I’ve seen a lot of unusual concepts, but never this: the conversion of a once-popular burger bar to an Indian/Mexican joint that also makes fusion pizzas and pastas. And does them well.
This is IVR Bar – “International Variety Restaurant,” if I’m being formal. It’s the brainchild of restaurateur Apexa Patel, who co-owns the Indian Village restaurants in Waukesha and Greenfield. Indian is the cuisine of her culture, but it isn’t her only love. Patel originally considered offering her three favorite cuisines – Indian, Mexican and Italian – but figured she’d have better luck fusing just Mexican and Indian dishes.
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Nothing about the space (300 seats, 30 tap beer lines, countless flat screen TVs) will prepare you for the feast to come. And the menu’s randomness (tamales, falafel burrito, coconut korma enchiladas) doesn’t inspire confidence, either. But get this: I liked everything I’ve eaten here. (And that never happens!)
The Indian-style deep-fried cauliflower (think veggie popcorn shrimp) is divine and it’s the glaze, a sweet dip into the Indian spice box, that makes it special ($14). The guacamole chaat is like an Indian-Asian version of nachos (for the record, the menu also has chicken naan nachos, $16) except the chaat is crispier (fried wonton strips, chickpea noodle crisps) and more nuanced. I love its sweet-sour tamarind sauce.
The chicken malai tikka is a starter that could be a main, if you add a side of rice ($14). It’s some of the most succulent chicken skewers I’ve ever had – cooked in a clay pot and delivered on a sizzling plate. Each charred bite of this thigh meat is juicy. Just before serving, they pour a “secret sauce” over it that is creamy and subtle in all the best ways.
All Patel will tell me is her nephew/cook Gary Singh came up with it. “He’s like both my eyes, I would call him,” she says. They also make a similar dish with lamb chops ($28) that is as good, but I wish the chops were bigger.
Some dishes are maximalist – like the enchiladas ($20) that aren’t quite Mexican or quite Indian, either. Even buried under toppings, the tortillas kept their firmness (suggesting they were pre-fried). There was so much going on here – a couple of sauces (Indian-Mexican) and two cheeses on top, plus a hybrid rice side dish and pico de gallo. Rich, earthy, a little spicy, it tasted amazing, even better reheated at home the next day.
Perhaps the most over-the-top dish I’ve tried here is the elote pizza ($20 and $26) – a tender-crisp naan crust layered with Italian pesto, Mexican street corn, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers and balsamic glaze. Every gooey, melty bite was packed with flavor.
The Patels’ back story is marked by tenacity: Thirty years ago, they left their native India for Milwaukee, lured by a job at an uncle’s Honeydip Donuts shop.
Later, they took over the shop, laying the entrepreneurial groundwork for their future restaurants. IVR Bar is bigger than anything they’ve opened before it – already there is a second location, in Appleton. Fusion Indian/Mexican cuisine in a 300-seat sports bar is a leap. Perhaps my biggest surprise is I’m in for the ride.
IVR Bar
10950 W. GOOD HOPE RD. | 414-206-0026
Daily, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Starters $6-$16; pizza $20-$28; mains $14-$21
Service: Friendly, but may lag when it’s busy
Reservations: Accepted, but not necessary
