There has been a shakeup in recent months at Milwaukee Public Market. The departure of Sheridan's Finest Wines and Generous Spirits provided an opportunity for St. Paul Fish Company, 400 N. Water St., to offer seated dining with full table service.
So far, the concept seems to be right on the money.
Since the restaurant opened its doors, I have been a fan of St. Paul's lake perch sandwich ($9.95). Fresh, crunchy breaded perch with thin slices of red onion, crisp romaine and tartar sauce make the sandwich a winner. The fact that you can get it any day of the week makes it more attractive.
Recent dinner visits to the busy dining area at St. Paul Fish Company also rated high for very fresh, affordable seafood offerings. The market serves dinners until 8 p.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends, with a featured daily special and a weekday happy hour (4-6 p.m.) that pairs a dozen oysters with a pitcher of Schlitz.
Speaking of Schlitz, the St. Paul Fish Company has got the "go for the gusto" vibe covered with red and silver retro dining tables, overhead fishnets, plastic baskets and a great horseradish-rich cocktail sauce in a cheap, red squeeze bottle -- it's all kitsch and fun at St. Paul.
The only things they're missing are the white plastic lobster tie-bibs for their daily $12.95 steamed lobster dinner and a courtesy Wet-Nap to subsidize the cleanliness factor of their brown paper napkins; both of which I hope to see materialize before the summer months.
We sampled two-for-one oysters as a Thursday night special and were immediately in love. St. Paul offers a rotating menu of five selections, including favorites like blue points and kumamotos for $1 to $2.50 each. They are fresh, well-shucked, and complemented by grated horseradish, four hot sauce varieties, malt vinegar and the signature squeeze bottle of cocktail sauce.
A shrimp fry ($14.95) and the lobster dinner came with crisp, salty fries and a tart cole slaw that pleasantly vinegary. Upon request, St. Paul will crack both the lobster tail and the king crab legs for easier eating. The lobster was better than expected and served with plenty of lemon wedges and melted butter. The shrimp were outstanding, toasted to a dark brown and generous both in flavor and portion size.
Grilled entrees are also available with rice, steamed vegetables and choice of fruit salsa or a basic beurre blanc. I sampled the halibut ($17.95), which came with a healthy, perfectly flaky grilled portion of fish and was better than you find in most restaurants charging a good $10 more per plate.
Service in St. Paul's dining area is excellent. After appetizers, entrees and a couple cocktails, I craved something sweet. "Sorry," the server said, "we don't have desserts on the menu, but there is the chocolate shop and a couple other options here in the market for dessert."
A few moments later, she returned and asked us if we had thought of anything in particular we'd like to end our meal with so that she could go and purchase the item for us at another vendor and bring it back to our table to enjoy. Now that, my fellow Milwaukeeans, is service.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
