Essentials
Address: 1225/1227 N Water Street
Phone: 431.7944
Official Website: Visit
Photo Gallery: View
Review
The Scene
It's a restaurant, it's a lounge, it's...Swig. Milwaukee's newest capitalization
on a coastal phenomena, Swig combines haute cuisine, downtempo grooves, and
creative cocktails with a swank loungey flair, fusing elements of each to
create Water Street's newest hip, urbane retreat.
The Drinks
Billed as a restaruant, Swig offers a wine list to match. Bold reds, punchy
whites, and selections to fit budgets of all sizes. Several selections would
be at home on the wine list of Roots or Sauce, with a few choices clearly
added for their high sip-ability factor - semi sweet and light for the whites,
mellow and low tannin for the reds. There is also a respectable selection
of microbrews and domestics on the two page brew menu. A menu which also proudly
proclaims that Grey Goose products are the spirit of choice. As if that weren't
sign enough of good things to come, perched prominantly behind the room spanning
bar are several bottles of fresh, shiny, delicious-from-a-distance Zygo. Starting
at around $11, the premium martinis are not for the faint of heart. The Grey
Goose Chok-tini, despite the funkified name, is one of the best chocolate
martinis in the city - strong, creamy, and overflowing with dark coccoa overtones.
Tangerine still takes the grand prize for their version, but Swig's take is
not to be taken lightly. Several fruity varieties are featured on the menu,
and the cosmo is a faithful representation of the classic. Not advertised,
but whipped up in short order with zero complication was an outstanding metro
(cosmo sans citron in favor of kurrant). The staff behind the long, long main
bar was genuinely courteous and attentive. Empty glasses were quickly replaced
with full, a mixer slightly heavy on the tonic was graciously exchanged with
an appology, and when ordering a martini, the server never walked away until
the drink was sampled and it was certain that it was mixed well and we were
happy. Drinks run toward the pricier side - bill for a martini and two mixed
drinks hovered around $30 including the tip.
The Music
Swig is not a club. Swig is a lounge. Actually, according to the owners, Swig
is a restaurant (more on that later). As such, you won't find a dance floor,
DJ booth, or live music - either of the mixed or instrumental kind. Despite
this, clubmilwaukee scouts report hearing selections on the speakers including
The Future Sound of London (or F.S.O.L as they call themselves now), Moby,
some darker melodic euro beat, and even a breakbeat trance turn or two. In
addition to earning points just for playing Future Sound of London tracks,
it is the overall scheme of the music choices that arouses interest. They're
not randomly chosen. We're sure of it. True, it may be a well chosen compilation
CD instead of a carefully self-burned mix disk (or perhaps a swanky XM or
Sirius setup), but attention is being paid to the effect that the music has
on the atmosphere of the place, and Swig has chosen correctly. Supporting
this assertion is the fact that the volume on the system is not turned down
to barely audible muzak levels with the intention of being simple background
noise, but rather loud enough to remain conscious without being obtrusive.
It's clear that the music is meant to be heard, and thus to play an active
role in creating Swig's envelope. An interesting detail, and an appreciated
touch.
The People
Swig is still in swaddling clothes and attracting large numbers of patrons
interested in checking the place out for the first time. Despite this, there
was an overall feel to the crowd that can be best summarized as a cross between
Hi Hat and Kenadee's with a dash of Tangerine. That is, subdued hip with urban
sensibility and stylish chic without the Prada. The overall age range seemed
very slightly older than the average age of the Water Street area - mid to
late twenties with a comfortable mix of thirty-somethings. The layout of Swig
encourages a duality of attitudes, and we found the crowd sensibilites to
literally vary depending on where we were within the space. The long main
bar was an easy place to chat with whoever we happened to be standing next
to, while the recessed seating area immediately adjacent held larger groups
of friends content with their own topics of conversation. The crowd in the
rear bar area had a more "fun night out" feeling, with easy conversation,
rounds of introductions, and plenty of cocktail exchanges. On the other end
of the space is the elevated main seating area facing Water Street proper,
which caters to small groups, diners, and the in and out crowd interested
in mingling with their own group of friends. The general summary would then
be: Approachable crowd with 1 part flirt, 1 part mingle, a dash of clique,
and two drops of small, closed groups.
The Atmosphere
Feels like a slightly younger version of the Velvet Room. Kind of a "Velvet
Room Lite" for the younger members of the community who haven't yet purchased
their second BMW, but might be working on it. That is certainly, though, not
to imply pretention. While a night out at any of the upscale venues in town
is never pretense-free, it's very under control at Swig, and the atmosphere
is more of fun than of networking or trading label comparisons. As mentioned,
Swig is officially billed as a restaurant first and foremost, with no advertisement
of it's worthy lounge qualities. That being the case, the internal space is
divided well for accomidating diners. Walking in the front door brings you
immediately to hard right turn and a few low steps leading to the main area
of the space. The right side of the main room is a terraced area featuring
perhaps 10 or 12 tall four person tables with a larger seating arrangement
on the north wall to accomidate bigger groups. The seating area is dominated
by a bank of dark wood cased cafe windows looking out east onto Water Street,
and a creative arrangement of large, clear glass urns 3/4 filled with sand,
which house candles and cast a flickering orange tinged cast over the earth
toned decor. Adjacent to the seating area is the large main bar, which is
surface tiled with corian sheet and features an artful lower mosaic. Stretching
the entire length of the large space, the bar allows comfortable seating and
standing for perhaps 50-60 people, and the diffusely reflective bar top is
consciously wide enough to allow plenty of space should you choose to take
your meal here. Immediately behind you as you stand at the main bar is recessed
seating area with long, plush cushioned bench seating and a rear light ledge
which provides accent to the beige/peach/umber textured wall abuting it. The
riser casements are dark wood and burnished stainless steel, which add a touch
of class of a feel of weight to the space. Continuing toward the rear reveals
a second, smaller pod that is organized very much in the fashion of the main
partition in the front. A second bar and one each of a public and a more intimate
seating area round out the offerings presented in this secondary space. The
main space is separated from the rear by a wall whose upper half is composed
of various square and rectangle sheets of hung glass that have differing oppacities
and slightly different colors. A very cool choice that lets the subdued lighting
of the rear mingle with the decidedly warm, organic light of main room, to
create a feeling of flow and connection between the separate lounges. Lighting
in general is well done, with clever accent pieces providing shape and structure,
and a wealth of recessed globes lending an even, diffuse sheen to the entire
main room. The overall effect is that of a space that exudes comfort and warmth
tempered and cooled by the correct dosing of class and allure.
What to Wear
They have a dress code. And we assure you, they are not kidding. No sneakers,
no hats, no bling, no alterna-wear, no grunge, no sk8tr chic, no grungy sweats,
no hoodies, etc. Jeans are definately ok if they're in good repair and respectable.
Which doesn't mean boring. We found that staffers in jeans with purposely
frayed cuffs and a trendy wash were fine, but saw patrons with the extreme
Abercrombie flavor of disrepair turned away. We're unclear regarding boots,
but, again, sneakers are a clear no. If you would be comfortable at Tangerine
or Cafe Metro, you'll be comfortable here. There is no need to dress up, just
don't consciously dress down. The order of the evening for guys was collared
button ups and pressed jeans with shiny shoes. Girls seemed to prefer a wide
variety of options, as usual, but all shared a common thread of classy casual
with a stylish flair.
When to Go
Swig serves their full menu daily until midnight. Scouts report that Wednesdays
are your best bet for a crowded after dinner hour, and Saturday has a much
more upbeat flavor than Fridays, which attract a slightly more professional
crowd in the mid to to late evening. The crowd is generally of the older cast
during the week and younger during the weekend, so choose accordingly. Don't
worry about parking, they have a $5 valet. And try the crabcakes. They're
yummy.
