Boston Market Expanding Overseas

[4everwarriors]

Across the street from the Schroeder Hotel, today it is the downtown Hilton, there was the original Frenchies, it was next door to a strip joint.  With the smell of the stock yards and breweries Milwaukee had an industrial heart which has mostly been exported.   Not a political statement, just a little history.     

Those were the days, we even had electric busses down by Schusters where the busses turn the corner around.  Understand if you don't understand a little Polish-English translation.

Maybe wanna do a double check. Frenchies was located on east North Ave. where Beans and Barley is currently situated, ai na?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

speaking of wild bores.... 

Where exactly did you eat in Milwaukee besides Real Chili?

Exactly!

[warriorchick]

Exactly!

Yep, it reminds me of a couple I knew who announced with great conviction, "The food in Canada is terrible!"

Come to find out they had done one driving tour back in the late 60's or early 70's and did not care for what they ate in the roadside restaurants they stopped at.  Therefore, all food in the entire country is crap.

[lurch91]

I was in Downtown Indy a few years ago and it felt like every single restaurant was a chain. Went hunting for a local joint and there was nothing (other than bars).

Had brunch at a nice spot in the Broad Ripple neighborhood that weekend, but I got the feeling that neighborhood would get old after about 3 weeks.

You didn't look hard enough, Harry & Izzy's, St. Elmo's, ANYTHING in Fountain Square, ANYTHING on Mass Ave, the City Market and Capital Grill.  Took me about 15 seconds to think of that list, doesn't even cover the restaurants in the Broad Ripple area or other areas of Indy.

http://www.visitindy.com/indianapolis-indys-top-25-local-restaurants.

Hoosiers get a bad rap, sometimes rightfully so, but there are local and fresh choices.  Problem is, the chains can dominate any metropolitan area (Hard Rock, Rock Bottom, Dick's, etc).

[GGGG]

I was in Downtown Indy a few years ago and it felt like every single restaurant was a chain. Went hunting for a local joint and there was nothing (other than bars).

That's what you get in a big convention town.  Like it or not, people gravitate toward what is known even if it is a more higher end chain like Ruth's Chris or the Oceanaire. 

[Benny B]

You didn't look hard enough, Harry & Izzy's, St. Elmo's, ANYTHING in Fountain Square, ANYTHING on Mass Ave, the City Market and Capital Grill.  Took me about 15 seconds to think of that list, doesn't even cover the restaurants in the Broad Ripple area or other areas of Indy.

http://www.visitindy.com/indianapolis-indys-top-25-local-restaurants.

Hoosiers get a bad rap, sometimes rightfully so, but there are local and fresh choices.  Problem is, the chains can dominate any metropolitan area (Hard Rock, Rock Bottom, Dick's, etc).

Yes, the chains dominate the metros... as evidenced by the fact that Dick's and Hard Rock Cafe in Milwaukee are always packed.

Of the three "local" Indy restaurants you listed, one's a chain, and the other two... one was spun off of the other with the specific intention of franchising nationally.  It's so tragic that Hoosiers don't even realize that their "local" restaurants are actually chains.  I'm surprised you didn't exemplify Bonefish Grill, Palomino or Morton's on your 15-second list.

With that said, St. Elmo's is a great place.  But every major city has several local restaurants at least on par with St. Elmo's.  Indy has nothing else... at least nothing the locals can name because they insist on naming chains as local gems instead of the other homegrown place they have up on 96th Street.

As to the second tier, Yats and Shapiros are excellent spots, but again, even for every local restaurant on your "25" link, every other major city has at least two of those places.

And the most delicious irony here?  Let's not forget that one of the most chic "local" restaurants in Indy has roots in Milwaukee.

I rest my case.

[lurch91]

LOL!!!  Thanks for nitpicking Benny!!!!  So, should we define what's a chain?  Is a chain 100+ restaurants across the US.  Is a restaurant with less than 20 locations unique enough to have a local flare? Are we railing against microwave heater restaurants vs those that have an actual chef on staff?  Two sister restaurants with different menu's unique enough? 

 

We should probably rule out all Italian and Mexican restaurants across the US as unique since they all serve similar food....

[Spotcheck Billy]

Should Sobelman's be considered a chain now too?

[warriorchick]

LOL!!!  Thanks for nitpicking Benny!!!!  So, should we define what's a chain?  Is a chain 100+ restaurants across the US.  Is a restaurant with less than 20 locations unique enough to have a local flare? Are we railing against microwave heater restaurants vs those that have an actual chef on staff?  Two sister restaurants with different menu's unique enough? 

 

We should probably rule out all Italian and Mexican restaurants across the US as unique since they all serve similar food....

Also, this entire thread assumes that all chain restaurants are crap.  Is that necessarily the case?  I know a lot of them are, but I have had a nice meal at many "chains".  After all, if a restaurant is so good that it is jammed all the time, doesn't it often make sense to open up another location?

[Benny B]

LOL!!!  Thanks for nitpicking Benny!!!!  So, should we define what's a chain?  Is a chain 100+ restaurants across the US.  Is a restaurant with less than 20 locations unique enough to have a local flare? Are we railing against microwave heater restaurants vs those that have an actual chef on staff?  Two sister restaurants with different menu's unique enough? 

 

We should probably rule out all Italian and Mexican restaurants across the US as unique since they all serve similar food....

I'm just railing on Indiana.  My in-laws are all Hoosiers, and so although I've become something of an expert at it, I still need a practice range to perfect my craft.

[Wally Schroeder]

You didn't look hard enough, Harry & Izzy's, St. Elmo's, ANYTHING in Fountain Square, ANYTHING on Mass Ave, the City Market and Capital Grill.  Took me about 15 seconds to think of that list, doesn't even cover the restaurants in the Broad Ripple area or other areas of Indy.

http://www.visitindy.com/indianapolis-indys-top-25-local-restaurants.

Hoosiers get a bad rap, sometimes rightfully so, but there are local and fresh choices.  Problem is, the chains can dominate any metropolitan area (Hard Rock, Rock Bottom, Dick's, etc).

Admittedly, we did not. We confined ourselves to a few square block radius and relied upon walking around instead of the internet the first night. Won't make that mistake again!

[Coleman]

LOL!!!  Thanks for nitpicking Benny!!!!  So, should we define what's a chain?  Is a chain 100+ restaurants across the US.  Is a restaurant with less than 20 locations unique enough to have a local flare? Are we railing against microwave heater restaurants vs those that have an actual chef on staff?  Two sister restaurants with different menu's unique enough? 

 

We should probably rule out all Italian and Mexican restaurants across the US as unique since they all serve similar food....

A chain is any restaurant with multiple locations, typically owned by some corporate restaurant group. Chains restaurants don't have master chefs at each location. That's why they are chains.

[vogue65]

Also, this entire thread assumes that all chain restaurants are crap.  Is that necessarily the case?  I know a lot of them are, but I have had a nice meal at many "chains".  After all, if a restaurant is so good that it is jammed all the time, doesn't it often make sense to open up another location?

Yes, and no, when I did a lot of travel I would, for convenience, eat at the hotel or a chain like Outback, Macaroni Grill, or even a salad at Burger-King.  When I roamed around the third ward in MKE I found nothing but bars selling food.  No table cloths, lots of noise, the usual Midwest sports bars.

Jammed is not my selection criteria for a good restaurant.

[vogue65]

Exactly!

Karl Rachies, where I also had dinner with my parents in 1965, and the Pfister.  Some place on a park within walking distance of the hotel and we walked around the third ward and found nothing of interest.

The dinner at the reunion banquet at the new union was very good for banquet style dinning.  Breakfast at the Pfister is outstanding. 

[GGGG]

Yes, and no, when I did a lot of travel I would, for convenience, eat at the hotel or a chain like Outback, Macaroni Grill, or even a salad at Burger-King.  When I roamed around the third ward in MKE I found nothing but bars selling food.  No table cloths, lots of noise, the usual Midwest sports bars.

You didn't look hard enough.

[source?]

Karl Rachies, where I also had dinner with my parents in 1965, and the Pfister.  Some place on a park within walking distance of the hotel and we walked around the third ward and found nothing of interest.

The dinner at the reunion banquet at the new union was very good for banquet style dinning.  Breakfast at the Pfister is outstanding.

I'm friends with a couple of the chefs at Morel in the third ward. I think you would most likely have found it to your liking.


Edit: I guess it's technically in walker's point.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Karl Rachies, where I also had dinner with my parents in 1965, and the Pfister.  Some place on a park within walking distance of the hotel and we walked around the third ward and found nothing of interest.

The dinner at the reunion banquet at the new union was very good for banquet style dinning.  Breakfast at the Pfister is outstanding. 

The 1st time I thought it was a typo but I guess not, it's Ratzsch not Rachies 
http://www.karlratzsch.com/

[GGGG]

Karl Rachies, where I also had dinner with my parents in 1965, and the Pfister.  Some place on a park within walking distance of the hotel and we walked around the third ward and found nothing of interest.

The dinner at the reunion banquet at the new union was very good for banquet style dinning.  Breakfast at the Pfister is outstanding. 

So let me get this straight.  You came back to Milwaukee for a Marquette 50th reunion for a couple days, in the "new" union that is 30 years old.  You walked around one specific neighborhood, couldn't find anything to your liking, and that was enough to convince you that Milwaukee doesn't have any good restaurants?

[warriorchick]

So let me get this straight.  You came back to Milwaukee for a Marquette 50th reunion for a couple days, in the "new" union that is 30 years old.  You walked around one specific neighborhood, couldn't find anything to your liking, and that was enough to convince you that Milwaukee doesn't have any good restaurants?

[vogue65]

Yes, and getting back to my criteria for a "good restaurant"; table cloths, waiters or waitresses with clean uniforms, an on premise chef, fresh ingredients, no boilable bags, no microwaves, unwrapped butter, hot bread, fresh flowers, quiet room, etc..  Therefore, no corporate dinning qualifies as a good restaurant.  And BTW the union is new, nice and typical of the architecture for it's time, but new nonetheless.

In Vegas I found Gallagher's steak house, same as NYC, now that is a steak house.  Dry aged beef is something you can't find in New Jersey or Milwaukee for that matter. 

Back in the 1960's we had world class restaurants in Milwaukee.  The follow-on generations have no idea what qualifies as a good restaurant.

A baked potato without aluminum foil, a Caesar salad made from scratch with a fresh egg, coffee in a saucer with a doily, I know, I'm just a bore....sorry.

The best restaurants in America, NYC, Nantucket, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C., Boston as honorable mention.

Second Division:  Atlanta, Dallas, Wichita, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

Third Division:  St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans

[GGGG]

Yes, and getting back to my criteria for a "good restaurant"; table cloths, waiters or waitresses with clean uniforms, an on premise chef, fresh ingredients, no boilable bags, no microwaves, unwrapped butter, hot bread, fresh flowers, quiet room, etc..  Therefore, no corporate dinning qualifies for as a good restaurant.  And BTW the union is new, nice and typical of the architecture for it's time, but new nonetheless.

In Vegas I found Gallagher's steak house, same as NYC, now that is a steak house.  Dry aged beef is something you can't find in New Jersey or Milwaukee for that matter. 

Back in the 1960's we had world class restaurants in Milwaukee.  The follow-on generations have no idea what qualifies as a good restaurant.

A baked potato without aluminum foil, a Caesar salad made from scratch with a fresh egg, coffee in a saucer with a doily, I know, I'm just a bore....sorry.

Milwaukee has dry-aged beef steakhouses.  Carnevour, Mason Street Grill....

Again, you should probably spend more than one weekend in town every 50 years before you bash the restaurant scene.

[warriorchick]

Milwaukee has dry-aged beef steakhouses.  Carnevour, Mason Street Grill....

Again, you should probably spend more than one weekend in town every 50 years before you bash the restaurant scene.

But make sure there is a doily under the coffee cup, for God's sake!!!

[Coleman]

Yes, and getting back to my criteria for a "good restaurant"; table cloths, waiters or waitresses with clean uniforms, an on premise chef, fresh ingredients, no boilable bags, no microwaves, unwrapped butter, hot bread, fresh flowers, quiet room, etc..  Therefore, no corporate dinning qualifies as a good restaurant.  And BTW the union is new, nice and typical of the architecture for it's time, but new nonetheless.

In Vegas I found Gallagher's steak house, same as NYC, now that is a steak house.  Dry aged beef is something you can't find in New Jersey or Milwaukee for that matter. 

Back in the 1960's we had world class restaurants in Milwaukee.  The follow-on generations have no idea what qualifies as a good restaurant.

A baked potato without aluminum foil, a Caesar salad made from scratch with a fresh egg, coffee in a saucer with a doily, I know, I'm just a bore....sorry.

The best restaurants in America, NYC, Nantucket, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C., Boston as honorable mention.

Second Division:  Atlanta, Dallas, Wichita, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

Third Division:  St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans

There's New York and Chicago, and then there's everyone else.

Milwaukee dining is no better or worse than any other decent sized city in America.

[vogue65]

Milwaukee has dry-aged beef steakhouses.  Carnevour, Mason Street Grill....

Again, you should probably spend more than one weekend in town every 50 years before you bash the restaurant scene.

I shall return, I will look up Carvenour and expect to find dry-aged beef, I'll be very surprised and happily stand corrected.  Frequently dry-aged beef is advertised, but it is not the real thing. 

I may have walked by the place, may have been turned off by the lack of tablecloths.  Think it was a artists bar back in the 1960's that offered raw beef on rye bread with horseradish just before closing. 

[vogue65]

There's New York and Chicago, and then there's everyone else.

Milwaukee dining is no better or worse than any other decent sized city in America.

I'll go along with that in the aggregate, but the exception does prove the rule.  I'll still put Washington D.C., and Nantucket as well as Vegas above the typical and above Chicago, again, in the aggregate.

In it's class Milwaukee is also above the average.  Places like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, leave a lot to be desired.