This past May, I went to London to visit my London Lolita as she was studying abroad there all semester. It was vital we caught up on our gossip, drank beer in pint glasses and exchanged European fashion tips.
Just as I thought she would never want to leave London for its big city gleam with old world charm, she threw me a curve ball.
“I’m obsessed with Ireland and I am going to move there when I graduate.”
Ireland? Where the grass grows in 50 different shades of green and everybody knows your name?
She loved it because everyone is so nice and carefree. Okay, I got it.
Within her semester abroad, she went to Ireland four times; she even had an almost falling-in-love experience there. So, when she came back, it was no surprise to me or anyone else who knows her that she threw her birthday party at a quaint Irish Pub in Milwaukee, The County Clare.
One night, we met there for drinks and an early dinner after work. There is no happy hour and they don’t get too creative with their drinks, but isn’t that the allure of an Irish pub?
I kept it local with a Riverwest Stein in a pint glass. She ordered a small glass of a drink called Mead.
The best way to describe mead is like an Irish dessert wine flavored with honey. More on the liquor side than the wine side, mead is traditionally served in a small glass but, unless you like drinking thick and very sweet drinks, it’s best over ice, especially on a hot summer day.
If people watching is your thing, County Clare might not be your style. Tucked in on the corner of Astor and Juneau, across the street from apartment buildings and houses full of families, The County Clare is the last place to go looking for a loud and rowdy time filled with people walking past.
A couple of nights after we had after-work drinks at The County Clare, I had another low-key evening in the low-lit beer garden of Paddy’s Pub on Murray Avenue.
I’ve always been a Paddy’s girl, for two reasons: The fire place in the winter and “The Basket” year round. “The Basket” is a complimentary basket of almond M&M’s and Chex Mix. Chocolate, salt and beer…really is there anything better on a hot summer night, or cold winter day, or mild fall afternoon, or ….?
Add the occasional band on the patio, concrete benches and scattered candles and you have yourself a perfect summer evening on the eastside. Caution: You should be prepared to stay at Paddy’s for a really long time. It’s so welcoming, you feel like you are at home.
Here is your itinerary for savoring one of the last summer weekends.
Saturday August 16 – Bradford Beach House @ 2 -5 p.m.
Come and listen to Milwaukee’s best cover band, Element 13. Get there early and secure your spot on the sand as they play a tribute to the late DJ Rock D.
Saturday August 16 – ZenDen @ 9 p.m.- close
Hailing from Chicago, DJ Ricky Bradshaw will be in house spinning all of your current favorites as you sip on some of their signature cockytails.
Sunday August 17 – BALZAC @ 3 p.m.- 2 a.m.
Get “Elegantly Wasted” tonight as selected bottles and glass pours of wine are ½ off. Not a Sunday drinker? Join them Monday-Friday for the same special from 3 -7 p.m.
Monday August 18 – Hi-Hat @ 3p.m. – 2 a.m.
Get a $1 Bag of Beer at Hi-Hat. You won’t know what you get and they don’t want to hear your whining if you don’t like it. In the words of the bartender I spoke to, “Just drink it and shut up. It’s a dollar!”
