Cue Club of Wisconsin

From CueClubofWI.com

Now that I live on the north end of Waukesha, the Cue Club of Wisconsin (formerly Master Z's, formerly Sharkey's) is really close for me to go for a drink or a bite with friends.

A few weeks ago, my friend Kacey and I went to get a few drinks late on a Friday night. We got to Cue Club around 9 and they were just tearing down from the Fish Fry (that is pretty tasty!). We grabbed a table between the bar and darts area/dance floor. An employee was plugging the Jukebox back in and I was excited to play a few songs and just relax and catch up with Kacey.

But then I saw a DJ come in and start setting up in the booth. I didn't mind the music selection that began around 10, but the volume was almost obnoxious. If you haven't been the Cue Club, the bar is divided and 1/3 is bar/darts/seating and the other side is pool and Foosball. I'm sure if you are playing pool, the volume was OK, but for those in the bar area, we were screaming to carry on a conversation. And for the fact that no one was dancing or singing along, it seemed exceptionally loud as "background music."

We persevered through and took advantage of the Beat the Clock special (really a roll back the clock special.) Starting at 10 pm, every half hour drink prices go down $.50. Not a bad deal for a Friday night at all. Most bars don't have a special on Fridays, so this was nice to find out.

Fast forward to this week, and I invited a bunch of friends over for Mardi Gras. We decided after a drink at my place to take advantage of $2 Tuesdays. According to the website, it's $2 rails, calls, drinks and beer. I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but the place was pretty busy. $2 drinks are made in a smaller plastic cup instead of a pint glass, but for just $2, it's a great deal.

We got there around 8 and put in our food orders. There wasn't a server on for the bar tables, so we had to squeeze in around the bar, flag down a bartender and then watch for the food to pop up by them. It was a little confusing with the bar being so crowded, but it worked. And the food came out really fast!

I ordered the BBQ Brisket sandwich. The bun was a hoagie and unfortunately could not hold the weight of all the brisket. A lot of it fell off the bun right away and the bun got super soggy (toast your buns people!). But the coleslaw on the sandwich was a nice crunchy addition. The pub fries are deliciously crispy outside and mushy soft in the inside. All sandwiches come with a pickle and a candy bar, however Tory's spicy buffalo chicken wrap came with neither and she was bummed.

Her wrap was quite spicy but she did enjoy it and it was rather large. A few others ordered burgers that looked fabulous and by how quickly the baskets were emptied, I can only imagine they tasted wonderfully. Tiffany ordered the fish sandwich and chicken bites. She too was almost a member of the clean plate club so I believe it was a successful outing for us all.

$2 Tuesdays also extends to the pool area. $2 per hour of play. The pool tables were pretty full but we did snag the one close to us and a few people played. I couldn't get over how many men were crowded around the foosball tables. I personally don't find that game as exciting but I guess you can get a lot of people to play for 2 hours and cost just $.25 each guy. 

We will definitely head back to Cue Club and take advantage of a few other specials they have. For a sandwich, some beers and good music from the Jukebox this time, I only spent $15 plus tip. That's a good price for me and it was a good night!

The Fish Fry is really good and I like that they have the small fish fry option as well. My mom found this to be the perfect size meal for her. The only issue is the only side it comes with is waffle fries. I wish there were more options or I'll order a different appetizer to have more variety next time. During Lent, the fish fry is available on Wed. and Fri. from noon - 10 pm.  Definitely check it this place out!

Wauk Wednesday: Fox Run Lanes

When I was employed at Fox Run Sentry Liquor (RIP), a group of my co-workers and I started relaxing after work at Fox Run Lanes, a bowling alley and bar just down the parking lot from the store. It's located just West of St. Paul Ave on Sunset, next to the now vacant Fox Run strip mall. Sentry Foods is still open and doing decent business, but all the other shops have left the north strip.

We would play darts, pool and occasionally bowl. We even did a competition once of playing all three in one night, and our former co-worker Wendy won each event. We we still enjoyed playing games but haven't done another contest (hmm maybe it's time??)

Since the store closed in 2010, we still go to the bar, but not nearly as frequently as it isn't as convenient for us to get to. However, we attempt to meet up maybe every other month to get some food and catch up.

Thursday is the wing special night. I believe they are $.30 each and you can order in increments of five. I typically order 5-10 wings in teriyaki sauce and an appetizer of cheese curds or sour cream and chive fries to fill me up. I tried the jerk sauce which had a good kick with pineapple in it to dull the spice. It's a very refreshing sauce and I think it's a new favorite. The teriyaki seems to be a bit too salty lately.

Cheese curds with ranch & marinara

Teriyaki wings from Fox Run Lanes

crispy sour cream & chive fries with ranch

Tiffany and Heather can handle the super hot wings and usually get those. Although lately, the sauce hasn't been consistently hot, so Tiffany tried the Sweet Chili on the side and it was almost like a sweet and sour with red pepper flakes. Heather did let me know the sauce was really good and hot the last time we were there and she was happy!

Hot Wings at Fox Run Lanes

Plain wings with sweet chili sauce

Brandon usually goes for a burger, and let me tell you, the burgers are gigantic and delicious. It could possibly be my favorite burger in Waukesha if there would be a battle today. The meat patty is nicely seasoned and remains thick and juicy after grilling. There are plenty of topping choice and it comes with chips, but you can upgrade to fries if you would like.

Jumbo burger and fries

The pizzas are pretty good as well and would rank pretty high in a battle (IMHO). They are large and full of toppings to feed a big group. We ordered these at the bar on the night the liquor store closed it's doors, thanks to the owner coming over to the bar with us for a celebration meal and cheers!

For a decent sized bar in Waukesha, they have a lot of beer choices, mostly on tap. They serve beer by the mug, mini pitcher or pitcher. I usually go for a mini pitcher, which would be about 30 oz. and that will suffice me during my night out (occasionally I get two, hee hee!). It is a great value and you get a frosty mug with it to keep all that beer nice and cold.

upper right of photo shows the microbrewery taps

Mini pitcher of Spotted Cow and a frosty pint (they ran out of mugs this night)

In addition to the bowling alley (which is always busy with leagues), pool tables & dart boards, there is a lot of open space in the bar to host a large group party, band or show a game on the projector and pull down screen. A digital jukebox fills the room with bar-goers choices. There are also some meeting rooms that local small groups use regularly and recently, the bar added a bowling proshop that sell gear  and does repairs. The also host volleyball leagues in the summer on the outdoor courts.

This is still a favorite place of mine and the bartenders are so nice to us. We have gotten to know them throughout the years which makes it nice to walk into the bar and see a familiar smiling face.

The bar is a bit outdated with dark paneling walls and old ceiling tiles. But I would never call the place dirty. They just redid the bar lip not too long ago with a nice wood trim (instead of torn padded vinyl). Along one wall, three large LCD TVs were mounted to show sports game and some others were updated to flat panels throughout the bar.

Large newer TVs mounted in the bar

So I would say, the bar is being fixed up as needed, but it has a steady crowd Thursday - Saturday, so the current look and feel isn't turning anyone away that knows of this hidden gem in Waukesha.

The bar doesn't have a website and the Facebook page isn't kept up-to-date, but feel free to call the bar to find out about more of the specials and consider stopping up for wings, a game of pool or some bowling. I'll definitely post more about this place when I have the pizza again, and hopefully get a rundown of the specials to post. But for now consider stopping in and trying the food!