Out For Bloodies

Happy New Year! January 1 is officially “National Bloody Mary Day” and, after taking part in a favorite Milwaukee tradition of “polar bearing”–that is, diving into the freezing cold waters of Lake Michigan, we warmed up with some delicious food, coffee and a Bloody Mary at Don’s Diner.

This small restaurant was packed and the food and drinks were flowing.

The decor is a throwback to a simpler time, and the restaurant’s name is an homage to Don Gersonde, grandfather of SED partner Aaron Gersonde, who was a World War II veteran, Milwaukee Police Captain, and diner guy. During the war he was a navigator for the Naughty Angel (757th Bomb Squadron) which earned a reputation for a little misbehavin’ and a lot of guts.

The diner says they “follow suit by cooking the food we want to eat, and putting booze in our milkshakes. Don’s story is our story, so bring a friend, share a drink and become part of the story.“

It just so happened that my dining companion knew the Gersonde family in a roundabout way, which led to friendly conversation with the staff.

The food was delicious and I’d love to come back in the evening and check out the cocktail lounge aspect.

As for the Bloody Mary, it was solid.

Spice: Not really that spicy, although there was a hint of something unique in the mix that we couldn’t identify.

Mix: Don’s Bloody Mary Mix and Tito’s.

Fixin’s: Olive, pickle, beef stick, cheese, celery.

Chaser: Yes; although the menu claimed it was served with a High Life Pony. We just got a small side car instead.

Price: $9

There aren’t enough great brunch spots in the city in my opinion, so be sure to patronize places like this. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks for getting our 2019 off to an excellent start.

In early December, we found ourselves in Nashville where we had lunch at Sam’s Place.

Pizzas, salads, sandwiches, this place has it all.

As with many places outside of the Midwest, their Bloody Mary was pretty basic, but it went down smoothly and provided an excellent base for a fun night out downtown.

Spice: Not really.

Mix: Unsure… it had a hint of spice, but the base was also a little sweet, almost like Sacramento

Fixin’s: Lime.

Chaser: None offered.

Price: $?

It’s been way too long since we last updated our site. And for that we apologize. That’s not to say we’ve been slacking on our Bloody Mary drinking; we’re just behind on our reviews.

Let’s go back to Black Friday. An annual shopping tradition of over 20 years, my best friend Stephanie and I always get together on the day after Thanksgiving even if our buying habits have changed drastically over time.

This year, we hit a few of our regular haunts before heading to the Christkindl market in downtown Milwaukee and then the Milwaukee Public Market, where we dined at St. Paul’s Fish Company.

There, we also had their famous Bloody Mary:

Spice: Not really.

Mix:  Unsure

Fixin’s: Lobster claw, shrimp, bacon, celery, lime, lemon

Chaser: Yes

Price: $?

Fresh lobster claw in my beverage? Yes please. This drink was delicious and just what we needed after a long day of fighting crowds in the bustle of the holidays. Definitely recommend checking this place out when you’re in the Third Ward!

Today, I had the pleasure of being a celebrity judge in the East Side’s Tomato Romp.

There were eight bars participating in the challenge and for $25, people could taste a 5oz sample of each bloody and turn in a ballot to cast their vote.

I have attended the Tomato Romp in the past and personally, while I love a great bloody mary event, the main issue I have with the Tomato Romp is the fact that it is sponsored by Absolut Vodka and garnishes are regulated…therefore, you don’t actually get a good idea of the bloody served at each bar in terms of taste or accouterments.

Nevertheless, we made it to each bar and here’s our take:

Landmark Lanes: Landmark Lanes was nothing special.

Hooligan’s: Hooligan’s was our favorite of the bunch. Their bloody had a distinctive chili powder taste and we were diggin’ it.The Bloody Mary at Kawa was decent; they had a beer from Minnesota as the chaser.

Izzy Hops had two offerings: A spicy and a mild, which we appreciated. We tried and enjoyed them both.

Vitucci’s was our least favorite. It was just lacking any sort of flavor or originality.

Von Trier was tried and true. We stopped here and initially did not get a chaser, but when we came back with a friend later, he received one. This one had a definite “seafoody” taste. Perhaps they use Clamato?

Axe Bar was the bar with the longest line; it felt like it took forever to get in.

Our final bloody (not pictured) was at Vintage.

Again, very hard to determine which bars we liked the best with the restrictions put in place. I am not sure I would want to head all the way to the East Side for any of these bloodies based purely on today’s experience. However, of them all, Hooligan’s was my favorite because it had a very distinct taste.

Finally, the last part of my day was the best part as I got to take place in a tomato fight which helps raise money to fight hunger.

This was a very fun and unique experience where I was able to get down and dirty and just chuck rotten tomatoes at other people. I really enjoyed this aspect of the event and would definitely do it again.

I want to thank the East Side, the Tomato Romp and the Marcus Center for having me as a guest celebrity judge for today’s event. It was super fun and easy and I enjoyed the experience.

In the future I would hope that they would let their bars/restaurants showcase their true bloodies a bit more with garnishes and alcohol, but overall, I think the participants very much had fun.