Revisiting The Three Brothers RestaurantThe Three Bros. came up again today at these headquarters when raccoonoitering on the internet for some boxer shorts to augment the dwindling supply. We found a pair with the Schlitz logo and ordered them. But the ancient Schlitz emblem of the globe and belt reminded me once again of the Serbian restaurant in Bayview (Milwaukee) where that three-dimensional globe form is magnificent, surmounting a high turret on the Lake Michigan skyline. Go south of the downtown & over the Hoan bridge. It just shows how one tunnel leads to another in the sewer raccoon synapsery.
That caromed our thoughts to the many happy times we've had at the Three Brothers with a variety of unusual friends and partners over the years. Most recently we were there with librarians Roxane and Steve following their marriage in April '08. (There is a posting in the SRN covering that event: http://raccoonnews.blogspot.com/2008/05/leftie-alright.html) It is way past time to go again.
We had some pictures to go with that night in the SR News, yes,
BUT
we found this unusual photo (lower-above) on the web in 'restaurant reviews' that excells anything we've ever seen. It is presently serving as screensaver-desktop material on this computer.
The picture puts us in mind of Van Gogh's Starry Night, minus the swirling stars.
Imagine the fortuity of finding that moon right over the Schlitz turret, and that perfect corresponding night scene with street-light illumination! Was the photographer waited for just such a night - and just such a juxtaposition of moon and turret - or was it was a magical moment? The best actual photography, granted, involves waiting and planning, and the masterful knowledge of light. That must have been the case here. OR, some (and we know who the types are) might say it was fakery, computer-generated.
The structure of the Three Brothers' 100 year old building is a fine example of the Schlitz-tied working- man taverns most notable in greatest number in Milwaukee and Chicago, if they haven't been razed in the developers' mad race to redo and redo the landscape. Some illustrations are attached here of the Schlitz motif found on building facades, in relief and in stained glass. We think the turret globe in Bayview is rare.
We scanned a Schlitz squib from Wikipedia:
"In Milwaukee, (Joseph) Schlitz was hired as a bookkeeper in a tavern brewery owned by August Krug. In 1856, he took over management of the brewery following the death of Krug. Two years later he married Krug's widow and changed the name of the brewery to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.
The company began to succeed after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, when Schlitz donated thousands of barrels of beer to that city, which had lost most of its breweries. He quickly opened a distribution point there, beginning a national expansion. Schlitz built dozens of tied houses in Chicago, most with a concrete relief of the company logo embedded in the brickwork; several of these buildings survive today, including Schuba's Tavern at the corner of Belmont and Southport.
Schlitz died May 7, 1875, when on a return visit to Germany; his ship hit a rock near Land's End, Cornwall, and sank.
The company flourished through the 1970s, being ranked as the No. 2 brewery in America as late as 1976. But problems with its production, specifically its attempt to cut costs in the brewing process by using a high-temperature fermentation, which produced a product that the public deemed inferior, combined with a crippling 1981 strike by workers at the Milwaukee plant, led to serious financial difficulties. On June 10, 1982, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. was acquired by Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan. The regular beer is still produced, though in relatively small quantities, by the Pabst Brewing Company, along with four malt liquors (Schlitz Malt Liquor, Schlitz Red Bull, Schlitz Bull Ice and Schlitz Very Smooth Lager).
What remains of the historic Schlitz Brewery complex has been transformed into a business park called "Schlitz Park." The buildings, including the Keg House, Bottle House and Malt House, have been turned to other uses, including office space, a school, and a restaurant. [2].
[edit] Recent history, miscellany
Schlitz reintroduced the original 1960s formula, along with a new television advertising campaign in 2008, relaunching it in Chicago, Florida, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and more recently Milwaukee and New York.[3][4] The beer has also become available in Ontario, Canada brewed by Stroh's Brewing, a subsidiary of Sleeman Breweries. On October 1, 2008 the original Schlitz was introduced into liquor stores and taverns in Madison, WI.[5]
U.S. Rep. John G. Schmitz paraphrased the famous advertising slogan in his quixotic 1972 presidential campaign by declaring, "When you're out of Schmitz, you're out of beer!"[citation needed]"
As to to The Three Brothers Restaurant, here are comments from a Serbian customer that tell just a small part of the story. To experience it in full, you must go there!
Food like home for a Serbian girl
07/01/2008 Posted by Lynardo
"This place is a gem. I am half Serbian and really miss my mother's great Serbian cooking. So going to Three Brothers is, for me, as close as I can get to sitting at my mother's table. The sarma and stuffed peppers are my favorite entrees. I know everybody raves about the burek, and it is really fabulous (especially if you take new people there - it really is impressive!!!!), but I think the one item not to miss is the Serbian salad. I have always gotten very helpful and friendly servers, and almost always the owner stops by the table. All in all, this place is a very special gem, far above the average for a business traveler like me. Make sure to order a glass of Slivovitz to end your very special meal at Three Brothers. Nazdravlje!
Pros: The Serbian food is awesome!
Cons: A little hard to find the first time. "
..........................................
Not being much for wearing company advertising on my person,
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