Through the two-story patio windows, the Milwaukee River looks like black velvet streaked with undulating light. On either side of me, groups of twos and threes are draped around the bar, sipping wine and checking each other out. Every table in this double-level restaurant/bar is occupied. Nothing will open up for at least an hour, the hostess tells us. And then she’s lost in the sea of new faces funneling through the front door.
It’s Saturday night at Water Buffalo, a hip new destination at the corner of Water and Buffalo streets opened by some local folk whose portfolio precedes them.
The interior is the creation of Flux Design, known for fashioning the warm, industrial look at Roots Restaurant and Eve nightclub. In Flux’s trademark style, Water Buffalo’s exposed-beam ceilings and Cream City brick walls are dressed up with steel, concrete and wood materials. Both levels have a long, sleek bar and dining rooms that epitomize cultivated-cool. Overlooking the river is a sweet little patio.
Flux has given the space so much charisma, it’d be easy to classify it in the just-pretty-digs category. But that’s not the way owners Joe and Angie Sorge see it. The East Coast-bred Sorges, who also own Water Street’s Swig and the Third Ward’s Sauce, want to see Water Buffalo succeed on a culinary level as well.
The Sorges’ corporate chef, Frank Ortleib, aimed for a heterogeneous menu (bruschetta, ceviche, BLT,baked chicken, rib-eye steak, braised short ribs, Friday fish fry), and that was probably a prudent decision. The first weeks of business in May established at least one thing – that the kitchen staff needed to be larger. Joe Sorge increased it by 50 percent. It seems a shame that restaurants need to work out their kinks while diners are pouring inside the door. But that’s the burden (and blessing) of being new and therefore in the spotlight.
The problems I experienced in the first month could generally be helped by some easy revisions (and they may have been made by the time you’re reading this). One example: The juices from my burger – a good quarter-pound patty – seep into the limp bottom half, making it soggy and inedible ($7.50). In the chicken rolls appetizer, the menu promises chicken, queso (cheese), green pepper, cilantro and onion inside puff pastry. I find chicken, but not much of anything else inside them. Nevertheless, the buttery, flaky pastry is tasty dipped in mild avocado sour cream ($7.50). Better than the chicken rolls is the crock of baked Italian cheese spread. Rich and pungent, the silky dip with a golden cheese “crust” would taste good on anything ($7). Here, it comes with grilled pita wedges on one visit, toasted ciabatta bread on another.
The crab cakes, while they’re firm patties with a respectable amount of crabmeat inside, would be better with a less spicy, less dominant rémoulade sauce ($8). The marvelous thing about sautéed mussels is the sauce that invariably comes with them – a sauce that screams for bread to sop it up. Water Buffalo’s sautéed mussels with pancetta and garlic cream is very flavorful, which makes the amount of sauce all the more important ($7.50). More of the luscious liquid is all it needs.
I like smoked mozzarella tortelloni (tortellini’s larger brother), and I like wild mushroom cream sauce. I also love fresh fennel. All three in one creation is a fine idea. But beyond the obligatory smoked flavor of the cheese, the sauce needs salt – something to give it flavor ($14). But the baked salmon stuffed with pancetta and spinach is deliciously juicy with just the right smoky finish ($14).
For a vegetarian sandwich, the thick black bean burger is a pan-fried treasure, a moist, mellow (the menu said spicy) patty dolled up with salsa and avocado spread ($7.50). Kabobs are a common thread here. You can order a skewer of shrimp, tuna, beef or chicken on a salad. I have chicken on a standard Caesar ($10.50), and while slightly dry, the skewered meat is well seasoned.
The shrimp-stuffed shells aren’t what I expect – a half-dozen jumbo pasta shells cradling tiny shrimp, a bit of cheesy cream sauce and toasted pine nuts ($15). Nestled in the center of the plate is a pancetta-laced tomato sauce and sautéed spinach. It’s a strange, although not unappealing, combination – richer than I’d have thought.
I respect that the Sorges want to give this stylish space an identity beyond that of Third Ward watering hole. Physically, it’s a gem. The menu doesn’t need to be fancy, but if the owners want a serious restaurant, Water Buffalo needs shaping. I hope it gets that this summer.
Water Buffalo, 249 N. Water St., 431-1133. Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (late-night menu, 11 p.m.-1 a.m.) Prices: appetizers $3-$9; salads $4.50-$10.50; sandwiches $6.50-$12.50; entrées $12-$25. Service: friendly, competent. Dress: no code, unless it’s to look cool. Credit cards: M V A DS. Handicap access: wheelchair-access entrance. Nonsmoking dining room (but smoking allowed at the bar). Reservations: necessary for eight or more.
