With this being Halloween weekend and Madison, WI being one of the best places to party on Halloween we head on up there for some scary eats. I was in Madison over the summer and had as always a great night of drinking and eating on my visit. After we visited The Plaza for one of their famous burgers we went over to the Great Dane and had quite a few of their fantastic brews and bada bing before you knew it, we were hungry again.
The Great Dane is one of Mad City's best drinking joints
So after last call we headed back to our hotel just off State st. and I came to see another new place in Madison that wasn't in Mad City when I was there. Located right next to University Inn where The Den used to be back when I was around is a new college eats place called Fat Sandwich Company. It's open late nite and caters to the drunken college crowd in Madison as you can tell from its menu which has what looks to me what are obvious stoners creations everywhere on it.
Drunken Late Night Eats in Madison, WI
Fat Sandwich is basically a ripoff of the famous Rutger's University food stand that serves sandwiches with everything in them called The Fat Darrell. According to it's website they have other locations, also in college towns. I had to try one since it was right next door to our hotel and so I got a Fat Milf which I think was cheesesteak, bacon, cheesesticks, cheese fries and some other stuff thrown in a roll. I also spied a Luther burger on the menu and had to have one. These sandwiches should not be eaten by anyone sober. I don't think they were anything special but if intoxicated they become a little something if your hungry. But its not really all about taste at that point is it?
Fat Milf Sandwich
Now the Luther Burger is a little more respectable and there's no problem with eating one of them when your stoned sober. Although they have also been dubbed a cardiologists worst nightmare. This famous style of burger is said to be named after singer/songwriter Luther Vandross who is a lover of this style which takes a glazed donut which is cut in half and replaces the bun on a bacon cheeseburger. This version was ok but did not do the Luther Burger justice.
bacon cheeseburger served on a glazed donut aka a Luther Burger
Well I didn't wake up feeling like a million bucks to say the very least. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat at one these places and unless I'm drinking late into the night in a college town somewhere I doubt I'll ever be back to one. But is was a filling late nite meal and some would say horrifying. Happy Halloween to all and if your going to drink a bunch and make a fool of yourself, make sure you don't drive. Holladay.
Fits in well in Wisconsin
Fat Sandwich Company 555 State Street Madison, WI 53703 (608) 819-8118
Eating like a local: Regional food specialties -Fresh Whitefish in a Wisconsin tavern up north
I got to spend a week way up north in and around Bayfield, Wisconsin over the summer. It was my second trip to the little quiet town of Bayfield which is on Lake Superior is the gateway to the Apostle Islands and has been named the best small town in America by numerous publications. Like they say on the website "How far away is Bayfield? Just far enough" Its actually about eight hours from Chicago but your taken to a place with pristine beauty and a total stress free environment. Its a very popular spring/summer/fall getaway destination and a place I love going to so I can sit back, relax and catch a contact. Your going to have to wait for my full on report sometime this spring. I'm so backed up in posts and thought it should wait since winter is almost here. But the busiest weekend in Bayfield I learned on my visit was the annual Applefest when the small town becomes a huge party with every hotel room within a 30 mile radius reserved for the weekend of fun. So if your heading up there this year or in the future I got a bar for you that's a great little place to eat and drink in the heart of the town.
Morty's Pub in Bayfield, WI
We stopped in here on my visit over summer one night for some food and drink and ended up having a great night and it was one of our favorite easy going meals of the trip. The menu here for drinks was nice and they had a pretty damn good mojito and some nice WI micros on tap. We ended up drinking both of those and started with an order of fried pickles off the appetizer section of the menu. The entree part and the rest of the menu for that matter isn't all that big but it doesn't matter because its the Lake Superior whitefish your going to want to get. Its a popular eat in these parts and they do it up in a variety of styles at Morty's.
View from my seat at the bar
Really nice mojitos, great on the hot summer day we were drinking them
Fried pickle spears
As you can read in the shot of the pub from the outside up above, Lake Superior whitefish is their specialty and its delivered fresh every morning from local fishers. This is about as fresh as you can get since the lake and the dock for the fishing boats is about a block away from the pub. They do an excellent fried version of whitefish which is what we had on our visit. Everything was fresh battered by hand including the fried pickles we had as an app. The fish didn't disappoint and it never has when I've been up there. The fries were well done and the slaw was a perfect accompaniment and was also homemade and really fresh. The skin on the fish was my favorite part due to its expert frying it was really crispy and crunchy. If you ever find yourself in Bayfield you'll know every restaurant and bar after a couple visits and Morty's is a great stop for lunch or dinner with some drinks and friendly chat with locals. Looking forward to my return visit.
Fresh fried Lake Superior whitefish
Morty's Pub 108 Rittenhouse Avenue Bayfield, WI 54814 (715) 779-3996
Its that time of the year, football season is officially here. So today we head North to Madison, WI one of my favorite places to chill in the country. I think Fall is the best time of the year to visit Wisconsin's state capitol and one of the best college towns in America. One of the reasons Fall is so desirable is its a great time of the year weather wise for the area and with students in session its very lively and on Saturdays when the Badgers are playing its a great time. I was recently in Madison late Summer and stopped on in at the world famous Plaza Tavern for one of their famous Plaza burgers.
Madison, WI
The Plaza Tavern is a bar located just off State street on north Henry that serves many people in Madison's favorite burger which is named The Plazaburger. Many generations of UW graduates and lots of current students spent many nights at The Plaza which has remained pretty much the same. The famous burger was created in 1964 and there's been over two million sold since. Its a burger that's been mentioned when talking the best burger in Madison for a couple decades now.
The Plaza Burger
I only had a Plazaburger a number of times even though I lived in Madison for four years but that was more so because I didn't really drink there. The Plazaburger is a great burger after a few cold ones and everything you would expect a burger from a Wisconsin tavern to be. They cook a fresh pre-formed patty on the griddle which is in plain view for patrons sitting at the end of the bar. The thing that makes these burgers stand out is the secret sauce used on them which I think is just kicked up ranch dressing but it makes the burger what it is. They top that off with some cheese and put it on a wheat bun (I guess to feel healthy) and are served with some pickles on the side. I liked them then and still do now. The burger hasn't changed a bit since my last one there a few years back. Amen to that.
The insides
The Plaza Tavern 319 North Henry Street Madison, WI 53703-2018 (608) 255-6592 Website
I hate to say it but summertime is winding down but not out of the picture just yet. You still got plenty of heat and the fall season too for a road trip or two. You know we here S'C&C aka chibbqking love to travel Wisconsin and explore and consume the states glorious eats. It's also been a while since I've posted about my favorite Chicago suburb Kenosha. Hey, it's closer than other places they call suburbs of my city. Even if you only have the day Kenosha is a great spot (only 64 miles away) to spend it. Its got beaches, bars, outlet mall shopping and a handful of other things including some great Drive In's. A food friend of mine from up that way had been telling me I needed to check out The Spot Drive In and get myself one of the burgers at this local and state favorite that would be a given for a Diners, Drive Ins and Dives episode.
a locals favorite in Kenosha, WI
The Spot is a great place indeed. On my day visited spring was just starting and people were coming out and they were at The Spot by the dozens on the afternoon we were there. You can easily understand why when you realize that The Spot has been around since the middle of the 40's and has been in the same location since then too. The real hits at The Spot are everything I got but the menu is extensive and it wraps around the outside of the building letting drivers see what they offer. The Drive Up service is still available if you want to eat in your whip. Personally I love the fact its open late nite on weekends. I might have to take a late night ride up there one day soon this summer.
Part of the menu along the building outside
Since 1945 for a reason
The car hops were very friendly and well worked on my visit. The recipe for The Spots famous greasy cheeseburgers along with their housemade root beer hasn't changed since day one. On a hot summer day (or any day for that matter) the combo of these three items is another example of why the people of Kenosha and Wisconsin are lucky to have many great roadfood type spots. The onion rings are breaded in house and fried to perfection so make sure to go with them over fries as a side with your burger and root beer.
Root Beer Floats having just arrived for the car next to us
Excellent Onion Rings
The burgers have remained the same at The Spot and the grill they've been cooked on all these years has gained some mighty fine flavor. While remaining the same the burgers are still made like they were in the 30's thru the 50's and are smashed onto the grill giving them crisp edges and to top that off a nicely melted slice of cheese. Go with the classic toppings of mustard, pickles and onions and you got one of Wisconsin's many great burgers and also one of its best. They are open seven days a week from 11am to the wee hours of the am. If you don't order and eat in your car, make the short drive east down 75th and dine on Lake Michigan in your vehicle or take your food out on the rocks and listen to the waves while grubbing on some goodness.
Cheeseburger from The Spot
The Spot Drive In 2117 75th Street Kenosha, WI 53143 (262) 654-9294
-Got beef? The Burgers of Wisconsin Back from a great trip up North to the WI/MN Lake Superior region that included some great grub. We were up bright and early on our trips 2nd day to head from Madison to Prairie Du Chien which is located along the Mighty Mississippi. So from there we were taking the Mighty Mississippi in Prairie Du Chien all the way to the start of it in Prescott, WI. As I mentioned to anyone that was willing to take the trip, it is here where the home to Pete's Hamburgers is, which is a place that's been on my radar for over a year now. Despite living in Madison during the start of the decade and getting around the region often I had never heard of this very old hamburger stand located in town that is only open Fri. Sat. & Sun. from early spring thru the end of October. How old is the place? well when they first opened the Chicago Cubs were defending World Series champions back in 1909. Pete's just had its 100 year anniversary, and so did we! Prairie Du Chien, WI (along the Mississippi across the river from Iowa)
I had first read about Pete's when I was checking out this dudes cool burger blog located right HERE. Ever since I read about this burger stand that sounds just like my type of spot, I was all about visiting this legend of a burger spot in person. When you get within a block or even two of this stand you know your near there, the smell of onions floods the air. When you get within a view of it you'll see people lined up on both sides of the little stand and others around the area eating burgers on benches, in their cars, on their carhoods or just while standing up along the sidewalk. When we got there it was about 11:30a and there were a couple people in line and they were just starting a new batch. It was an experience. When you talk about a place that "hasn't changed a thing" Pete's is the perfect example. All they do are burgers which start off as fresh balls of beef from the local town butcher. You can order them with or without, which would be the onions that are making the area smell like the food section of the state fair, but this is just one stand. You also have the option for ketchup or regular old yellow mustard or brown mustard once they are made.
That's the entire menu, even in Wisconsin, cheese is not an option
Video of what I saw as I waited for the next batch of burgers to be made
Pete's is one of them places that you just know is good before you have had a bite. I watched as the two lovely burger ladies took a big bowl full of chopped onions and threw them on the cooking surface and let them saute away. She then went to the back and came out with a tray of fresh balls of beef and started to throw them onto the cooking surface and follow that with water. This is how Pete's has been making burgers since 1909, they start off getting thrown onto the left side and then smashed down and once they cook both sides on the outside they are thrown onto the right side where they cook in steaming water. The onions are what separate them in the middle. So the burgers are cooked using just water and onions. You can tell the people making these burgers are veterans because once they are ready they can get them topped with what you want, wrapped up and dished out fast. But they also go fast and the batch you saw in the video above was gone alot faster then they were cooked.
After the burgers are made (and ordered with or without onions) these are your topping options
I had been waiting to try these since I first read about them and I wasn't going to be ordering just one, so I ordered four, all "with" and chose just the regular yellow mustard on all four. We took the burgers over to my car which was near a bench and I took them out of the little plastic bag they come in and dove right into my first one. Holy Sh!t!!! sorry, but that's what I said. Amazing was what came to my mind. These are pretty well sized and arent sliders but they tasted like the best sliders I have ever had and it might be the best burger I ever had. The buns were so soft and come from a local baker and the onions were potently pleasing like none other reaching Maxwell Street Polish sausage stand status. I love my burgers with cheese, mustard, onions and pickles and nothing else on them but these burgers didn't need what they didn't have. The taste of the beef was fantastic and everyone with me agreed that it was one of the best burgers they ever had. By the time we were eating ours there were a ton of people showing up for their Pete's burger fix. The best one I had might of been the last which got to sit in the butcher paper and steam away for a good 20 minutes.
one "with" topped with yellow mustard
Pete's is the perfect example of sometimes simple is better
Pete's is the type of place I love so much from living in Wisconsin and taking journeys around the backroads of America. Wisconsin is a great burger state and they come in all sorts of styles and sizes and Pete's is a place I would suggest you stop at if your ever in the vicinity. It's a scenic ride so it might be worth it if your ever in Madison (2 hours away). I had made it a point to stop here just for the burgers and a quick look around town and a stop at some other spots and we were out. After an hour or so strolling around town we took the Mississippi River Road route all the way up north to Prescott, WI where we would continue on North from there so it all worked out. This burger was one of my favorite local treasures found on the roads of America. Get there! it's very, very good and a legendary place for hamburgers. One of the best yet!
Pete's Hamburgers: 101 years of quality and counting
Pete's Hamburger Stand (seasonal and wkds only) 118 W Blackhawk Ave Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 608-326-6653 Website
Our next stop is a straight shot up the lake from Chicago into the great city of Milwaukee. It's also time to introduce the newest series here at S'C'&C which is to feature different food related festivals I visited last summer, which I will now share with you thru this summer. I'll be sure to always make the post in advance of their 2010 date's. This year the Milwaukee Germanfest which is held on the lakefront kicks off on Thursday July 22nd and goes 'til Sunday July 25th 2010. It also happens to be the 30th anniversary of what they call "Milwaukee's Original Haus Party". Last year me and a couple friends embarked on a daylong journey to Milwaukee and ended our trip with a stop at Germanfest and made sure we went out with a bang. I've let it be known that Milwaukee is one of my favorite cities in the US to visit and summertime is best. This is a place that knows how to throw parties and its been that way since the 1840's when the population of the city was heavily increased by German immigrants. The German heritage and culture is still widespread throughout Milwaukee today and if there's one Germanfest in the US you want to visit, Milwaukee's is it. Beer, Brats and Blondes...oh my!
I'm going going, back back to Milly Milly
According to Wikipedia today's greater Milwaukee area phonebook has over 40 pages of listings with Schmitt or Schmidt which is far outweighing the number of Smiths. Milwaukee has some great German restaurants along with classic beerhalls and some great architecture and they've all been a part of the community for generations. We went on the opening day which was a Thursday last year and admission was free and we took in the scene, chowed down on the food and put down plenty of beer during our visit. I snapped as much as I could remember too and hope to get back this year. So here's a little sneak peak into what you can expect at Germanfest in Milwaukee on beautiful Lake Michigan.
Germanfest is one of Milwaukee's many summertime parties
You can expect plenty of food and beer
Fresh roasting chickens on a spit were there as we entered
But it was the pig roasts that got our immediate attention
Spanferkel (roasted suckling pig) dinner
Pig's feet were cheap and full of flavor
I always gotta try whatever the local Elk's are frying up wherever I'm at
Potato Wedges with sour cream were good beer food
Milwaukee Elk's Lodge Fried Chicken was da bomb
Make sure you go on a very empty stomach
Mader's is a famous local German restaurant
Tubed meats are a must at any Germanfest
The line for these was so long it's one of the few items I didn't get to try
Tenderloin Sandwich
We didn't try any German pizza but it was interesting
Pizzas pre-toppings
What makes up a German pizza you ask?
Plenty of good beer and beer halls to consume it in at Germanfest
Dessert Time
Cherries are big in Wisconsin
So I had to get a cherry strudel while I was there
Sil's Drive thru is popular in Milly for its mini donuts
They had a mini donut making machine at the fair
It was pretty cool watching them be made
Excellent donuts they were... ________________________________________
So if your thinking of heading up to Milwaukee for Germanfest or for any other reason we have plenty of other good eat rec's that can be found right HERE. Its an amazing eating city and a great place to spend a summer weekend or even just the day eating and drinking away. See ya next time on Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing with the King.
