Old School Brewing Company
French Toast – Cinnamon Loaf with Fresh, Tart Berries and Dusted with Powdered Sugar
Biscuits and Gravy (with gravy on side)
Momma Bear – Quinoa and Blueberry
Baby Bear – Buttermilk Cakes with Melting Chocolate Chips
Garlic Knotty – House Made Dough Brushed with Garlic and Herbs, Baked Golden, Served with Marinara
Cheese Curds – Tempura Beer Battered Wisconsin Curds, Beer Cheese Sauce
Amaze Balls – Pork and Sausage Meatballs in Apple Chutney Sauce
Obey The Pizza – Sausage Meatballs, Baby Potatoes, Garlic Cream Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Dash of Sriracha
New Beet Generation – Goat Cheese Melted over Roasted Beets and Arugula on Marble Rye
Mayham – Sliced Ham, Ripe Green apples, Havarti Cheese (served as a slider without Honey Mustard, normally larger on grilled sourdough)
Whiskey Bread Pudding – Bread Pudding with a Pecan Whiskey Sauce
Stout Cake – Rich Chocolate and Imperial Stout Ale
Spending extended time in ‘soft-opening’ in order to perfect their brews and nail-down a menu intended to impress both the gastropub crowd and families alike it was finally on Friday that Old School Brewing Company celebrated their Grand Opening and although I could not attend the festivities due to schedule an afternoon brunch the following day showed signs of a restaurant looking to do big things with the brewery in back already turning out beers that had tables around me singing their praise.
Invited in by one of the owners, an IT-Guy named Nick following his passions into a whole new scene, it was just after noon that I entered the sizable space and greeted by Nick himself as one of the servers had apparently called in sick it was not long before I was seated at a comfy four-top along the restaurant’s outer rim, the decoration still sparse with the center of the room awaiting communal tables while light music played overhead.
Separating the smoky bar and gaming area from the dining confines, and thus allowing customers of all ages to indulge in the 24/7 eats, it was already having spoken with Nick in advance that my menu was crafted and having requested half-portions of several items in order to better sample the cuisine it was only after a sizable delay due to a surprising number of families filtering in from nearby soccer fields that the meal began, my first bites of a dried out biscuit far from inspiring though the spicy sausage gravy was appropriately rich and stick-a-spoon-up-straight thick.
Charting a path that allowed me to see breakfast items first, my second round of food arrived amidst the growing din of children in need of something to fill their mouths, and although I personally would have preferred none of the artificial syrup be added prior to arriving at the table one would be hard pressed to find any fault otherwise in the griddled cinnamon loaf from Bon Breads, let alone a duo of flapjacks from which the Baby Bear was pure fluffiness punctuated by chocolate while the toothsome quinoa and blueberry Mama Bear was the sort of risk-taker that made one think of something priced double at a celebrity chef spot located on the strip.
Clearly forgetting my request for smaller portions, an ‘error in your favor’ later described by Chef Lea as simply getting caught up in the moment as well as wanting the plates to be seen as they’re intended to be served, round three arrived with some of the city’s best garlic knots served up alongside marinara and as good as these were they simply couldn’t hold a candle to the sort of cheese curd treatment one doesn’t even experience in Milwaukee, the squeaky little nuggets just melting beneath light tempura beer batter with sharp beer cheese sauce good enough to be bottled sitting in a sidecar at their side.
At this point realizing I’d need to scale back my eating in order to save room for that which was to come it was to a truncated portion of the humorously named “Amaze-Balls” that I was treated and with plenty of spice in the porky sausage finding levity amidst carrots glazed in sweet chutney the name proved quite appropriate, that same sausage finding even more spice when paired to Sriracha on one of Oldschool’s personal-sized pizzas, the crust a bit more doughy than I’d prefer but the toppings well balanced allowing several divergent flavors their time in the spotlight while also serving to temper the burn.
Rounding out the savories, though there are at least a half-dozen more which warrant attention when I return, it was a duo of sandwiches that Lea sent out and with her time at Skinnyfats already apparent in several prior courses both the substantial New Beet Generation and sized-down Mayham were the sort of things one could probably make at home, but most likely wouldn’t – the goat cheese marrying nicely to the thickly sliced beets on soft rye while the briny ham and crisp apples melded beneath a veil of melted cheese.
Unfortunately informed that the Ice Cream Malt Cake had sold out during the Grand Opening it was with a duo, rather than a three, desserts that the meal would end and while I admit to being an absolute sucker for any form of bread pudding it was actually the chocolate cake that stole the show, the substantial cocoa notes finding a whole new level when paired to frosting imbued with bitter stout…though that isn’t to say I didn’t scrape every bit of the boozy bread pudding plate clean, either…just that the cake is possibly the best I’ve found in this city to date.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Still a work in progress, the décor needing a bit of work while some sort of sound absorption would go a long way in protecting diners from overwrought kids, there is undoubtedly a lot to love about Old School Brewing Company even for those who do not personally favor beer, a strong compliment to a place that could just as easily mail-it-in with the same boring menu as any number of other 24/7 spots but instead chooses to break the mold with a menu featuring no lack of innovation or intrigue.
RECOMMENDED: Stout Cake, Mama Bear Pancakes, Cheese Curds, Amaze Balls.
AVOID: Biscuit, Artificial Maple Syrup (a pet peeve.)
TIP: Featuring ten beers on tap, including 7 of their own, with the brewery in back and available for tour if one of the owners is around, plus Televisions, Video Poker, and Free Wi-Fi there is no lack of things to do and see while visiting Old School, a collection of Table Games soon to arrive for those looking for some good family fun.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.oldschoolbrewing.com/
