The East Side of Milwaukee has its distinctive veins of cocktail consumption that we all know and that we all love: Brady Street, North Avenue, bits of Oakland and Downer Avenues, etc. Each of these tap house collections has its own offshoots that may reside right around the corner or they can set off in one of the many East Side’s hidden crawl spaces.
These neighborhood-centric establishments are happy to create their existence and accommodate their customers away from the hustle and bustle of the areas mentioned above. They can be elusive, especially for those who don’t have, refuse to use or are missing the abilities to operate a GPS device. But once discovered they are, more often than not, added to the “Dude, I found this awesome place that nobody knows about” list.
For this Bar Time reveal, we offer Red Dot. (Cue the “Price is Right” showcase showdown music and the lovely lady with the hand and facial gestures.)
Now, many of you readers may be familiar with this establishment. But, I believe that more have never heard of, or patronized Red Dot (2498 N. Bartlett Ave.) than have actually spent some time in the Scarlet Point. So, let’s do a little reader participation/experiment. In the comment section below, if you have been serviced at Red Dot, tell me when you were there and what you consumed. If you have not been, tell me why (haven’t heard of it, don’t know where it is, etc.). I will then randomly choose one of the respondents for a “ride-a-long” Bar Time review in the near future where I will buy the chosen one a beer/cocktail/shot/soda. (Restrictions apply, and they will be made up by me at a later hour, preferably post-Jack Daniels Pound Round in my kitchen.)
The first thing you notice when walking through the front door is the massive homage to both The Who and the Red Dot on the far wall. It’s a massive photo from The Who rock opera, Quadrophenia. Within the massive black and white wall piece there is the smallest bit of color – it’s The Who bulls-eye. It has an outer blue ring, an inner white ring and a Red Dot smack dab in the center (for a visual, please see the interior photo of the bar). Clever? Sure. Awesome? You bet!
The remaining walls are festooned with Christmas lights, stockings and local art. The local art is available for purchase while the Christmas decorations are not. But hey, make an offer. It can’t hurt to ask.
Spending a significant amount of time in the vermillion vestibule isn’t the least bit straining on the eyes or any one of your interior lobes. Being consumed by red walls and lights is actually quite comforting. I mean, it’s called Red Dot for a reason. If by the end of your stay you aren’t seeing red dots, you aren’t doing it right.
Actually, it’s easy to do it right, with the variety of specials the bar has to offer. For the winter months, they have added a menu of hot cocktails that will chase away any nip with a nip. Rudolph’s Revenge (again with the Red Dot imagery) is a mixture of marshmallow vodka, hot chocolate and black raspberry liquor for an easy $6. There’s also the Old Man Winter made with hot chocolate, Bicardi OakHeart and Rumchata. It even just sounds like an old man: he needs the heat turned up to 78 degrees so it’s always hot, he has a heart like a piece of aged oak and he does a dance he calls the Rumchata. There’s no way it tastes like it sounds, trust me.
For those who aren’t affected by the chilled December temperatures and call for cold beverages, they have a list of daily specials (10 p.m. to close) as long as a week and as affordable as a Black Friday toaster. On Monday, Red Dot offers $2 domestic beers; Tuesday is $3 Stoli drink night; Wednesday has $2.50 taps; Thursday is $2.50 Best In The Midwest Beer (many varieties); Friday is $3 Pinnacle Flavored Vodka cocktails; Saturday offers $3 Bacardi cocktails; and Sunday night is Late Night Happy Hour. Did you get all of that? Oh, the Monday-Friday 4-7 p.m. happy hour offers $2.50 rails drinks and Milwaukee brewed taps (Lakefront Brewery and Sprecher).
As you can read, the prices are quite special, indeed. Off hours will obviously see an increase in cost, but don’t freak out if you are late for happy hour or early for the nightly special, the bartenders will be gentle and charge you a fair price for your drink. Speaking of, the bartenders are delightful and engaging. Not to mention, they are very capable of creating other delicious specialty cocktails. Moscow Mule, anyone? And for Pete’s sake, wear mittens when drinking out of that copper mug.
I must mention their high-quality menu offerings as well. It’s extensive and there are always multiple specials available. Plus, the best part, they offer poutine. Never heard of it? Too bad for you! It’s a pile of french fries topped with white cheddar cheese curds and covered in a brown gravy. Sounds very Wisconsin, doesn’t it? But, you’ll have to thank those wacky Canadians for this one. I’ve only gobbled it with fries, but the word is that tater tots take it to a whole new level of mouth party.
The location of the Red Dot isn’t really a mystery. If the front door was a bunker and Oakland Avenue was the green, with a sand wedge and a little backspin, I’d be inches from the cup. Plus, the active and sometimes aggressive North Avenue is a short jog south – even for the smokers. You can do it! Do it for the specials, friends. Risk your health by jogging with a cigarette and go ahead and play bar golf on your way over, because what’s more special than a special that’s extra special? Nothing. The answer is nothing.
New Years Eve Note
Miller Lite, in partnership with Beer Capitol, Milwaukee County Transit System and Waukesha Metro Transit, will offer its signature free bus service on New Year’s Eve. On Saturday, December 31, buses will be running nearly 30 MCTS routes serving Milwaukee County and 10 Metro routes serving Waukesha County. The Milwaukee routes will run from 8 p.m. – 4 a.m. and the Waukesha routes will run from 7 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. For more information and to plan your New Year’s Eve transport, call 1-800-FREE-RIDES (1-800-373-3743), text “FREERIDES” to 90464 or visit MillerLiteFreeRides.com. Have a wonderful evening and please, travel smart and safe.
