Harry’s Is Still Fun After All These Years

Harry’s Bar & Grill. Photo by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

In today’s world, where restaurants open and close with alarming rapidity, Harry’s has secured its reputation as a neighborhood bar of long standing. It has operated for 28 years with seriously good food. You will not be disappointed by the many choices on the menu, the bright interior with day-time sun streaming in large windows, the excellent service and the overall sense you are in a friendly neighborhood establishment.

If you want to start with an updated classic drink, try the December Cocktail Special, an Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule made with apple vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and Ginger Beer. The drink was tart. It tasted of cranberries with a fizzy finish, and of course, it was served in a classic mule mug. This was a fine way to preface a delicious lunch that began with a “First,” Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons.

Three oversized wontons came on a plate covered with spicy tart plum sauce studded with strips of ginger. The wontons were crisp, hot from the deep fryer, and filled with oozing cream cheese and crab. They were good, but the star of the dish was the ginger-plum sauce that coated the wontons and left my companions and I craving more. But there was more coming, so we resisted the temptation of a second order.

Also, from the “Firsts,” three Thai Chicken Tacos were more than enough for a meal for one person. The flour tortillas were stuffed with finely ground chicken mixed with heat producing chili along with sesame oil, soy, and lime, and topped with carrot-cucumber slaw. A spicy peanut sauce added more flavor to these unusual tacos, creating a tasty combination of Hispanic and Thai cuisine.

A companion’s Chicken Chili, a seasonal special, was tomato-based, rich, full of chicken, and when topped with the optional chopped onions, shredded cheddar, and sour cream, became the perfect chili for chilly weather.

If you want a burger that defies gravity, order the Burger of the Month, the Holiday Burger. Someone with a creative bent put seemingly incompatible toppings on a brioche bun and somehow, they became surprisingly coherent. This knife-and-fork burger hosted thickly sliced brown sugar ham, sauce-like goat cheese, fried Brussels, pickled onions, cranberries, arugula, and roasted garlic aioli. It was delicious. The tart cranberries were toned down by the sweetish slice of ham and the sweet and sour pickled onions acted like a dressing for the peppery arugula.

Another Special, Green Goddess Salad with Shrimp, combined greens with cucumber, avocado, red onion, bacon, feta, and blackened shrimp. The Sandwich Special was a basic BLT Wrap with avocado and chipotle mayo.

You will see many sandwiches on the menu including the Brisket Sandwich I ordered when I returned for a second meal. It was everything the menu promised and more. When our server set the sandwich in front of me, all I saw was a large pile of haystack onion strings. That was when I knew this brisket sammie would be a winner. Hiding under the haystack onions was tender sliced brisket topped with dill pickles, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, and Boursin Cheese that acted like a sauce for the sandwich.

My companion’s Shrimp Po’Boy was filled with crisp buttermilk-fried shrimp along with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and as requested, hot sauce on the side. Even without the hot sauce, there was a nice peppery note to the shrimp. According to my companion, what really stood out in addition to the shrimp, was the fries. They looked like ordinary waffle fries, but something happened in the kitchen that turned them into the super stars of his lunch.

There is a lot more to discover on the menu. If you want something Mediterranean, there’s the Mediterranean Platter or the Mediterranean Burger, or the Hummus with Pita. From Italy you will see the Queen Margharita Pizza and Mushroom Ravioli Al Forno. For vegetarians there is a Shaved Beet Salad, a house-made Black Bean Burger, and the Falafel Pita. You will also see a dozen burgers on the menu including the irresistible Whiskey Roadhouse Burger with sauteed apples, caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, and bourbon sauce.

Harry’s is the kind of cozy and inviting place that comes to mind when you want a good meal at a reasonable price and maybe a drink or two.

On the Menu

12►

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 3549 N. Oakland Ave.
• Phone: 414-964-6800
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun
• Website: https://www.harrysbarandgrillmilwaukee.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrysbarandgrillmilwaukee/