Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted it better: the second floor of Brocach Irish Pub on a snowy December night. A pair of diners communes at a nearby table over plates of sandwiches and pints of ale. Two comfortable reading chairs are pulled up close to the roaring fire in the hearth. The Guinness taps behind the dark-wood bar catch my eye, but I turn to the window next to my table and watch thick snowflakes slowly cascade down. Who wouldn’t fall into a reverie?
It’s a prime piece of real estate I’m talking about here – an 1880 Cream City brick building three blocks from Brady that was once home to the Five & Ten Tavern. With the building’s history, it was a plum spot for a bar inspired by Victorian-era Irish pubs. And four guys who together own an Irish pub in Madison had just that very concept in mind for Milwaukee. Brocach (pronounced “Bro-ka,” the Gaelic term for “badger den”) is also the name of their Madison pub, open since 2004. That operation’s success and the desire to tap into the evolving Milwaukee market inspired the second pub, which opened early last December.
Taking charge of the crucial look was the same Canadian design firm – Bar None – that handled the Madison pub’s décor. The dark wood, metalwork and signage together make this space really feel like an import from the republic of Eire.
Ireland, of course, influences the food and drink at Brocach. Guinness, Smithwick’s and other imports are on tap. The menu, created by co-owner/chef Andy Drobac, covers a vast spectrum and isn’t intended to be strictly, authentically Irish. On one side, there’s baked penne with marinara; on the other is the Big Irish Breakfast, offered from 3:30 p.m. on.
It was important to the partners, co-owner Cliff McDonald tells me, that the menu have many points of entry for diners. For example, Brocach offers two versions of the ploughman’s plate. Are you a meat eater? The traditional plate has Irish blue and cheddar cheeses, liverwurst, summer sausage and homemade brown bread with horseradish and Colmann’s (English) mustard ($15). Green to the core? The hummus, red pepper dip, olives and pita points are not very Irish, but there’s nothing precluding a veggie plate with some Jameson Irish whiskey on ice ($12).
I saw a couple at the bar one night drinking Guinness and sharing a Scotch egg. (No offense to those who’d bristle at a Scotsman’s dish.) Once you see it, you have to have it – a hard-boiled egg encased in sausage, dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried ($4). The egg is scrumptious by itself, but you need to dip it in Colmann’s mustard for the full hit of flavor.
My favorite part of the crab cakes appetizer ($10) – whose consistency reminds me of a cross between a crab and potato cake – is the wedge of Potatoes Anna, a crisp French potato pie, served with it.
The Brocach Irish stew is a wee bit like Irish osso buco – braised lamb shank with parsnips, carrots and red potatoes served with the heavy, dry brown bread popular in Ireland ($15). Brown bread is good for sopping up gravy and mashed potatoes, as you’d do with shepherd’s pie, a ground beef pot pie topped with colcannon mashed potatoes ($12). To me, the best part of shepherd’s pie is the top – the potatoes crisp and golden from the oven.
For conversation alone, the Irish breakfast – comfort food with a slight fear factor edge – should be on your short list for ordering. Part of it reminds me of my Sunday breakfast growing up – fried eggs with runny yolks, thin-sliced toast and a couple of Irish sausages. (OK, I think we had Jimmy Dean’s in my house.) The Irish creation goes on to include a slice of sautéed tomato, rashers (fried bacon), baked beans and a few silver dollar-shaped portions of black-and-white pudding. Not like any pudding you’d eat with a spoon, these delicious fried patties are made from oatmeal and, among other things, pig’s blood. No one will believe it when they eat it, so don’t tell them.
Instead of any of the above, you can order the Brocach burger ($9), grilled salmon ($16) or a curried eggplant pita ($8), but I’m a fan of things Irish. The ambiance at Brocach will put some Irish hair on your chest and whet your appetite for things like black-and-white pudding. (Really.)
That can’t be bad for a gorgeous building that’s 128 years old. Let’s welcome these Madison men to town.
Brocach Irish Pub, 1850 N. Water St., 414-431-9009. Hours: daily 3:30 p.m.-10 p.m. (apps till midnight). Prices: apps $4-$15; soups/salads $3-$7; sandwiches $8-$11; Irish dishes/main courses $11-$22; desserts $7. Service: enthusiastic. Dress: maybe an Aran sweater. Credit cards: M V A DS. Nonsmoking section: upper level. Handicap access: yes. Reservations: no.
