Hubby and I had a night out last night. I won tickets to the TransSiberian Orcestra concert so we decided to make an evening of it.
Hmmm...where to eat, though? So many places I'd like to try and always so little time. Well, I had heard the the Bloody Mary's at The Wicked Hop are awesome, and its within walking distance of the Riverside Theater--so the decision was made!

We arrived at 5:45pm to a surprisingly busy restaurant. We had to wait 20 minutes or so for a table and actually ate at a high-top in the bar. That's okay--we're casual when it comes to things like that, and truly, its a Pub, the whole place is a bar. Great atmosphere!

We enjoyed our Bloody Mary's, complete with chaser, while waiting for the table and they did not disappoint. Really good, spicy tomato base with a dash of horseradish flavor, stuffed with beef stick, olives, pickle and cheese whips!! I really didn't need anything to eat after!

Now what really surprised me was how good the food was. We ate dinners, rather than sandwiches. We started with crab cakes--everyone knows how much I love crab cakes--and theirs were good, not great, but worth ordering. A little too much breading and a little overworked, but the sauce they served with them was great! Nicely garnished with Spring Greens and well presented.
For entree, Hubby had a Hanger Steak that was served with an oriental glaze, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus and garnished with black and white sesame seeds. Flavors were terrific, everything was well balanced and its was again, beautifully presented. For me, it was Rue Bourbon Chicken Pasta, topped with Blackened Shrimp--outstanding!
Dinners were served with soup or salad--hubby had a caesar (extra charge) which he enjoyed and I had a Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Parmesan which was yummy!

A bonus to this meal was that I found a discount certificate for The Wicked Hop on www.restaurant.com
If you haven't tried this out yet, do so! It's a great way to try a new place, without breaking the bank. To start--You purchase a certificate--ours was a $25 certificate. The charge for the $25 food certificate is $10 but you must spend a minimum of $45--not hard, since at The Wicked Hop your drinks count towards the total (some restaurants don't count drinks towards the minimum food charge). So, basically, $15 free--that's an entree!! (read the fine print provided with each certificate before you buy as its different for each restaurant).
And, if you do your homework, you can buy the Restaurant.com certificates at a discount, too!
Go to this site... 

Well, recently we visited Texas de brazil in Chicago for a friends birthday. It's a Brazilian Steakhouse in Downtown Chicago where the Gauchos bring swords of meat to your table and carve it for you. If you've never been to this style of restaurant, they really are a lot of fun!!
Go hungry, because the salad bar is unlike any you've ever seen. I only get the salad bar, as I can't do justice to 15 different meats plus the sushi bar, soup stations and the plaintains, mashed potatoes and gougeres that they bring to the table.
Pricey, but worth it!! We go 2-3 times per year. Ask to sit near the wine storage--you'll understand why, when you get there!!

Another recent dine out night for us was last night for Tapas Tuesday at Heaven City in Mukwonago. We haven't been there in 10+ years. We went with my brother and sis-in-law and spent the better part of 3 hours grazing on small plates, cocktails and dessert.
The atmosphere at Heaven City is just so neat--the building and individual rooms are beautiful, staff is friendly and food is really good.
The menu for Tapas Tuesday changes weekly, but one standard is a 6oz. filet for $10.95 served with a Cognac Demiglace. Most other Tapas on the menu range from $8 to $13 and can be split between 4 people.
We ordered 3 waves of Tapas and then dessert and with tax/tip was about $70 per couple and we left full.  Give it a try, it's a fun, social dining experience.

If you want to stay closer to Milw for Tapas, try La Merenda on 1st & National. We've enjoyed this restaurant in the past as well.