A shoutout to all those who alerted me about this article on JSOnline this morning. I had, surprisingly, missed it! Add this Bloody Mary from O’Davey’s to my Bloody Mary Bucket List and look for the review to come hopefully in the next few months on the blog!
Last night, I headed to McCormick and Schmick’s for their very-awesome Happy Hour.
While I’ve been here before, I’ve never tried their Bloody and so, even though it was one of the only drinks not listed on their Happy Hour menu, I had to have it.
Spice: Not very spicy.
Mix: Unsure
Chaser: None
Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Olive, Celery
Price: $8
I have to admit I was a little disappointed. It wasn’t bad, but I was hoping for more from a seafood place. In my experience, seafood restaurants and steakhouses tend to have excellent bloodies. Oh well, I was one and done there. Next time I know to partake in the other Happy Hour specials instead (including a full list of appetizers!)
Tonight I had dinner at The Noble, a relatively new restaurant in Walker’s Point, a very tiny restaurant where the menu changes weekly and they do not take reservations.
While that sounds like a recipe for disaster,the eccelectically decorated space has a very homey feel to it, a place where you’d like to go and linger over your dinner (which I did tonight).
Of course, I was thrilled to find they have not one, but three different Bloody Marys on their menu:
I tried the Afternoon Tea and I love that they took liberties with my beloved Bloody!
I’m not a purist when it comes to the Bloody Mary, I think places SHOULD put their own spin on it, so this was very much welcomed.
Spice: Not very spicy.
Mix: Homemade, I think.
Chaser: None
Fixin’s: Beet, Kalamata Olive, Cauliflower, Garlic Clove, Lemon & Lime
Price: Approx $9
I highly recommend that you check out this place while it is still a relatively well-kept secret; I bet come late summer there will be a long wait to get in. I also hear the Monday Brunch is amazing!
I headed to Bullwinkle’s in Brookfield to take in Marquette’s Elite 8 game.
Good thing the Bloodies were good, because the game? Not so much.
Spice:Perfect amount!
Mix: Homemade
Chaser: Miller Lite
Fixin’s: Pickle, Celery, Olive, Asparagus, Mushroom and Onion
Price: Approx $6.75
I had never been to Bullwinkle’s before and I will tell you that I will be back. Besides a pretty good bloody, the Mediterranean Wrap that I had and the wings we enjoyed were both out of this world.
The next night, I took in March Madness at Jimmy’s Island Grill.
It was Good Friday, so I had to head to a place where I knew I would get some good seafood—and a yummy bloody to boot!
Spice:Perfect amount; Absolut Peppar really helps!
Mix: Homemade
Chaser: Offered, but refused at the time
Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Pickle, Vegetable Skewer (Olive, Peppers, Pepperoncini, Cherry Tomato) and a Shrimp!
Price: $8.00
In sum? An excellent Bloody in a place where you’d be more inclined to order Daquiris and Pina Coladas!
In the thick of March Madness, I was able to review multiple Bloodies as I took in the Marquette Games.
To watch the Sweet 16, I headed to the New Berlin Ale House. I have been here and had their bloody before, but somehow I missed reviewing it.
Spice:Perfect amount.
Mix: Unsure, but good.
Chaser: Miller Lite
Fixin’s: Pepperoncini, Olive, Pickle
Price: Unsure
The verdict? A tasty bloody, a yummy meal and a sweet victory for MU!
Today was my birthday and, to celebrate, I went out to dinner at Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. I’ve walked by this restaurant numerous times en route to the many other restaurants in the Village—including Cafe Hollander, the Chancery, Noodles & Company, La Reve, Yo Mama! and of course, Bartolotta’s own Pizzeria Piccola—but I’ve never gone in.
I’m not quite sure why, since all of the other Barolotta’s restaurants I’ve sampled are great—the aforementioned Pizzeria Piccola, Mr. B’s, Bacchus, Harbor House, Rumpus Room, and Joey Gerard’s (home one of my favorite bloodies!). Anyway, it was time to give Ristorante a try, especially since it is practically in my own backyard.
In scoping out the menu, etc., I came across this Facebook post:
Essentially, this sealed the deal. I could have an excellent Bartolotta’s birthday dinner and a great Bloody for the blog to boot!
I realized this post was from almost a year ago, but when I ordered my drink, I asked the server, “You guys have a good Bloody Mary here, right?” “We can make one,” she responded, hesitating ever-so-slightly. This should have maybe tipped me off, but I often get that kind of response when ordering Bloodies after 7pm, so I didn’t think too much of it… until this arrived at the table:
Spice:A subtle kick.
Mix: Unknown
Chaser: None
Fixin’s: Lemon, lime and two olives.
Price: Unknown
The rest of my party could see I was visibly disappointed. I pulled out my phone and showed them what I had been expecting. “Are you sure that’s not from a different Bartolotta’s?” they asked. I shook my head. “That’s a year old,” they pointed out. I agreed, but reasoned, “But why would they downgrade from this,” I pointed at my phone, “to THIS?” I pointed at my drink.
Our second server stopped by to check on us. “How are the drinks?” he asked. “Um…okay,” I said. I wasn’t going to make a big deal about it, but I thought I’d just ask the question. “I was just wondering—do you have this Bloody Mary anymore?” I showed him my phone. He confessed that he was new and that he wasn’t familiar with it. I admitted it was an old photo and just said the drink wasn’t what I was expecting, especially since I am Bloody-obsessed. He said he would check with the bartender. I told him it wasn’t a big deal, but not too long after that, another drink appeared at my table.
“We’re sorry about the mix-up with your Bloody Mary,” the man said. “The photo you saw is our special one for Sunday Brunch.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I said. I explained about the blog and how I had been excited when I saw the picture and eager to try the drink—had I not seen the photo, I probably wouldn’t have even ordered a Bloody at all, just wine with dinner. He agreed and said he wasn’t going to charge me for the drink and also hoped this new drink would make up for it.Unexpected and unnecessary, but certainly appreciated!
This drink is so new it doesn’t even have a name; it is something they are experimenting with—a main ingredient is tomato water and that’s also a cherry tomato you see floating in the drink. It has a lot of other ingredients—some of which I hadn’t heard of and some of which I can’t pronounce/spell, but the the things I remembered were the tomato water and gin.[Tomato water, in case you’re wondering, is the water extracted without the beef or seeds from the tomato.] It was definitely a lighter drink, and it was pretty good. It didn’t taste very tomato-ey at all to me and I’m not going to give up Bloodies now or anything, but I’d say they have a unique drink to play with and I’d try it again.
So, on the drink front, I went from disappointed to delighted and beyond that, everything from the food to the service was fantastic. I even got a free dessert for my birthday!
Thanks, Bartolotta’s for making my day as special as the company at my dinner table. Cheers!
To date, I’ve already reviewed the very famous Sobelman’s Bloody Mary and made note of their “Masterpiece Party Pack,” a Bloody Mary To-Go kit of sorts. So, by now you’re probably aware that this behemoth of a drink has received many accolades from a variety of news outlets and publications, including your very own outforbloodies.com.
However, one thing I hadn’t tried yet was the second Sobelman’s location—Sobelman’s @ Marquette. I was down on campus for an event this evening and of course, I had to stop in just to see if there were any noticeable differences between the Bloodies at each establishment. You know, research for the blog… 😉
Well, I have good news for you—the Bloody is virtually the same at both locations!
Spice: Not very spicy, but still flavorful.
Mix: Jimmy Luv’s
Chaser: Miller Lite
Fixin’s: Lemon, cheese, olive, pickle, pearl onion, brussels sprout, beef stick, cherry tomato, onion, mushroom, asparagus, a shrimp, fried green beans*,and a full-on mini slider with cheese**. (I actually even ended up putting condiments (ketchup and mustard on it!)
*The green beans were a new addition since I had last been to the original location.
**The original location had bacon on their slider the last time I was there.
Price: $9 ($7.50 if you decline the slider—-why would you do that?!)
The verdict?
After the bloodies in Australia, this was like coming home again.
If you’re looking to impress your out of town relatives and friends, take them here for a Bloody Brunch!
As an interesting side note, on our receipt we noticed Sobelman’s continuing a Food War with AJ Bomber’s, who also has a burger piece on their Bloody. The two establishments competed on Food Wars back in 2010 (Bomber’s won) and are tied for the top in best burgers in Milwaukee as well.
3/24/13 Update: Sobelman’s reached out to me via Twitter and here’s what they had to say about the receipt:
“It is not what we consider a “blatant” attack on Bombers. The show was “Food Wars” and yes, in FUN we see that “war” raging on. Some may fail to understand that it’s not an attempt to be rude or mean…we can’t please everyone; it is largely Bombers fans that take issue.”
Thanks for reaching out and clarifying, I appreciate. My feeling on the matter? Milwaukee is lucky to have two great burger/bloody establishments and lucky for Sobleman’s and Bomber’s, we have the appetite for both!
My last Bloody Mary in Australia came from Longrain, a swanky upscale restaurant in Melbourne.
They have odd hours (Lunch | Friday 12pm – 3pm Dinner | Monday – Thursday 6pm – late; Friday, Saturday, Sunday 5.30pm – late), so it was lucky that we finally got here my last night in town.
Their Bloody Longrain is a spicy Thai take of the traditional Bloody Mary and I can tell you—boy was it spicy! This drink is NOT for everyone.
Here’s a video on how they make it:
Spice: Very! Of the three of us, I was the only one who really liked it; consequently, I had to finish two of these by myself!
Mix: See video!
Chaser: None.
Fixin’s: “Pickle” (Not really a pickle as we know them, it was more like a cucumber) and lemon wedge.
Price: $17 each (high even by Melbourne standards!)
So there you have it, my Bloody Mary search gone international!
Cheers!
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I present the Green Tomato Bloody Mary! (Haven’t actually tried one, but sounds pretty great.)
Out For Bloodies 