Growler's Bar and Grille
In a word: Doesn't bite.
The specs: #0428
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at WiSJ, Madison Fish Fry, collected at del.icio.us; official web site;
JM and Nichole split the "Growler bucket" of 6 silders.
Nichole also got a the spinach salad with an Ale Asylum.
The bill was $35, or $17.50/person, plus tip.
JM and Nichole gave Growler's Bar and Grille an A- (see our grading rubric).
Latest Growler's Bar and Grille news and reviews
Growler's in the Crowne Plaza on East Washington might just be special enough to make a trip for. The ambience is not so much hotel-bar as hotel-lobby, with small tables and even a few armchairs strewn about. The service is relaxed but nice.
We jumped on the bandwagon and got the bucket (i.e. plate) of six sliders.Two three-bite sandwiches of each sort, burger, brat, and cheese, proved filling and made Nichole's spinach salad redundant (though it did become a good lunch of fresh, hot bacon raspberry dressing over spinach, red peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, and shredded carrots).
Our metric for the sliders was to measure them against the ones we could make at home and eat mere seconds off the grill. And these were almost as good.
The mini Angus and cheddar burger was the least distinctive of the three. The grilled Muenster cheese was a generous portion of none-to-oily yet perfectly melted and at points crispy cheese, topped with something crunchy that was nicely understated (maybe, onion? lettuce and tomato).
But the real standout that we should have gotten six of was the bratwurst slider. A small brat patty was topped with a delightful sauteed purple cabbage and onion and a bit of tasty mustard. We nearly fought over the last one.
All the sliders came on a toasted, buttered roll and had a tendency to slip around, but they were worth it. An Ale Asylum pint squeaked in at $6, which inflated the bill a bit along with the superfluous salad; otherwise, we were happy with our adorable repast, even though it meant driving to the edge of the city.
Photos? No photos?
Posted by: Kovalic | May 15, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Camera busted. Coming soon.
Posted by: editor | May 15, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Two thumbs up for a place I haven't been on the east side? We'll definitely have to check it out!
Posted by: Jim | May 16, 2009 at 09:39 AM