I had to pick my corporate-girl wife up from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee the other day. Feeling bumbed out that I am amoungst the blue-collar rabble and she is up-scale, I plotted to give her some comeuppance by hunting down a good old tavern to go to lunch in on the way home.
I made a quick Web scan of the area between home and the airport and a joint called
Matty's in New Berlin came on the radar screen a couple times. Some times luck is on my side.
The place is "sports bar" enough, but they take that timbre a notch or two above those current quazi-sports bars that have the big-screen televisions with infanite poker tournaments. The food at this place is great. The staff is professional and friendly. Real flowers stand sentinel on the tables. There is the consummate bar area, but they also have a new-ish patio room. Heide made a beeline for the patio.
Our burgers came on Ciabatta buns - great tasty, soft stuff. Heide ordered her burger with cheddar and bacon. She got cole sIaw with her meal. It was chopped as opposed to shredded. I went for provolone and raw onions on my burger. And I chose the German potato salad as a side. It was creamy with a hint of dill and red pepper. Both meals came with the consummate pickle spears.
My spread came with a cup of tasty honey dijon sauce. Both meals were accompanied by a homemade chocolate chip cookie.
Matty's Bar & Grille is cool with Cool Dadio. Visit their Web site at
www.mattysbar.com; or, call (414) 427 - 3838 for more information.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Marine Captain Kevin Michael Kryst, 27, West Bend, Wisconsin, died Monday, December 18, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light-Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted Captain Kryst was a helicopter pilot and was on his second deployment to Iraq. Kryst was the eldest son of Elizabeth and Glenn Kryst. The most recent deployment to Iraq began in early December of 2006. He was killed at the Marine Corps' Camp Korean Village, in the desert of Anbar province west of Baghdad. That area near the border of Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia was been known as one of the deadliest regions in the Iraq war. Kryst's unit mission was to secure major highways in the province. Kryst's younger brother, Dan, was a member of the Marine Reserves and has also served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004. Kevin had become engaged while home before the deployment. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Kryst graduated from West Bend West High School in 1997. He played French horn in a school ensemble. Kevin was on the Spartans' swim team and was known as being an excellent student and graduated with a high grade point average. Captain Kryst was the second West Bend West graduate to die in Iraq. Marine Lance Corporal Travis Wichlacz a 2002 graduate was killed in February 2005 in Babil province. The paper went on to say Kryst enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after high school and attended Marine Officer Candidates School during summers. Kevin Kryst attained commission as an officer when he graduated from UW-Madison in 2001. He flew Cobra helicopters in Iraq. A biography via www.arlingtoncemetery.net/kmkryst.htm notes Captain Kryst was the oldest of six children. He had four younger brothers and a younger sister. At the time of his death, he was survived by his parents, Glenn and Elizabeth of West Bend; his fiancee, Sara of West Bend; brother Bradley of Mesa, Arizona; brother Daniel of Stevens Point, Wisconsin; brothers Justin and Timothy of West Bend; and, sister Jennifer of West Bend. He was further survived by his maternal grandparents, Sy and Betty Dziak of Illinois; and, paternal grandparents, Clifford and Rita Kryst of Michigan. Captain Kryst was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 5 July 2007. The Wisconsin Legislature honored Captain Kryst with 2007 Assembly Joint Resolution 53. Captain Kevin Kryst was the 65th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
97,994 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,714 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,425 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1300 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
799 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,951 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
8,041 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
102 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
22 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
142 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.
