Elsa’s on the Park
(American, Comfort Food, Burgers)
833 N. Jefferson Street between E. Wells and E. Kilbourn (Downtown)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(414) 765 0615
www.elsas.com

Elsa’s was a complete mystery to me. Huge glass windows. High ceilings. Stark, white furniture. Seemingly Swarovski crystal, life-sized jaguars in glass cases overhanging the booths along the wall. Sign at the door reading, “21 and over only after 7pm” (I think it was 7pm). Now, you guess the menu.

Burgers. Huh?

I ordered a half-pound ground sirloin burger (that’s how all the burgers are) with aged Wisconsin white cheddar cheese. It cost $8.50. My friend ordered the Truck Garden – a vegetarian sandwich loaded with avocados and sprouts, among other tasty veggies. That cost $6.25. Both came with waffle-cut fries, fresh fruit and vegetables in a basket with our meals. Our meals were substantial, satisfying, and delicious. There was hardly a wait for our food, service was friendly, noise level was comfortable, and the restaurant was beautifully minimalist (minus the crystal jaguars dangling above us).

Are you waiting for a catch? So were we.

We even sat there afterwards people watching and waiting for there to be some sort of catch. Most of the clientele was dressed upwards of smart, most fancy, actually. Men wore dress shirts with or without ties. Women wore jeans with trendy, flowing tops or wore dresses. Men in their 30’s, in groups of 2 or 3, sipped cocktails at the long bar opposite our table. One older man sat eating a sandwich and reading the newspaper at a table. Couples strolled in and out past eleven o’clock. Our waitress didn’t bring our check until we asked for it.

I always have so much to say about restaurants. As for Elsa’s, I have little to say because honestly, I really don’t get it. We walked out after leaving twenty-something dollars on the table and being completely confused by our experience. The streets were empty on a Wednesday night in the summer in Milwaukee. Bars were half full, restaurants were even less full, there was not another pedestrian on the sidewalks. (Earlier in the day, we walked through an empty mall with more salespeople than shoppers and not a soul in the food court.)

Elsa’s was so peculiar yet all too fitting. For Milwaukee.