Many diners arrived at Barnacle Bud's by boat, but those of us who didn't had a heck of a time finding the place. Tucked away next to Skipper Bud's boat launch on the coast of the Milwaukee River, Bud's (1955 S. Hilbert) is secluded -- definitely off the local restaurant radar -- and feels more like the Bahamas than Bay View.

Although there's a quaint beach shanty with a bar and a dozen tables, the outdoor deck is the place to be if the weather's smooth sailing. There, boats of all kinds dock and undock, while diners and drinkers talk, joke, smoke and lazily lick barbeque sauce off their fingertips.

Many of the customers seemed to know each other, yet as "outsiders" we didn't feel displaced. Perhaps it's because the clientele -- although completely Caucasian -- is quite diverse, including preppies in Polo shirts, heavily tattooed "Sailor Jerry" types, women old and young in bikini tops and other folks just looking for a good meal and a unique view of the river, downtown skyline and Jones Island.

And at Barnacle Bud's, a good meal is indeed on deck.

The menu features appetizers, sandwiches ($4.25-$7.95), ribs, seafood entrees ($12.95-$15.95), pasta dishes and a Friday fish fry ($6.95-$9.95).

We started with index-finger-long mozzarella sticks, deep-fried to gooey perfection, and a basket of seasoned fries, crispy and satisfying. For dinner, my date had the grilled chicken wings, which came (approximately) 18 to a basket and very tender. We appreciated that they were grilled, but wished they were a little spicier.

I had the Mixed Grill, a plate of buttery fettuccini topped with soft scallops, firm and fresh shrimp, white fish and one crawfish, complete with a creepy eyeball. Aside from the way-too-fishy tasting crawfish, all of the other sea treats were delicate and flavorful. Maybe not knock-your-Docksiders-off amazing, but a solid B.

{image2}We ordered two margaritas, unfortunately made with very little booze, but quite refreshing in icy glass jars with green sugar on the rim. We later ordered two taps of Fosters because bottles are not available.

We heard that the service at Bud's is slow, and although we found the reputation true, we didn't mind for two reasons. First of all, our waitress was clearly working her tail off and made numerous gestures and comments letting us know that we were not lost at sea. Also, the atmosphere is so mellow -- almost dripping with that good-time-vacation-vibe -- that we really didn't care if we sat there for hours. (Which we didn't; our meals arrived within 30 minutes.)

Bud's isn't particularly family-friendly -- they don't have highchairs and there is mention on the silly menu copy that obnoxious kids will get stuffed -- but we brought our own booster seats and made it work. The constant boat action was a hit and although there isn't a children's menu, hamburgers, soft chicken breast and fries are available.

Barnacle Bud's reminded us a little of Crabby Al's, an upscale indoor/outdoor seafood joint under the 6th Street viaduct that closed a few years back, but we found Bud's more authentic, affordable and about as tropical as you can get in Brew City.

Pass the sunscreen and make mine a double, matey.

Barnacle Bud's is open from the last day in February until the end of October. For more information, call (414) 481-9974.