Tucked Away The Grove

Off the beaten path, down that flight of stairs, or tucked behind some crappy façade in a strip mall, some restaurants are overlooked because of their weird locations. It’s almost like there’s a parallel universe of Milwaukee dining lurking just beyond the curtain of the conventional. Just because a restaurant isn’t on the East Side or in Bay View, though, doesn’t mean the food’s not worth tracking down. Case in point: The Grove in Elm Grove (890 Elm Grove Rd., 262-814-1890.)

Housed in the outer battlement of the commercial ringfort Village Court and a short jaunt off of Bluemound Road, The Grove keeps a low profile. But a stacked jazz, folk, and blues lineup— anchored for years by world-class clarinetist and venerable Chicago jazz veteran Chuck Hedges, who plays there regularly—makes this Elm Grove establishment due for a higher profile.

While the ailing Hedges, who's battling cancer, doesn’t make it out every Thursday, his bandmates do. His crew, the Milwaukee Connection, reaches across the past four decades with the flowing creativity and technical virtuosity of the area’s best combos. Each player is a standout—the fleet-fingered bassist George Welland, the ’stache-sporting guitarist Dave Sullivan, the sleek vibes player Bob Maynard, and the supremely dexterous drummer Jack Carr. 

The Grove spotlights the music in a cozy, perfectly plotted musical environment, with a floor-level stage, a winding bar, and plenty of booths. The music is reason enough to make the journey, but if you’re looking to eat, the restaurant serves a familiar selection of Italian food, battered fish, sandwiches, pizza, and steak at prices that range from about $10 to $30.

The restaurant crowd tends to be older, but diners are still prone to rubbernecking out of booths, forkful of shrimp pomodoro in hand, and grooving in their seats. They counterbalance the jazz aficionados of all ages who dot the barstools in front of the band, quietly in the know. The result is a primo music club that's more comfortable than stodgy, and packed with real-deal talent.