wisconsin eats?
i'm going to be in wisconsin for the first time visiting my sister -- we'll mostly be in appleton, but we'll also hit madison and milwaukee. any recommendations? TWIST: we're both vegetarians (not vegans).
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21 Comments:
cheese!
gastronomeg at 10:34AM on 06/26/09
Cheese curds, in as many forms as possible.... Fried or fresh and squeaky, plain or flavored (dill, garlic, etc).
Also try some New Glarus Beer if you can - it is only available in Wisconsin. I've enjoyed both the spotted cow and fat squirrel.
travers at 10:47AM on 06/26/09
Mader's in Milwaukee for classic German fare. Madison - roam around State Street; used to live there but haven't been for awhile. Used to be an awesome divey Gyro place called the Parthenon on State Street. I lived in Appleton for awhile too - not a hotspot for dining but in any of these towns, the Friday Night Fish Fries are generally awesome if it's all-u-can-eat and in a small Mom & Pop bar/supper club environment. Good prices on drinking. I'd guess my overall recommendation is to hit up the supper club/bar type places and enjoy the "ambiance" and local color... WI has fine people.
Anneesha at 10:49AM on 06/26/09
Sorry - didn't process your earlier requirement to be vegetarian. But the German side dishes are wonderful.
More info....cheese for sure and get it from the local dairies along the highways. Curds have to be FRESH to be authentic! They should be almost room temp, squeaky and slightly watery in their little plastic bag. The deep-fried curds have to be the lumpy ones, not the pellets.
Cedarburg, just north of Milwaukee, is an attractive little tourist town with a unique, low-priced lunch spot in the Woolen Mill Settlement called Creme & Crepe.
Anneesha at 10:54AM on 06/26/09
beans & barley in milwaukee is very good and mostly vegetarian spot.
himal chuli in madison, on state street has a lot of jummy jackfruit-based stuff and tons of vegetarian dumplings. so does its sister restaurant chautara. there's a great ethopian place that starts with a B down the street from those two which is also very good and vegetarian friendly. and glass nickel pizza on the westside has a killer feta pizza.
eat frozen custard!
(native wisconsinite expat, vegetarian for my last eight years there)
mazacote at 11:13AM on 06/26/09
Parthenon's still on State Street in Madison. They have vegetarian food.
In Madison I'd recommend The Old Fashioned. They have the largest selection in the entire state of bottled beers from Wisconsin. Their name comes from the drink, (Wisconsin is the brandy-drinkingest state), and they have like 10 different variations on the Old Fashioned on their menu. They have deep-fried cheese curds, onion strings, local cheese trays (as well as all the local meats and stuff). Their mac and cheese is ridiculously rich and really popular. Pickled eggs at the bar... it's very, very Sconnie there.
On State Street, Himal Chuli is a wee little Himalayan restaurant with a cheap daily special of vegetable stew, dhal, and choice of bread. It's vegetarian-friendly, fresh, and honest food. I really like it.
Also veg-friendly is Lao Laan Xang on Williamson ("Willy") Street. It's delicious Lao food - try the squash curry!
And for my money, Taqueria Guadalajara on South Park Street has the best tacos in the area. A couple who recently moved here from Mexico opened up the place, which is really small, but totally charming, and really delicious. I'm an offal nut so I always get meat, but they definitely have vegetarian items on their menu.
If you can, Wah Kee Noodle on Williamson Street is fantastic. All of their noodles are house-made by the Chinese family who owns it, and they have an enormous selection of soups, stir-fries, and also rice dishes.
I haven't lived in Milwaukee for a few years, but I do visit a lot, so if I can think of something, I'll add that. Have fun!
BangieB at 11:19AM on 06/26/09
@mazacote, that African place is Buraka.
BangieB at 11:21AM on 06/26/09
@BangieB - are you living in Minnesota now by any chance? :-)
OH - and be sure to visit SummerFest which starts soon - great food, music, beer and people!
Anneesha at 12:14PM on 06/26/09
Vegetarian Vegan Friendly:
The Palomino
Beans and Barley
Honeypie
Hotch a Do
Bombay Sweets (Milwaukee's best kept secret!)
Casablanca
Martini Me at 12:18PM on 06/26/09
@Anneesha - no, but I've heard raves about the food there, too! :-)
Ah, Summerfest! You should go and get the mozzarella marinara at Saz's. Wrapped in eggroll wrappers, floured, and fried. WAY better than breadcrumb-based mozz sticks.
BangieB at 12:55PM on 06/26/09
@BangieB - i thought only Minnesohdans called WI "Sconnie"... where are you from?
Mmmmm ... I'm missing me some Summerfest. MN State Fair tries but doesn't top it! Except Famous Dave's (which might have a place at Summerfest by now) now has chocolate-dipped bacon.
Anneesha at 1:08PM on 06/26/09
Appleton:
Copper Rock has some great baked goods for breakfast, Katsu Ya for Japanese food, Hu Hot for Mongolian Barbeque, Victoria's for Italian, Franks for Pizza.
Neenah (about 15-20 minutes down 41)
Cy's Asian Bistro has the most amazing Thai food anywhere. I moved from Neenah about a year ago, and still dream of this place. That being said, Boa Ju has great Chinese food.
Hope this helps!
FerBer at 1:16PM on 06/26/09
Leon's special sundae (in Milwaukee)- if you only get frozen custard once, this is the thing to have.
Embackus at 1:21PM on 06/26/09
Funny, the first thing I thought of was Himal Chuli, but would have never remembered the name without the earlier posters reminding me. Ian's Pizza is another good bet in Madison, I've heard--I've only eaten at the Ian's in Chicago, which is awesome, and I imagine the original Madison locations are even better.
skizziks at 7:38PM on 06/26/09
@Anneesha - In the last couple years, Sconnie as a term has taken off in popularity, in part because of a class-based (and sort of ethnicist/racist) rivalry between "Sconnies" (local kids) and "Coasties" (wealthier kids from larger cities on both coasts.) I teach there, so I see it first hand... There's also a new clothing store specializing in WI-themed t-shirts called "Sconnie Nation." But I'm drifting OT.
@skizziks - Ian's is definitely still delicious pizza. The mac and cheese slice ain't no joke.
Oh, and there's a Five Guys on State Street now , if you're into it. Just had my first burger and fries and I liked it a lot.
BangieB at 1:28AM on 06/27/09
Lake Park Bistro - Paul Bartolotta's restaurant off the lake on the north side of Milwaukee. Seafood as well a meat on the menu. Or stop in and have a drink and appetizers at the bar.
khfrisco at 11:38AM on 06/27/09
Have fun! Give Cafe Manna a try in Brookfield (suburb of Milwaukee). Really good food. 100% vegetarian restaurant with vegan and gluten-free options. www.cafemanna.com
nire5 at 10:47PM on 06/28/09
Anything "> Sanford (Sandy) D’Amato does is pretty good – both on a local and national level.
If you have the time it is really worth the effort.
jasonbrink at 12:08PM on 06/29/09
.In Brookfield (west side of Milwaukee) is a beautiful little upscale Cafe that is 100% vegetarian. They may be the only one in the entire area that is. Their food is WONDERFUL, as is their service and decor. If the weather's nice, sit on the patio. They are also Wisconsin's only restaurant certified by the national Green Restaurant Assn.
Chosen by the Milwaukee Journal as one of the top 8 new restaurants of 2008. They are world class (nice people, too).
Connoiseur at 2:49PM on 06/29/09
Oops - sorrry. I forgot to mention - I was writing about Cafe Manna. Brookfield road just south of Capitol Drive.
Connoiseur at 2:51PM on 06/29/09
Madison = I’m a vegetarian too and I would definitely agree with mazacote, try Glass Nickel Pizza. The feta pizza they do is great, but I also love the lasagna. Go to the one on the west side of Madison. Also, I really like the black bean burger at the Nitty Gritty (Frances St). Both are Wisconsin favs.
Symes at 4:21PM on 06/30/09