The interesting thing about chain restaurants is that the owners of such establishments do a remarkable job of pinpointing and targeting their demographic before setting foot into new territory. Milwaukee has had a parade of chains come into the dining scene as of late, most notably at our malls, Mayfair, Bayshore and Brookfield Square.

One such establishment is Bar Louie, which opened late last year Downtown at 1114 N. Water St. and then at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale, 5750 Bayshore Dr., -- two notably different locations whose differences mirror their clienteles.

To do this review, I felt it necessary to visit both locations. I was impressed at the distinctiveness of each and the national chain's ability to adapt to differing consumers. The menus are identical, but the service, noise level and atmosphere vary greatly.

The Water Street Bar Louie location is distinctly a bar that serves food, while the Glendale location is distinctly a restaurant that also has a bar. In other words, Bar Louie did its homework. Water Street does a great professional Downtown lunch crowd but at night, as we well know, it becomes more of a nightlife/bar crowd. Many of the eating options on that strip of Water Street rightfully cater to a drinking clientele, while Glendale caters to families and singles who are stopping for dinner after a long day of shopping.

Entering the Water Street location in the early afternoon, we were unpleasantly greeted with a pervasive smell of stale beer and cigarettes from the night prior, but, upon entering the seating area, the smell waned, and we were pleased with the variety of the menu. We ordered salted pretzels ($6.99); good, crusty pretzel sticks with yellow mustard, a thick pungent queso and a spicy honey mustard dipping sauce, which we liked best.

Sweet and spicy tempura shrimp ($9.99) were a tad greasy and the sauce was a little syrupy for my taste, but they were an okay starter and worked well with a $2 afternoon special draft of Blue Moon (Bar Louie offers 39 draught beers, a very respectable and fun selection for beer connoisseurs.)

Our large plate selections were meatball pasta ($10.99) and pepper steak ($13.99), both of which were unexpectedly spicy. (In fact, on our charge slip the meatball pasta was called "spicy meatball pasta" though no indication appeared on the menu.) Regardless, the meatball dish was the better of the two, with large beef meatballs and rigatoni in spicy marinara.

The pepper steak had an unpleasant level of heat and texture which my dining companion deemed inedible. Service was rough and we sat with dirty plates for the majority of our dining experience, also hampered by the noise from a large and boisterous bar crowd -- hence my categorization as this being a bar that serves food -- the Downtown location begets cocktails and appetizers and, for that purpose, it is wholly adequate.

The Glendale location brought with it more attentive service and a softer, quieter ambience. We again sampled the pretzels as our beta, and were surprised that here the honey mustard sauce was sickeningly sweet, while this time the queso shone as our favorite of the sauces. Cheeseburger sliders ($6.99) were served minus the traditional fried onions and were dry and somewhat disappointing, since the rest of our food was very good. Santorini salad ($7.99) showcased a large serving of fresh baby spinach with kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese and a delicious oregano vinaigrette.

Ranchero Enchiladas ($10.99) were stuffed with chicken and drizzled with a rich enchilada sauce and a queso sauce. The accompanying white rice and beans were perfectly cooked, and the chicken was tender and delightful, making this our favorite of the large plate options.

Servings at Bar Louie are extremely generous, and we found that both large plate and salad options provide the average diner with at least two meals. And while the two establishments work under the same umbrella company, each does a good job of conforming to the needs of its location, making Bar Louie a solid place for a drink, or a dinner, depending on which side of town you are on at the time.