Roadfood in Southwest Wisconsin

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Exploring Wisconsin's Driftless Region 

In my opinion the Midwest is at it's best during the summer months when you can really take full advantage of the Great Lakes and such. But fall is wonderful too when the colors start to change and cider donuts start to pop up at roadside stands and the likes. These are the best times to jump in the car and take a ride around a region typically considered a flyover zone. I did so recently with a weekend trip up to the Driftless region of Wisconsin which is a great place to visit in summer and fall. 

Pics from Wisconsin's Driftless Region

The area is a topographical and cultural region consisting of southwest Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. It was never covered by ice during the ice age so it lacks the glacial deposits known as drift. It’s more like New England than the typical flatland of the Midwest. Our homebase was Cashton which is in the heart of Driftless Wisconsin located about 40 minutes east of La Crosse. The area is home to Wildcat Mountain State Park as well as the Kickapoo Valley Reserve plus a handful of cheese factories and Wisconsin's largest Amish community. It was pretty cool getting to stay at an Airbnb on a corn farm in the middle of it all. The towns of Viroqua and Westby were 5 and 10 minutes away and each of them are cute places worth staying in if you can find the right spot. Popular activities in the area include some super scenic drives through the rolling hills and canoeing, trout fishing, hunting and some snowmobiling during the winter. It’s also a great replace to sit back and relax. There was something very soothing about sitting on the porch of the airbnb and listening to the sounds of the Amish horse buggies riding by. Oh and the summer sunsets are absolutely spectacular in these parts.

Sunset in Cashton

Food wise this is a pretty desolate area and with that your options are a bit limited. But La Crosse (Pop. 52,000) is close and each little town has a handful of places plus there’s some great butchers and grocery stores carrying locally grown produce. We cooked a meal or two at our place each day after stopping in at Prem Meats in Spring Green and Mr. B’s Smokehouse in Hillsboro on the way up. We got some high quality stuff including steaks, brats, ground beef, bacon. The Viroqua Food Co+op grocery store was a pleasant surprise for local produce and quality products. Plus local farmers sell their stuff at roadside stands and such. You can also stock up on cheese at handfuls of creameries each of them producing something that's won awards somewhere. I should make note of the curds from Old Country Cheese in Cashton which are the squeakiest I’ve ever had. The key to these is staying away from the curds they keep in the fridge and buying the packages on the table up front. The squeak is at it's peak when the curds are at their freshest so you want ones that are still warm.

Pics from the Driftless 

Activities wise we got rain on a couple days but managed to check out most of the popular outdoor spots the highlight of which was a cruise down the Mississippi River from La Crosse into Prairie du Chien. I’ve always been fascinated with river towns especially those on the Mighty Mississippi and we had perfect weather that day. There’s plenty of state parks and places to sit on the river as well as some cool bars and restaurants found up and down both sides of Minnesota and Iowa and Wisconsin.

Pics from the Great River Road 
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Ring's Bar (Plain, WI)

First up was a return to Ring’s in Plain, WI. One hour northwest of Madison on the outskirts of the Driftless Region. It's one of a handful of candidates for my best burger in the state, and the country by extension. What makes these great is the old school broiler device used to make them. That and the fact the beef comes from directly across the street from Straka Meats. Also of note is the locally baked bun that’s soft but stable enough to hold all the liquid that seeps into it. These are thick and juicy and come with a hearty slice of Wisconsin cheddar plus house pickles, onion, brown mustard. Since 1951.

Cheeseburger at Ring's Bar
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Footjoy Farm (Cashton, WI)

It was a Friday Fish Fry when we drove up but the Driftless Region is home to a handful of pizza farms which are popular on weekends in the warmer months. So the truth is the best fish fry's are closer to the Great Lakes and not all the way over here near the Mississippi where most spots serve cod and a few do catfish but there’s no signs of lake perch and few when it comes to walleye. So I decided to check out a Pizza Farm which are popular in these parts. They’re exactly as they sound. This one is also a brewery and the beer is very good but the pizza is why I visited. It’s a base of sourdough made with Ingmar Red and Edison White Wheat sustainably grown on their local farm. Most of the toppings are also locally sourced while the pizza options range from traditional to chef driven. I’m a purist with pizza but will venture out of my comfort zone at places like this so I landed somewhere in the middle as far as the style goes. A supreme is served up with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, red onions, and mozzarella cheese and I mean no shade when I say that it reminded me of what Digiorno Pizza wants to be. Don’t get me wrong I’d eat this again without qualm but I haven’t had a frozen pizza in a decade and it’s been longer since I ate a Digiorno but that’s what I thought of with this. Maybe it was the supreme toppings or bc this pizza was one of the sturdier versions I've come across in the same way a frozen well done pizza comes out. 

Supreme Pizza at Footjoy Farm
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Neuie's Vogue (La Crosse, WI)

La Crosse is a river town and a brewing town which means there's a ton of bars. I can't confirm this but someone there told me they have the most bars per capita but lots of spots lay claim to that fact. What I can confirm is that at one time La Crosse held the record for most bars on one street in the Guinness Book of World Records. Before riding down the Mississippi we got some breakfast at one of the towns many watering holes. Neuie's Vogue had a nice setup paired with a typical menu that included at least one item you wont find elsewhere, their famous Flash Burger. It's a hamburger steak smothered with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, jalapenos, bacon and cheesy hash browns. Pic'd below is the medium sized offering (the entire length of a full size dinner plate). You could tell this was cooked with care. I ate half of it and was stuffed. Wisconsin bar food is in a weight class all it's own. 

The Flash Burger at Neuie's Vogue
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Pete's Hamburger Stand (Prairie du Chien, WI)

One of the main reasons for my visit to the Driftless was so that I could revisit Pete’s Hamburgers in the Mississippi River town of Prairie du Chien (seriously). Where do we begin with this one? For starters it’s what I believe to be the 2nd oldest hamburger stand in the country dating back to 1909. They make the burgers the same way today that they did back then as the stand and it's old time cooking method is grandfathered in with the town. Fresh balls of beef are cooked on a steaming hot flattop in a puddle of water and onions unlike anywhere else. The end result is a flavor bomb of grilled onions and beef that can’t be beat. No cheese here as cheeseburgers weren’t a thing when they opened 113 years ago. You can add ketchup, mustard, or horseradish mustard but they’re best enjoyed in an unadulterated manner. It was twelve years between visits but they were exactly as I remember them to be - the best hamburgers. I don’t care if the price has almost doubled ($3.25 in 2010) I would pay double today’s price as there’s nothing else like these limited edition burgers available weekends only while the weather is warm.

Hamburger from Pete's Hamburgers 
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Borgen's Cafe (Westby, WI)

The word Westby is Norwegian for "Western City" and Westby Wisconsin is a town where many Norwegians first settled going all the way back to 1848. The town of just 2300 celebrates it's Norwegian roots with statues, gift stores and restaurants like Borgen's Cafe. I decided to try their homemade meatballs in gravy served with lefse on what felt like the first day of Fall. Lefse is a Norwegian style flatbread that can include riced potatoes as well as butter, milk, and lard. This was pretty good comfort food but not anything worth going out of the way for. The lefse was pretty plain. 

Meatballs with Lefse at Borgen's Cafe
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Rockton Bar (La Farge, WI)

Our final stop was another spot I was very much looking forward to checking out. Sunday Charcoal Chicken in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve is a thing and that's bc at the end of every week this bar in the middle of the Driftless Region grills up anywhere from 100 to 200 lbs of chicken attracting bikers, canoers, campers and locals alike. I was a bit disappointed that there was no chicken on the grill when I arrived but the smell of it was was obvious as was the taste which was full of smoke in a way that can only be achieved with live fire being used. The chicken itself was a really good quality but I wanted some jerk sauce or nam jim jaew to go with it. Charcoal chicken dinners have become popular in these parts and I’m pretty sure Rockton Bar is the reason why. It was rather dead on my visit around noon on a Sunday and I soon realized that was because the Packers were playing at 3:15p. 

Pics from Rockton Bar's Sunday Charcoal Chicken Dinner
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Note: Click HERE for a Google Maps Guide to all the spots featured in this post.

See ya next time @chibbqking 

Stopping in at Three Alton Favorites

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Exploring some old school stops in Alton, IL

While down in St. Louis last year we took a little daytrip across the river into Madison County. I'm always intrigued by the town of Alton and it's history as well as it's numerous food stops on my radar. This is part of an ongoing series in which I stop in at a trio of local favorite spots in once booming Midwest towns. So far we've visited Youngstown (OH), Flint (MI), Galesburg (IL), Kokomo (IN).

Cruising thru Alton, IL

Our first eating establishment of the day ended up being a popular drive-in for fried chicken with a well known name amongst locals. Originally we just happened to be driving by but the chicken sign caught my eye and then the smell outside got us out of the car to place an order at Fast Eddie's.

Fast Eddie's

There's no seating inside or even a door to walk in and order so most people are taking their chicken to go but we would be dining al trunko. This was a fantastic batch and as this site goes on I'm starting to realize they make some great fried chicken up and down the Mississippi river. Fast Eddie's recipe was as crunchy of a batch in recent memory with the black pepper laced breading being the star. Quality stuff for sure. Oh yes, the name, no relation to the famous bar seen in this report. In fact my friend said that one of them gets mad if you ask if theres any relation to the other.

Box of Fried Chicken

I have an ongoing quest to visit every old school slider shop left in America and my chance to hit up Mini Corral Hamburgers came this trip. Though I should point out that having been open since 1982 they're probably the youngest of the spots I try and seek out when in reach. As you can see below there's no old white brick building or even a neon sign to give it that aura the others have.

Mini Corral Hamburgers

The sliders wouldn't have that flavor the others have either. In fact I haven't had a "burger" that bad since Burger Chef. You can see in the picture that these were some kind of mystery meat and I should've known due to 1) there was no grill in sight and 2) the price. At just $.89/each and cheaper when you buy a dozen they must only be able to use the cheapest mystery meat possible. One bite, dumpster. Though the housemade root beer was good.

Sliders

Continuing on in Alton we check out a spot famous for slanging another popular eat found up and down the river. Riviera Maya has been a staple in these parts since the early 80's and their Alton Tacos are loved by lots of locals.

Riviera Maya

Before getting into the specialty of the house I must point out that these old school family owned spots in Mid-America do chips and salsa as good as anyone. They always seem to have baskets of hot fresh fried chips and I'm just a fiend for the old school red salsa most of them make to go with it. The stuff loaded up with onions and cilantro. Love it. The Alton Tacos consist of three deep fried ground beef tacos topped with with lettuce, Yellow, and Parmesan cheese. It's a popular eat in these parts and as you may or may not know deep fried tacos are my guilty pleasure of mine, well one of them anyway. These were winners, most all are.

The Alton Tacos

Bonus beer stop at the Old Bakery Beer Company. Appropriately named due to it's location in a building that was built in 1893 and housed the Alton Baking Company from 1903 to 1926. It was then purchased by a man named J.J Beeby and housed Noll's bakery until 1960. Noll's then sold to Colonial who at the height of production were pushing 2.5 million loaves a year.

Old Bakery Beer Company

Baking tenants are long gone now there's beer. It's a big ass building and on this on/off again rainy day it was packed around noon. Nice crowd of locals, hipsters, families, trial lawyers etc were there to eat and or drink. It's a huge building so while you make your way to the bar area you'll pass thru a hallway in which the walls are decked out with old pictures and relics from the bakery's heyday.

Old Sign from a previous tenant

The beers here were excellent. I'm not a beer snob by any means but you wont catch me ordering Miller Lite, Budweiser, etc when out and about, I'd rather just drink water. I forget which two I tried but I liked them both and will be back for more next time I'm in town. Cool spot.

Enjoying a Beer at the Bar

Fast Eddie's Fried Chicken
701 Central Ave
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 465-3876

Mini Corral Hamburgers
1500 Main St
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 462-0400

Riviera Maya Restaurant
1702 Homer Adams Pkwy
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 465-5000

The Old Bakery Beer Company
400 Landmarks Blvd
Alton, IL 62002
(618) 463-1470

Eating the Tri-State Region (IL, IA, WI)

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Where the locals eat. 

Hello readers! Are you ready for Fall? I am but not for what comes after that. The reason I love the Fall is it's the perfect time to cruise. The colors, the fests, the weather it's all there making it the prime time for a roadtrip. Last year around this time we took a ride up to the Tri-State region to eat/drink.

♫ On the Road again ♫

I'm sure I've said it in previous posts on this blog but I love exploring the towns up and down the Mighty Mississippi. Each one has its own history and mystique going back to when it was America's main highway. First stop up, Dubuque.

The old Dubuque Star Brewery

I've been thru this area before but it was only for a few hours. Nonetheless at the very least you can always find some interesting stops when riding the river. Some deep digging online led me to a popular bar on the other side of town who's busiest hours were during breakfast time. Interesting.

West Dubuque Tap

Packed house when we arrived around 10a but we were able to squeeze out some seats at the bar. I'd say more than half of the people there to eat were also there to drink. NFL allegiances vary in this area so we saw Bears, Packers, Vikings and even Colts gear worn by regulars. Pretty typical bar when it comes to them in these parts, not too big but still able to ring them in. If anyone has interest in trying a llama tenderloin, they're doing them this month.

Llama Tenderloin Special

When I'd read reviews on West Dubuque tap the "Magic Muffin" kept on getting mentioned thus it caught my eye. This is the signature breakfast item of the house. They take two sausage patties, an egg, cheese and hash browns and put it all between a toasted English muffin. On this day they had a biscuits and gravy special so I got mine with a side of gravy. I saw others eating their magic muffin with a fork but I managed to pick it up with two hands and eat the entire thing intact. I got a cup of the sausage gravy on the side and poured a little over the hash browns and considering we're way North of the Mason Dixon this was a worthy batch. Hangover food, before you start drinking more food, at its finest.

Magic Muffin

Next stop up was an interesting spot we came across. Cremer's Grocery has been serving Dubuque for over 65 years and both the outside and the inside of this place looked the part.

Cremer's Grocery in Dubuque

From their website "We take pride in our old-fashioned quality and service. Our hand-cut choice meats, homemade sausages, and our Famous Turkey ‘N’ Dressing sandwiches are a few of the specialties that has made us a tri-state ”Institution of quality”.

a peek inside, employees making sandwiches behind the counter

I didn't know much about Cremers except the fact that they made a turkey and stuffing sandwich that was popular with the locals. I was surprised the see that all sandwiches were .99 as I was expecting something a little bit different than what they turned out to be.

Sandwich Cooler

Turns out all sandwiches are pre-made, on cheap hamburger buns, and placed in the cooler for customers to pick them out of. Not exactly what I envisioned as I was expecting a sub made fresh and served warm with house turkey and homemade dressing. Either way, we were there so why not as least grab one, certainly wasn't going to hurt the cash flow.

Sandwich Warmers

I watched as a local walked in and went over to the fridge where she grabbed a couple sandwiches and proceeded to walk over to an area with a couple microwaves. Turns out some, or most as Jim asked, prefer their sandwiches heated up. I heated up mine later that night when the munchies came calling. I guess you get what you pay for in this case. Not awful but anything but special. I guess if I lived near I'd take advantage of these for the kids lunches, cant get much cheaper with no work involved in making them.

Turkey Stuffing Sandwich

Next stop up was a longtime favorite near college campus called Jack's Chicken Palace. This local landmark has been serving generations of Dubuqueians(?) with their signature broasted chicken. From an online article "originally opened more than a half century ago as Feeney’s Chicken Palace. After a few years Jack Terry took it over and renamed it Jack’s Chicken Palace. He perfected his frying techniques over the next 18 years and then turned it over to his son-in-law, Nick, who ran it for another 25 years or so."

Jack's Chicken Palace in Dubuque

This place seems to be one of the areas top takeout stops as there were people coming in and out for phone orders. Nowhere to sit inside but no worries as eating fried chicken al trunko has become the norm on these excursions. Cool looking machines in place to do the pressure frying, fyi this style of cooking was created by a company in Beloit, Wisconsin and their stretch seems to go up and down the northern part of the Mississippi as seen in previous posts.

Onion Rings and Fried Chicken Box

Pretty damn good, not aggressively seasoned but fried to a crisp outside with some juices remaining inside. Onion rings weren't bad either, a nice place for locals to have as a food option when not feeling like cooking.

Broasted Chicken

Next stop up, East Dubuque. There was a time when this town across the river was the center of the areas vice needs. It's often had a bad reputation and is frequently compared to East St. Louis down the river. Back in it's heyday the towns main strip, Sinsawa street would light up the night with its neon and was a frequent hangout of gamblers, boozers, sex traffickers, and of course Al Capone. Because of this and also the name of the street where it all took place, it was labeled Sin City back when. It's heyday stretched from prohibition all the way to the early 90's when the street boasted a handful of strip clubs and lots of bars open until 5am, thus attracting heavy drinkers from surrounding states who wanted more when their spots closed for the night. Mulgrew's Tavern is just about the only business left from the strips heyday.

Mulgrews Tavern on Sinsawa Street in East Dubuque 

 As You Enter (thru the front)

As you enter (thru the back side)

It's not hard to feel the history when stepping inside one of Illinois' most historic bars. Sitting almost directly underneath the Julien-Dubuque Bridge you know you're somewhere old school upon entering. If you choose to go thru the front door you're almost immediately greeted by the beautiful long bar that must sit at least 50. Come in from the back and you'll say hello to the gaming area upon entering. Aside from cheap drinks available from 8a-5a seven days a week Mulgrew's is also known for their foot long chili dog. $4.75 gets you one made up by the bartender served on some wax paper to help catch the drippings. There was a group next to us who must of been from the area originally as they talked about how many they used to eat at night when drinking there. I'm sure these are better when inebriated because they weren't doing it for the slightly buzzed. Not awful but not something I need again. Still fun to try one.

Famous Foot Long Chili Dog

Next stop up takes back over the river and down into the tiny little town of Saint Donatus Iowa, home of Kalmes General Store and Restaurant. This spot has been a multiple practice business since 1933 with a restaurant for almost 50 years. I read an article on the wall and learned Peter and Anna Kalmes came to America from Nospelt, Luxembourg sometime around 1840.

Kalmes Restaurant in St Donatus, Iowa

"Peter was a skilled sausage maker who found his way to the Luxembourg Village of Saint Donatus. In the early 1850’s he started a bar business in the red pebble stone building across the street from the current Kalmes Restaurant just north of the Gehlen House. In 1933, Theodore and Stella Kalmes purchased the present property and built a small bar and gas station. They added a grocery store and upstairs living quarters in 1942." You can see from my first report that I passed this place on a previous visit and snapped some pics of the exterior but never went inside to try it so I wanted to do so this time around. Awesome exterior and interior as they've kept it old school inside, all the down to the two guys behind the bar who were each older than 60. The General Store is attached to the bar and they sell some hard to find candies, bottled pop and also all of their famous seasonings which they use on the steaks and other menu items. They do a steady business in catering and as you can see in the pic up above they still sell gas.

View of the Bar

Pool Table

View from end of the bar

General Store Checkout

Unfortunately they were just making a new batch of their signature kraut sausage but they did just finish making their house noodles. Those were on my radar too and because we were in Iowa I decided to try their tenderloin too which is made a little bit differently than most. It's lightly fried on a griddle and comes laced with their signature seasoning. I wasn't too fond of this one but the noodles were outstanding. The guy at the bar had mentioned there's a reason he had the gut he was sporting and it wasn't because of beer, he said we'd love their buttered noodles and indeed we did. Some parts were nice and crispy around the edges while the middle had that intact texture you can only achieve with freshly made.

Pork Tenderloin with side of Homemade Noodles

I made it back to Breitbach's and this time I remembered the BPT was where it's at. Located about 16 miles up the river from Dubuque they won the Iowa Pork Producers Association 'Best Tenderloin' award at the State Fair in 2012. It also happens to be Iowa's oldest bar/restaurant having been in operation since 1852. Though two fires since 2007 have forced them to rebuild, the country charm remains. Currently running on its fourth generation of family member they put out about 250 BPT's a week.

Breitbach's Tavern in Balltown, Iowa

I didn't snap an outside pic so the one up above was from my last stop in. It was surprisingly quiet on this Sunday around high noon. Pretty damn windy thus not too many bikers out and those of whom were there seemed to be doing family stuff with almost everyone indulging in their famous Sunday buffet. No tenderloins available with that though so we took a seat at the bar. The 'tender might of been a little hungover as he was kind of a jag but I wasn't there to see him. After about a ten minute wait my tenderloin was ready. This one was pretty appealing on the eyes and pretty much as good as it looks. I thought it might of been a tad too greasy but this could be due to the fryers having just been ready. Nonetheless a BPT with some substance as there was some juicy meat inside the extra light but sensationally crunchy batter. One of the better ones I've consumed.

Battered Pork Tenderloin 

Last stop up! Into Wisconsin we go because what would a Saturday night in the Tri-State area be without a trip to a Supper Club? I've had the Village Bar Country Club on my radar for a minute as it's mentioned when best supper club in Wisconsin is discussed. Located in a small town about 10 Minutes from the Dubuque-Wisconsin bridge, folks have commonly come from all three states to get a sip and taste.

Village Bar Supper Club in Kieler, Wisconsin

I knew this place was popular but I had no idea it was so homey. I'd say they can sit about 50-60 people max and because they don't serve at the bar the wait was 2 hours when we went in. I decided to put my name down anyway and we rolled around for a while while deciding what to do. Eventually we went back, had another Spotted Cow, and were seated right around our 8:30p quoted time.

a peek inside at the bar

Aside from the small size there's nothing else too unique about this Wisconsin Supper Club. It's a husband and wife owned stop and on our visit the husband was running the front of the house while one of their daughters took care of the bar, they obviously were used to being full as it was a smooth running ship. Upon being seated we were given a vegetable/relish tray with some really nice cheddar spread that got devoured while waiting for our prime ribs with hash browns on the side.

Relish Tray and a Side of Hash Browns with onions and Cheese

Queen Cut Prime Rib (1.5 lbs)

Because they're so well known for the prime rib they serve it every night they're open but on Saturday's you get $2 off each cut. I decided to go queen and got this beautiful 1.5 pound cut pictured up above. It had been quite a few months since I last had a real deal piece of prime rib so I thoroughly enjoyed this as if I was a caveman eating my last meal. That said I still couldn't finish the entire thing as it ended up being way too much for someone who just ate at a handful of stops beforehand. Cant ask for much better and same goes for the hash browns which were as good as any I can remember. This is one for the book.

See ya next time!

West Dubuque Tap
1701 Asbury Rd
Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 556-9647

Cremer's Grocery
731 Rhomberg Ave
Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 583-6589

Jack's Chicken Palace
1107 University Ave
Dubuque, IA 52001
(563) 588-2003

Mulgrew's Tavern
244 Sinsinawa Ave
East Dubuque, IL 61025
(815) 747-3845

Kalmes Restaurant & Catering
100 N Main St
St Donatus, IA 52071
(563) 773-2480

Breitbach's Country Dining
563 Balltown Rd
Sherrill, IA
(563) 552-2220

Village Bar Supper Club
3410 County Road Hhh
Cuba City, WI 53807
(608) 568-3004