Oconomowoc Night Out

My friend Kacey had his birthday last week and invited his friends out for a night of food, drinks and fun in Oconomowoc.We started at Lakerz because they have ample seating for a large group. Check out the birthday boy anxiously awaiting the arrival of his friends (or food, not quite sure which was more important at that moment - LOL).

Our server was absolutely amazing. She wrote down very little and remembered just about everything. At one point our group was up to 18 people and she kept on top of drinks and even separated all our checks at the end.

I was told their burgers are superb and they have a lot of them on the menu so I knew I was going to order one. I went outside the norm and order the Brie burger with chips. It had brie cheese, apricot chipotle spread, mushrooms and bacon. I made a wise choice as this was excellent. I like that the bacon is made into a circle and holds the sauce on the burger. The brie cheese melted from the heat of the patty and made it delicious. The burgers are cooked medium well, but mine was actually more medium. No complaints and I enjoy a my burgers a little more pink.

They also have cute presentations for some of the burgers. Everyone finished their meals with extremely satisfied bellies. But a discussion was started about which place in Oconomowoc has the best burger. The discussion was between Lakerz or Crafty Cow. It seemed to be a 50/50 split from those that have tried both. Unfortunately, I haven't eaten at Crafty Cow yet to try theirs, but they stuff the fillings between two patties to make a unique burger. I'm hoping to try it out soon and weigh in.

Kacey even got a free birthday shot - he let our server pick and we believe it was a Slippery Nipple because it tasted like butterscotch. He liked it until he found out the name.

Kacey's Birthday Gang at Lakerz.

Something interesting that Lakerz just added this past week is The Lobster Zone. I didn't believe it was actually a game at first, but sure enough, you can pay $2 and try to pick up a lobster. If you get it, you get it cooked for you for free. "You catch it, we cook it" is the slogan on the machine. Not sure it's my thing but it definitely drew people in to check it out.

Next up we made a stop at Crafty Cow for a some "fancy beers" as Kacey called them. Though the place looked really busy, the host quickly pulled tables together for our group and sat us near the back - yay for not having to wait! The only unfortunate thing about this spot is the slow closing back door. A wave of cold came over the table every time someone opened it. Apparently the door used to have a sign asking people to not use it unless necessary, but there was no sign and we shivered from time to time.

Crafty Cow has an industrial-art vibe on the inside - exposed heating and cooling vents and unique art on the wall. I didn't get a good look at the bar area, but they do have plenty of beers on tap and it changes often.

I was able to find some new beers to try and liked them. I would definitely come back for a beer atan and I definitely need to come back for a burger. But until summer, I don't want to sit near in the back of the bar.

Our last stop for the night was Splash.  I have been here before and really like the martinis. It also had a patio that overlooks a lake and is really beautiful on a summer night.

Kacey received a free drink on his birthday, but he has to show his ID. This began the discussion of all of us showing our IDs and how different we look since we got them.

I ordered the Wild Elderberry Martini that would be awesome to sip on a hot summer night. It was refreshing and lemony.

The favorite martini of the group is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and this is Splash's signature drink to. Our server told us the recipe is top secret and even the employees have to sign a waiver that they won't give out the recipe.

There was a band playing live music and our friends Angie & Jeremy that recently got engaged, went up and danced a bit. It was really cute to see them so in love.

All in all it was a great night in Oconomowoc with merriment had by all. Downtown Oconomowoc is similar to downtown Waukesha with the selection of bars and shops. I have never shopped in downtown, only enjoyed the eats and drinks, but I think I will have to change that soon.

Splashin' on a Patio

A few of my friends live out in the Lake Country area so to keep it fair, occasionally we head out in their direction for a night of fun because they come to Waukesha so often. Recently, we met up in downtown Oconomowoc at Splash Martini Bar on a Friday night. I have been here before and I love the martini selections, but they have beer, wine and cocktails too if you aren't a martini fan.

This time we were lucky enough to score a few tables on their patio that overlooks Lac La Belle. The weather was perfect as my friend nicely captured the sunset and posted on Instagram.

I saw a post on Facebook a few weeks earlier from Splash that if you signed up for its mailing list, you would get a free drink at your next visit. The signup isn't mobile friendly currently so you have to use a real computer to get on the list. Of course I signed up and encouraged my friends to as well. I got my voucher in time to use that evening, but we found out that the manager does updates to the list in batches so it's not an instant reward and my friends didn't get theirs in time. No worries, it just means we have to come back. And the drinks and atmosphere are still totally worth the price point.

I wanted to start with a martini that had St. Germaine liquor in it because it's a new favorite flavor for me, but unfortunately they were out of the liquor. Have no fear, there are so many more martinis to chose from, I easily picked one with peach in it. It was nice and refreshing.

My friends ordered other drinks, such as the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Martini, a dirty martini, a Flirtini made X-Rated liquor and champagne, Moscow Mules and Hacker-Pschorr and Spotted Cow beers.

If you have never had a Moscow Mule, they are served in a copper mug and some bars hold your license or charge a deposit so they ensure they the cup back. Splash does not instill these policies but they have a limited number of glasses so it could be a wait for the drink. A moscow mule is created with vodka, ginger beer, lime and mint that is refreshing with a nice kick from the ginger. Some of my friends enjoy it without the mint and others with it but either way they are yummy.

We chatted and enjoyed the free Juke Box that is provided every Friday. The music was all over the board - death metal rock to country to very sexually suggestive R&B. It made us laugh a lot at the randomness. 

My second drink was a raspberry martini - called something like "Kiss Me After Dark." It was very sweet with cherries in the bottom but it was still really good.

My final drink was White Peach Sangria (sorry no photo) - the bar's summer special. It was really delicious. The peach tasted fresh and delightful and a little kick of the whiskey or brandy they added to it. I highly recommend getting this before summer is over.

We enjoyed the patio well into the evening and even switched to a table that had a heat lamp over it, as this summer hasn't been known for it's heat in Wisconsin. A nice breeze came off the lake to keep the bugs at bay too.

It seems that Splash's website is in the middle of updates, but the Facebook page has plenty of information and if you sign up for the mailing list, you are sent occasional messages with specials inside.

For example - Mondays - Saturday (excluding Thursdays) they are now offering a late night menu of specials. From 11 pm - close, enjoy a $5 Martini Menu, $3.50 rail cocktails, $3.50 tap/imported beers, $3 domestic beers

Specials going on other nights of the week:
Monday - Industry Night - take 20% off your bill if you work in the hospitality industry
Thursday - Ladies Night - Buy one, get one 50% off (per person, ladies only - sorry guys)
Friday - Free Juke Box
Sunday - Fun Day - Open at 2 pm - Get 10% off all food and $5 drink specials (I couldn't find their food menu but Facebook says in-house appetizers)

I definitely recommend you check this place out the next time you are in Lake Country.

Generations at 5 Points

Last week, my mom met me for dinner after her conference in Pewaukee. I got to pick and chose Generations at 5 Points (that is literally right on the 5 points in the middle of downtown Waukesha). It has been over a year since I have been there, so I was definitely due.

I scoped out the December menu before we left and picked out a few things I liked. I like that they change the menu monthly. Some items stay each month, but seasonal creations are added and they are usually really creative.

We got there shortly after 5 and the place was empty. They said another table had just left so we had perfect timing to keep the flow going. We chose a high top across from the bar and were greeted by our server quickly. We each ordered a glass of wine and studied the menu. A few more couples came in and then a party began to set up in the back of the restaurant.

I decided on the cranberry cream cheese crusted pork tenderloin but to my disappointment, they were out of that. I selected the basil pesto pasta and my mom chose the pan seared duck breast. 

I understand that tapas restaurants serve portions that are meant to be shared and maybe we should have said something, but we ordered our tapas as perfect sized entrees seeing as it was just the two of us. We just wanted something light. (It says right on their website tapas don't come out at the same time) My pasta came out a good 10 minutes before my mom's duck. They explained how food comes out of the kitchen (when it's done) but this still bothered my mom a bit because if I waited for her to get her duck, I would have had cold food.

We did share bites from our entrees and everything was absolutely scrumptious. The fresh basil in over the pasta (homemade noodles?) really pulled the dish together and made it something I would recommend to everyone. And look at that fresh Parmesan cheese!

Ever since I had duck on a flatbread at Bernie's, I have looked for it on other menus to try it other ways. And because my mom ordered it, I got to try it with a wine sauce. It was really good over the edamame and wild rice salad. We weren't expecting the rice and edamame to be cold, but the food paired together really well.


We will definitely return after the New Year, but maybe with a larger group to try more of the tapas and maybe with more dishes, there won't be such a large gap in between plates. I know there are a few things on the December menu my dad would just love so I hope they return in the New Year so he will try the place (keep the butcher chop chili around!!)

Generations is very reasonably priced for the quality of food that comes out of the kitchen and is a great addition to downtown Waukesha. Tuesdays is 1/2 price bottles of wine night. They have lounge chairs in the front, live music on the weekends and a great selection of martini's. It sort of reminds me of Splash in Oconomowoc that I recently visited.

They have a lot of gluten-free and vegetarian options which is great to see that more restaurants are aware and making dishes for those with allergies. I definitely recommend bringing a few friends with you and checking it out.

Girl's Night: Martini Style

One of my good friends Tory, recently moved back out to Oconomowoc into a brand new studio apartment. She invited me and Shauna over to check out the place, have dinner, and then go out for drinks at her favorite martini place.

First off, I have to say that I love Tory's place. Although it is a studio and smaller, the kitchen is very spacious and even has an island so she only had to buy two bar stools and not a table. The layout really makes it almost like there is a bedroom, just with a half walk. I really like it.

We made some simple wraps for dinner with tortillas, boiled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, ranch and bacon. The bacon was made in the oven, one of Shauna's specialties. Preheat to 400, lay bacon on a foil lined pan, cook bacon until it just starts to render grease, flip once and finish until your preferred doneness. This was fabulous. So fabulous, that we ate it all without me taking a picture :(

After our dinner, we drove over the Splash, a martini bar right in downtown Oconomowoc. Tory loves this place and wanted us to enjoy it as well. When you first walk in, it looks like a bar with high bar tables across from the bar. But beyond that is the back lounge area. We grabbed three comfy chairs and settled in. The place was decently crowded and it gave us some time to look through the martini book.

It was a rather large book with a ton of specialty martini's inside. I tend to go for fruitier ones and chose the Blackbird, with fresh blackberry puree and a ton of other things. Tory chose the Flirtini that is made with X-rated and champagne and Shauna got the peanut butter cup martini.

The martini's are shaken at the bar and then poured at the table. Shauna's was so thick and creamy, it took a while to pour out and Tory's champagne was added at the table as well. I don't think shaking a martini with champagne in it is such a great idea.

We cheers'd, sipped, chatted and relaxed. Two of Tory's other friends that live in the area joined us for a drink and it was a really fun night.

They don't have many food options except chips and salsa and a cheese tray, but you can order appetizers from Cornerstone. And they have live music on most Saturday nights - acoustic relaxing music to sip a martini or two with.

I did read that you can rent out Splash for special occasions, like bridal showers, birthdays, etc. I think that would be a really fun idea and got me thinking about Shauna's Bridal Shower, however Oconomowoc is a little bit of a drive. But I will definitely look into other bars for this as well.

I recommend checking this place out with your girlfriends, or whomever, and it seems that in warmer weather, there is a nice patio to relax on that overlooks the lake.