Eddie Martini's — Restaurant in Wauwatosa

My brother, sister in law and my Dearest have been having special meals at Eddie Martini's for years, and this is the first time that I have truly been disappointed in the main course of my meal. I ordered the New York Strip - medium rare - and what showed up in front of me looked like a thick round steak - about three quarters of an inch in thickness (if that). I have never had a New York Strip at Eddie's that "un-thick" in my life. I did not voice my opinion at that point, as I was enjoying my cocktail (Brandy Old Fashioned with sweet), but I was surely disappointed in the size of my "steak." My sweetie told me when we got home that she saw my face and knew I was disappointed when the "steak" was placed in front of me. Aside from the size (a New York Strip should be at least 1 and a half to two inches thick - this was, at best 3/4 of an inch. The taste was barely passable, as it was "stringy'" - totally unacceptable. My brother also ordered the same, and he ate it all, not saying anything to us (which is what I did, but I could not eat the whole thing), I ate half and brought the remains home with me. It's in the refrigerator now as I am trying to decide whether to eat it or swallow the $59 and toss it. Guess I could "chop it up and put in the salad I was going to have tonight. DECISIONS! My Dearest had the Shrimp Cocktail Supreme as an appetizer ($18) with three fairly good sized shrimp spread out on a triangular plate - guess it was supposed to look bigger with that. She told me it tasted alright, but the shrimp seemed to be dry. Her Duck was alright, but she felt deceived because the potatoes made the duck look more than it was. In all our other visits I mentally gave Eddie Martini's a solid "5," but in all honesty I couldn't even give them a "4" last night, thus my "3" rating. The service was excellent, the drink was great, the atmosphere was, as always, what I wanted. The food was simply not up to Eddie Martini's standard. We are going to have to think three or four times before returning - perhaps we could hit McDonald's - at least we would know what to expect. (I'm joking about McDonald's! If our main courses were better we would not have given Eddie Martini's the "3," which they richly deserved last night. Now we know, that in today's world, restaurants have a difficult time with prices, which may lead to smaller portions, but this writer would have no problem paying additional monies to have the same quality as enjoyed...

I experienced great service and I enjoyed a great atmosphere. Attentive service. I received a call reminding me of my reservation. And the person who took my reservation was exceptionally polite… he could write a book on how to be polite.

Food, different story.

I ordered a burrata salad. Overvalued. Tomato, burrata, and some balsamic glaze. Meh? Maybe it’s me — I elevated my expectations a bit.

Main: 45-day aged ribeye with a baked potato.

The ribeye was drenched in a buttery sauce (there’s such a thing as too much butter), which drowned out the taste of the beef. Disappointing because I understood this was a good place for steaks… hard to taste the meat under all the butter.

The baked potato tasted extremely salty — as if someone soaked the potato in sea water and then baked it. Hard to enjoy.

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I know this place is an icon in Milwaukee. My parents love it and I will not invalidate their experience or the experience of anyone who loves Eddie’s. “Continue to love it” I say.

Personally, the only reason Eddie’s can charge as much as they do is because of the service because the food quality is (for me) massively overvalued.

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So the recommendation:

If you want to spend $400 on a steak dinner for four and the food preparation is your priority, consider other options.

If you want fabulous service, a desire to enjoy a Milwaukee icon, and a nice ambiance — try it out. You...

I remember, not too long ago, that Eddie's was the place to go for lunch or dinner. Dark, clubby atmosphere, excellent food, exceptional service, smart, friendly bartenders. What the heck happened?

Now, Eddie Martini's is no longer open for lunch, the waitstaff is more interested in turning the table than taking care of the customers at hand, and the food is more typical of what you might find at the steam tables of some local grocery stores.

I had a very typical wedge salad, nothing special, followed by some very bland, rare (ordered medium) lamb chops. My wife had a very bland (that word again) piece of salmon smothered in a too sweet glaze. We ended with the dessert trio-bread pudding (a bit runny), cake (store bought?), creme brulee (decent). Twice during dessert, the waitstaff started removing the desserts while I was still eating and even brought the bill on her second attempt. So much for a relaxing dinner, we were out the door in another 10 minutes. One salad, 2 entrees, one dessert, 3 drinks, $205.00 including tip.

I get that many restaurants are still trying to catch up after everything that's happened these past few years, but maybe you should go back to what worked. Treat us like guests that could be anywhere else, but chose to be here, feed us food that you're proud of, make us happy to be sitting...