When was the last time you dined at Crazy Water?
If it’s been a while, or you’ve never had the pleasure, take the time to set up your next lunch date at the Walker’s Point staple, located at 839 S. 2nd St.
Chef Peggy Magister’s menu offers up a nice selection of modestly priced items – including sandwiches and salads – along with entrees and a small variety of desserts.
Starters include dishes like warm artichoke spread with sundried tomato tapenade, burrata, sweet peppers, oregano, basil crostini ($14) and baked Bluepoint oysters with bacon, spinach, crisp breadcrumbs and Mornay sauce (pictured above, $3 each). Meanwhile, sweet glazed benne buttermilk biscuits with creme fraiche butter ($2) would make a great side for a bowl of the daily soup, which was shrimp bisque on the day we visited.
On the lighter side, there are beautiful salads including roasted broccoli with smoked gouda, prosciutto and lemon yogurt ($6) and a jumbo shrimp salad featuring fresh bibb lettuce, avocado, grapefruit and sliced hearts of palm with a passion fruit vinaigrette ($12).
Among the sandwich offerings are tuna tacos with Thai peanut slaw, wasabi cream, avocado and black bean cakes ($12); braised shortribs served up on a baguette with gruyere fondue, arugula and french onion jus ($11); and fried chicken glazed with Korean barbeque sauce and served with a slightly spicy mayo and pickled vegetables and served with housemade chips or couscous ($10).
Entrees include classics like the restaurant’s famous "Crazy Shrimp" served with chorizo sausage, tomatoes, cilantro, Asian barbecue sauce, jalapeno cornbread muffins and jasmine rice ($16); salmon Benedict with pork belly, roasted poblano hollandaise and frico caldo ($16); and a 6-ounce petite filet with molasses barbecue sauce, portobello mushrooms, fries and blue cheese dipping sauce ($18).
You can also make your afternoon a bit sweeter (highly recommended) with desserts like Meyer lemon tart with shortbread crust and lemon jam ($6), sticky toffee pudding with date ice cream ($7) or a divinely creamy mascarpone cheesecake with maple glaze ($7).
Crazy Water offers lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hours for dinner service are Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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