FOOD
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Mickey's more than a bar, with a first-class menu
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Living on the near east side for the last decade, I've always been more of a Crystal Corner girl than a Mickey's one.
But now that Mickey's Tavern has the lure of food -- really good food -- I'm reconsidering that allegiance.
In 1997, longtime restaurateur Jane Capito bought Mickey's, on the east edge of Williamson Street across from the Yahara River. It dates back to 1902, when it was the Yahara Hotel and Bar, and is the city's oldest continuously operating bar in the same location.
An Ovens of Brittany disciple, Capito was behind the erstwhile restaurants Wild Iris and Botticelli's. She is half owner of the Greenbush Bar and also owns Lazy Jane's Cafe, not far from Mickey's.
Lazy Jane's is known for its excellent food, and Mickey's, which began serving food a year ago, is every bit as good.
The vintage bar itself is a bit of a dive: gritty, dimly lit and slightly rundown. The main bar area -- with its long, curvaceous bar -- holds six tables. It leads to a red room with secondhand couches, coffee tables and mirrors that would easily fit in on Mifflin Street. A pool table dominates another adjoining room, and is connected to a space in back with another couch and more tables for dining.
The menu is enticing, with chili; soup; appetizers like cheese curds, chicken tenders and quesadillas; pizza; hamburgers; four salads; and sandwiches. There also are three entrees: mac and cheese, roasted chicken, and a 10-ounce grilled ribeye steak.
You must not eat at Mickey's without ordering the "sexy fries" ($2.95/$4.50), which are some of the best, most interesting, and nongreasy fries around. The potatoes are flat and thin, tossed with white truffle oil and sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. A small plate came piled high and could easily feed two or three people.
Another good starting point is the house salad ($3.50/$5.50). The small size can -- and did -- easily feed two. It's an excellent mix of greens with artichoke hearts, red onions, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots and Parmesan cheese. The ginger lime vinaigrette recommended by our waitress was a perfect choice. This is a salad that could easily be served in a fine dining restaurant.
Equally impressive is the creamy, cheesy mac and cheese ($6.95), made with smoked Gouda and sharp cheddar cheese, and baked casserole-style with a light sprinkling of bread crumbs on top. You can order it with ring bologna for an extra $1.50. The night we were there, mac and cheese was the special, made with ground beef and bacon for $7.95.
The World's Greatest Sandwich ($6.95) is a misnomer but is certainly enjoyable. It's a BLT with Swiss cheese, fried egg and mayonnaise on buttery, grilled sourdough sandwich bread. There's really nothing not to like.
It's harder to recommend the flank steak sandwich ($7.95), only because it was a bit difficult to chew the long strips of meat. There were many nice touches to this sandwich, however. The steak was marinated in a ginger soy sauce and topped with caramelized onions. And the sturdy ciabatta roll was slathered with horseradish mayonnaise and lined with Swiss cheese.
My friend who ordered it didn't seem fazed by the problem I had and said she would definitely get it again.
Both sandwiches came with kettle chips and a distinctive coleslaw with red onions, carrots, red peppers and lots of celery salt.
There was only one dessert, which was definitely worth the indulgence. The bread pudding ($3.95) was served warm with a mound of unexpected whipped cream and fresh, sliced strawberries. How can you ask for anything more?
Our waitress seemed slightly overmatched by the three tables she had early on a Wednesday night. Still, she was exceedingly personable and got a large order right without writing anything down.
A Saturday brunch visit yielded an excellent waffle. It was perfectly fine plain ($4) but really sensational loaded with blackberries and piled high with fresh whipped cream ($5.50).
My companion tried the vegetarian eggs Benedict ($7.25) -- poached eggs with spinach, tomato and mushrooms on an English muffin, topped with hollandaise sauce. He thoroughly enjoyed it, and I relished the two or three bites he spared for me. It came with wonderful but simple pan-fried red potatoes.
There is always a scramble du jour, and on this day it had diced salami, shallots and goat cheese.
The coffee is superb, served in mugs that are so big, you won't need a refill. I like how the coffee and water is self-serve. It saves effort for the waitstaff and allows customers to get their coffee immediately.
MICKEY'S TAVERN
Address: 1524 Williamson St.
Phone: 251-9964
Food hours: Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. daily; brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; limited menu until 5 p.m.
Notes: There are several parking spots behind the bar, but otherwise, it's street parking only; not wheelchair accessible -- there are a couple of steps up in both the front and the back; cash only, no personal checks accepted, but there is a cash machine on the premises; no smoking, but smoking permitted on an outdoor patio in back.