Breaking the mold of what many may expect when they think of dining in Elm Grove, the recently opened Wall Street Drink Exchange is a pleasant surprise. Mural-covered walls with images of New York streets and modern furnishings lend a cosmopolitan air to the suburban restaurant. The Wall Street theme is, perhaps, a bit of an unusual choice outside of a financial center. But once customers are welcomed by the attentive staff, and get down to business with the menu, they’ll settle right in.
For starters, try some excellent bacon-wrapped water chestnuts ($10), huge water chestnuts wrapped in smoky Nueske’s bacon and topped with a sweet yet pleasantly spicy chili maple glaze. Mushroom-lovers will rhapsodize over the Wild Hennessey mushrooms au gratin ($10), which features a generous portion of portabella, white and shitake mushrooms in creamy garlic-asiago sauce and served with toast points.
Dinners range from deceptively simple sandwiches and salads to full-on supper club favorites. Standouts include an incredible tenderloin steak sandwich ($14), melt-in-your-mouth-tender beef served on a fresh French roll, topped with onions, mushrooms, peppers, cheese and a flavorful avocado aioli. The outstanding ribeye pork chop ($24) is almost worth the visit alone. It’s served “bone-in” and topped with a mustard reduction sauce, with potato gnocchi, chorizo, spinach and super tasty pickled onions. Don’t miss the wild mushroom ravioli ($16), which could become your new go-to comfort food, stuffed with mascarpone cheese and white truffle oil, topped with more mushrooms and shaved asiago. The “Saturday Only” slow-roasted prime rib ($25-$38) promises to be amazing, and may just merit another trip.
Wall Street is open for lunch as well, offering a full complement of satisfying burgers and sandwiches ($8-$13). A happy surprise is the Street Fish Tacos ($9), your choice of beer-battered or Cajun fish, topped with a citrus slaw, pico de gallo and a delightful chipotle aioli. A sit-down brunch is offered on Sundays ($7-$13).
And yes, there are drinks at the Wall Street Drink Exchange. A comfortable bar runs along one side of the restaurant. Some 98 varieties of wines are available, 22 by the glass. Signature cocktails ($6-$9) are named with a nod to Wall Street like Bull Market Manhattan, Rockefeller and Blue Chip. Paired with some appetizers, this could become a prime stop for happy hour or a pre/post-show cocktail, as Wall Street is located just across the road from Elm Grove’s long-established theater, Sunset Playhouse.
