Two years ago, my version of Bayview started and ended at the intersection of KK and Lincoln. When we landed an apartment smack dab in this epicenter of all things AWESOME, we thought we’d hit the holy grail. In walking distance to the Asian slaw at Lulu, bloodies from Café Centraal, and a good stiff cocktail from Tonic!?!? Color me drunk, full and happy.
Until we came to a startling revalation: the food around us generally inspired a feeling of ‘egh’, adding bloodies to brunch was running us a $70+ tab before noon, and more than on night at a particular establishment seemed to end with embarrassingly loud, over-emotional arguments and the occasional spiking of a plate of gyros to get your point across. When hipster was a euphemism for contrived and over-done, I was in. Add unremarkable and overpriced and, thank you very much, I’ll slip out through the back door.
As such, my choice locations for grub in this neighborhood have been narrowed to the fingers on one hand (and include a bar whose kitchen consists of the bartender and a $40 pizza oven.)
As I sit here, listing off my selections on said hand – my pinkie is in flux as I grapple with the inclusion of the little neighborhood gem, Hue.
Call me whatever you want – but I’ve been to a few ‘authentic’ Vietnamese restaurants throughout the city and I’d still take Hue’s food over anything around 27th and Layton. I’m not saying Hue’s not authentic –but for all I know, I’m just a stupid American and Hue is the Chin’s of Chinese food. . .
. . .and, quite frankly, I don’t care.
On a cold rainy day or a weekend where my stomach has had more booze and pizza than it can handle – a nice warm bowl of broth, rice noodles, chicken, basil and bean sprouts are exactly what I need. A runny nose and an oncoming cold are well fought by a few extra squeezes of Sriracha. And even with my own admittedly overzealous use of ingredients, I’ve never managed to ruin the bounty of food placed before me.
Table service has always been courteous and, at times, engaging – with food coming out piping hot and as quickly as anyone can expect. At one point, Hue even effectively redeemed the entire city Milwaukee after a weekend of uncharacteristically lousy service elsewhere.
And for a while, they had a quirky, opera singing bartender who, while sometimes a few steps off the path, recognized us when we came in and always had something to add to our conversations. A few offbeat TMI comments prompting sideways glances and a noticeably slow pace were nicely camouflaged by her obvious gusto for life. I’ll admit to not knowing her name today, but at one point we all introduced each other and became fast friends, one hour at a time.
Hue, for all intents and purposes, had hit a home run.
Mid-season, however, the offensive line changed and their Final Four hopes were dashed.*
The midseason switch involved a bartender swap that made the Dick York/Dick Sargent switch seem masterful. Our** new bartender manages to breaks every cardinal rule of bartending – he substitutes grunts for actual responses, stares at the TV, makes it impossible to establish any sort of eye contact for a quick refill and is generally inattentive, at best. Regular attendance never garnered anything more than a, ‘will you be eating tonight or just drinking?’ We’ve never expected free cocktails, but a glimmer of recognition or even a ‘welcome back, guys!’ is always appreciated.
My dude actually refuses to go back after a few annoying, albeit inconsequential, visits - opting instead to drive across town for the pho at some new restaurant in the ghetto. Mention its name in front of the dude and I, and your reception will likely include furrowed brows, a synchronized utterance of disgust and an extended discourse around why we’ve saved them to our no call list.
I’ll admit it - list Hue’s qualities on the back of a napkin, pull up virtually any other review or simply stop reading three paragraphs ago and you’ve got yourself a winner. If your idea of a enjoyable dining experience includes good food, hefty portions and a budget-friendly tab, have yourself a run at Hue and you won’t leave disappointed.
But, if you’re like me and in desperate need to be the center of attention- if you expect your dining tab to include continuous validation that you do indeed have a charming sense of humor – and if you prefer to pay people to engage you in insightful banter– you’ll leave feeling cheated and disheartened.
the choice is yours.
* . . and with the state of the NBA, they probably would have had a shot
**yes. I am speaking of him as if he is my property. I’m the youngest of four – it’s my right and my duty to claim ownership.
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