Lucky's Bar and Grille

In a word: More local than most sports bars.

The specs: #0340
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Madison Fish Fry, Wisconsin Fish Fry Reviews, Badger Herald, Yelp, collected at del.icio.us; menu at Menupix; official web site;

JM ate the Wild West burger with a lemonade.
John ate the All American burger with a Sierra Nevada ale.
Nichole ate the voodoo buffalo chicken salad with a diet Pepsi.
Rose ate the black & bleu burger with a mimosa.
The bill was $44, or $11/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole gave Lucky's Bar and Grille a B+; John and Rose gave Lucky's Bar and Grille a B (see our grading rubric).

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Lucky's Bar is packed with TVs and the walls are lined with plenty of outlets for those patrons who want to avail themselves of the free wifi. It was quiet on this Sunday afternoon, and our server was more than helpful describing the beverage options. However, Nichole and John were both left cold by the lack of dark and amber beer choices.

The decimation of the rainforest is our best guess why they onion-ring tree had been felled and replaced with a plate, but we made do. The rings were nice and thick, but the sauces were downright depressing - unappealing coagulated cheez, regular French's yellow mustard and the ubiquitous ranch dressing. John's Sierra Nevada ale was fine; Rose said her mimosa was just OK. Some people only interface with a bar based on its appetizers, so the letdown here may be more critical than we make it.

Left to right - Rose's black & bleu burger was yummy, with a wonderful amount of bleu cheese. The meat was cooked just to her satisfaction. John's burger was also tasty, and not too greasy. The American cheese was not his favorite, but that's apparently what made the burger the "All American," so he rolled with it. Despite being loaded down with bacon, JM's "Wild West" burger wasn't greasy either. The BBQ sauce they used was familiar somehow, so we reckon it's not necessarily a house secret but something from a jar.

Nichole's lone sample of the non-burger menu yielded a serviceable salad. Romaine greens in slightly too-large pieces, tomato, and onion framed a pile of grilled chicken breast with a side of a warm, crusty breadstick. The "voodoo" part of the chicken, a light, vinegary sauce, burned the lips in a good way, and a dressing with generous bleu cheese crumbles cooled things off.

In summary, OK bar food from middle-of-the road foodservice ingredients, served with a smile and plenty of distractions.

Comments

[LMH]

Believe it or not, I have had an OUTSTANDING veggie burger there. Unfortunately, the next week it was just OK. But it's not your usual garden burger - it was very "meaty" and thicker than the usual patty. I also recommend the patty melt. I think food quality depends on the cook there.

[Kelly]

I heard they have a new chef here, so i went to check it out and they are doing some new lunch specials that are actually pretty good and reasonably priced. You get huge portions and most of the lunch specials are under $7. Pretty Good deal!