6.9.11 Dinner. Points East Pub. Yankee Hill (Milwaukee, WI)

NBA finals time means sitting at the bar and drinking beers right?  Right.  So that's just what we did.  Jamie and I have been talking for months about going to Points East Pub to try out their famous wings.  It was a Thursday night and they have 50 cent wings on Thursdays.  Just our luck!  We didn't even know it was 50 cent night.   We like wing night deals.

view from the door.  obtained from www.yelp.com

We walk into the bar and it's bumpin'.  The place was pretty full.  All the tables were occupied and just a few seats left at the bar.  Jamie and I were able to snag two spots at the bar.  Tight squeeze but not so tight that we were bumping elbows.  On one side of the place there is the bar and then along the windows is a bench with low tops that run along it.  Between these tables and the bar are a few high tops.  Into the back of the building there are a couple more tables.  The bar itself had some nice wood paneling along it.  The ceilings have exposed pipes and copper tiles throughout.  The place is definitely pub-style.  Nice and quaint.  Louder music plays throughout the bar.  Not too loud that you can't hear your neighbor.  Definitely a mix of various types of music.  At one point they were playing Rihanna which was somewhat out of place compared to everything else that was playing.  There are two TVs behind the bar.  They were showing the brewers game and the NBA finals. 

Obviously Beer and Water.

When we sat at the bar, we were immediately asked if we were eating.  We said yes.  We were told that there was about a 40 minute wait for wings and per the bartender, this wasn't a bad wait time. We both ordered a pitcher of Miller Lite.  It was flat.  Almost couldn't finish it. We're not ones to complain unless it's horrid so we just sucked it up.  But, when we were done with the pitcher, we switched over to bottled beer.  We sat next to some guys.  Guys were the majority.  Few ladies scattered throughout the place but male to female ratio was definitely close to a 4:1.   Primarily in their 20-30s.  Seemed like the typical happy hour type crowd, probably because of the wing deal.  Some people that came straight from work still lingered as well.  They were still in their work shirts and ties.  The guy sitting next to me said "Ever get the wings?" Me, "no."  Him, "Oh, you're in trouble.  They're hot."  Me, "I can handle it."  I looked over to him as he was eating his wings.  He was strugglin'.  Have to admit, I was somewhat apprehensive.  But, I do like me some spice so I was up for the challenge.

A little background on this place and their fantastic wings. They have a secret recipe.  Word on the street is that there is high competition between this place and Club Garibaldi in Bay View because they have pretty much similar recipes.  We won't get into all the details but supposedly someone brought the recipe from Points to Garibaldi.  Maybe check out both and you can be the judge. 

Back to the topic at hand.  We enjoyed sitting at the bar, watching the games, talking with our fellow pub goers and to the bartenders. The bartenders were friendly and helpful.  They said we can order any increment of wings we wanted.  There is only one type of wing available.  No options for sauce.

I'll combine our food and thoughts since we both ordered wings and shared a side.
Details:   I ordered 6 wings.  Jamie ordered 8.  We ordered a Large side of fries to share with a side or ranch dressing for dipping.  Blue cheese and celery. 

Large Side of Fries and Side Ranch Dressing.

Thoughts: Ranch had a nice creamy consistency to it.  Slight touch of onion flavoring to it compared to other ranches.  Blue cheese dressing was creamy and had a nice blue cheese flavor to it that wasn't too overpowering or strong.  Good sized pieces of celery and they weren't the wimpy celery that you can sometimes get with wings.  They were nice and crisp and hydrated.  If you bent them, they'd break versus just bend.  Fries were crispy.  Wings were out of the park (might as well go with the baseball analogy since the game was on).  They were cooked perfectly.  Cooked well enough that the skin wasn't soft and fatty textured but not too long that it made the wings dry.  The fact that they fry, sauce and then grill the wings leave them free of being greasy and not overly saucy.   It seemed more like a dry rub type of wing because of this.  The lack of excessive sauce cut down on how spicy it felt on your lips when you bit into them (you may know the sauce's effect on the HEAT [pun intended due to the NBA finals...go Mavs!] factor if you watch Man vs Food.  Some things were so spicy he had  to wear gloves while eating some things covered in hot sauce).  The wings did have a kick to them.  The guy next to me would periodically do a quality check to see if I was handling the heat.  I think he was impressed by my skills.  Definitely a kick to them.  Spice that hits you at the back of your throat.  It didn't get me sweating until the fifth wing I ate.   Just a little glisten of sweat... didn't require me to wipe my

6 Wings with Celery and Blue Cheese Dressing.

brow.  Definitely a SPICE ALERT for spice wimps out there.  At one point, I could hear Jamie sucking in air through her mouth to cool off and I almost aspirated from laughing.  Close call.  I tried to keep count and Jamie had at least 3+ waters.  She does drink like a fish but geez, that was a lot.  6 wings was just the right amount for me.

Jamie's thoughts:
Jamie enjoyed the smokey grill flavor the wings had.  Thought the size of the wings were perfect and enjoyed that there wasn't any soft skin pieces.  She also commented on the fact that in our baskets there was a nice wing to drummy ratio (can't you tell she works for a bank?).  Jamie said she could pass on the fries.  Nothing special.   Almost like we got the bottom of the bag of fries because we got little pieces.   8 left her stuffed.

Other factors to keep in mind:
- We were carded at the door.  Not a kid kind of place.
-The wait time was initially 40 minutes for the wings but I timed it and it only took 30 minutes.  Not bad really since we were drinking beers while waiting and the game was on which kept us occupied.
- May have to wait for an open space to open up on Thursday night due to the wing night crowd.  Can't really say on how the other nights are.
- Menu consists of typical bar type foods.
- No website to link to.  But, many review and pictures from pub goers that are online.
-Nightly deals include: Mon $1.25 beef or chicken tacos and $1 off Mexican beers, Tues $2 hamburgers and $1 off pitchers, Wed $1 PBRs (grrreat deal), Thur 50 cent wings.
- Bathroom situation is sub par.  Nice pub like this would benefit from bathroom update. Felt like a dive bar type bathroom set up.   Two different worlds.  

I would definitely come here again for wings.  I neglected to pay attention to the menu close enough to give you a run down of everything else they had or how much the wings were on a normal night.  I had one thing on my mind when I went, 50 cent wings, and that's what I got.  I was very satisfied with the food.  The place was a nice chill hang out too.

6.5.11 Lunch. Apollo Cafe (LowerEast Side. Milwaukee, WI)

It was the day of the annual UPAF ride for the arts.  Jamie, my cousin Harry and I did the ride together.  It was a perfect day for the ride.  Not too hot and with a nice little breeze.  The sun definitely made a difference though.  After doing the 25 mile ride over the Hoan Bridge.  We decided that we were in the mood for some Greek food and decided on going to Apollo Cafe on Brady St.  We rode our bikes from Summerfest grounds to Apollo and locked our bikes up.

Front view.  (Used from www.apollocafe.com)

There were both tables available inside and outside without a wait.  There are tables on the side of the building that extends to the front of the building so you can do some people watching along Brady, which is always a good time.  You can often find some characters strolling up and down the strip.  Apollo is set up where you order at counter and your food is placed on a tray and you bring it to a table yourself.  The restaurant itself isn't all that special or unique.  It's clean though so that's a plus.  Definitely not a dive type restaurant.  There were two guys behind the counter.  One taking orders and setting up trays and the other preparing the food.  They tend to be the usual crew. They're usually a friendly group.  When they get the after bar time crowd, they are a little more short with the customers but who wouldn't be when they have a long line of inebriated customers? I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate it the whole night.

They have a decent sized menu that includes apps, sandwiches/plates, Greek favorites, salads, sides and desserts.  It isn't a menu that is overwhelming though which makes it easier for my indecisive self.  The menu is on the wall just like any walk up and order type of joint.  As you stand at the counter, you see the gyro meat rotating on the rotating spit.  Mmmmm...tasty.  Not always appealing to vegetarians, I'm sure, but I dig it.  Jamie, Harry and I all ordered the same thing, the gyro plate.  The plates come with your option of fries, Greek salad, or rice pilaf.  Jamie and I ordered the Greek salad as our side and Harry ordered fries.  We all supplemented our water bottles with some ice water to go with our meals.  We were super thirsty since we had just done the ride.  The gyros and salads come right up.  Otherwise, they call numbers for other orders that may take a little longer to prepare.

Harry wasn't down for sitting outside to eat but Jamie and I don't like to pass up an opportunity to enjoy the nice weather.  With Milwaukee weather, you can't risk missing out on a nice day that isn't cold or too hot.  They are few and far between.  We sat at a table that was in the sun on the sidewalk along the front and it did get a little warm but not unbearable.  Majority of the people at Apollo sat outside.  Everyone there on this day was in their 20-30s.

I'll combine all of ours since they are pretty much the same.  It'll make it easier.

Gyro Plate with Greek Side Salad.

Details: Gyro Plate.  Seasoned lamb and beef served with pita tzatziki sauce, tomato and onion.  Greek salad has tomato, onion, blocks of feta cheese, olives and pepperoncinis with a Greek vinaigrette dressing.  Fries are a typical thicker cut, but not steak cut fry.  $8

Thoughts: Fantastic flavor to the gyro meat which is also nice and moist.  Not overdone.  Pita is tasty and soft.  Restaurant pita always seems so much better than the stuff you get at the store at eat at home.  Why is that?  It's a mystery to me.  You get an entire bottle of tzatziki  sauce which is fantastic because it's so delicious and adds a nice cool flavor to it.  The Greek salad is simple yet full of flavor and has fresh ingredients to it.  Greek salads are one of my favorites.  The feta isn't too overpowering.  Since it's in block form and you break it up yourself, it has a nice texture and moisture to it.  I'm glad I didn't get the fries because they were soggy (not pictured on this date).  It wasn't too busy so I'm sure they didn't have much fry turn over and they may have been sitting there for a bit longer than desired.  The servings were generous enough that I was able to take pretty much half the gyro to take home with me for another meal.  Definite plus!

After we ate, an employee came by and collected our dirty dishes.  There are also little bins by the side door for people to place their dirty dishes, trays and bottles of tzatziki sauce when there isn't someone coming around to clear tables.

Other factors to keep in mind:
-They are open after bar close.  A great after bar treat that isn't just all fried food.
-Vegetarian friendly
-Walk up service, don't expect to just sit at a table and have a server take your order
-Fairly fast preparation for food, especially the gyro plate.  So, if you're hungry and don't have a lot of time, this could be an option.

This was a good trip to Apollo.  Good Greek food at a pretty descent price.  I'll definitely come back again.  Good location but nothing all that exciting about the place itself that would get it vibe points.

Apollo Cafe

1310 E. Brady Street

Milwaukee, WI 53202

(414) 272-2233

www.apollocafe.com

OPEN

Sunday-Wednesday 11am - 11pm

Thursday - Saturday 11am - 3am