The Great Dane, Fitchburg, WI, March 16, 2018

Location: The Great Dane, Fitchburg, WI
Total Points: 4
Fruit garnish: +.5
Color:
Muddling: +1
Bitters: +1
Brandy:+1
Overall taste: +.5
Web site: https://www.greatdanepub.com/location/fitchburg

 

The Drink: The Great Dane is a brew pub, but they make a great Brandy Old Fashioned. It had muddled cherries and orange and a cherry garnish. The bitters were just right and it was not too sweet. It could have used a bit more brandy, but overall the flavor balance was very good.

 

Experience: This is a very lively brew pub. At 5 pm on a Friday it was already very busy. The service was friendly and great. We were seated in a large, open area.There are five Great Dane locations in Wisconsin but this does not have the feel of a chain. One of the best features is the copper brewing kettle.

 

Meal: The Great Dane food menu is consistent and good. Their nachos are some of the best around. The Friday fish fry cod is dipped in a Pilsner batter. The batter was very crispy and the cod was hot and moist. A nice touch is that it is served on newsprint. The sides of coleslaw and pub fries were fine, but it is the fish that stands out here.

 

 

 

 

The Lakeside Supper Club & Lounge, Oconomowoc, WI, February 23, 2018

Location: Avenue Club and the Bubble Up Bar, Madison, WI   Total Points: 4
Fruit garnish: 0
Color: .5
Muddling: +.5
Bitters: +1
Brandy:+1
Overall taste: +1

Web site: http://thelakesidesupperclub.com/

 

The Drink: This was a really good drink. There was a muddled cherry and orange slice, though no garnish which is OK, because I would rather have muddled fruit. The balance of Korbel and sweet was just about perfect. The color was more on the amber side than red. The only down side was that the flavor of bitters was not apparent.  

 

Atmosphere: This restaurant/bar/night club has changed names and menu options. It used to be Burke's Lakeside. We had a nice view of the sunset over Silver Lake. While their website brands this as "a new spin on retro" there is no retro, supper club, or lounge feel to the place so do not expect that. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant place to gather and we had a nice time.

 

The Experience & Fish Fry: Service was pleasant, though slow. The slowness was OK because it allowed us time to talk and have two BOFs. When we asked what the "pickled pepper calamari" was, the waitress helpfully brought out a bowl of pepperoncini so that one member of our party could test it for spiciness. The deep-fried calamari/pepperoncini was a very pleasant appetizer and was probably the best and most unique dishes of the evening. The menu is Italian which means the batter for the deep fried cod has parmesan cheese in it. While I couldn't taste the cheese, the batter was quite good--very crispy and not greasy. The coleslaw was sweet and had a pleasant onion taste. The requisite rye bread was served since Oconomowoc is close to Milwaukee. The down-side was that the potato pancakes were a mess. They were dry and overcooked in some parts and doughy in others. Overall though, the meal was good.