For the seventh straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2013."

Three years ago, when Michael Dietrich became the general manager of The Hilton Hotel and adjoining restaurant The Anchorage, 4700 N. Port Washington Rd., his top priority was to restore the bar and eatery to what it once was.

"When I started the job, I was frustrated that people spoke of The Anchorage in the past tense. They said, ‘I used to go there all the time,’" says Dietrich. 

The 40-year-old restaurant has endured a fair share of ups and downs over the decades, but Dietrich says he and his staff have worked hard to both reinvent a new vision of the restaurant as well as preserve the best parts of its past.

According to Dietrich, for many years, the corporate vision of the restaurant was to simplify options, but in the process The Anchorage’s personality was lost. Hence, shortly after starting the position, Dietrich arranged for the restaurant to be remodeled and for major menu changes. 

The space has a nautical theme with large dolphin statues at the entrance, a massive fish tank and anchor-patterned carpeting. The walls are painted in warm tones creating an overall cozy feel. Most notable are the many windows providing a great view of the Milwaukee River.

Improving the menu has been extremely important to Dietrich, as well. "Years ago, we were synonymous with good seafood," says Dietrich. "We’re once again seafood-centric at The Anchorage."

The menu features everything from paella to the Anchorage scallops wrapped in bacon and topped with hollandaise sauce to braised short ribs. It also offers Allen Brothers' steaks along with the signature red snapper sherry soup. 

Dinner prices range from $19 to $49 for entrees; $25-$45 for steaks and $16-$22 for entree salads. The strawberry and shrimp spinach salad featuring feta, tomato, egg, cucumber and a strawberry dressing looked particularly appealing.

Jerry Taylor has been the executive chef for almost 30 years. Dietrich credits him with "getting the quality elements back" and creating a menu that focuses on unique, affordable seafood.

"Just because we’re affiliated with a (chain) hotel does not mean we have to offer typical hotel prices and so-so food," says Dietrich.

Located on the bank of the river, the view at The Anchorage is perhaps its biggest offering. Dietrich says for years it was an "overgrown parkway" but with increased landscaping and lighting has become quite lovely again. During our visit we saw a family of ducks on the water with a backdrop of autumn color.

"We had this gorgeous patio and it wasn’t being utilized as anything more than a place for smokers," he says. "The maintenance staff really came together and the landscapers, too, and created a beautiful place to dine outdoors."

The bar is nice, too, even though it does not have the view like the dining area. It does, however, have a variety of beers on tap, including Sprecher – also in the neighborhood – and bar snacks.

Sandy Samenfeld, the assistant food and bar manager, has worked at The Anchorage for 38 years. She has seen a lot of changes, from the relocation of the bar to several remodels.

"We have great customers here. And the management is wonderful. That’s why I’ve stuck around," she says.

Like many lifelong Milwaukeeans, Dietrich grew up driving by the Anchorage’s iconic neon red sign. The restaurant was also where he went on his first date.

"As a Milwaukee native and long-term resident, it’s particularly important to me that we got it back to being a destination for local people as well as those staying at the hotel," he says.

Dietrich grew up in the dining industry because his father, Axel Dietrich, was the executive chef at The Pfister Hotel’s now-defunct English Room from the mid-60s until 1976. Axel was also the executive chef at upscale restaurant Harold’s, which was once one of Milwaukee’s top restaurants. 

"I like to think I took some of his pedigree with me," says Dietrich. "My dad definitely taught me a few things and today I’m very proud of The Anchorage and its recent renaissance within the local dining community."