Valentine's Day at The Iron Horse Hotel

From the moment I walked in to the Iron Horse Hotel I was struck by the cozy welcoming atmosphere. For a hotel that allows you to bring your puppy along, I guess they sort of have to be. It was in that spirit that we spent our weekend in Milwaukee, lounging in the chic hall (pictured below) where there was a diverse mix of guests, from bikers to business men, eating dinner and enjoying cocktails from the hotel restaurants and bar. I had to take these pictures in the early morning hours because at night it was jam-packed, I think Valentine’s day was a big weekend for the hotel, not surprisingly!

The story behind the hotel name comes from when the Native Americans referred to the freight trains during the Industrial era as the ‘Iron Horse’, and this building is a 100 year old warehouse building from that time, turned into a swank boutique hotel. Now the Iron Horse refers to the homage to the Harley-Davidson, and the biker culture, something that is reflected in the decor throughout. The Harley-Davidson Museum is also right down the street and definitely worth popping in to.

The rooms are high ceiling lofts, with a modern style to the decor. There was a beautiful original mural on one wall in our room, created by local Milwaukee artist Charles Dwyer. The art was a photograph of a local woman, printed on canvas in sepia tone, and was hand embellished by the artist himself. I know this because there was a little blurb about the artist and the background on the picture as well. Loved that small but very important detail!

Whenever we ordered room service it arrived in like 10 minutes, despite the kitchen telling us it would take 45. The fish tacos are to-die-for, as is the pear salad.

The complimentary Collectivo coffee that is served in the lobby was so good- both Tom and I remarked about it to each other – and that is a big deal because how often do you really remark about hotel coffee?

We had dinner at Smyth restaurant for Valentine’s day, and had the most amazing crab cakes, and the lamb dish was superb. I loved the cheese board, even though I admit I debated for a while on getting the cheese curds plate because it is so much more “Wisconsin”. Tom and I are also kind of snobby when it comes to bread and butter at restaurants, and they passed our critique with flying colors – the bread was hot and fresh and the butter was soft and whipped and sweet.