A Milwaukee Gem: Christie's Bar & Grill

Christie's Bar & Grill, Milwaukee, WI

The night before the Icebreaker Marathon, I find myself alone in Milwaukee and frankly, I don't feel like a plate of pasta at the diner that is next to my very inexpensive hotel.  I do a few online searches and find something interesting.  Just a few miles from my hotel, there is a place called Christie's Bar & Grill that has a 5 star rating on Yelp.com with 33 reviews.  With that many reviews, it is rare to get that high a score.  So after reading a few of them, I decide to give it a try.

The place is in a residential neighborhood and looks like just one other house that had an awning added along with a few neon lights.  I am advised by somebody in Yelp to go early, otherwise the wait will be long.  I arrive at 5:15, just a few minutes after they open.  Behind the bar is Jason, very hard working and MC extraordinaire who keeps the conversation going and even gets the customers talking to each other.  The other only member of the staff is Jason's mother, who is back in the kitchen.  At 64 years of age, she doesn't move fast (Jason informs several times), but the food is very much worth it.

Calamari

I start with a glass of cabernet and some calamari with an Asian sauce.  I find the calamari a tad overcooked, but not bad.  The sauce is terrific.  Gingery and sweet with a touch of acidity to cut the grease of the calamari.  Not a bad start, but nothing to write a blog article about.

As I have my appetizer, dishes keep coming from the kitchen.  For each order, Jason walks to the kitchen, peeks inside and places the order, which invariably starts with "Mom!"  Every dish is great looking and very large, easy to share.  I am alone, so opt for a Shrimp Po'boy.  I also get a second glass of wine.  Not wise the night before a marathon, so I compensate drinking a few glasses of water.

As Jason places the sandwich in front of me he also brings a stack of no less than 8 or 10 napkins.  I initially find it unnecessary, but later find out they turn out to be barely enough.  Looking at the Sandwich I suddenly understand the ratings on Yelp.  It looks great!  My neighbor at the bar looks at it and says: "Damn, I was going to order that!  I will have to come back to get one."

Shrimp Po'boy, truly delicious

The shrimp is crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked (flash fried) on the inside... juicy and with a nice crunch.  The sauce is spicy and plentiful (hence the need for napkins).  Probably not a good idea for a pre-marathon dinner, so I order a third glass of wine to compensate :-)

I enjoy my entree while I listen and participate in the conversation.  I soon realize I was wise to come early and order soon.  A trickle of customers come in during the time I am there and they are at some point met with a proposed 90 minute wait, to which most of them respond leaving to find another place for dinner.  Even those at the bar are in for a long wait.  I end up staying 2-1/2 hours, but I am in no hurry.  At one point, a single entree comes for the couple sitting next to me.  Jason says: "Food is going to come out like a Chinese restaurant so if it comes out start eating 'cause there is only one mom back there."  Everybody seems to be fun with it.

Really a must-visit establishment if you happen to be in Milwaukee.  The food is great the atmosphere is warm and friendly (in the time I was there I must have shaken his hand 4 times) and Jason is truly the star making the place what it is.  OK... the food was also incredible.  As I leave, I ask Jason if I can take his picture for my blog.  While I do it I mentioned to him that it is rare to have such a high rating on Yelp with 33 reviews.  His response is simply: "All I have is a bar with food and two bathrooms".  I think he has much more than that.

Jason, bartender, food runner and MC extraordinaire