Article: Setting the bar on Water St.; Over the years, district's restaurants have learned customers just want good pub grub

When R.C. Schmidt decided to open a brewpub on the corner of N. Water St. and E. Highland Ave. 20 years ago this weekend, the area was far from a downtown dining district.

A couple blocks away along the Milwaukee River, the Harp served lunch to downtown workers. Schmidt remembers another bar on Water St. that opened from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. to serve post-work drinks to the third-shift crowd.

Since then, more than a dozen bars and restaurants have opened - and, in some cases, closed - in the N. Water St. area. Restaurant owners have experimented with a variety of menu styles, from steak to Italian dining to small-plate appetizers, in the hopes of feeding

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