Completing the quad of
mainstay Bay View bars (including Club Garibaldi, the Cactus Club and At
Random) in a two-block stretch of East Russell Avenue is Palomino Bar. Oddly
enough, all the lip service I’ve heard paid to this establishment over the
years has centered on its vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes, not its drinks.
This lady likes to eat, I’ll tell you that right now, but something stirred
within me to take it as my personal mission to explore Palomino’s
under-discussed drink menu.
After a long, busy day ofwork, I dragged an equally-as-exhausted coworker into my car, and off we went
down I-794 to unwind at Palomino. Drinks were first and foremost on our minds,
so shortly upon crashing into a diner-esque booth along the wall, our
coffee-stained fingers were holding onto drink menus.
The cover prominently
featured an old-timey outlaw, gun-in-hand, riding a bucking horse with his red
bandana waving around his neck in the wind; a vintage Chevy pickup truck; a
Farrah Fawcett look-a-like posing coyly in a baby tee and hot pants; and the
bar’s namesake in a font that should have a name like Western Lasso – all of
which begin to contribute to the Southwest feel of the bar itself.
Sometimes size doesn’t
matter, and this holds true for Palomino’s drink menu. True, it’s no more than
three pages long, but they have quality craft brews on tap that heartily
represent Midwest brewing companies, with Wisconsin’s own Furthermore,
Lakefront and New Glarus as well as Michigan’s Bell’s and Ohio’s Great Lakes. The
taps are offered in both 10- and 16-ounce sizes, a much-welcomed gesture for
someone who tends to be a sipper, not a slammer.
It felt wrong to order
anything but Lakefront’s Palomino White, given where I was. (Yes, Lakefront
Brewery brews it specifically for the bar.) There’s a lot to be said for the
straightforwardness of a light, crisp, clean wheat beer like the Palomino
White. Comparisons could easily be made to other Belgian White-style beers,
with its taste akin to a lower alcohol content version of Leffe Blonde ale.
Beer now in hand, I suddenly
became very aware of how much I appreciate bars with excessive amounts of
wonderfully bizarre ornamentation. Palomino is no exception. Given that the bar
shares its name with the golden coat coloring of Palomino horses, horse-related
artwork and knickknacks abound.
Aside from the lamp base in
the shape of a horse’s head in the back of the bar by the pool tables, which
simply takes the cake as my favorite piece of horse memorabilia, two wall
pieces stand in the forefront of my mind. Located on either side of the two
pool tables, one painting features a headshot of a Palomino horse against a
teal background offset by a black border displaying a cream-colored pattern of lassos,
cowboy boots, stars, spurs and guns. The other looks like it belongs tattooed
into somebody’s half-sleeve, boasting rich greens, yellows and reds as a young,
pretty cowgirl looks lovingly at her horse.
As plentiful as the Western
imagery is in Palomino, however, wall art of deer, devils, trucks, wildlife and
even Evel Knievel are scattered amongst the photos of faithful steeds.
Plastered on the back wall by the dining booths are two large photos that urge
you to imagine what a trucker feels like while out on the road for the long
haul – stretches full of nothing but
trees and lots of staring at semi’s.
Palomino somehow manages to
marry the aesthetic between the cowboy and the trucker, arguably the cowboy of
the Industrial Age. Both destined for a lonely existence with the potential to
be put in harm’s way, the bar’s embellishments represent the physical
manifestation of the outlaw lifestyle.
Even the names of the drinks
on the Specialty Drinks menu tie into the ambiance: the “Happy Cowgirl,” the
“Chocolate Pistol,” the “Cowboy Killer.” Due entirely to my fondness for Arnold
Palmers (half iced tea, half lemonade), I opted for the “Side Saddle,” a thirst-quenching
combination of James River Plantation Sweet Tea vodka and lemonade that only
made me lust for warm summer nights and people watching on the outdoor patios
of Milwaukee’s bars.
Be it also prudent to note
that Palomino is owned by Momofuco, Inc., whose other business endeavors
include the well loved Hi-Hat and The Garage, Balzac and Bel Air Cantina. Yet
the bar gives off a far more casual air than its counterparts. Palomino feels
well worn-in, comfortable, nonjudgmental – like your favorite pair of
sweatpants. Palomino feels like you’re hanging out in the ‘60s and ‘70s-chic
all-wood-paneled basement of your best friend’s parents’. Palomino feels like
the place I don’t feel bad going to in my grubby work clothes after a tough day
on the job. And sometimes that’s just what you need.
Palomino photo on home page from facebook.com/palominobar
Other photos by Jackie Dreyer
