Milwaukee! The First Post… AJ Bombers!!

I haven’t quite moved into my apartment in downtown Milwaukee yet, but I have been spending my weekends here in an attempt to learn a little bit about my new home.

I decided to try to maximize my day (and the nice weather) this weekend by exploring different aspects of the city.

This morning, I got up and took part in my first Bikram yoga class in three years! The studio is about 1.2 miles from my place, so it was a nice morning walk over to class. Then, Bernadette, the instructor, proceeded to kick my toosh! Well, it really wasn’t her fault – it’s the nature of Bikram! The walk back home was a nice way to decompress and keep the muscles stretched a bit. But, y’all, I smelled FOUL! I really should have showered at the studio, but space is limited. In any case, I managed to make it home without offending other pedestrians!

After making it home, showering, and throwing my drenched clothes into the washing machine, I was finally able to cool down enough to think about venturing back out.

The group I failed to meet up with last night was heading to AJ Bombers for lunch. I missed them (again), but the seed was planted and I decided to make my way over for “Happiness, w/ a side of Burgers” by myself. It’s about 0.7 miles to get to Water Street. I love that I can walk so many places – and the city feels so safe!

I passed by the giant chairs, which you can see at the right of the picture and into this unique establishment. It’s funny, because I have been tweeting @AJBombers for a couple of years – ever since I read about them in an article and sent them a link. I never imagined I’d be living in Milwaukee and would walk my way into their building. As I was walking over, I tweeted @AJBombers to let them know I was finally coming by for a bite to eat.

I took a seat at the bar, rather than waiting for a table. I perused the laminated menu (their Web site advises customers to bring a Sharpie!), ordered a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and asked my server to choose her favorite thing to serve me (No, I didn’t bring the trusty card with me! Shame on me!). She asked me how creative I am willing to get with my food, and I answered her by advising her that if she thinks something is good, I trust her.

By this time, AJ Bombers had tweeted me back – and a conversation began. In fact, I learned that my server’s name is Emily because I mentioned the jersey she was wearing to their Twitter account, and proceeded to get the skinny on her! And, when I showed Emily the tweet, she jumped right in!

How fun are these folks!?! Not to mention that we were “bombed” with peanuts shortly after I took my seat at the bar. You’ll see the peanut delivery system if you look closely (sorry, the sun’s glare made for poor picture quality).

When my meal arrived, Emily let me know that she chose the burger that came with American cheese, bacon, and chunky peanut butter <– Yes, CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER! on it. She advised me to try it without ketchup or mustard to start, and then doctor it up as much as I wanted.

I never messed with it – the burger (known as the Barrie burger) was delicious just as it was. Emily also chose sweet potato chips to pair with the burger, rather than the standard fries. While I’m not typically a huge fan of sweet potato fries (because I feel like they tend to be mushy), these chips were fantastic! Not greasy, just enough salt, and crispy.

Emily and I talked about the fact that I would likely never have chosen to put peanut butter on my burger, and that’s the beauty of having the server choose a meal for me. I’ve tried plenty of things that I otherwise may not have tried. And, she was totally game for making the recommendation (though she did say that she would bring me something else if I hated her recommendation).

All in all, I had a great experience at AJ Bombers. Emily was a wonderful server/bartender, and the food and atmosphere were equally fantastic! And, I’m looking forward to going back to try one of these

(thanks to the dude next to me who allowed me to photograph his drink!)

Off to meet some folks to explore more of the city!

Cheers!

Ker