My date for the symphony on Friday night expressed interest in going to Kincaid's on Old World Third Street.  I reluctantly agreed.  Looking back, I should have trusted my gut. 

The bad experience began in the parking lot, when "festival parking" and "valet" parking were our two choices, despite the fact that it was very early on a Friday night and the parking lot was essentially empty.  I gave the $5 to the valet and he parked the car no more than 20' away.  I understand valet parking when parking is at such a premium that cars must be parking off site, but 20' away?  That just screams "This Job Doesn't Have to Exist"...but I digress, this isn't a blog about valet parking being nearly as useless as meter maids.  Back to the task at hand...

Kincaid's is significantly different than the predecessor at this location, Weissgerber's geriatric Third Street Pier.  The interior is relatively trendy with warm walnut tones and reasonably nice furnishings.  That said, we sat outside on the river and enjoyed the beautiful, natural setting that is the Milwaukee River.  Ah yes, seagulls.  

The outdoor dining is fine, although nothing special and nowhere near as nice as Tess or even The Ale House.  Think concrete patio, wind, and traffic on Third Street.  Ambiance this is not, particularly when the river booze cruise junkies arrive and depart.  

The menu, however, provided the first clue that there was no chance for Kincaid's being anything other than marginal.   There are roughly 462 items on the menu.  My experience tells me that this many choices on a menu ensures that nothing on the menu will be anything beyond average.  My experience was correct.  

I had the halibut, which was supposed to come with "fresh berry salsa" and "a steamed vegetable medley" as sides.  The halibut itself was overcooked and overseasoned, drier than it ought to have been, and not a rich, buttery flaky bite was to be found. 

The "fresh" berry salsa had two blueberries and some frozen strawberry compote.  The taste wasn't horrible, if you're accustomed to school lunches.  

The steamed vegetables were steamed and cooked properly, but by no means fresh.  They came out of a freezer at some point.  

The bread that the waiter brought us prior to dinner was actually decent.  When the best food served at a meal is the bread, you know that you're in trouble.

Service was fine--polite, timely, and professional.  It was the highlight of the night, which isn't saying much.  

Dinner was two with one drink each was just shy of $90 before tip.  I can think of a host of other restaurants in Milwaukee where I could get a better meal and a better overall experience at or below that price.

I tried not to hold it against my date for wanting to go to a chain restaurant, but I remain firm my belief that chain restaurants are all basically glorified versions of McDonald's or Applebee's.  

My advice to Kincaid's:  improve the quality of your ingredients, teach your chefs how to cook fish properly, get rid of 80% of your menu and do a few things really well, put up a wind break for your outdoor dining area, and get your own bathrooms so that you aren't sharing them with Lucille's.  

Letter Grade:  C-

Neither of us got sick, but my stomach churns at the thought of returning to Kincaid's.

Kincaid's is located at 1110 N Old World 3rd Street.  Reservations are available on opentable.com or by calling 414.227.1111.