Hubertus, WI: Bilda’s Friess Lake Pub

Posted: December 8, 2014 in Uncategorized
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This week, we stumbled upon a hidden gem: Bilda’s Friess Lake Pub.

This small, cozy establishment is located along a main highway out in Hubertus. There is not much else around it for a few miles, so we weren’t expecting much when we pulled in for a late lunch and a cold beverage.

We were pleasantly surprised at the cozy feel of this small bar and restaurant. Decorated with different salt and pepper shakers at each table, beer taps lining the walls, mugs from their mug club and a giant chalkboard full of beer offerings, this place is quite fun.

But the thing that first caught my eye? A build you own Bloody Mary setup–on a Friday afternoon.

I knew it was meant to be.

Bilda's Friess Lake Pub

Mix:  Zing Zang was the only mix offered, along with Tabasco, Malt Vinegar, Horseradish and other spices for you to doctor up your drink.

Chaser: Yes, a Miller Lite Shortie

Fixin’s: Celery, pickles, string cheese, lemon, limes, olives, mushrooms and beefsticks–oh my!

Bilda's Friess Lake Pub

Price: $7

Bilda's Friess Lake PubWe were quite happy with our experience here; on top of the serendipitous Bloody Mary offerings and the good food, the service was tremendous.

We’ll be back!

Milwaukee, WI: Smoke Shack

Posted: December 8, 2014 in Uncategorized
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I stopped at the Smoke Shack in Milwaukee’s Third Ward for the first time last week. It’s a cozy BBQ joint that’s oh-so-cute.

The food was delicious, as was the Bloody Mary:

Smoke Shack Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Cheese, olive, beef stick

Price: $8

Smoke Shack is owned by the same folks who own AJ Bombers (and other locations in the Milwaukee area) and since I love the Bombers Bloody so much, I figured that Smoke Shack would be delicious as well and I was right.

I recommend you check this place out and give their Bloody a try!

 

 

 

Wauwatosa, WI: Ray’s Wine & Spirits

Posted: December 8, 2014 in Uncategorized
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As if the local liquor store in Wauwatosa wasn’t already the best around… within the last year, Ray’s Wine and Spirits has added a Growler Gallery and, as of last week, they are also serving up Bloody Marys on Sundays: Rays2 For those of you unfamiliar with the Growler Gallery, it is a bar/store adjacent to Ray’s Wine and Spirits that has several different craft/specialty brews on tap at any given time. Customers can taste the beer and purchase it to take home in different size “growler” vessels. The gallery and tasting room has become quite the hangout, so they’ve added the option to purchase pints, flights and limited snacks during specified times/sporting events. And then last weekend, something amazing happened. Ray’s began offering Bloodies! Rays Mix: Homemade

Chaser: Yes, choose from what’s on tap!

Fixin’s: Pickles, two olives, beef stick and string cheese

Price: $6

This Bloody Mary was quite spicy & flavorful. When I inquired about the mix, I was told it was Kaleb, of the beer specialists’, wife, Nic’s, recipe.  I was told she runs saucedblog.com, but that site is currently not working, so unfortunately I don’t have a way to thank her directly for her delicious addition to one of my favorite stores. Nic, if you’re reading this, will you share your recipe with our readers?

I’m already a regular at Ray’s Growler Gallery and now you can bet they’ll be seeing even more of me.

I highly encourage you to check them out!

Cheers!

Madison, WI: Bluephies

Posted: December 4, 2014 in Uncategorized
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It has been almost two years since my first visit to  Bluephies Restaurant & Vodkatorium in Madison, Wisconsin

After reading about the Top 15 Over the Top Bloody Marys from Eater.com, I was excited to see that three of the 15 were from Wisconsin (represent!).

There are four different kinds of Bloody Marys on the menu, including a flight which offers the chance to taste three different Bloodies.

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Last time I was here, I chose the one with the most fixin’s, which also seemed to be their signature drink: The FAT BOY Bloody Mary, but this time, I tried the flight.

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From left to right: Fat Boy, Bloody Maria (with Tequila) and Habanero.

Spice: Varied by type, obviously. The Bloody Maria had a lot of lime/salt on the rim, so it almost tasted like a tomato-flavored margarita.

Mix: They make their own!

Chaser: None offered.

Fixin’s:  olives, lemon and lime across he board, with bacon and cheese in the Fat Boy.

Price: $10

Each Bloody Mary was very good, but the Fat Boy was still my favorite. I find it a bit odd that they don’t offer a flight containing a sample of each of their Bloody Marys on the menu. I would have loved the chance to sample the “Tater Tot Casserole” and other fun Bloodies that I didn’t get to yet. Also, set up as is, the only way to get the Habanero Bloody with the jalapeno vodka, is via flight (unless you order off-menu, I suppose).

Perplexing, but still delicious. I hope to come back for brunch next time–hopefully sooner than two more years down the road!

Waukesha, WI: Fuzzy’s Pub & Grill

Posted: December 4, 2014 in Uncategorized
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The day after Thanksgiving, after an overnight shopping spree, we were in need of a Black Friday breakfast to refuel, so we stopped at Fuzzy’s Pub & Grill in Waukesha.

We’re happy to report that Fuzzy’s filled us up with both a delicious omelette and doubly delicious bloody mary!

Mix: Unsure, not too spicy

Chaser: Yes

Fixin’s: Celery, pickle, pepper, mushroom, olive and beef stick

Price: $?

Fuzzys Waukesha Bloody Mary

I had never been to Fuzzy’s before, so I was pleasantly surprised at my overall experience. If I lived closer, I would definitely come here more often! Next time you’re in Waukesha, be sure to check them out!

New York: Cafe Luxembourg

Posted: November 23, 2014 in Uncategorized
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While in New York last week, we had the chance to try the Bloody Mary at Cafe Luxembourg, a classic French-American bistro on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Cafe Luxembourg

Mix: I’m guessing homet had a lot of spices in it (horseradish, pepper, etc.) but wasn’t overly spicy-tasting.

Chaser: None

Fixin’s: One lemon

Price: $12.50

The food here was very good (we stopped by mid-morning) and the Bloody was flavorful yet nothing special (especially for the price).

I would recommend dining here, but skip the Bloody and try something else.

New York: Kettle of Fish

Posted: November 23, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last January, when I was in New York, I visited the “o-fish-ial” Packers bar, Kettle of Fish, in Greenwich Village.

Even though I liked the bar itself and the folks there were plenty friendly, at the time I wrote: “I couldn’t help thinking that a Packers bar might have a Bloody Mary up to Wisconsin standards… no such luck. This Bloody Mary was flavorful, but severely lacking in “fixin’s”-no olives were harmed in the making of this beverage!”

I even had a chat with the owner, Patrick Daley, who was working at the bar the day we stopped in and encouraged him to bring Midwest-style Bloodies out to New York, but he said he had tried but it wasn’t successful.

In follow up to that visit, I stayed in touch with Patrick. We connected when he visited Milwaukee this past summer and I let him know when I was back in NYC in June (although I didn’t have the chance to go back to Kettle that time) and that I was coming in November.

When we arrived at the bar on a Monday, right before the Happy Hour rush, Patrick was not there, but they were ready for us. He knew we were coming and had set aside cheese and sausage specifically for us!

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I couldn’t believe it! This just shows you the kind of people the owners of this bar are–completely above and beyond.

“Well, you complained there weren’t any fixin’s last time,” they said.

Which, is indeed true, but not uncommon of elsewhere in NYC.

Kettle’s original Bloody Mary by itself was quite flavorful and good. This was just icing on the cake, or, I should say “fixin’s on the Bloody.” (Note: Not everyone should expect to receive this version, we feel really special!)

Kettle of Fish

Thank you so much to Kettle of Fish for giving us a little piece of home while in New York. We have spread the word to everyone we know that they have to visit Kettle of Fish while in NYC.

Kettle of Fish

 

Also, in case you missed it, as fate would have it, right before our trip, the local paper published an article on Kettle of Fish. I encourage you to check it out and then check out the Kettle itself next time you’re in NYC!

Thanks again, Patrick & Co.! We love you guys!

St. Petersburg, FL: Rumfish

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

Our final Bloody Mary in Florida was my favorite, but I have to say it is because I had a little more say in the matter.

Before we go into details, here are the original stats on this drink at Rumfish:

Mix: Unsure… it was sweet and tasted “vegetable-y” to my companion. I think it was Campbell’s if I had to take a guess.

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: One lime and two olives, originally, but we took care of that.

Price: $?

We were here for a brunch buffet ($25/person), so I picked up some Bloody Mary essentials at the buffet and used them to spruce up the drink. Crab, shrimp, asparagus, cheese, meat…. ah, I almost felt like I was back home for a minute there.

I really wish restaurants outside of the Midwest would catch on to this trend. Especially in places like Florida, where they have a heavy population of defectors from the cold weather states!

Aside from having to doctor up my own drink, the brunch here was quite good and filling. We also enjoyed seeing the indoor aquarium, where people also have the chance to swim with the fishes!

Cheers!

 

 

St. Petersburg, FL: Postcard Inn

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

We headed to the Postcard Inn for lunch and some football watching on Saturday.

I don’t know about you, but I really can’t watch football without a Bloody Mary in hand, so that’s what I ordered.

Postcard Inn (1)

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Three olives, 2 lime slices, 1 lemon slice…and  side of celery sticks.

Price: $?

I think my dining companions were sick of me lamenting that the Bloodies were subpar in Florida so far, so they gave the waiter a bit of a hard time. They told him I like Bloody Marys with a lot of fixin’s… so he added an extra olive and lime slice and brought me a side of celery.

Come on people, haven’t you seen the Bloodys with sliders on top? Cheese? Meat sticks? I mean, come on, this is Florida! Would it kill you to spare a shrimp?

I appreciate the thought in bringing out the celery, but really wish those snowbirds from the Midwest would teach Floridians a thing or two about how a real Bloody Mary is made.

 

 

 

Tierra Verde, FL: Island Grille and Raw Bar

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

We wanted some really great seafood (particularly oysters), so we headed to the Island Grille and Raw Bar in Tierra Verde.

Here, in addition to the oysters, shrimp and smoked fish, we also had a Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter and one of their Bloody Marys:

Island Grill and Raw Bar Shooter

Island Grill and Raw Bar

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Lime

Price: $?

Here, I wouldn’t waste your time or money on the Bloody Mary.

The oysters are fantastic, so make sure you order enough of those to go around. If you have that Bloody Mary craving, order a Bloody Mary Shooter or two, then move on to a Rum Runner.  Cheers!

 

 

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