Hotel restaurants tend to be expensive, catering to a captive crowd of guests. Jimmy’s Island Grill at the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West, across from Mayfair Mall, is among the exceptions. The menu includes many bargains and attracts locals as well as travelers.
With its Margaritaville vibe, one expects to hear entire sides of Jimmy Buffet when walking into Jimmy’s. Fortunately, the sonic ambience spans a wider range of nostalgia, from Ritchie Valens through New Order. Music provides the sonic ambience; the more than half-dozen TV screens, most tuned to sports, are kept mute.
But welcome Parrot Heads: The standard hamburger on the lunch-dinner menu is called the Parrot Head Burger ($9.95). It’s good, but if you’re looking for a closer encounter with the Caribbean, try the Havana Burger ($13.95) instead. The Cuban-style creation pairs Angus beef with shredded pork and adds Swiss cheese, mustard and mayo to the panini.
Photo credit: Dave Zylstra
The Caribbean vibe continues throughout the colorful menu. Fresh seafood selections include an excellent snapper ($21.95), generously portioned and lightly coated in parmesan. Like all of Jimmy’s entrées, it comes with a nicely crafted house salad (try the fruity-tasting raspberry vinaigrette) and choice of sides. The sweetly glazed Island Rice is a flavorful alternative to French fries. The Key West Cobb ($12.95) is composed of iceberg lettuce, avocado, hard-boiled egg, red onions and chicken breast. Jamaica is represented by jerk chicken wings ($12.95) and the Mexican riviera by quesadillas ($9.95 for plain cheese).
Photo credit: Dave Zylstra
Suitable for sharing (and filling for even the biggest appetite), the full order of Island Nachos ($11.95) is a giant mound of colorful, house-made tortilla chips slathered with cheese, black olives and jalapeños and offered with choice of ground beef, barbecue pulled pork or chicken breast.
The interior of Jimmy’s is done up faux-island style with photos of Ernest Hemingway at Key West, a giant swordfish and all manner of nautical trinkets. The booths are rigged up like little fishing shanties. Outdoors, when the weather is warm, there are more tables, a firepit and sand.
Jimmy’s also affords a fairly standard breakfast menu (eggs, bacon, pancakes) in the morning, geared to the hotel trade. The kitchen serves its Caribbean-style lunch and dinner menu until 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
