Two years ago Brew City relocated from its Water Street location to a spot one block to the west. The new site offered three bars, outdoor dining and a fine collection of Milwaukee brewery memorabilia. Recently, however, owner R.C. Schmidt gave Brew City a new name and a very different look. Now it is called Trinity Three Irish Pubs. The three pubs are named Duffy’s, Gallagher’s and Foy’s, and each has its own character.
On your first visit, take a tour of the pubs to find the one that best suits you. Foy’s offers the most privacy, with dark wood booths and stained-glass panels. It also has the largest bar. Gallagher’s has an open dining room and quirky stonework that extends to the outdoor dining terrace. Arbors provide shade for those who dine “al fresco.” Those seeking a pint of Guinness should head for Duffy’s: It’s the coziest of the three, with wood-paneled walls and a small fireplace. About all that remains of the not-so-old Brew City are the restrooms and the tile floors.
The menu still retains some of Brew City’s most popular items, including the pig sandwich. The new items are all inspired by the Emerald Isle, and some bring a bit of creativity. It is hard to go wrong with a starter of steamed mussels ($9.95), a bowl of blue mussels in a simple cream sauce infused with a hint of garlic and herbs. Sop up the remaining sauce with a piece of Irish soda bread. Sham’s Irish nachos ($9.95) takes the creative route. It is a platter of homemade potato chips, cheddar cheese, scallions and corned beef with a sauce of sour cream and Thousand Island dressing. Usually a concoction this daring will sink or swim; this one works.
The two soups are a pint of Irish beer (a bit of blarney) and onion soup ($4.95). It is a standard French onion soup with a dark broth and not too much salt. The cheese is white cheddar that needs more aging to give it added flavor. Salads are entr%uFFFDe-sized, with the exception of the house salad ($4.95). The greens are said to be mesclun, but at least half are iceberg lettuce. There are slices of red onions, diced tomatoes, tasty croutons and grated Parmesan cheese. The dressing is served separately.
The Irish specialties fare much better. You won’t find a corned beef platter, but there are marinated steak tips ($14.95). Pieces of tenderloin are marinated in Guinness stout and then flame grilled. The stout works amazingly well; the tips are succulent and have a compelling charred flavor. There are also mushrooms that receive the same Guinness treatment and a center mound of colcannon potatoes crowned with a frilly piece of baked dough. The ingredients vary in different areas of Ireland, but the colcannon here is homemade mashed potatoes mixed with bits of bacon, cabbage and scallions.
Those great steak tips also appear in the traditional mixed grill ($14.95). Other items on this platter include some very good Irish sausages, Irish bacon, asparagus spears, a quartered piece of red onion and a cherry tomatoand more colcannon potatoes, of course. Grilled tomatoes are always a pleasure, especially when this flavorful. The sausages are skinless links, and the bacon is Canadian-style. The asparagus is barely grilledcooked to that perfect point where the flavor is maximized.
Stop in on Friday for the fish & chips ($11.95). Though the fries and coleslaw are nothing special, the beer batter on the cod definitely is.
The service follows the same standards of Schmidt’s other establishments, with a youthful and well-trained staff. The beer list feels just about right for this type of place. I hope the expensive makeover worksthe kitchen certainly seems up to the task. In fact, I would rank this food as superior to Water Street Brewery and Historic Turner Hall, other restaurants in Schmidt’s expanding empire. Just bring a hearty appetite. n
Trinity Three Irish Pubs
125 E. Juneau Ave.
(414) 278-7033
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Credit Cards: All major
Handicap Access: Yes
