Bartley House - Kenosha, WI

David wanted to take me somewhere to celebrate my new, big client this weekend.  We thought of a few places, and we went to one that had too long of a wait and then another that closed.  Then I thought of Bartley House.  I'd never taken David there before, so as we drove up he was making faces and couldn't believe which building it was when I pointed it out.  (I thought I'd find a picture online, but I'll have to go snap one next time I'm at the courthouse and post it so you can see.)  Bartley House is a modest, cinder block building on the corner along a street that runs the side of a viaduct under the train tracks in my home town, about 5 blocks from where I grew up.  The area is sketchy to the point of having a security guard outside the restaurant.  It's the kind of place Guy Fieri should visit, because it's a total dive with great food and great service and a cult following, only the cult is old school Kenosha, and everyone is dressed in nice clothes.

When we walked in, David was surprised.  He thought the place was really neat.  It's old school, like the old fashioned supper clubs, with a big bar where you can wait for your table and the waitresses will walk your drinks over to the table on trays when you're done.  As you first walk in, there is an open grill where the steaks are being prepared.  They sat us at an intimate table in the back.  The place was packed and dimly lit, which was good for the mood.  David said, "I can't believe you never brought me here before.  This is so cool."  It was love at first sight.

We started with drinks and the char broiled shrimp appetizer.  It was quite charred on the outside, but perfectly done and delicious, and just enough to whet our appetite, which is what an appetizer should do.  We had plenty of other food coming, trust me.  He ordered an 8 oz filet mignon, medium, with a baked potato and I ordered the prime rib special with the signature hash browns with peppers and onions.  

As we waited, they brought us an assortment of crackers and our soup and salad.  I tried the "famous" clam chowder and David had a salad with Roquefort dressing.  His salad was great, and I dipped my bread stick in the extra dressing.  I didn't care for the soup.  It was a red clam chowder, not my preference, and aside from that, the cream had broken and it was quite bland and overcooked.  I had a few bites but had plenty more to look forward to.  The waitress brought us rolls and a big cup of pats of butter sliced up and ice cold.  This was the highlight of dinner for David.  He said, "This is my kind of place!  Who does that?  Most places give you those packets of butter you have to peel open or one slice of butter and that's not enough."  He couldn't stop talking about the butter.  I had 1/2 of a pat.  :)  While you wait for your entree, Bartley House serves you their brand of cottage cheese, which is small curd and very cold with garlic and chives mixed in.  It's surprising at first, but addictive.  They also bring kidney bean salad, and it's tasty too, with a creamy mayo dressing.

Our steaks came with our sides of potatoes, and everything looked fantastic.  They were perfectly done, great smelling and we were just about to find out how they tasted.  The prime rib was to die for.  I didn't need a steak knife.  It literally pulled away every time I wanted another bite.  It melted in my mouth.  I ordered it medium rare, and it was.  I ate nearly all of it, sharing 2 bites with David, who wished he'd ordered the prime rib.  His filet was also delicious and cooked perfectly.  It had a slight char on the outside and was slightly pink inside and the flavor was rich and buttery.  He added quite a bit of pepper because he enjoys it that way.  I had a couple of bites of his steak and thought it was just as good as mine.  His baked was served with sour cream that I also used on my hash browns.  The browns come almost like a potato pancake with onion and peppers grilled in, and are excellent with a dollop of sour cream. 

I finished every bite of my meal, except for the fat.  David could not believe what I ate.  Then I wanted dessert.  I was celebrating!  Little did I know I should not have ordered dessert because it was going to be so good that we'd eat it all.  I asked the waitress, who had given us perfect service all night at just the right pace so as not to rush us or delay, what the dessert offerings were again.  David said, "It's up to you.  You can pick any banana cream cheesecake you want."  It's our inside joke.  He chooses everything, but he tells me it's up to me and somehow lets me know by how he tells me it's up to me, so I've told him to just tell me what he wants because I'm onto him.  We did order the banana cream cheesecake because I miss New Orleans banana cream pie and thought it might satisfy my craving.  

Even the coffee was good!  When the cheesecake came, we immediately knew it was going to be to die for.  It looked that good, with tons of fresh whipped cream on top.  I assure you we were not watching our waste lines that night, but we did share a piece.  We took our first bites and David asked me a question about something behind me to try to trick me so he could eat the entire dessert.  This was a fluffy, creamy, real banana cheesecake, not some banana flavored concoction.  It was definitely a dessert to fight over, but we were both so full that we shared well and by the time I took my last bite I knew I had overdone it.  I actually felt kind of sick for about 20 minutes after we ate, and I haven't felt that way in a long time.  I can't even remember the last time I ate that much or that rich a meal.

I always try to review the restrooms in these places too.  Theirs is old school, like the rest of the place, with the towel that revolves, but it was clean and there was plenty of it to pull down and use.  They had a very old sink, but hot and cold water and soap.  The ladies room was clean, well stocked and in very good working order. The entire place was great, except for that people do smoke at the bar and there is no real barrier to smelling like smoke when you leave.  I suspect they will change that in July when all Wisconsin restaurants go smoke-free.

The total bill with all of that and 4 mixed drinks with call liquors and a soda came to $90 plus tip, and we tipped the security guard on the way out.  David opened the door for me and the security guard said, "Who says there aren't any gentlemen left in the world?"  It was a perfect evening and a perfect meal with David the Perfect (that's from another conversation I had today).  Earlier, he brought me a dozen white roses and a card that was written for coaches that said I make everyone feel special, and he wrote a nice note in it too.  I am a very lucky woman, I know.

Oh, and if you're interested in visiting the Bartley House, they do have other items including Friday Fish Fry for $6.95 (unheard of).  It's located at 1212 - 58th Street in Kenosha and you will have to park on the street, most likely, unless you're with Jerry Seinfeld's parents (the 4p.m. crowd).

Wells Bros. - Racine, WI

Wells Brothers is located on Mead and 21st Streets in Racine.  I live in the historic district in Racine, but even I will say it's in a very rough spot of Racine.  I don't feel safe there.  It reminds me of a couple of restaurants I've been to that have security outside to watch the parking lot and to escort people in and out, except Wells Bros. doesn't have security, that I can tell.  (I just spoke to a Racinian who indicates that there is usually a cop on duty outside the place on busy nights.)

I was invited to Wells Bros. for a meeting.  I have never been there, despite living in Racine for almost 9 years.  When I got there I felt unsafe.  There were teenage loiterers all over the place.  Luckily, it was daylight and there were others arriving.  When I went inside I was not surprised that the restaurant is in desperate need of remodeling.  It smells like a dirty bar mop, and the vents covering the central AC ducts were packed with thick, dirty dust.  I only noticed because I was seated right over the top of one of the vents.  I will say the atmosphere didn't do much for my appetite.  

The staff seemed very nice, including bartenders and wait staff.  They worked around us as we held a seminar/meeting.  I found our waitress very attentive, and she smiled a lot and called everyone "hon" or "sweetie."

First, they put out pizza at the bar.  I had heard that in Racine this pizza is considered the best.  I'll say it had some decent flavor, but it's super thin and greasy.  If you like that kind of pizza, it's for you for sure. I had a couple of small pieces and used a couple of napkins and then had to wash my hands.  (I have also been told that there have been magazines that have rated this pizza in the top 10 in the nation, to be fair...so try it for yourself and decide.)

Then our food came to the tables, served family-style.  I thought this was a nice touch instead of doing a buffet.  The server, again, was very nice and attentive, and brought more of whatever dishes seemed to be going fast, despite the fact that the guys at my table passed the dishes amongst themselves before getting to me so that I had very little to eat.  It's ok, because the food wasn't that great and I just wanted to taste each item. 

The first dish they brought out was salad.   It was pretty good, with pepperoni, mozzarella and olives, all coated in the homemade house Italian dressing.  I thought maybe I'll be surprised and dinner will be good.  Then they served a potato dish.  It was like a home fries/casserole with lots of garlic.  That was actually tasty.

Some cheese ravioli came out and I tried only one, but then I was glad that the guys ate the rest of them because the bad frozen raviolis you buy at the grocery store in the frozen section are better.  These weren't very hot, the dough was watered down and not very flavorful, the filling was equally unappealing, and the red sauce was runny for my taste and not anything impressive.  I passed on seconds.

I tried one meatball and one piece of Italian sausage with peppers.  The meatball was gross.  I didn't like the flavor or the texture.  It seemed like something you'd buy in a frozen bag of meatballs, and I'm sure it wasn't, but it was not appetizing at all.  I would have spit my bite out, but that would have been rude.  I didn't finish the meatball.  The sausage had ok flavor, but wasn't prepared in any way that made it special.  The particular sausage they use is fatty and the texture isn't easy to chew.  I didn't finish my sausage either.  

I did take a piece of slow roasted chicken.  I had a thigh and it was decent but, again, nothing special.  It was like someone put a chicken in a crock pot with just salt and pepper and cooked it until it was falling apart.  I was glad to find something I could take more than a bite of, though, and I finished the thigh meat.  

A side of seasoned green beans was served with the meal, but they were overcooked and most of them were untouched.  I tried a bite and that was enough.  The bread served with the meal was dried out as if it had been yesterday's bread.  I didn't even butter or try my slice.

I was surprised to find that the restrooms were actually cleaner than the rest of the front of the restaurant, and well stocked with everything needed.  Too bad the dining room wasn't as freshly painted and cleaned.

I couldn't help but think that if people have a booming business putting out this food, a good cook could make a bundle in Racine.  I can't believe this is a gathering place and an institution.  I hear that Salute on Main Street was owned by a son of the Wells Bros, but the ex-wife now runs it.  I enjoy Salute much better, ambience and food.  

The one thing Wells Bros has going for it is friendly staff.  I do have to give them thumbs up on that.  I'm sure I'll have to go back for meetings, but I will be sure to eat beforehand.

Urban Grille - Geneva, IL

David and I went to Urban Grille one time early on when we were dating.  It's one of my favorite memories because we had a fun day that day and we drove there in the Porsche with the top down, so I always wanted to go again.  They have gourmet burgers that I remember being tasty.  This weekend, we visited again.

The restaurant is modern.  It's casual food served in a finer dining atmosphere.  We have eaten in the bar at a hightop both times.  They have other fare, including sandwiches and appetizers, but we went for the burgers and we both ordered one.  They offer 1 lb, 1/2 lb and 1/3 lb Angus beef, and then they also offer the burgers in other varieties of meat.  Check the menu for details.

The burger menu allows you to build your burger with a variety of toppings and sauces.  I had mine with Fontina cheese, caramelized onions and Bourbon sauce.  I ordered it medium well, but I could have ordered it medium, because I overheard the waiter talking about the high quality of the beef.  David ordered his with bleu cheese, tomato, raw onion and Bourbon sauce.  They were both delicious, and came with a tasty side salad.  We ordered a side of French fries to share.  Everything was delicious, and the food was just enough.  We didn't leave with that overfull feeling.  If you prefer to be stuffed, you can opt for one of the larger burgers.

Our waiter was extremely nice and attentive.  The restrooms were super clean and very nicely done.  Plenty of hot water, soap and paper towels were available. 

We agreed that we both like the atmosphere and the food is good, so we'll return more often than every 2.5 years.  I recommend Urban Grille if you're in Geneva or nearby and want a gourmet, build your own burger experience.  I'm pretty sure they have whatever you want at the bar too, and they have a couple of flat screens in the bar area.  If you feel like a walk after, the restaurant is located on a quaint downtown strip that overlooks the Fox River.  It's romantic for first dates and any date after, or for a friends night out.