LEANING FORWARD TO TALK to the diner seated opposite me, I repeat the sentence I’ve already said a few times, only loudly and hoarsely. Tables in every direction are occupied; drinkers have taken the bar by storm. Servers are weaving between chairs with trays of cocktails and the fruits of the kitchen’s labor. I could climb over just a few tables and be on stage with a cooking jazz band — bass, piano, sax, two sets of stirring vocals. Yow! Who needs conversation?
If Piano Blu were a food, it’d be a hot cross bun. If it were a temperature, it’d be 98 degrees. The crowd at the Pewaukee Lake restaurant/live music sanctuary is not a Downtown navel-baring/unlaced athletic shoes gang. It’s older (30s to 60s), and the owners say patrons are coming from all sides of town, not just Lake Country. Diners dress up (pink fur shawl) or down (stylish jeans). Unlike restaurants where live music is the din behind the dining, Piano Blu is focused on both elements. How do you do this without sacrificing one for the other? Well… if heat and action are what you want, your seat should be in the first-floor dining room, where multipiece bands do live gigs. If you’re more the “tray in front of the TV” type, then you’d climb to the second-level Rhino Room, where high-tech speakers and a video screen give you a taste of what’s going on downstairs. The acoustics there are also better for chatting.
Owners Amy and Ed Seckinger and Jane Howe have invested mightily in this space, part of a new commercial development across from the lake’s public beach (the restaurateurs plan to have outdoor seating this summer). The interior is like a super-size, amenity-driven wine bar. Two levels offer a bar and a profusion of hardwood and warm pendant lighting. Off of the first-floor dining room, velvet curtains open to a small lounge with a fabric-covered ceiling to absorb noise. It can be reserved for $300. Upstairs, you can sit in front of a gas fireplace underneath a mounted faux rhino head. If you’d like optimum privacy, part of the second-floor dining room can be curtained off and reserved for wining, dining and PowerPoint presentations.
But clearly, giving diners and music devotees a sophisticated choice of seating isn’t enough. For both parts of the focus to work, the quality of food and music has to be high. Let’s begin with the sound. On Piano Blu’s stage is a mix of local nightlife four to five nights a week — Streetlife with Warren Wiegratz (R&B, smooth jazz), the Chuck Hedges band (swing/Big Band), Eddie Butts (R&B) and the Rhythm Kings (covers). Amy says that late into the evening, say after 10 p.m., they’ve moved tables away from the stage and watched the crowd pour themselves onto the floor to express themselves to 1980s tunes. The music will draw you in to Piano Blu, absolutely. The food, with much more work, might make you stay. Dining here is certainly not an inexpensive proposition, though what you see on stage is included. However, if you stop in later in the -evening just to hear the band, you may face a $5 -cover charge. Controlling the crowd’s size is the main reason, says Amy.
The menu came together when the owners found their chef, 25-year-old Brian Shoemake (through a process that included having him cook for the Seckingers in their home). What transpired from there was a regular menu of “small plates” (duck tostadas, $11.95; veggie spring rolls, $7.95), sandwiches, cheese platters, salads and so on, plus five or six nightly entrée specials.
In a venue straddling two points of focus, a complicated menu makes me nervous. For good reason — the execution here is mixed. Several of the small plates, however, are fun and worth ordering. Something simple like Breads and Spreads, for instance — four dips served with warm pita triangles and toasted baguette slices ($9.95). Doubling them brings a more assertive, appealing result — kalamata olive smudged on roasted red pepper/cream cheese and thick, citrusy hummus daubed with herb garden-strong pesto.
To move from there to a sampler plate is a natural transition. Two standouts: a trio of crab cakes ($13.95) and the mini burger sampler ($10.95). The poached egg-size crab cakes are only subtly different. The soft Maryland style owes its flavor to a pickly Dijon sauce; the pistachio crust is softer, more delicate than the others, served with a barely there orange-ginger beurre blanc. If there’s one with personality, it’d be the Southwestern crab cake, only because of the cilantro-tortilla crumb crust and mango salsa. The “Cosmo” burger plate is another three-verse chorus — three small patties on three small buns. The best is smothered in horseradishy mustard-mayo, brandied mushrooms and aged Swiss. My number two has caramelized onions, Boursin cheese and mustard-ale sauce. The last of the triplet falters on quantity of topping — an overly light application of jalapeño peppers, smoked cheddar and bacon mayonnaise. But I like the idea of little bites.
For any of these small tastes, flavor mingling is key. Chunks of raw yellowfin tuna moistened with wasabi mayonnaise are the stars of a plate of tuna tartare “tacos” (the shell was a slightly greasy fried wonton). Like other compatible things, they came in three. The garnish of Asian slaw is a crunchy diversion, but the wilted, dried-out frisée bothered me ($11.95).
Even though the mesclun greens were overdressed with champagne peach vinaigrette, the grilled steak tenderloin salad blends some compatible flavors and textures — pungent blue cheese, crisp spicy pecans, acutely sweet raspberries and tender beef slices ($13.95). Our caprese salad combines generous slices of mozzarella cheese and tomato, but the flavorless tomatoes reminded me of the winter stock in most grocery stores. The cheese lacked discernible flavor as well ($8.95).
There are four versions of kebabs on the menu: grilled shrimp, chicken, pork or beef ($16.95-$25.95). The meat/shellfish arrives threaded on a skewer, served with a separate skewer of grilled vegetables. I’ve tasted cilantro-lime chicken ($16.95) and jerk pork tenderloin ($18.95) on different nights — both were tender (a few cubes of chicken were undercooked); the thyme/cinnamon jolt of jerk offered more interest than the less perceptible cilantro. Both times, the veggie skewer (red onion, red/green pepper) seemed like it had hardly touched the grill. As sides, the crunchy sweet potato frites (with pork) were great, better than the misnamed saffron risotto (with chicken) — more or less clumpy, overcooked rice.
Nightly specials fall in the seafood (caramelized scallops) or meat category (bone-in rib-eye). Our sea bass filet was creamy and rich with a crisp roasted coating ($26.99). The sautéed red pepper, baby asparagus, julienne carrot and pineapple salsa were agreeably crisp contrasts, but again came the overcooked rice called risotto here (risotto should be creamy and slightly al dente).
I like the flash of a dessert tray, holding lookers like a raspberry pyramid, fried apple pie and a chocolate “saucy” ($8.50). When this flourless chocolate cake breathes, a warm, chocolatey middle oozes out. It has a satisfyingly rich finish, as well as crunch (a tuile cookie) and creaminess (the side of vanilla ice cream).
The setting and music at Piano Blu are something to behold. To get the dining up to that level is the next crucial step. The owners are charting challenging terrain, so that may take some time.
Piano Blu
179 W. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee
262-691-0200
Hours: dining service Tues-Sat 4-10 p.m.
Prices: small plates $6.95-$13.95; cheese platters $9.50-$23; soups, sandwiches, salads $5.95-$13.95; entrées $16.95-$25.95; entrée specials: $25-$30; desserts $6-$8.50
Service: friendly, poised, professional
Handicap access: Call ahead for assistance
Nonsmoking section: second floor
Credit cards: M V A DS D
Reservations: accepted for six or more diners
