Sure, the title of this entry may seem a bit startling, but we believe that the fairly melodramatic societal commentary that the opening of the Tilted Kilt has created is worthy of such a proclamation.

We couldn’t resist. We went to visit the Tilted Kilt within days of opening to see what the fuss was about. And we found a restaurant which certainly may be a bit heavy on the clientele testosterone, but which also serves food that stands up to the test, for the most part.

First, to explain: One reviewer was male, one reviewer was female. This may create some balance to the views expressed (though the female did write this review).

We arrived at the Tilted Kilt around noon, only to find the parking lot packed to the gills and the curbs along the street lined, amusingly, with pick up trucks, work vehicles of all kinds, and midlife crisis-styled sports cars. Spilling from the doors was a line of gentlemen of all ages and shapes, patiently awaiting admittance into the restaurant. There was no end to the male species of diner, but the female persuasion was very under-represented.

When questioned, we were told that there would be a 25 minute wait for a table. We decided to take our chances by looking for a quicker seat at the bar, and we snapped up a couple of the few remaining vacancies.

Tilted Kilt Beer Selection

The first thing we noticed were the beers on tap. Selections ranged from Sam Adams, Killians Red and Coors Light, to more specialty beers like Capital Maibock and Amber, Spotted Cow, Blue Moon, and a Tilted Kilt label, produced by Leinies. The second thing noticed was the intermingled sounds of cackling men and Black Sabbath music.

But everyone seemed to be having fun in a very socially acceptable way.

Tilted Kilt Uniforms

So, do we start with the uniform critique, or with the food critique? Oh, what the heck, lets get the uniform critique out of the way first. By now everyone knows that the female staff dresses in very revealing push-up bra style tops and plaid skirts so short you hope that the server doesn’t drop anything that requires bending over to pick up. Errrr. Well. I don’t know if I speak for my fellow diners with that hope, but as the female reviewer on duty, I know I was pulling in favor of the dignity of the women. (photo taken from the Tilted Kilt website)

As my male reviewer-counterpart commented, ” The cleavage and belly button piercings are just fine so far….”. He also described the uniforms as being from the “Adam Ant 1980’s Music Video” period. From the female point of view, I do need to comment on the fact that while the women’s uniforms were shorter than short, the male bartenders, also in kilts, were covered to the knees. This smacks of discrimination for the female diner, to me.

Now that we’ve got that obligatory commentary out of the way, we’ll move on to the food. The menu is your typical sports bar sort of menu, with a somewhat forced Irish twist. The French Dip is corrected to be called the Irish Dip, and you will find other superficial nods to the British Isles along the way.

Tilted Kilt Meatloaf

We ordered the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the fish and chips. The meatloaf was actually very good. It had sauteed peppers and onions atop, with the “loaf” meat loosely packed and flavorful. The mashed potatoes were borderline “instant”. Thin and relatively bland, a lot of improvement could be had there.

Tilted Kilt Fish and Chips

The fish and chips were a pleasant surprise. With a very good taste, and flakey inside, this fish exhibited none of the doughy, greasy tendancies that many deep fried fish plates tend to have. As a “British Isles” fish and chips afficianado, I smugly looked around for the malt to pour on the fish and the fries. I was surprised to find it…. until I went to pour it and found that the plastic coated safety seal had not been removed before I arrived on the scene. No fears, I can open a bottle.

Tilted Kilt Garlic Fries

When we placed our order, we had asked that the fries that came with the fish be replaced with garlic fries. Once served, and without a bit of garlic in sight, we reminded our bartender of our request for garlic fries. He looked closely at our basket of fries, agreed that they weren’t garlic fries and came back, good-naturedly, with a basket of garlic fries. To our chagrin, there was no difference. It became apparent that we had actually been served garlic fries to start, though we didn’t know it due to absence of garlic. Still, the fries were crisp and were some of the better fries I’ve had lately.

The gentlemen sitting next to us at the bar provided excellent company along the way. They had consumed a cheeseburger, which they said was acceptable and fit the bill. They were somewhat bemused by the fact that we were taking pictures of food instead of scantily-clad Colleens. They rapidly reached the conclusion that we were there to review the food and threw out some of their observations (positive as well).

Interior View

So, long story short, suck it up, Madison. The food is good for what it is , and if people want to go to the Tilted Kilt, let ‘em go. If you are offended by Wisconsin midriffs (because like or not, some of the midriffs we saw WERE products of a long Wisconsin winter), don’t go. If testosterone bothers you, avoid this place like the plague.

But, if you just want to go to a place with a solid sports bar menu, and if navel gazing at the servers doesn’t offend you, then by all means, go to the Tilted Kilt.

I still want to see the male staff in skirts several inches shorter, however. It is only fair.

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