Businesses work to establish a signature item or image that raises their profile with the public. The State Fair has its cream puffs. Klement's has racing sausages.
Erv's Mug, the Oak Creek pub and restaurant, is famous for three things. That probably explains why it is doing better than ever after 32 years on Ryan Road.
The Mug's fish fry, which is offered on Wednesdays and Fridays, has a huge following. Erv's serves 500 customers on an average Friday, and the bulk of them order some kind of fish. The hand-battered cod dinner comes in two sizes and is priced at $10.99 and $12.50.
For those who avoid the fryer, the eatery also offers baked cod ($11.99), pan sauteed tilapia ($15.99) and pan sauteed perch ($17.99).
Erv's is also known for its expansive and intriguing selection of tap beers. It has 32 handles behind the bar representing Miller Lite and a rapidly rotating field of 31 craft brews.
How interesting are the offerings? At the moment, you can sample a Finnish style beer called Sahti that is made by the Vintage Brewing Co. in Madison. Vintage serves it at its brewpub, and Erv's is the only other place selling it, according to owner Danielle Baerwald.
"It is flavored with juniper berries. It's light, very refreshing and perfect for summer," she added.
Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from the North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg, Cal., is another uncommon offering currently on tap. It's not carbonated, making it extra creamy, according to Baerwald.
If your drinking preferences lean toward spirits, the Mug has 85 kinds of vodka.
Putting food and drink aside for a moment, Erv's is also famous for dressing up for the holidays. Erv Kazik, the restaurant and bar's founder and Baerwald's father, was into decorating for the holidays.
Halloween, Valentine's day, Mardi Gras, Easter and the Fourth of July are all observed with their own decorations, but Christmas is an absolute blowout. Customers make it a point to visit Erv's during the holidays to see the display.
Last year, 28 volunteers spent eight hours making Erv's properly festive for Christmas. The massive amount of stuff, which is stored in the basement, requires precise cataloging and organization.
In the mid-'80s, the living quarters were converted into a commercial kitchen which was tripled in size last year with the expansion of the entire restaurant and bar. A second dining room was also added, increasing seating capacity to 150. An additional 32 persons can be accommodated on an outside deck.
Erv's has graduated from a saloon with food to a restaurant with a bar. A haystack of deep-fried shredded onions is an appetizer specialty offered in two sizes for $5.99 and $7.49. Rabbit food includes a Cajun chicken strip salad ($9.99), and a Caesar with grilled chicken breast ($9.99), salmon ($12.99), tenderloin ($12.99) or fried calamari ($12.99).
An extensive lunch menu features five different char-broiled burgers ($7.59 to $8.99), 19 sandwiches ranging from prime rib ($11.59) to grilled yellowfin tuna ($9.99), and several wraps ($8.99 to $9.99). They all come with a choice of a side.
Erv's also serves luncheon entrees, including chicken parmesan with linguini ($11.99) and a platter of fried clams ($9.99).
A 12-ounce char-grilled tenderloin fillet is the most expensive item on the dinner menu at $27.99. Walleye pike ($20.99) and grilled Atlantic salmon ($18.99) join St. Louis style ribs ($18.99 for half rack, $23.99 for full) and shrimp primavera over linguini ($19.99) as popular entrees.
An interesting pairing of chocolate mousse and mixed berries with Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Lindemans Lambic Framboise is on the dessert menu for $6.59.
"We are a scratch kitchen," Baerwald said while chatting this week. "We use our own recipes. We make our own salad dressings and sauces. We trim our own steaks and chicken breasts.
"We specialize in traditional American food." The owner said Erv's has been adventurous in introducing new sauces and sides. For example, it offers apple pecan baked beans.
"But the center of the plate items stay the same." Don't expect to find ostrich or wild boar on the menu. "Our customers want to recognize the animal they are eating," she added with a grin.
Baerwald began working for her father at Erv's at 13, cleaning the bathrooms, and she has done every job at the establishment. She earned a law degree at Marquette, clerked for court of appeals judge Michael T. Sullivan and opened her own practice, but when her dad retired in 2004, she took over the ownership and operation of Erv's Mug.
Although she still has a limited practice in estate planning and probate, Baerwald spends long hours at the restaurant, sometimes in the kitchen cooking. "I do whatever is needed," she explained.
"I chose the restaurant business because I believe in doing what you love first. Erv's Mug is not only part of my family, I have a passion for this business as if it were in my blood."
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
