Visitors to the Cedar Creek Settlement in Cedarburg now have an additional restaurant option in between shopping and wine tasting.
The Settlement has long housed the popular Tomaso's Pizza, W63 N688 Washington Ave., and Cream and Crepe Café, W70 W6340 Bridge Rd., the latter of which resides in the bottom floor of the former Wittenberg Woolen Mill.
But, two months ago, the nearby 19th century blacksmith shop was also converted into a new dining destination, The Anvil Pub & Grill, N70 w6340 Bridge Rd., bringing yet another historic building life in the settlement.
The former blacksmith shop is stunning to behold, with lovely creamy brick and muted earth tones in the interior, and the proximity to nearby Cedar Creek Winery should make this new pub and grille a welcome addition to the settlement.
Anvil features a stone hearth oven which is used for myriad items on the menu, which focuses on casual fare: salads, sandwiches, and entrées, most under $20. Wines, too, are reasonably priced in the low $20 range for most bottles, and the list boasts several selections from the nearby winery.
Appetizers at Anvil include American cuisine standards such as onion rings, artichoke dip, bruschetta and nachos, and the rest of the menu follows suit with basic standards at reasonable prices. Anvil also offers multiple salads, including a salmon salad with mandarin oranges and balsamic vinaigrette, a basic house salad and a specialty soup and salad of the day.
Sandwiches ($7-$12) include French fries or pasta salads, and diners can choose from a Philly cheese steak, a "blacksmith favorite" chicken club sandwich with Applewood smoked bacon, patty melts or several renditions of Black Angus burgers and sandwiches.
Entrées dabble in steaks and seafood, again at moderate prices ($15 to the low $20 range). Diners can choose from flat iron steak and ribeye, or shrimp skewers done three ways (tempura battered, garlic skewered, and grilled), cedar plank salmon and oven fired perch.
Pasta lovers, too, will find a vodka cream pasta mixed with zucchini and chicken (optional), or a Tuscan chicken with fire-roasted tomatoes. Entrées include choice of soup or salad and bread with garlic butter, and there are several vegetarian selections on the menu for non-meat eaters.
Anvil's warm weather patio is situated creekside and when open, offers a view of the Cedar Creek waterfall. In the interim, the former blacksmith shop offers a small bar with bar and cocktail table seating, and two levels of dining tables in a rustic, earthen environment.
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.
