Guide to gastropubs

It seems the word "gastropub" gained popularity in recent years. This is to be expected, considering the word is relatively new and believed to originated in a London pub in 1991.

The term "gastropub" is a combination of "pub" and "gastronomy" -- the study of the relationship between culture and food -- and, basically, means a bar that serves good food.

Mike Eitel of the Diablos Rojos Restaurant Group further defines the word.

"A gastropub is a hybrid of sorts. A great pub with tons of character that serves food you would normally find in a restaurant," says Eitel.

Eitel says he considers Trocadero to be a "gastrobar" -- another term for gastropub. The word was added to Trocadero's sign and menu after the renovation and menu change last month.

"We call Trocadero a 'gastrobar' because its new incarnation has a slightly different feel," says Eitel.

Milwaukee's Lee Thompson spent most of 2009 in England and Ireland and says he visited dozens of gastropubs.

"Although these are pubs, the food surpasses the average bar fare," says Thompson. "Some of my best meals in Europe were in gastropubs. I had a Guinness-marinated steak sandwich that I still dream about."

Gastropubs or gastrobars are bar-centered. The food, although usually of high quality, plays a supporting role to the bar which is usually the centerpiece of the establishment.

"We added gastrobar (to Trocadero's sign and menu) when we removed 'Parisian cafe' and put the emphasis back on the bar by moving it to the front of the building. It seemed to get us closest to what we've longed to be: a cafe that was inspired by street food and global offerings."

In Milwaukee, the following bars are considered gastropubs. Feel free to add others using the Talkback feature.

Cafe Hollander
2608 N. Downer Ave., (414) 963-6366
7677 W. State St., (414) 475-6771
cafehollander.com

Carlton Grange Pub
3807 S. Packard Ave., St. Francis, (414) 747-9669
carletongrange.com

Flannery's Bar and Restaurant
425 E. Wells St., (414) 278-8586
flannerysmilwaukee.com

Harry's Bar & Grill
3549 N. Oakland Ave., (414) 964-6800
harrysbarandgrillmilwaukee.com

Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub
222 E. Erie St., (414) 727-9300
hinterlandbeer.com

Trocadero
1758 N. Water St., (414) 272-0205
ztrocadero.com