My Peabody, Set the Wayback Machine for Milwaukee - Butch's

While I write most of my posts in the same "talking to myself" (complete with frequent use of quotes and parenthicals) style, I like to think I don't recycle my gimmicks. Only one L-teration ode,* and as much as I am prone to hyperbole, only once place deserves to be the World's Greatest Hot Dog Stand.** Yet, there is no other way to describe Butch's Clock Steak House and Martini Bar in downtown Milwaukee than to repeat the line used many years ago on Chowhound (and now saved): Mr. Peabody, set the wayback machine.

Time travel is not for every eater. And some eaters may not like to travel back as far as I do. Not the least, the steaks at Butch's, were, I'd call them slightly above average, surely not a good steak. Still, this is exactly one of those meals where the sum is way greater than the parts.

This is not the place for fancy wines. This is the kinda food that tastes ideal with martini's--and it's even in the places name. The picture cannot capture the depth of the martini glass. These are the kinda drinks that were slung back many (many) years ago as martooni's. These are pink elephant, lamp shade on the head drinks. Actually, no one back then, certainly not Larry Tate, drank the lower one, a pomegranate martini.


The dish that goes especially best with martinis, the relish tray. As you can probably tell, it is nothing especially special; the black olives are downright bad, but as a jumpin' jive combo, go daddy go.


The house dressing is peppercorn parmesan, high viscosity (and, of course excellent martini food).


Prescient, Ms. VI went for the giant Guyanan shrimps with tons of garlic; slightly over-cooked but delicious.


The New York Strip. Note, all steaks come with sauteed mushrooms, part of the help, if you know what I mean.


Generally, I'm a NY Strip kinda guy (or porterhouse). When us beefy guys visited Smith and Wollensky last week, I was the only one not getting the ribeye. I wanted to also try the fillet with blue cheese (this was Wisconsin, I needed some cheese). I got my daughter to split with me. It turns out she very much wanted to stick with the above steak; polishing it all off herself. She has her Zaydee's appetite for protein. As you can tell from the picture, this filet did not have the standard filet texture, but it served as a fine base for the strong cheese.


The best course


The type of meal that demands dessert no matter how stuffed. Not the best of cheesecakes, but who can tell under all the whipped cream and hot fudge. A nice end.


Butch's Clock Steak House and Martini Bar
800 N. Plankinton Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203-1802
(414) 347-0142
http://www.butchsclocksteakhouse.com

*A recent visit to Chaim's may make me want to take this post back anyways.

**A recent trip to Poochies helped re-confirm which is the World's Greatest, not that Poochies was bad in any way.

LTH,

After a slightly confusing couple of phone calls to Butch's, there are currently two locations, same owner, neither of which is in the original location, where, when I lived in Milwaukee, I was an infrequent*, yet enthusiastic customer, 5 of us ended up at the Plankinton Butch's Clock for, as Rob so aptly put it, a terrific Old School Milwaukee Steak House meal.

Butch's Clock drips charm, from the been-there done-that efficiently of our waitress Diane, who has been waitressing for, at her estimation, 105-years, to comfortable bar, large well spaced tables, numerous antique clocks and generally easy going we're glad you're here attitude.

After an almost mandatory cocktail or two dinner starts off quick with not bad Italian bread and a complimentary veggie tray. Frankly, I kind of liked the straight-from-a-can black olives, though, of course, half the fun is putting them on the tips of your fingers.


Salads were fine, Caesar a bit blah, needed an anchovy kick, my niece Emily liked her cream of asparagus soup. I did, however, love our appetizer of sauteed chicken livers with mushrooms and caramelized onions. Tender chicken livers, well turned mushrooms and toasty sweet onions.

Sauteed Chicken Liver w/mushrooms and caramelized onion


Shrimp De Jonghe was fine, a little light on the garlic, but well sized nicely cooked shrimp.


Giant Guayma Shrimp were a hit and my bride and other niece had a daily special of filet and king crab. Ellen liked the steak, though commented it was not quite David Burke**, and thought the king crab terrific.

Filet and King Crab Combo


My brother and I both love chicken, and a white board special of Chicken Casino, whole chicken cut into 8ths, dusted in flour and pan fried in a cast iron skillet with unsalted butter, spoke to us. Of course it would be foolish to go to Butch's and not order a wee bit of meat, so we split the chicken and a 32oz porterhouse, another white board special.

Chicken Casino was delicious, light crust, minimal seasoning, implausibly we were eating really good Southern style cast iron pan fried chicken in a Milwaukee steak joint. Mushrooms, which seemed to be fried along with the chicken, were wonderful.

Chicken Casino


32-oz Porterhouse w/mushrooms.


As Rob mentioned upthread, crisp cottage fries may be the best thing at Butch's.


Asparagus was the veggie of the day. Yes, that is a ramekin of butter for dipping.


Not that we needed dessert, but I'd agree with Rob that a meal like this calls out for something sweet at the end, even if it is only one dessert split between 5-people.

Strawberry Schaum Torte


Much of food at Butch's is cooked with unsalted butter in cast iron, lending distinctive style and taste. Gill, the chef at the Plankinton Butch's, was kind enough to allow me into the kitchen for a picture or two.

Chef Gill w/cast iron skillet.


I'd highly recommended Butch's Clock for a real slice of Milwaukee.

Enjoy,
Gary

* Sally's Steak House in the Knickerbocker Hotel (Milwaukee) was my family's steak house of choice.
**Nor David Burke prices

Butch's Clock Steak House and Martini Bar
800 N Plankinton Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 5320
414-347-0142
http://www.butchsclocksteakhouse.com/

Butch's Old Casino Steak House
555 N James Lovell Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414-271-8111
http://www.butchssteakhouse.com/

You had room for an appetizer

The chicken looks great, and I'd probably order that on my next visit to Butch's. Do try the house parmesian peppercorn for your salad.

I am a firm believer that sometimes the most satisfying meals do not come from the fanciest, most well schooled, ingredient driven, kitchens, but in plces that just, well do it right.

If I was a businessman in Milwaukee, I'd like to be a regular at Butch's.

Is that yellow rice I see under the shrimp DeJonghe? How odd. I guess if they couldn't put cheese in it, they had to at least include something yellow.

Butch's Clock is closed, but the Old Casino branch is still there.

I * hate* this kind of update...


Geo