Punch Bowl Social - MKE

We are very fortunate to live in an area that provides a vast variety of entertainment options. In Waukesha alone the variety is amazing. But by traveling just 30 minutes, the variety expands ten-fold.

I was provided an opportunity to check out Punch Bowl Social in the new Bucks Entertainment Block before it opens on Saturday. They allowed area influencers in during their soft opening week and gave us the royal treatment. I brought my friend Tory along to check it out with me--it's always more fun when you go with someone you know. Special thanks for the use of some of her pictures as well!

Punch Bowl Social (PBS) is located directly east of the Fiserv Forum. The roads have been reworked in that area so that there is an open air space and 4th Street no longer cuts through. Many other entertainment businesses are projected to open in this area in the coming year. But the two-story PBS makes quite a statement in that area already.

Upon arrival, I was in awe of all the glass windows that make up the front facade of PBS that look directly at the Forum and what will be the entertainment area. This will work well for those outside to see the fun in and vice versa. And many outdoor events are planned for the block during the warm weather to really make this a hub.

We were escorted to the upstairs area where our party was happening and walked past a large bar, plenty of seating areas, and many entertainment options. At the top of the stairs, your eyes take in the large bar and more seating, but also all the entertaining things that make up PBS. We self-guided ourselves around the space and took it in at our own pace.

After perusing the table display of the drinks and eats they were featuring that night, we grabbed a a beverage and continued on our way. I thought the display table was an excellent idea and the influencers "ate it up" too.

Being pregnant, I truly appreciate that they had a variety of unique n/a options in addition to their hand-crafted cocktails. We started with a strawberry rhubarb fizz for me and rum punch for Tory. They also had servers coming around with samples of their signature cocktails, allowing guests to try all the options without ordering full drinks.

Upstairs offers a variety of seating areas to accommodate groups of any size. There are three bowling areas featuring six lanes upstairs and four more downstairs that are first come first serve or by reservations really adds to the fun of a good time out.

Upstairsa also offer karaoke rooms, pool, jumbo jenga, ping pong, foosball tables (including one of the longest I have ever seen), a second bar and an arcade with some video and pinball games, and a lot more. Many of these are pay as your play or pay by the hour.

After our tour, we loaded up plates of food to try a little of everything and took in the sights and sounds of others enjoying themselves. The menu ranges from grain bowls and hummus to sliders, burgers, and tacos. They even offer a kids menu too, so this isn't just a destination for adults (though that is their primary target)

Everything that I selected to eat, I was extremely impressed with. The pickled carrots and cucumbers were an awesome palate cleanser after my sweet drink. The chicken and waffles were awesome--I think they use thighs which offer a richer, juicier meat and the breading was top notch. Homemade potato chips and a rice crispy treat fished off my plate and I was happily full.

All of the servers and other employees that were available that evening were super friendly and knowledgeable. One server that kept checking in on us was also pregnant, so she guided me to a second n/a cocktail--lime cilantro fizz. The smell of the drink alone had me already pairing it up with a street taco in the future. It was very tart, but still good. I would have never thought of cilantro in a beverage, but now I may consider it. She also told me that when we come back once they are fully open, the variety of homemade juices is amazing and I must try them all.

I don't think I have ever been to a bar or entertainment place in the Milwaukee area that offers so much variety under one roof. Their grand opening is Saturday night and tickets are still available. If you are looking for something to do with some hands-on fun, this place is an excellent option. I will definitely be back.

Door County Part 2

Day two in Door County started with us waking up, putting on our cold weather gear and exploring the grounds. The four cabins are nestled in a wooded area and trails were created around the property. We headed north from our cabin and quickly descended down a slippery hill to get to the pond behind our cabin. We found a bench along the path and my guy posed for a quick pic.

The pond was completely frozen over and snow covered but I wasn't about to venture out onto it. Look what happened to the poor duck! Just kidding - apparently the decoy stays out all year.

We posed for a quick selfie with the beautiful scenery behind us before venturing back up the steep hill.

We found a service road and walked down that to see where it led. It was a very peaceful and serene feeling being in the woods.

 This picture doesn't do it justice, but this tree was massive! And so perfectly proportioned!

The road ended up leading to the main Chanticleer building but we decided to do a loop and head back using the cabin main driveway. This lead us past the other cabins and all looked to be occupied this weekend. 

When we got back to our cabin, it was time to pick up breakfast. Breakfast is available from 8 - 10 am and we chose 9 am. My guy drove across the road to get the goodies and I cozied up to the fireplace and relaxed. 

He brought back a basket and we were both wondering what could be inside. I was expecting muffins or bagels inside with butter and 'schmear.'

But low and behold we were treated to a fabulous breakfast of pecan roll stuffed french toast and bananas and cream. This breakfast was out of this world and the picture doesn't nearly do it justice. The french toast was warm, gooey and spot on for flavor. I had never had bananas and cream before and I could tell the inn made the cream themselves. I loved every part of this breakfast, except that I couldn't have more! Trust me, the portions were plentiful but when you get something this delicious, you want to overindulge. It was definitely on the sweet side for a breakfast, but that worked for both my guy and I.

After breakfast we headed back into Sturgeon Bay to hit up a few more shops. We didn't find any great treasures this round, and decided to start heading north up the peninsula.

The first stop was the Door Peninsula Winery and I apologize that I was so engrossed in all things wine related, that I failed to take any pictures during this stop on our trip. We started by walking around the gift shop area on the winery side. (Door Peninsula also has a distillery and restaurant, however we didn't venture to those areas on this trip.) I found some great deals in the shop including a wine bottle holder for a house warming gift and a wine bottle freezer pack to keep my bottle chilled when traveling to friends' houses.

From Door Peninsula Winery's Website

We decided to each do the tasting in which we could get six tastings of our choice from all their wine varietals. My guy tends to like sweeter wines and I like drier. The tasting was excellent and the employee was very helpful in guiding us through their immense selection. I found a few that I really enjoyed including one I knew I was going to give as a gift. My guy found a few he liked as well. One of the perks of the $3 tasting is not only the six pours of wine, but also the $3 off any purchase coupon you receive, which we both put to use.

Also inside Door Peninsula Winery is another shop area that has local products to sample; salsas, dipping oils, cheeses, etc. My guy found a cherry salsa that he just loved and picked one up to take home.

Across the street from the winery is a row of shops that I was able to pick up Door County Coffee Co. K-Cups and Cherry De-Lites for my parents and a mint chocolate fudge sauce for my friend as a gift. I also picked up some wax tarts for myself from the Door County Candle Co. to use in a warmer I have at home. All in all, this part of our day was very fun!

We headed north to Fish Creek for lunch and we weren't really sure what we were in the mood for. In downtown Fish Creek, Hwy 42 takes a sharp right to continue up the peninsula. But for some reason we decided to see what was to the left. And to our amazement we found the White Gull Inn, another place that my friends told me I had to check out while in Door County.

This is the oldest Inn in Door County and the inside was quaint and cute. The cherry themed dishes in the restaurant are a really nice touch!

The restaurant was buzzing for lunch but they were able to seat us at a table by the fireplace, so wonderfully warm on a chilly afternoon. The menu looked amazing and it was hard to decide. I finally chose the Open Doorwich (An open faced sandwich featuring shaved grilled ham on rye, topped with melted Wisconsin Brie, slices of Door County apples, and a honey dijon sauce) but swapped the honey dijon sauce for apple cider mayo, and I ordered a cup of the butternut squash soup as my side. 

My guy went with the Closed Doorwich (Oven roasted turkey, caramelized apple and mozzarella cheese, grilled on dark rye, served with a side of apple cider mayonnaise). He chose the potato salad and a cup of the Tortilla soup as well. 

Both of us absolutely loved our sandwiches. The brie cheese on my sandwich was nice and creamy over the warm ham and the apple cider mayo was a nice dip for it all. The butternut squash soup was very delicious as well. My guy's sandwich was yummy with melty cheese over the turkey. But both of us raved about the potato salad. I don't know what they put in it but it was amazing. I kept wanting to steal more bites of it but I let my guy enjoy. What's the secret White Gull Inn?

After lunch we drove through part of Fish Creek but ultimately decided to head back to the cabin and relax a bit. After all, isn't that what vacation is for?

We watched some TV by the fire and then decided to eat our pretzel rods we picked up the day before. These were very crumbly to eat, but sooooo good. If you can't tell, my guy and I both have sweettooths and all this chocolate and M&M goodness was amazing.

We played a few rounds of cribbage, my guy's card game of choice, and I think he beat me two out of three games. But then I showed him Speed and took the advantage in the first rounds of that - he is a quick learner. We also played Crazy 8s and a few other games to pass some time.

Then it was time for dinner. We decided to stay in and eat some of the leftover pizza in addition to some cherry brats we picked up at one of the markets on Hwy. 42. We had a grill on the deck of our cabin, so we heated it up and got a nice char on the brats. Though we could see large pieces of cherry in the brat, the flavor didn't really come through too much. The brats were filled with other seasonings that were zesty and wonderful and we ate them as is, no bun or condiments (especially mustard!). I took the chill out of the pizza in the microwave with a quick zap, but brought the crisp back to the crust with a little stove top pan action. We were stuffed and happy after this meal and still had pizza and brats leftover to take home.

After dinner, we decided to check out the local bar scene and found a Irish bar called Kitty O'Reilly's not too far from us. We walked in and the place was really crowded. I wandered up to the bar to see what they had for a beer selection while we waited for a table or bar stools to open up, and a bartender told us if we waited just a few minutes, she could get us a table. I was surprised that we didn't have to wait longer, but found out there was a large party of 28 about to be sat and that's why the bar was so full.

I ordered us some beers while we waited for the table to be cleared and enjoyed the atmosphere. The bar area walls are covered with dollar bills from patrons and flags hand on the ceiling. This seems to be a place that all ages enjoy coming for drinks and eats. Though we had a pretty big dinner, the mahi mahi bites just sounded too good to pass up so we put in an order.

We were pleasantly surprised with how many pieces came on this appetizer. The breading was fantastic and didn't take away from the amazing fish flavor and the tartar was top notch as well. We ordered two more drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere a bit longer before heading back to the cabin. 

Sunday morning we awoke to light snow falling. We were aware that the Milwaukee area was under an advisory and knew the ride home was going to be a challenge. We got our things together pretty early, but not before picking up our great breakfast.

My guy again drove over to the Inn and brought back fresh scrambled eggs with Parmesan cheese and berries and cream. Again this breakfast surpassed our expectations and was scrumptious.

Shortly after breakfast, we returned our dishes and checked out of the Chanticleer. It was sad to leave but we knew we had to get back to reality sometime.

Before leaving Sturgeon Bay, I wanted to get a picture with these large ships. And even my picture doesn't do it justice. These boats are so massive and a local told us that one of the ships even hit a bridge recently, only doing cosmetic damage. But the ship needs to stay until they figure out another option for it to leave without causing more damage.

The snow was coming down lightly as we were leaving the peninsula and I just had to take a picture of this gigantic gnome at the edge of Door County.

The snow and wind became more intense as we drove south. This picture is of the massive Accuity flag just off the highway that is barely visible. Honestly it was white-knuckle driving for my guy and I am so proud of him for getting us back safely. We took a lunch break in Sheboygan and upon exiting the vehicle, we couldn't believe how strong the wind was whipping. 

We made it home safely and already miss the Chanticleer Inn and Door County. We know we will return and couldn't think of a better place to stay for our first getaway together.

Boscos Social Club

When I think of bars that I want to go to for a beer or cocktail in a fun atmosphere, Boscos Social Club almost always pops in mind right away. This place has been in downtown Waukesha since 2011 and has been constantly evolving and changing.

I actually went to college (and hung out on occasion) with the owner Jimmy and am glad that he stayed local and has opened two businesses in town (Spurs Saloon)

This building housed a lot of different bars before Boscos, but I never frequented those.  I believe the best addition they made to the place is the awesome "backyard." They have three covered outdoor patios with large flatscreens to watch all the major sporting events on. There is even a heat lamp for the colder nights. They also have an area of uncovered chairs and tables, a tree, an outdoor bar (so you don't have to go back inside) and an area for bags and other yard games to be played. The entire area is strung with bistro lights, making it a very fun and inviting atmosphere.

Recently, they tore down a raised seating area inside the bar to make it more accessible for larger crowds and put in a wall length booth seat with tables and fancy chairs for a lounge feel. I love the cool light fixtures they have in the bar.

There are a few hightop tables that can be moved for when they have a DJ and want to dance the night away.

The bar also boasts a digital jukebox, dart boards and the "dog wall" - my favorite. They have a wall covered in pictures of dogs that are framed up.

The selection of alcohol and beer is very extensive and something is on special every day! The bar even has two Shot-ski's hanging behind it but I haven't seen those used yet.

They offer free popcorn to the customers as well, which we enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon recently.

And they really out do themselves for seasonal decorations every year. Halloween is the one I see that they go to the extreme. But I have also seen Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Easter and more.

We have made this a destination for a few Halloween Pub Crawls through town in recent years.

View out Boscos front window. 

Halloween decor at Boscos

Rumpelstiltskin with a crazy zombie behind him

Dexter and Robin Hood by the Boscos Bar

German guy and Personal ad playing a game at Boscos

They offer specials during Packer games and have Emil's pizza available for purchase too--I recommend the Cheeseburger pizza!

This is a bar that does draw the college age crowd and gets extremely busy in the later evenings. So if you don't like larger crowds, just come early! It's worth a stop to see what this place is all about. You won't be disappointed.

Boscos also recently opened Spurs Saloon on Williams Street in Waukesha - by La Estacion and Club 400. I haven't stopped in yet but I hope to soon and see how much the place has changed since my college days of it being Mulligans.