they gotta pay the exorbitant rent somehow.
Well, I must say the food was nicely prepared, but I will not be going back. My cooking skills are good enough that I could prepare these dishes just as well at home for a fraction of the cost. If you have the hankering for Italian home-style cooking, save your money. Just go to the library and get Lidia Bastianich's cookbook & prepare it yourself.

Conejitos Place rocks

Conejito's Place
539 W Virginia St
Milwaukee, WI 53204

I find myself craving a certain kind of mexican food - the low-key family kind- nothin fancy, no salsa bar, sour cream bar, or fancy-pants fajitas. I can get your standard taco truck fare in New York pretty easily-tacos and tamales that are as good as any i’ve had in the East Bay where I grew up. At Conejitos I was psyched to find the kind of homey Mexican meals I miss. Such meals can be found at places like La Pinata in Hayward or Juan’s in Berkeley and all over the west coast- fluffy rice served with refried pinto beans alongside a saucy entree.

The X-Games were on the big screen tv, and some kid just broke one of his vertebrae on the ramp as we sat down to eat. I ordered beef enchiladas and a Negro Modelo. Usually served on a hot ceramic plate at most places, my beef enchiladas at Conejitos arrived on a standard paper plate. It’s like homey food downplayed by taco-truck-like presentation. But no matter. The enchiladas were delicious- shredded, spiced beef rolled like a fatty in a corn tortilla, covered in an exceptional enchilada sauce and sprinkled with white cheese. I didn’t use any salsa or hot sauce for this meal, though now, after going to a Milwaukee BBQ later that evening and having everyone tell me I should have tried it, I regret not tasting the hot sauce. Anyways, Cold Negro Modela at my side, I dug into that meal, and the next thing I knew I was full. By the time I looked up at my date, she had finished her margarita and chips with guacamole, and our asses were ready to hit the road. Bonus!-The meal was less than $20! BTW, can anyone hook me up with one of those Conejito’s t-shirts? (size Medium).

AL JOHNSON'S SWEDISH RESTAURANT

HWY 42
SISTER BAY, WI
54234

Al Johnson's is a landmark restaurant in Door County Wisconsin. Located in downtown Sister Bay on the main drag, it is hard to miss the log cabin with a roof made of real grass. During the summer months, live goats are let out onto the roof to feed on the grass. This is what Al's is most famous for, and thousands of people are drawn to see this spectacle every year.
I've been going to Al's since I was a small child because I have family in those parts. My cousins worked at Al's for years and I spent some summers working in restaurants in Door County too. I know there are some who say Al Johnson's is overrated, but it has become so much a part of the Door County experience, it's almost impossible to resist.
Al's is really a diner at heart. It's not meant to be a fancy, totally authentic gourmet Swedish restaurant. Many critics knock Al's in comparison to the fine Swedish dining available in, say, the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, but this is DOOR COUNTY we are talking about here. And that means families & kids. SOOO this restaurant is modeled after a typical family style diner. In some ways Al's is a time warp to the 1950's era of resort tourism, but many fail to understand this.
What makes Al's several notches above your average Omega Diner however, is the atmosphere. After you open the heavy wooden door you are suddenly transported into a fragrant log cabin flanked by a swedish Butik on one side, where one may purchase anything from a Swedish Dala Horse to Recycled rubber Danish clogs. To the right is the restaurant where you will be greeted by one of the pretty waitresses dressed in traditional Scandinavian dresses. This obviously is another draw. Al's can be a busy place with long lines and many a pleasant wait has been spent in the vestibule, watching the waitresses dutifully performing their craft. You can also meet alot of friendly patrons in the lobby if you're inclined, though I'm sad to say in the past decade or so, the newer generations of tourists to Door County think they're still behind the winshield of their HummVee when it is time to interact with anybody at all.
Once seated, one realizes the spartan, frugal nature of Al's. The stackable plastic Eames chair is de rigeur and the blue water glasses, upon closer inspection, are not fancy Scandinavian cobalt, but Corning Ware. The silverware is from SysCo, etc. One thing they have had at Al's for as long as I can remember are sugar packets with different types of sailing ships printed on them. This is foodservice at it's zenith. It needs to be that way at Al's. Most folks don't realize how many customers churn through the doors of this landmark.
That is why it's almost surprising to be handed the large blue script menus and see Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries . You breathe a sigh of relief and say "Oh yeah, I'm at Al's, not the PALLAS" . No matter what people say about the other fare, I've never heard anyone complain about the swedish pancakes. They are crepe like, buttery, rich and piping hot. A pewter bowlful of Lingonberry Jam accompanies your order. Lingonberries are rougly the size of a currant, but have a taste similar to a sweet cranberry. The pancakes are served with your choice of Oscar Mayer bacon, sausage, or Homemade Swedish Meatballs. Many folks have ripped on Al's Swedish Meatballs, and I'm no expert by far (I almost always ordered the sausage..... goes good with the lingonberries), but I didn't mind them. They have a strong beef taste to them, and I've long wondered what other game is mixed with the beef, but it's a secret. Perhaps caribou or moose or something. Of course any other diner breakfast fare is available from scrambled eggs to belgian waffles.
Breakfast is served all day long at Al's along with your average diner classics such as a B.L.T. or Club Sandwich, but for a lunchtime treat, try some homemade soup with Swedish Limpa, An aromatic, spiced soft rye bread. Local fare is available as well such as Lake Michigan Perch or Whitefish. Desserts featuring Door County Cherries can also be had.
So, the moral of the story is Al Johnson's IS a tourist trap, yes, but with the amount of business they do, it's good to see they havent watered down the formula that has made them a perennial favorite.

Alpine Village

10401 N Cedarburg Road 51W
Mequon, Wisconsin 53092, USA

Alpine Village

I've included USA in the address, because on a typical visit to the Alpine Village, you may forget what country you're in. No you won't, but you may forget what decade you're in. This place is so much in another era, I'm not entirely sure it ISN'T reached by some kind of time-warp. We may as well just assume it is.

If you happen to visit the state of Wisconsin, the one place you MUST visit, besides The House on the Rock, is the Alpine Village. Open since 1949, it appears to be unchanged, though you can no longer catch your own trout in the pond, though still there, built into the front of the dining room. You can, however, order Veal Cordon Bleu, which is weirder. Or Wiener Schnitzel, Osso Bucco, Sautéed Calve's Liver, and an appetizer of water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. All will be eaten to live music standards played by some real human beings. Save (or make) room for an amazing dessert, Strawberry Schaum Torte, which is a meringue shell holding up ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream, which rises nearly four feet off the table. Maybe not four feet, but it feels that way, especially in your memory.

After eating all of that, it is a good time to visit the "Bridal Tower" in the back of the restaurant, which is connected to the extensive wedding banquet facilities. This is kind of a shrine to the ritual of marriage, but it has the effect of making you feel like you have shrunken to doll size and are wandering in an insane children's playland. On one visit, things became even more surreal when I heard music coming from further back, and upon investigation found an entire room dancing to a polka band consisting of older women wearing gold lame’ costumes. It was like stumbling onto a Rolling Stones concert, almost, that is if the Stones still knew how to dress.

Part of the surreal, time-warp experience of the Alpine Village is FINDING IT, hidden in strange, rural Wisconsin, so I'm including directions to enhance the experience. Take I-43 north of Milwaukee to Mequon, and get off at the Mequon Road exit. Travel west, and take a left on Range Line Road. Follow that to Donges Bay Road and take a right. Follow that until it dead ends at the river. Turn around and head back to River Road, take a left and travel north. Turn left on Mequon Road and turn left and proceed to the nearest gas station or convenience store. Ask directions to the Alpine Village. Ignore the blank stares and continue on, searching the darker than pitch Wisconsin night. You have now entered the Alpine Village Zone, and when you finally come upon the enormous parking lot and ivy covered old-world structure, and lighted blue sign whose shape makes no sense, you will be ready to face the hostess with the beehive hairdo and the heavy chandeliers that always remind me of that Pasolini movie "Salo" --and dinner.

Phan's Garden

Phan's Garden
21st & National Ave.
Milwaukee, WI.

I debated whether to discuss Laotian or Vietnamese food first, but I think it has to be Vietnam. It will be a primer, if you will, for the hardcore South East Asian Laotian fare which I will discuss in the future.
Phan's Garden is by no means a pretty looking place. The walls are painted a bright pink and the maroon naugahyde booths clash with the 40's style wood bar along the back. Along this bar are those chinese jade trees with gaudy orange 'fruit' hanging from them. It is a bit of a dive that probably leaves first time visitors wondering about the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Most first timers to Phan's will probably not stray from the Chinese fare on the menu, instead they will stare over at other tables where entire families are each tearing into large bowls of soup with a big plastic spoon and chopsticks, barely coming up for air. And this brings me to the main feature at Phan's - the inexpensive, well prepared, Vietnamese style soups known as Pho`.
Once you try the Vietnamese fare, you'll realize that you've been cheating yourself out of a real treat. And, no, youre not eating pig eyeballs and tapeworms, but you will need to make some slight adjustments. I would expect a first time acquaintance with a fish ball to be met with not a little suspicion.
Before we get into the Pho (pronounced 'fuuhh' not 'fo' ) try an appetizer of Spring Rolls. These are similar to the Thai style spring roll : Rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts, carrots, and sliced pork are rolled into a rice flour wrapper and eaten with a side of Sriracha chili paste and peanut sauce. They are also served vegetarian with mint and cilantro added.
The Egg Rolls are a good choice. They differ from the chinese style. The wrapper is thinner and crispier, and the filling is a peppery pork filling with cellophane noodles. These are served with a side of sweetened fish sauce.
Now for the pho`. The stock is basically the same for all the soups. Vegetable stock is simmered with onion, garlic, star anise and lettuce. The soup choices are self explanatory and all soups are served with a heaping plate of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, limes and jalapeno or serrano chilies. These condiments are to be added to your taste when the soup is served.
Try the traditional beef Pho Dac Biet (B1). This contains rice noodles and sliced raw beef. The beef becomes fully cooked in the piping hot broth and is ready to eat by the time you are done adding the condiments. This is probably the most popular item on the menu and comes in two sizes - large and extra large.
A tamer version of the above is Pho Ga`, which contains rice noodles and chicken, except that the chicken is fully cooked before being added the broth.
One of my favorites is the B - 10 BBq Pork & Yellow Noodle. The noodles are egg based and are a bit easier to handle with chopsticks. The barbecue pork is well done and covered in a pinkish semi sweet glaze. Not your traditional Western BBq pork, but well worth a try.
Mi Thap Cam is seafood based, containing shrimp, squid and fish balls, which are seasoned, firm balls of fish that taste more like sausage.
Most soups can also be served served "dry" without the broth. Others selections such as Bun Thang (currently this has my vote for the best named dish ever) are exclusively served dry. This one contains pork loaf and an egg yolk topping that is quite delicious.
For dessert try the Tri Color, which contains coconut milk, crushed ice, agar, and fruit (Longan, Rambutan and jackfruit) served in a tall glass with a spoon. There is also an avocado and milk based drink that seems popular but I don't know the name of it.
SO... don't be shy. Turn to page three of the menu and dig into the Vietnamese specialties at Phan's Garden. You won't be disappointed.

Palermo's Villa

Palermo's Villa Pizzeria
2315 N. Murray St.
Milwaukee W !.
532**


OK... well we ended up going to Palermo's instead of the California Pizza Kitchen ( Which is in that new "concept" shopping mall that they say looks like a "small-town downtown" except that it is populated with things like Baby Gap and has all of the car traffic and absolutely none of the ambience. When I say 'ended up' that means Palermo's was really our second choice. See, The California Pizza Kitchen was full of people, but when we got to the door, there hung a sign that said "Employees Only - Training Night".
So at this point half of our party bailed and called it a night. The rest of us were determined to get pizza, and, like Fridtjof Nansen's crew of the FRAM, the sensible half called it a night and went home, while we marched on to our bleak doom.
We scuttled away from the Bayshore concept mall and motree'd back to the friendly confines of the 'Eastside' where on any given night you can see packs of frat boyz doing all kinds of damage to the residents trash bins. We managed to find a parking spot three blocks away and soldiered on. "THAT would never happen at Bayshore Concept Mall " , I cought myself muttering under my breath...
All this walking reminded me that my only other experience eating a slice of Palermo's was at Summerfest. After walking around for hours, dodging overhead loogies from the cable car ride, I sidled up to the feed counter and slapped down 12 food tickets (six bucks) and got a sort of soggy thin crust triangle completely covered in tomatoes and garlic. It was very salty too, but after five pints of Sprecher Amber, it tasted purty damn good.
Another side note if I may... I must contextualize Palermo's. Recently they built a large pizza factory in the "Revitalized Menomonee Valley". Basically, Milwaukee has this big vision that if they plow over the old polluted valley, then suddenly all these businesses will flock to the shores of the old Menomonee River. Kind of like their pathetic "If we build a big Art Museum they will flock to our shore of Lake Michigan". If you move your business to the valley you are a "Partner". And it carries the connotation that you are concerned about the health and welfare of the valley.
So far, Palermo's is the only taker, having built an ominous white structure in the middle of the barren valley where they crank out their grocery store frozen pizzas (YES, that's right. Remind me to tell you about how I can't get my favorite Jewel brand frozen pizza anymore .) and, ostensibly, their restaurant fare is made here too.
Still with me? Phew!! We walk into the old storefront on Murray Street. I vaguely remember two or three other failed restaurants in this location. The place was absolutely packed. It had a bar up front and the hostess station near the back of the room past the bar. If you can make it back there, you will then see that they connected through to the next storefront for their dining area. I didn't notice this from the outside. I was too busy staring at the concrete and mumbling. Well the dining room was packed too, but there was one booth all the way at the back (front?) at the window. We all squuezed thru (sp?) and sat down. We had a commanding view of the USA BANCORP (I'm gonna spend all night tossing and turning thinking about that word) ATM across the street.
I really wanted a beer. I ordered a Riverwest Stein, which is a hearty, locally produced favorite, but alas, Palermo's, Partner of Milwaukee, doesn't sell Riverwest Stein. So I settled for a Heineken. At this point I took in the decor. They had a wainscotted look with black on the bottom and a wine red on top. It was the typical "Coming back to Mamma's" and "You are part of the family" Italian stereotype. There were all these phony family portraits on the wall that look like the throw - away insert you get when you buy a picture frame at Walgreens. They splurged on two oversized Lithograph reproduction posters. One shows an espresso bistro who is simultaneously driving a steam engine and making espresso. The other was one of those stock bicycle images. There were all kinds of ridiculous potpourri type knick knacks strewn about &c. &c. &c.
I started off with the "Italian Salad", which to my dismay contained (I'm not exaggerating here) 1/2 cup of black olives strewn about a blighted sliver of romaine. There was one slice of tomato on top and the whole thing was soaked in what tasted suspiciously like corn oil. Well after the near death march any caloric intake was welcome, so I did my best and picked away at it for a minute as I waited for my appetizer, Calamari. These were of the tough chewy variety and they only serve the ringed section of the squid instead of the more delicate tasting (yet frightening looking?) squiggly top half. These were served with a portion cup of leftover pizza sauce and my request for a wedge of lemon was never fulfilled.
At this point I ordered another Heineken to soften the blow of the main course. Spinach & Tomato Pizza (with Grilled Chicken) . This pizza was of the semi - thin - crust, triangular-cut variety. The slightly raised crust was, in retrospect, the best part of the meal. The chicken on top was so dried out it was almost unchewable. The pizza sauce, to my horror, tasted nothing like the sauce that arrived with my calamari, leaving me to dwell upon the vintage of that side sauce. But the thing that really stood out was the SALT. This by far was the saltiest tasting pizza I've ever eaten. I mean it was wierd how salty it was. It paled in comparison to a Tombstone pizza. It was that real fine crystal type stuff, perhaps mixed with a little Monosodium Glutamate for good measure. Nobody managed to eat a complete slice, however I did peel the crust off three more slices and wolf that down.
We all declined on dessert of Tiramisu or Flourless Chocolate Cake. We beat it as fast as we could to our Riverwest neighborhood tavern - Polish Falcon and knocked back enough Riverwest Steins to rival the monks in a Bremen Monastery.

Bangkok House

4698 S. Whitnall Ave., St. Francis, Wisconsin

Milwaukee must have fewer Thai restaurants than any city of its size in the country. It might have something to do with how, in Milwaukee, the dish Pad Thai is called “Pud Thai.” I asked my dining companion, Mr. Goodsell, why he thought that was, and he said, “Because it’s funny?” I know it’s just some matter of translation, but why are there no Big Boy restaurants in Milwaukee? Why do they call homefries “American fries?” And drinking fountains “bubblers?” Sometimes I feel like Wisconsin could be situated north of Canada. Often I wish it was.

The Bangkok House was an exciting discovery—it has the best Thai food I’ve eaten in Milwaukee—though it’s hidden in a strip mall out near the airport—the asshole of this or any other town. Make sure you sit with your back to the window and you can forget momentarily that just outside is an expanse of parking lot, then a heinous system of ugly roads and a no-man’s-land of runways. The suffocating music didn’t help transport me anywhere either; my dining companion, Mr. Ruschhaupt, suggested that it was a digital midi keyboard hidden out of sight somewhere, playing computer generated “dining music.” The sporadic bird chirps couldn’t save it.

The lunch buffet was off limits, not being anything close to gluten-intolerant friendly, and it looked a bit Chinese, anyway. The Pud Thai was very good, but the Massaman Curry was the best meal I’ve had in awhile. The Pud Kee Mow, made with “drunk man’s noodles” had very good flavors, but the sensation of the heavy, square rice noodles in my mouth made me feel like I was eating human ears.

I’ve always wondered why they don’t push the desserts in Thai restaurants—it’s almost like they want to keep them secret. Thai restaurant desserts can be THE best, too—and many are gluten-free. As usual, I was too full for dessert.

Then I looked at the drink menu and nearly decided to give up on my decades of sobriety right there—this was the most exciting drink menu I’d seen in years! The “Thai Boxing” intrigued me, especially semantically, and also because it was the Thai version of one of my old favorites, the Zombie. The “Teaky Bowl” claimed to be made up of a “mood altering juice concoction.” And most exciting, to me, as I have always had an obsession with blue drinks, was the “Blue Phuket.” There would be no way to order that drink verbally, but I nearly said, “Phuket!” At least I would have had something to talk about in rehab.

Comet

1947 N. Farwell Avenue
Milwaukee WI

I'm not sure if it's the Comet Cafe or the Comet Coffee Shop, these days, though I've been calling it "The New Comet"-- which I have to stop, since it's been well over a year since they remodeled-- long enough for another major menu change. The crucial thing is that it used to be a smoky, sit there for hours, coffee shop, and now it's a restaurant and bar. You can still smoke on one side, but it's well-ventilated. They open at 11am, I believe, until 2am, and I think stop serving food at 1opm.

The symbol for this restaurant is a rabbit, though there is no rabbit on the menu, and even funnier, they advertise "slow food." This means that once you order, the cooks will consider your order, then step out back for a cigarette break and contemplate their artistry. But that's okay-- just don't be in a big hurry or anything.

I was thinking this morning about how much I hate the term "Cream City" for Milwaukee-- even if it does refer to the light colored brick, and not because it's the largest city in the Dairy State. Maybe it's just that I'm annoyed with "exposed brick, hardwood floors, and lake views," or maybe it's the generally disgusting sound of the term, or maybe it's something I think about every time I go somewhere and order coffee and the half-and-half is in those little tubs. Or worse, little tubs of Coffee-Mate. Before I moved here I heard that it was illegal to serve margarine or non-dairy creamer in the Dairy State-- not true!-- it's as bad, or worse, as anywhere else. So on this morning I happened to be trying to think of ONE PLACE that served coffee cream in a little pitcher, and I couldn't-- but I also happened to want to escape the snow, so I stopped off at the Comet. The last few times here I didn't get coffee at all, I guess-- and so I was shocked and really excited when the cream came in a little metal pitcher! That automatically puts the Comet near the top of Milwaukee breakfast places.

I wish they were open earlier, but the humane thing is they serve breakfast until 3pm. I kind of think of this place, now, as for 20-somthing hipsters who have hit 30 and are evolving beyond the 7-Eleven microwave burrito diet. You can still stay up all night drinking, then come in here for a late breakfast, and since they have a full bar, finish your coffee and start drinking again without even moving your butt from the comfortable, long booths (some are long enough to lie down in, if it comes to that).

I had a pretty good omelette and some really good hash browns. Really good hash browns are worth mentioning twice. On previous visits I ate lunch here, and now I'm sad to see that they have discontinued the "12 Layer Salad." This is really too bad, because that salad was an exploration-- 12 ingredients grouped in a large bowl, untossed, so that you could make your own combinations as you ate. I would eat the less exciting but more healthy parts first-- the celery and carrots-- by degrees working in the salad dressing and cheese, and then finishing with peas and bacon. And the best thing about it was that every time I ordered it, it was different! Different ingredients, arranged differently. Some people think consistency is the hallmark of a good restaurant-- not me! Screw consistency, I want adventure. But, oh well, no more 12 Layer Salad.

The other cool thing about this place is that if you sit in the right place, you can totally stake out Koppa's Grocery, across the street. I don't know why you'd want to, but if you had a crush on someone who worked the register there-- which is quite conceivable-- the Comet offers a perfect view-- in comfort. Oh, did I mention that the overall theme of the menu is "comfort food?" And the bathrooms (two on each side of the restaurant) are spectacularly, soaringly clean and, again, comfortable.

Singha Thai II

Singha Thai II
780 N. Jefferson
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-226-0288

Ever since I ate at the Thai Deli in the basement of the Portland Building, Portland, Oregon, four or three days a week for three or four years straight, I’ve been spoiled when it comes to Thai food. It’s not about the gourmet quality, or really anything particular about the food, it’s just a matter of having gotten so intensely USED TO it, that all other Thai food seems somehow WRONG. So I don’t go to Thai restaurants as often as I used to, but this one opened a year or two ago, downtown Milwaukee—I guess Singha I is out on Highway 100—so this was a happy addition to downtown's “no matter what you call it, it’s still a sports bar” world.

Also, this was my attempt on this evening to have a Friday Fish Fry with BROILED fish, as the nearest sports bar fish fry only had fried fish caked in wheat. I thought I’d try HOU MOK PLA, which is a fish in coconut milk with basil. I don’t know what kind of fish, but it took extra long to prepare (which the excellent waitress took care to warn me about) but it was good. Really good flavor. Though it was too dark to really see it. It could have had the head on, I don’t know, it was dark in this place, I wouldn't have known. I ate it all, and also had the coconut and brown rice dessert which is pretty special as far as I’m concerned. A dessert you can really sink your teeth into, though you might not be able to get them out.

One of the things I especially like about this place is that the bathroom is an adventure to get to—well, not really, but there's an exceptionally long hallway to get to it. The hallway is lit dramatically, and it bends in an “L” shape and continues on. They have placed a really creepy looking easy chair at the bend, kind of like saying, “Sorry it’s so far, stop and rest if you need to!” But what it REALLY says is, “You are now in a David Lynch movie! Watch out for little people, severed ears, and contradictions in logic.