In the case of Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun,the answer is “none of the above.”
Ryan Braun's Waterfront opened in thelocation of the former Fratello's. It's an elegant setting. The front room hasa bar and a lounge near the windows. Though there are a few flat-paneltelevisions, they do not dominate the setting. The dining room has white linentablecloths and stylish crystal lamps. The room is very white accented withcolorful contemporary art. There is not a Brewers' baseball or cap in sight.
In spite of the luxuriant setting, the menu takes ona casual air with prices to match. There are pizzas, pastas and salads for thelighter appetites, and poultry, seafood and steaks as entrees. Very few itemsare over $30 and many are under $20. The salads and pastas are all sold inhalf-portions, a nice touch. Start with some baked bread served with one of therestaurant's signature items, roasted vegetable sun-dried tomato butter. It isan omen of good things to come.
An appetizer that has a bit of everything is calledthe onion grill ($11). It combines haystack onion rings with two small skewersof shrimp and two of chicken, both with pieces of pineapple wrapped with bacon.While the shrimp could be grilled a bit longer, the pineapple is delightfullyripe. There is plenty to share. Entrees only include a starch, so consideradding soup or splitting a salad. On one visit the soup was a fine creamylobster bisque with bits of carrot and onion. At lunch the price was a bargain$3. The small pizzas are at appetizer prices ($8-$10). There are six types plusa customized version. The crust is thin and the dough is solid, not puffy. Thetoppings are generously applied. A Greek one named “pizza grill” has parmesan,asiago and feta cheese with artichoke hearts, black Greek olives, sun-driedtomatoes and a hint of onion.
Some of the more interesting entrees are six-ouncesteaks combined with a seafood item ($22-$25). Among the options are shrimpcrab cake, scallops, smoked salmon and rock shrimp. The pure seafood entreesoffer many good choices. Salmon grill ($20) is a simple piece of Alaskan wildsalmon (at a farmed salmon price) with sun-dried tomato garlic butter plus aside of pineapple orange salsa. The orange is the zest creating a delightfulsauce. The Waterfront trout grill ($20) is a whole boneless trout topped withsmoked salmon. For further embellishment there is a dab of sour cream withblack caviar.
One steak, the rustic cut strip ($21), needs abetter description on the menu. It is wrapped with bacon, stuffed with roastedred pepper and pepper jack cheese, and served with a red wine sauce. However,it looks nothing like a strip steak. Rather, it's a thin piece of beef servedin the manner of a roulade or roll-up filled with way too much cheese. Whenordered of the rare side it is a tough cut, one of the rare disappointments onthis menu.
The bar has its own menu with burgers and chickensandwiches, though it is possible to also order from the regular menu. The beerlist is adequate. The domestic wine list offers most of the vintages by theglass ($5-$8). Bottles are $22-$58. The atmosphere here changes with the hours.At weekday lunches it is more subdued as the patrons are business people. Atevenings when the bar and lounge are full it is more casual and the crowd isnoisier. But this is the time of year when you should request an outdoor table.There are many available all with great Milwaukee Riverviews.
Ryan Braun's Waterfront (102 N. Water St.)
(414) 727-2888
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Credit cards: all major
Smoke-free
Handicapped access: yes
