Milwaukee, WI: Story Hill BKC

Posted: August 16, 2014 in Uncategorized
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There is a new restaurant that opened just a couple of weeks ago in Milwaukee called Story Hill BKC (Bottle Kitchen Cup). I was very excited to try this restaurant as it is relatively close to home and even closer to my day job.

I found myself with an afternoon off and stopped in there for lunch; when I found out they also served mixed drinks and had a Bloody Mary on the menu, I decided to try that out as well:

Story Hill BKC Bloody Mary

 

 

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:Yes

Fixin’s: Lemon, Lime, Pickle, Celery

Price: $9

The Bloody Mary was the highlight of our meal, but at $9 is quite pricey for what you receive as far as fixin’s, in my opinion.

The mix tasted especially fresh and had a nice kick to it. If it was $2-3 less, I could see myself stopping in here for a Happy Hour once in awhile.

As for the rest of the experience: The establishment, at least inside, is adorable; it has a light, airy feel to it and you can tell they spent a lot of time and care in building and decorating it. It seems like a place where I could sit and drink coffee and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

The menu is a little eclectic and I’m not sure how well it will do in this area butted up against bars and next door to the stark juxtaposition of “Fat Valdy’s.” Like the bloodies, the rest of the menu is priced on the higher side in my opinion, especially when considering portion size.

My dining companion and I each ordered a salad and it was small and missing some advertised ingredients. We let our server know and hope they are just working out the kinks.

I really would love to see this place thrive in this area and I’m hopeful that they will make appropriate adjustments as they get more comfortable with their clientele, as I would really like to have some options outside of fast, pub and chain food in the area.

Lake Geneva, WI: Popeye’s

Posted: August 16, 2014 in Uncategorized
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I have been in Lake Geneva a couple times in the past month and I had the chance to check out Popeye’s, which claims to have the best Bloody Mary:

Popeyes Bloody mary

 

Mix: Homemade, with a citrus vodka

Chaser:Yes

Fixin’s: Lemon, Pickle, Olive

Price: $9

It looks like they offer a couple of other variations on their menu, but I decided I had to try the classic. It wasn’t bad, but I definitely wouldn’t say this Bloody Mary was the best I’ve ever had, or even in my Top 10. It was also served in a plastic glass, which bothered me for some reason.

Next time I’m in Lake Geneva, I’ll give another place a shot.

 

Saukville, WI: Between the Greens

Posted: August 16, 2014 in Uncategorized
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I recently visited an establishment called Between the Greens in Saukville, Wisconsin where I was pleasantly surprised by their very tasty Bloody Marys with a full beer chaser:

Between the Greens

 

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:Yes, it appears their special on Sundays is a FULL CAN of Miller Lite.

Fixin’s: Pickle, mushroom, olive, brussels sprout, cheese, beefstick

Price: $7.50

I believe their special on Sundays is this tasty Bloody Mary with a full can of Miller Lite as a chaser–this may not be an everyday occurrence, but the Bloody was quite good and I’d stop back here again if I found myself in the area.

 

September 2015 Update:

We stopped back here on a Thursday afternoon and, while the bloody mary did not come with the full can of Miller Lite like their Sunday special, the Bloody Mary itself was still pretty great.

Many of the same fixin’s, plus the addition of a pickled egg, a first for us in a Bloody Mary:

Between the Greens Bloody Mary

 

Archer Farms Bloody Mary Pickles

Posted: August 3, 2014 in Uncategorized
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There I was in Target last weekend minding my own business, picking up the usual Target-run goodies (paper goods, food stuffs on sale, the occasional cute top, etc.) when I stumbled on these: Archer Farms Bloody Mary Pickles!
Bloody Mary Pickles

 

I’m not sure how I’ve never come across such a thing (of course, I’ve probably had thousands of pickles served in my Bloody Marys in my lifetime, but never Bloody Mary mix in the pickle jar!).

So, yes, I bought them and tried them–sans Bloody Mary. I wanted to be able to rate them as a stand alone product.

Overall, very good, but they just make you want the whole drink and putting them in your bloody is kind of redundant, so I’m not really sure if they serve a great purpose, at least for me.

Now don’t get me wrong, these weren’t bad. In fact, they were quite tasty. Maybe good for someone who wants the hint of a Bloody Mary without the drink itself…but I’m not friends with those people. 🙂

Northfield, IL: Stormy’s Tavern & Grill

Posted: August 3, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Today I visited Stormy’s Tavern & Grill in Northfield, IL on the way down to visit with family-stopped in here for a quick bite and, of course, a Bloody.


Stormys Tavern

 

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:None offered

Fixin’s: Celery, Lemon, Olive, Pickle

Price: $6.50

The verdict: Stormy’s gets points for having a homemade bloody mary (they use pretty much all of the ingredients shown in the photo), but even though it’s not too far across the Wisconsin border, no chaser was offered. The fixin’s were pretty standard and I found the price high for an average Bloody served on a weekend morning.

 

Milwaukee, WI: Riverfront Pizza

Posted: July 21, 2014 in Uncategorized
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This weekend, I also visited Riverfront Pizzeria for a birthday party. While waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, I decided to try their Bloody Mary.

Riverfront

 

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:Yes

Fixin’s: Pickle, Celery, Olive, Pepper, Lemon

Price: $?

The drink was decent, but nothing special. I couldn’t tell if it was especially spicy or if it was just my reaction after eating the pepper. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to order this one again, but if you do stop here, you MUST get the Cheeseburger pizza.

It tastes like a McDonald’s cheeseburger in the very best way possible. Trust me on this one, I wouldn’t steer you wrong!

Milwaukee, WI: Trocadero (Again)

Posted: July 21, 2014 in Uncategorized
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On Friday night, I visited Trocadero for dinner. As I’ve said in previous reviews, all of the Lowlands Group restaurants have a fine selection of Bloody Marys.

I was very pleased, however, to be offered two specialty Bloodies this weekend. The first was a “Guacamole Bloody” and the second was a “Bacon Bloody.”

Trocadero Guac
Trocadero-Bacon

It’s a bummer that these two aren’t regulars on the menu as they were both delicious. Just another reason to keep on coming back to these places–you never know what they’ll think of next!

 

Jefferson, WI: Wayside Inn

Posted: July 21, 2014 in Uncategorized
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On a recent outing to Jefferson, Wisconsin, we tried to find a local watering hole. Thanks to Yelp, we found Wayside Inn, an old school supper club of sorts.

It had received great reviews so we were a little surprised when we pulled up to a somewhat ramshackle building in the middle of nowhere.

However, just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t always judge a bar by its facade.

Wayside Inn

The drinks here were strong, tasty and cheap.

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:Yes

Fixin’s: Olive, mushroom, pickle

Price: $4

Not a place I’d go out of my way to visit, but definitely a sleeper spot!

Lake Forest, IL: The Lantern

Posted: July 21, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, I took a day trip to Lake Forest, IL to play golf.

Following the round, I had asked for a recommendation of a bar to check out in the area and was told to stop by the Lantern.

Lantern (2)

Mix: Homemade

Chaser:No

Fixin’s: Celery, two olives and a lemon

Price: $8

The verdict? This bloody was decent, but definitely not one that I’d go out of my way for in the future.

Wicked Up Bloody Mary Mix

Posted: July 14, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Thanks to Leahy-IFP for sending me their Orchard Splash Wicked Bloody Mary mix to review!

Between going “out for bloodies” and my travel schedule, it usually takes a special occasion for me to make them at home; this time, I broke out the box (yes, box, not bottle!) to make Bloodies with some friends on a Sunday Funday.

To keep the test pure, I sampled Wicked mixed with an unflavored Skyy Vodka. I did not add any spices, but I topped the drink with olives, celery, cheese, meat, a pickle and a brussels sprout.

Wicked Bloody Mary Mix

Leahy-IFP is a local Chicagoland company (offices in Glenview) that’s been around since 1957.  They are a canned fruit and juice manufacturer and, among many other things, they make  Wicked Bloody Mary Mix.

Previously, they only sold their products into large scale food service distribution (like Sysco and US Foods) and not into retail markets; but through one of those distribution deals the mix was served on Alaska Airlines.  And after receiving many, many, many requests from passengers to buy it direct, they finally launched a retail website, called Food Courier – www.foodcourier.com, to sell their products directly to end users.

And this is where we come in. A company rep wanted to spread the word, so they reached out to me and sent me the samples.

The verdict? All of us agreed–the mix was very good! Not too thick, not too thin, very flavorful. There were four of us and we were able to make about 6 drinks with the amount in one box.

Thanks again to the good folks at Wicked Bloody Mary Mix for the samples!

In case you’re in the IL area, I also wanted to point out that they are one of the official sponsors of the 5th Annual Bloody Mary Fest in Highwood, IL on  July 27, so check them out!

Cheers!

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