Linda Falkenstein
The risotto—stuffed poblanos look tempting, but need more flavor.
The new Bear & Bottle, the latest venture from publicans Tim Thompson and Stephani Dalbesio (Free House Pub, the Flying Hound, Waypoint Public House) and their partners, has been doing a brisk business since its debut in early May. I drive past it almost every day, and it is gratifying to see the garage doors rolled up and people hanging out at the sidewalk cafe. Inside, the barn board siding, industrial lighting and long communal table (don’t worry, there are also plenty of tables for two and four) announce its contempo aspirations. It really is a pleasant space to be in, enough to convince non-northsiders that the north side is a place they want to be.
The concept behind Bear & Bottle is a melding of California and Wisconsin cuisines and libations, the “bear” standing for California (it’s on the state flag) and the “bottle” for the Dairy State, or so I was told by the host. On the other hand, maybe it’s just alliteration.
The most interesting side of Bear & Bottle is its extensive “Left Coast” tap list, all California beers. If the allure of Hopalicious and Fantasy Factory is starting to wane, here are 21 Cali beers you probably haven’t had the chance to try, at least on tap. Seven “Mendota Coast” options — Madison-area microbrews — are also on tap, and there are numerous gluten-free beers in bottles.
The menu doesn’t quite match up; it’s divided into appetizers, salads and soups, tacos, sandwiches and “plates,” aka entrees. You can see the Golden State touch with menu addenda like “sub bibb lettuce ‘shells’ for $2, sub vegan 5-bean mix for $1.50, substitute Manna Cafe gluten-free bread for $2” — all welcome options for the diet-conscious. Still, for a restaurant inspired by California cuisine, there aren’t many vegetarian dishes apart from salads.
The seared tuna appetizer is an elegant place to start. This was a nice-looking piece of tuna, pink on the inside, properly seared, with a sweet and salty soy glaze and what I interpreted as a watermelon, cucumber and orange salsa, though it is called a “vinaigrette” on the menu. Granted, the fruits and vegetable were minced too finely to be a proper salsa, but it also wasn’t what I’d call a vinaigrette.
The tempura asparagus, featuring house-pickled asparagus and a scallion crema dipping sauce, was more like an asparagus version of onion rings than a tempura. Despite the pickling, this was a bland affair. Bear & Bottle would be better off going Wisco on this one with good old fried dill pickles.
The sandwiches and taco platters delivered to neighboring tables all looked terrific, but a good rule of thumb here is to keep it simple. A solid choice is the American Classic Burger, made with beef from Knoche’s meat market and dressed with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions, “American sauce” all on a Batch Bakehouse brioche bun. This burger was ordered medium and came medium rare, but it was flavorful beef on a dynamite bun, accompanied by a pile of crisp, satisfying frites-style fries, and in line with other pub burgers locally at $9.50. Sliders, made with braised short rib, are even better.
The chickpea and almond salad sandwich (with avocado, tomato and lettuce on lightly grilled wheatberry bread) is pleasant and reminded me of the old Mildred’s Sandwich Shop. But the kitchen should try chopping the chickpeas instead of leaving them whole, and consider adding alfalfa sprouts. If you’re going to be inspired by California, go for it. The side of mixed greens (it’s your choice of fries or greens with all sandwiches) was a generous but unadorned pile of salad, dressed lightly with an unnoticeable house dressing. The reason the “heap of greens” side works at places like The Old Fashioned and The Coopers Tavern is that their house dressings are craveable.
Or pick the tacos; the carnitas are good, as is the salsa verde chicken. (These meats are also the least expensive options at $8.50. )
Two entrees fell very flat. Hawaiian Truck Style Shrimp, which is supposed to replicate the garlicky, lemony shrimp sold off trucks in Hawaii, was standard supermarket shrimp with no garlic or lemon flavor, plopped atop a bowl of watery white rice.
The only flavor in the corn risotto-stuffed poblano peppers came from the heat of the poblanos (though I’m not sure that “burning” is a flavor exactly). The rubbery risotto had no taste at all.
Blandness continues with dessert. A chocolate cake had the consistency of a chewy brownie and needed higher quality chocolate. The white chocolate rhubarb bread pudding was dry and absent any evidence of either white chocolate or rhubarb.
The fare isn’t quite as intriguing as the space, and execution is spotty. Still, if B & B concentrates on improving consistency, there no reason why this space won’t continue to be a draw.
Bear & Bottle
601 N. Sherman Ave.; 608-630-8800; bearandbottlewi.com
11 am-midnight Mon.-Wed., 11 am-2 am Thurs.-Sat., 11 am-10 pm Sun.; $5-$18
