Bar Time

There are 55 days until the Brewers opening day.  Yes, just two months until the smell of bratwursts and beer fill the air near Miller Park. Accordingly, it’s only fitting to take a look at one of the newest bars in the Story Hill neighborhood, J&B’s Blue Ribbon Bar and Grill (5230 W. Bluemound Rd). Since opening nearly one year ago in the former Long Wong’s space, I’ve visited J&B’s three times and have experienced nothing but a good time. But if you’re looking for trendy décor or plush tables and chairs, J&B’s isn’t the place for you. From the…

It’s that time of year again. The time when the masses turn to Twitter and Facebook to vent their frustrations with the Packers’ lackluster performance, and in the same thought include a countdown to opening day for the Brewers. Yes, there’s just two months until the smell of bratwursts and beer fill the air near Miller Park. Keeping with the theme of opening day, it’s only fitting to take a look at one of the newest bars in the Story Hill neighborhood, J&B’s Blue Ribbon Bar and Grill (5230 W. Bluemound Rd). Since opening nearly one year ago in the…

Pyramids of alcohol.  As an avid sports fan, I firmly believe that nothing goes better with a game than an ice cold beer. When said beer is $8 at the arena, I try to get my fix on cocktails at a nearby bar before the game. Those Milwaukeeans that live by the same mantra now have one more option when visiting the BMO Harris Bradley Center: the reopened historic Turner Hall Restaurant (1034 N. 4th St.).   My friend Cat and I recently tested the waters before a Bucks game one Friday evening. After finding a parking spot on the…

For the 9-5ers, sometimes happy hour is the only thing that can us through the day. Finding a great setting for this isn’t always easy, but when you find one you’ll know it. Let me point you in the direction of Sake Tumi (714 N. Milwaukee St.). According to Foursquare, I’ve been to the establishment 22 times, but I’d say it’s more like 30. The first time I tried out the contemporary Japanese and Korean joint was last February during a job interview. At the time I couldn’t tell you anything more than my future boss offered me a sake…

Photo courtesy of Camp Bar. When I first heard that there would be a camping-themed bar opening in Shorewood, I was skeptical. All the same, Shorewood has had room for a tavern or two and I wanted to see how the owners envisioned the theme. Pardon the obvious pun, but my biggest fear was that it would be too campy. From the outside, Camp Bar (4044 N. Oakland Ave., just north of Capitol) has a subtle but noticeable sidewalk presence. From a distance, there’s a neon red “C” that, upon closer inspection, is the bar’s logo, reminiscent of that of…

Change is never an easy thing, but I find it best to tackle it head-on. That’s why when the Brewer’s Hill restaurant formerly known as Roots reopened as Wolf Peach (1818 N. Hubbard St.), I rushed to try it out. First testing the waters for lunch with a co-worker, a few weeks later I found myself back at Wolf Peach a little after 7 p.m. on a Wednesday. My friend and I walked in and asked the host if we could sit at the bar. He pointed in its direction and said it’s all ours: seven bar stools with no…

Just as the brisk winter air swept through Milwaukee, a warm spot on the map appeared. Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room (196 S. 2nd St.), opened Friday, Nov. 16 in Walker’s Point and has been serving up craft cocktails ever since. In the short time it’s been open, I’ve visited Lucky Joe’s two times (I credit its proximity to my apartment, not my love for cocktails). Both times I experienced really great things, and a few not so great things. With the exception of Riverwest’s Foundation, there’s no other proper Tiki bar in Milwaukee. Living within two blocks of Lucky Joe’s, I…

The Hi Hat Lounge (1701 N. Arlington Pl.) once thrived on the flavored martini craze of the late 90s and early aughts. In 2010, under new bar manager Daniel Dufek, the Lounge boldly scrapped the once-popular martini program in favor of a craft cocktail menu and a greater focus on spirits of all types. Daniel’s first menu featured cocktails named for classic film noir, such as Double Indemnity and The Beautiful and the Damned, adding to an atmosphere of retro-classiness in stark contrast to the contemporary-kitsch of flavored vodka martinis. In the two years hence, cocktail culture nationwide and in…

Taylor & Dunn’s Public House (10365 N. Cedarburg Rd., Mequon) is named after Taylor Heavilon and Andrew Dunn, believed to be two of the first landowners of what is now the Donges Bay and Cedarburg Road area. Taylor & Dunn’s, or T&D, has been open since 2005, but my friend and I recently visited the establishment for its Wednesday night trivia. As we waited for the bartender, I got lost in the bar top which is covered in old tickets from concerts and various Packers, Bucks and Badgers games over the years. The crowd was a good mix of ages,…

The newest addition to the North Ave. bar community, Southport Bar & Grill (1815 E. Kenilworth Pl.), occupies the location most recently held by Cans. Indeed, the dust had barely settled from the former bar’s infamous closing night imbroglio before work to open Southport began. The first immediate difference is the smell. Maybe when the newness wears off Southport will develop an odor of its own, but for now at least, the signature rank of stale beer and Axe body spray that embodied Cans is gone, and the place actually smells clean. The bartender on duty told me they found…