Friday Fish Fry in SE Wisconsin

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties

- Where to Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin

It's been a minute since we traveled Wisconsin. With the weather turning it's getting close to that time where Chicagoan's hit the road in search of sausage and relaxation. Lenten season might be over but the Friday Fish Fry's in Wisconsin never end. The fish fry is celebrated every Friday of the calendar year in Wisconsin. As far as food traditions go the Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin is right up there with the best of the best. It's amazing that no matter where you are in the state you wont be far from a fish fry if it's a Friday. This is partly bc you're never far from a bar and pretty much every bar in the state offers a Friday Fish Fry. Today we head to SE Wisconsin to visit five different fish fry's where they're using lake fish. For me the key to finding a good fry is finding spots that offer a combo of lake perch, walleye, or blue gill. That's not to say that a fish fry featuring cod cant be good. But fried cod and fries is essentially just fish and chips and you can score that anywhere. I want the local stuff.

You're never far from a Friday Fish Fry in Wisconsin

________________________________________________________________________

Wegner's St. Martin's Inn (Franklin, WI)

First stop is one of the most popular fish fry's in the state. I tried to go here twice before I finally made it and arrived to insanely long wait times. On a recent trip we got there at 3:55p (they start at 4p) and were the last of the first group to be seated. Bc of it's location near a race track the walls are decked with personally signed photos of famous racers who've stopped by for food and drink. They call Wegner's a casual fine dining spot. The fish fry has been featured in a slew of publications including Saveur. It's a pretty traditional version with lake perch served with potato pancakes, cole slaw, and buttered rye bread. As far as the fish itself goes this might've been the best lake perch I've ever had. It was plump and juicy and fried just right. The crispy coating was a bit thicker than most other spots but I cant recall a more perfectly cooked piece of lake perch in my lifetime. One of the best in-state.

Friday Lake Perch at Wegner's St. Martin's Inn

________________________________________________________________________

Siebert's Pub (Salem, WI)

Down in Kenosha County you'll find Siebert's Pub located inland not far off the IL/WI state line. There's not much info out there but like every place featured in today's post it's a classic Wisconsin bar. We stopped in for a Friday Fish Fry ft. lake perch last year. I remember we got there around the opening and by the time we left the place was packed. You'd be hard pressed to find an empty bar in Wisconsin on a Friday evening. That said many of the people at Siebert's were here to eat first and foremost. The online reviews are very favorable towards the food. After having their Friday Fish Fry I don't see why the other stuff on their menu wouldn't also be good. Places using lake fish are already showing signs they don't want to just do what's cheapest and easiest. Cod is by far the most popular fish used for fry's in Wisconsin but there's a large contingent of people who make Wisconsin the number one consumer of lake perch in the States. I imagine a few of them are regulars at Siebert's.

Friday Fish Fry at Siebert's Pub

________________________________________________________________________

Tina's Somers Inn (Somers, WI)

According to a decade old article I read from the Kenosha News the secret has long been out about this place. I remember a really nice crowd at Tina's Somers Inn which sits on Highway E in the village of Somers. It's commonly mentioned as one of the best fish fry's in Kenosha County thus reservations are recommended. They offer a really nice lake perch plate that comes served with fresh cut fries and buttered rye bread as well as cole slaw and tartar sauce. The perch is beer battered making for a crispy outer layer of flavor. One of the best in my book. I also read that Taco Wednesday is popular.

Fried Lake Perch at Tina's Somers Inn

________________________________________________________________________

B& D's Village Inn (New Munster, WI)

Next stop is a spot I had passed a few times over the years on the way to and from Lake Geneva. It's a classic tavern that has pictures of fried fish in their sign. The fact there's so little online had me even more intrigued. This is a small town bar to the core. There wasn't much going on when I visited one early afternoon last year but that was fine with me. This place definitely attracts a hyper local crowd. Well they also have a burger on the menu and as many know I'm a Wisconsin Burger aficionado so I decided to try one of them too. Decent enough in that it was fresh made but nothing better than what you'll get from your neighbor at the local block party. Thus I recommend visiting B&D's on a Friday.

Cheeseburger at B&D's Village Inn

Aside from lake perch the other freshwater fish you'll find on WI fish fry menus are walleye and blue gills. Both of them are far less common than even lake perch so when I see a spot offering either of them I will usually give it a go. Especially so with blue gills. Simple is best with just about all fresh fish and they seemed to realize that here. A light coating of cornmeal made this one of the better fish fry's I've come by. Bite sized filet's with sweet white meat. They make for the perfect fish nuggets.

Fried Blue Gill at B& D's Village Inn

________________________________________________________________________

Wilmot Riverside (Wilmot, WI)

I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record but all bars in Wisconsin have a very Wisconsin feel to them. Wilmot Riverside in the ski town of Wilmot is no different. It's a quintessential Wisconsin bar. By which I mean it's housed in an old building (I was told it's housed a bar since the late 1800’s) with a bartender a few years past her prime, a kitchen behind the bar, cheap drinks, and a yocal yapping about how he prefers watching high school bball over the NBA. I don't know. He sounded a bit flaky to me. Just like my fried walleye. Wilmot Riverside hand breads two beautiful pieces of fresh walleye for their Friday Fish Fry. The potato pancakes are the same ones many other spots use and seem to be more like a hash brown than a potato pancake. I'm still searching for a place that does a great potato pancake. In the meantime the breading from here needed a tad more seasoning but the walleye itself was wonderful. Every time I try walleye I'm reminded just how underrated it is for making fried fish.

Fried Walleye at the Wilmot Riverside

________________________________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking

Wisconsin Breakfast Stops

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- AM Eats in America's Dairyland

I've long been a proponent of the Wisconsin food and drink scene. They have their very own style and it involves lots of not so good for you things. They dont do veggie dogs, they do brats. The salads here are accompanied by 4 or 5 other relish condiments and come with about a cups worth of dressing. Wisconsin does all of the All-American things really well. This includes breakfast. No matter where you are in the state there's always a good breakfast spot nearby. Here's five to try.
________________________________________________________________________________

The Coffee Pot 

The towns of both Kenosha and Racine offer us Chicagoan's some pretty good food options for when we're driving thru. If you ever find yourself going North on 94 and want something to eat in downtown Kenosha than the Coffee Pot is a spot you should check out. It's a great breakfast stop.

Kenosha, WI

Breakfast was at the Coffee Pot which won out over Frank's due to a wait. We were able to snag some seats at the counter and having heard some good (and bad) things about their Corned Beef Hash I was ready to try that. She went with half of a "perk-o-lator" which is basically the same thing as a garbage plate down the street at Frank's. Egg's, sausage, onions, peppers, hash browns and cheese all thrown together into one. The large which I've had before is massive, a half order with their top notch made in house toast will be more than enough.

Perk-o-later Plate (1/2 order)

I had the perk plate last time I was here and it's a signature sconnie style breakfast that will not let you leave hungry. I like it although I'm not sure it's better than Frank's version aka a "Garbage Plate". A taste off might have to happen. The CBH was pretty good. I didn't think it was top notch but the fact that it was homemade makes it comforting but they could of used a little more corned beef. The beef to potato ratio was off. But that toasted homemade bread which is given a healthy dose of butter is really, really good. Breakfast sandwich with that bread next time. It's so money. 

Corned Beef Hash Breakfast

________________________________________________________________________________

Jo's Cafe

I'd known about Jo's Cafe in the Brew City for some time since it's featured over on roadfood. But despite countless trips to Milwaukee over the years I had never been to Jo's until now. I spent a few days up there doing some things and opted not to stop at the Coffee Pot in Kenosha while en route choosing instead to start my day at Jo's and see what was up.

Milwaukee, WI

From the outside Jo's as you can see is a real no frills type of place. I got the feeling that everyone in there was a local regular as both the waitress and the man behind the grill whom I believe was Jo chatted it up with those coming in to dine and others taking orders to go. Its small inside with there being a few tables which were taken by local families and a counter with maybe eight seats right in front of where all the action takes place. It felt a little like Moon's up in there. 

The view from the counter

Jo's is all about the home cooking and watching him work the grill you can see he's a pro. I was impressed with how he used every last inch of space both on the griddle and in terms of storing stuff. The fresh baked buns for burgers and breakfast sandwiches were really tempting me to go one of those ways as was the daily special spaghetti plate. I usually wouldn't think I'd be interested in eating spaghetti at 10:30 in the morn but the plates they were bringing out for others smelled great. I went with their signature dish the Hoppel Poppel (or is it hoffel poffel?) which is also a signature breakfast dish of the city served elsewhere. At Jo's they take big hunks of potato browned with onions, and add scrambled eggs and chunks of spicy salami with cheese on top if you want. Very comforting and VERY filling. It's definitely a sconnie style breakfast no doubt about that. I'd go back.

Hoppel Poppel for Breakfast

________________________________________________________________________________

Harry's Diner

I had breakfast at the locally loved Harry's Diner in the Bratwurst Capitol of the World recently and enjoyed my visit. Upon rolling up you'll immediately notice the reflecting silver exterior of this 1950's style diner.

Sheboygan, WI

The inside of the space isn't as charming as the outside but they do serve beer so this is a popular stop for folks looking for breakfast and booze. Quite a few people were dining in on this visit and all the ladies working the tables were running around making sure it was going smooth as the manager tended to the cash register near the entrance. I don't think this place has been around since the 50's but they did a good job of making it feel that way.

a peek inside

Harry's is only open until 3p each day (Closed Mondays) so most people are here for breakfast though they do have a lunch portion to their menu too. I'd heard good things about their pancakes and in particular the potato ones so I knew going in I'd be trying those, it was just a matter of seeing if there was some sort of combo that included some of Sheboygan's finest encased meat to go with it. Lucky me they had a potato pancake served with bratwurst and two eggs done your way platter for $8.50. The pancake comes with your choice of apple sauce or sour cream and I'm a fan of the latter so I went with that. Excellent recipe. This was a thicker well minced blend with plenty of diced onion inside. Of course the split brat to go with it was what you expect from the town that makes the best.

Potato Pancake, Bratwurst and Eggs for Breakfast

________________________________________________________________________________

Mickie's Dairy Bar  

If you attended the University of Wisconsin you know all about the local icon that is Mickie's. Chances are even if you didn't go there but been to Madison you know about it. The town favorite has been a student hang out since it first opened in 1946. To this day it feels like the 1950's on the inside.

 Madison, WI

Mickie's gained much if it's cult following with the sheer size of it's meals. It's a place that you can fill up past full and walk out having spent about $10. Thus it's favorite for everyone from newly arrived freshmen to the offensive line on the football team as well as longtime residents of the city. It's most always packed and that's because there's always groups of friends eating inside. The menu boasts all the classics you'd expect to find at a popular breakfast stop as well as the typical lunches.

A Peek Inside (menus old and current)

While everyone has their favorites there are some things that Mickie's will always be remembered for. First and foremost, aside from the size of each plate, is the corn cakes. These massive cousins to the pancake taste just like piping hot cornbread. When smeared with butter they really are delicious. Unless you're starting at right tackle for the Badgers this upcoming season I see no reason you need the regular order of two but at just $1 less for one you may want to bring home breakfast for the next few days. What's great about group dining at Mickie's is you get to eat these and something else.

Mickie's Famous Corn Cakes 

Other popular items include the scrambler which is pretty much a little bit of everything mixed in with what I think was four, maybe five eggs, something ridiculous that only a college kid fresh off a 15 hour library binge followed by bong hits could enjoy. Something commonly on special is the pork chops with eggs. That's what I got on my most recent visit in this past summer. The pork chops have always been cooked until well done but when chopped up into little bits and mixed with the potatoes and eggs this is a very good, and of course filling, breakfast.

 Pork Chop and Eggs

________________________________________________________________________________

Delta Diner

I spent some time up in Bayfield and as always did a little research on where to eat while en route. Somewhere along the line I came up with a rec for the Delta Diner which is far, far north. It's about 20 minutes SW of Ashland which sits on Lake Superior. If there were ever a place I ate at that sits in the middle of nowhere this would be it to date. Surrounded by lakes and a few gravel rocked roads with packs of wild turkeys along them.

Mason, WI

First off if you look this place up on google, theres like six different towns they say it's in. My GPS was no help at all as it wanted us to turn down a narrow snowmobile/ATV path that would of wrecked the bottom of my car. But if you're lucky enough to have a signal on your cell phone (I didn't, she did) then google maps will get you there. But you'll go down unpaved roads for about 10 miles and wonder with each passing minute whether you're going around in circles en route to nowhere. In the end though, it's all worth it.

A feel of the East Coast hidden in the Northwoods of Wisconsin

The Delta Diner was born in 2004 and if you want the entire story about how it was born and became about you can check their website HERE. The owners decided to restore what they were told is an old 1940's Silk City Diner. They wanted to put the diner in the locally historic site of the old Delta General Store which is written about in "Growing up in a Country Store: Memories and History of Delta and Ino, Wisconsin " According to that book the town and the general store came about at the same time in 1924.

Views from the counter

I'd urge all to read the link from their website about the story of how this diner came about and the history of the land it stands on. To try and sum it up in a few quotes though. "Having an authentic diner was very important to us"

"In early 2003 we contracted for a “frame-up” restoration of a 1940 Silk City Diner, due for completion in the fall of that year"

"The Delta Diner was about 90% complete in the middle of October of 2003. Living in far Northern Wisconsin we were facing a dilemma...The restorer agreed to ship the diner for completion on site so that we could complete excavation and concrete work prior to the ground freezing. In the end we cut it close, but got it done! It was quite a sight seeing the Delta Diner coming down Bayfield County Highway H in one piece on a semi-trailer"

"We expected that our chapter to the story of the “Delta Diner” would take many years to develop. Many ingredients contribute to the story of a diner. The building, its location and possible past locations, the characters that make up its customer base, the owner or owners, and its eclectic staff all paint the picture of a diner. It can take many years to have an intriguing story unfold. Without knowing it, our diner may have come prepackaged with intrigue"

"Where did the Delta Diner come from? Where did it operate prior to being abandoned “in a field somewhere in New York?” What can the identification tag on the original frame (if still on the frame) tell us about our diner? What did it look like when it was removed from the field? These are questions that can only be answered by our restorer. While we were provided a brief verbal version of our diner’s history, the promised written and photographic record has not been delivered. We have a contract that states we purchased a “restored 1940 Silk City Diner”. However, despite our efforts to obtain verification, we have yet to receive it."

A peek inside from the front/back

So to this day they dont know the exact history of what's supposed to be an old real deal restored Silk City Diner adding to the intrigue of this place. I'm not a diner expert but if this is indeed a rebuild of an original it's a damn fine copycat job. They try to make the experience as authentic as possible so this includes no menus. Everything available is on display and when your waitress comes to take your order she'll explain what EVERYTHING on it is. Her description of the Norwegian pancakes was like that of a big money making saleswoman so she had me sold on those which came recommended cooked with chopped jalapenos inside.

Norwegian Pancakes with chopped Jalapenos

Pancakes ala Norwegian are a larger more thin and airy type of pancake, similar to crepes. These were served with bacon from a local butcher in Ashland that was really thick and full of porky flavor along with a sprinkling of powered sugar and lemons. The chopped jalapenos inside worked really well. Our waitress was dead on with that one. The item I had read people praising was their PBLT which is a BLT with a piece of fried yellow lake perch on top. This too was very good. Served on locally sourced bread from the Ashland Baking Company with fresh in season tomatoes and that same great bacon, it made for a really tasty brunch paired with the pancakes.

PBLT Sandwich

I thought the food was great and even though they may not have much history as of today, you can see/feel that they're well on their way. Whether or not the restored diner was a real one or a restoration of a restoration it had that charm both from the atmosphere and the staff and also great food. One thing that caught my eye was Monday is "burger day" and that's all they serve as it's only time they're on the menu. Beef is ground fresh in house and I imagine buns come from the same baking company. I bet it's really good. The piece of homemade coconut cream pie to finish it all off sure was. Dude in the red Camaro should have rolled thru here by now.

I hope to make it back one day soon...see y'all next time

________________________________________________________________________________

The Coffee Pot
4914 7th Avenue
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 653-8849

Jo's Cafe
3519 West Silver Spring Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53209
(414) 461-0210

Harry's Diner
2504 Calumet Dr
Sheboygan, WI 53083
(920) 458-5200

Mickey's Dairy Bar
1511 Monroe St
Madison, WI 53711
(608) 256-9476

Delta Diner
14385 County Highway H
Mason, WI 54856
(715) 372-MMMM 

10 Wisconsin Biker Burgers

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Wisconsin

I love the burgers of Wisconsin. In case you didnt know it I'll argue with anyone that when it comes to states, none take them as serious as Wisco. Some people may say you can find good burgers in every state and I'd agree but you wont find the high concentration of spots that Wisconsin has anywhere else. It just so happens that I have the proof to back these claims up. All you have to do is look as posts tagged 'Wisconsin' to see I've given over 50 places putting out top notch burgers a shout-out. Today we focus on ten that cater to the states abundance of bikers. I'm not talking 12 speeds here, I'm referring to one of the states great exports, the Harley Davidson Motorcycle. With Summer done and Fall colors in the air now is the time many people are getting their last rides of the season in. So with it I thought it would be a good time to share some recs from the bars and taverns that cater to these riders as well as others. Here's ten burgers worth biking for. 
_____________________________________________________________

Captain Mike's

Kensoha, WI

Captain's has an extensive burger list ft. house made creations. Similar to a place like Kuma's but I haven't been there in a decade. Aside from the beer and burgers, the mac and cheese seems to be very popular with locals too. Good luck getting a seat at the bar on a Saturday. They do have outdoor seating when its warm. Burger options are overwhelming. They feature fresh grassfed patty's in 5 or 10 oz options and have a variety of Juicy Lucy spin-offs with a Wisconsin flare as well as every other popular combinations you can think of and some deep fried options you dont want to think of. Feel free to build your own on the sheet you fill out your order on.

a Zombie eating a burger inside the Fish Tank

So the burgers? Keeping it simple with an option like the "Dirty Burger" isn't a bad idea. Char-grilled top quality beef dressed with cheddar, a housemade black and tan onion ring, and horseradish mayo. Lettuce, tomato etc served on the side as well your choice of a side, the fresh cut fries kicked up with black pepper aren't bad. The burgers here paired with some beer from Ale Asylum or elsewhere in-state is the best thick style burger in the immediate area.

Captain Mike's "Dirty Burger"

_____________________________________________________________

Hanson's Bar and Grill 

Beloit, WI

I've long chose to pass thru Beloit whenever heading to or from Madison. But a tip over on LTH put this stop on my radar. They've been at it since 1940. As far as looks and atmosphere goes this is a classic Wisconsin style drinking and dining establishment. A big house makes for plenty of room for families and large groups. Over in the middle of the house is the bar which like most longtime joints is filled with yocals. Their specialty on the appetizer portion of the menu are the house fried mushrooms which are fresh and came fried perfectly. As good a batch as I've had from anywhere.

House Fried Shrooms

Then there's the burgers. After looking at their website and reading a few reviews about them elsewhere I was intrigued to try one. I ordered the house cheeseburger (1/2 pound) with cheddar and was rewarded with a top notch bar burger. Cooked to my medium rare request this was a Juicy Lucy but not from the cheese, the bottom part of the bun tasted like it had been "dipped" ala an Italian Beef and almost disintegrated before my last bite. They come with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on the side. When it comes to bang for your buck burgers, this state has alot and Hanson's is hard to top. The odds are always with you in Wisconsin.

Hanson's Original House Cheeseburger

_____________________________________________________________

Skippy's Bar

Thiensville, WI

When one does some deep digging on where to find the best burger in the Milwaukee area, should you dig deep enough, this classic Sconnie style tavern will appear. Located in a suburb about15 minutes from MKE this old school tavern sits in a very scenic setting along an old creek and church built pre-1900's. The service was friendly and beer was cheap. The Skippy burger is a 1/3 lb of fresh beef cooked to order served with the famous Skippy Sauce on top. Pretty much similar to most thousand island based burger dressings this was a comforting one which hit the spot.

Skippy Burger

_____________________________________________________________

 Three Guys and a Grill

 

Elkhart Lake, WI

I was out in Sheboygan County on a consulting trip a little while back and seeked out a couple good burger stops on my route. Elkhart Lake is a small village located on the beautiful Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive which is a bikers best friend.The town itself is probably best known for being the home of the Road America Racetrack, which is said to slang a good charcoal kissed burgers on raceday. There's always been a history with racing in these parts as residents used to illegally race along the county roads back in the 50's before the track was built. There's also a history of grilling over real charcoal in these parts (see previous posts) and that's what I read the boys over at Three Guy's & a Grill were doing so I made it a point to stop by.

Flaming Charcoal Grill

Upon entry you're greeted by the grill sending sweet whiffs of smoke into the outside air. This was an integrated Sconnie bar in that there were what seemed to be a couple regulars, a few families and couple guys enjoying a drink after some hunting with a middle 40's aged female bartender who seemed to know them all. Cheeseburger with fried onions wasn't bad. It was a bit overcooked however the kiss of charcoal is always a pleasant taste and the toasted Sheboygan style hard rolls commonly used around here are top notch. Located in the 13,000 acre Marsh Park Wildlife area, the view while eating the burger might of been the best part.

Cheeseburger outside

_____________________________________________________________

 Platteville VFW Post 5274

Platteville, WI

I got to stop in and try the popular with locals and riders sliders they serve here while experiencing the atmosphere inside. I enjoyed my visit in doing so. The public is welcome but the average age inside on my visit had to be near 80 and this included me and the pretty young blonde bartender who the Vets obviously enjoyed shooting dice with. My first order placed was a coca cola and Spotted Cow from the tap, at $3 I felt like I could be a regular quickly if I lived near here like all the old timers inside do.

The view inside

It was around 5p and that's when slider night starts (it goes 'til 9p). It seemed that's the reason most of the guys at the bar were there. Actually I take that back, they were there for the cheap beer and some sliders to go along with it. There's a regular menu with burgers, brats etc but no one in the place was ordering anything but the special. Three for $2.50 isn't a bad deal and so I was told these have always been made here the same way and loved by the locals. You get what you pay for and then a little more as long as you like this style of burger. The patties were steamed and so they were lighter in color than your typical burger and loaded with onions served inside steamed buns with pickles and the option of cheese. Good stuff but getting to listen the old timers go back and forth while watching and analyzing the gameshow 'Baggage' with host Jerry Springer was really great. I thought it was a fun stop with a peak inside a different old school style of 'Midwest Living'.

Wednesday Night Sliders at the Platteville VFW

_____________________________________________________________

Monk's Retreat

Cross Plains, WI

Stopped into here on a classic roadtrip thru Southeastern Wisconsin a couple years back. It was a crisp Fall night and the Packers were on the air so the place was packed. Their burger might not look like much but it was a winner for those of us who like the classic variety. No frills,. just fresh meat, real Wisconsin Cheese, locally supplied bun and a good cooking job made this one a winner.

Cheeseburger Plate

_____________________________________________________________

Tamarack Bar

I'm happy to pass this rec on. Like me a twitter friend likes to explore the burgers of the area and when he tweeted to me that this spot was serving a good one. I made a mental note. It might not look like much from the outside but this is the reason I can legitimately argue why Wisconsin as a state makes the best burgers. They could just use some frozen puck patty but the beef is supplied ground to order by a local butcher. The $3 pricetag on Thursdays? made for one of the best valued burgers I can remember eating. Extra beefy.

Galesville, WI

_____________________________________________________________

Dick's Bar & Grill 

Hudson, WI

Hudson is on the western border of the state just a couple miles away from Minnesota. It's about a 15 minute ride into the Twin Cities from here. Hudson sits on the beautiful St. Croix River which makes it a fun place in the summer months with all the outdoor activities going on. The old historic downtown district is right off the water. Dick's is pretty much a place for all. There's the main bar which has your typical Wisconsin tavern feel to it. Located in the room next door is the dining room where families can eat, the room next to that is an outdoor dining area.

A peak inside the main bar

The building and location on which it sits was once the center of all the action back when the St. Croix Landing and Toll Bridge sat right out in front where all passerby's came thru back in the 1850's. The bridge provided a steady flow of people and vehicles into Hudson with the original route connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 1867 the building Dick's now sits on became known as The St. Croix Saloon. It became Dick's in 1955. Today they have their own beer "Lucky Dog Red" which was a nice drink as we waited for some fried banana peppers from the appetizer menu.

Fried Banana Peppers

Nothing special as far as creativity goes but the peppers had me wondering why more places don't do this. You know why? Because most places just serve stuff that goes from the freezer to the fryer. I don't know if these are available pre-breaded and frozen but these were fried to order. If you like banana peppers like I do, there's no reason you wouldn't enjoy these. The burgers are what they're known for here and they come served variety of ways. I opted to follow a lead and go with the 'Big Richard'.

The "Big Richard" w/ Shaved Ham, Mushrooms & Melted Swiss Cheese

The burger was a 1/3 pound of fresh hand formed beef served with their signature fresh cut fries. All in all, another great bar burger served better than it had to be. The beef may have been cooked a little too well done but the piece of sauteed shaved ham and the mushrooms and melted cheese added some fat/juice into the mix. The fries were great. We spent a couple nights in Hudson and enjoyed some fun outdoor daytime activities with trips into the Twin Cities for the evening. The Apple River Tubing experience in nearby Somerset is a great way to spend a summer day as is a trip to the beautiful Willow River State Park. I enjoy this part of the state and look forward to returning.

Willow River State Park

_____________________________________________________________

Doorns Inn

Barnes, WI

We went into the Northwoods type tavern/roadhouse one day en route to Bayfield. My first instinct was to just take an order to go so we could get where we were headed ASAP but as I placed my order I fell into the trap that is Ice Cold American micro brewed beers. So of course I ended up ordering a couple while we waited. Even as the clock was just switching to the pm hours there were a couple regulars drinking, one of which was from the Ravenswood area and moved to the Northwoods. Of course with NFL network on the TV and football season near the Bears and Packers were being discussed. It's owned by a husband and wife team and the wife who was bar-tending was as nice as could be.

View from the bar

As seen in the picture above they have sold over 85,000 "Itty Bittys" which are their very popular with the locals-mini burgers. I read these are the best bar burgers not just in Wisconsin but in the country and in the few reviews and mentions of the place online everyone sings to their praise. They come in orders of three with fries and I think it was $6.95. I don't know how many spots I've doc'd in this thread but these were some of the best. Maybe a top 5 definitely a top 10. Fresh little balls of ground beef are cooked with a heavy amount of minced onion and together with the pickles and melted cheese they sing a glorious greasy tune. This is how most places claiming to serve "sliders" need to make them. But these aren't sliders, they're itty bittys and they're delicious.

Itty Bitty Cheeseburgers

_____________________________________________________________

Anton's Saloon

New Diggings, WI

Last but not least is my most recent burger consumed while in-state. I've long had the unincorporated town of New Diggings on my radar. Reason being is that there's two classic Wisconsin style biker bars located across the street from each other and that's it, no other businesses. One is famous for their BBQ pork sandwich while the other boasts a Macho Burger. Bikers from all over stop in for beer and food, most will got to both.

a peak around the place

I'm happy to report that the macho half pound burger is as good as the bikers that love it say it is. They get the meat supplied fresh from Weber Meats in nearby Cuba City and as seen in the pic they have the classic Wisconsin tavern setup where the bartender grills the burgers in an open area behind the bar. This isn't going to be some crazy new concoction that makes you wonder "why didn't I think of that" but it is everything you want from a classic backyard burger. If I was satisfied there's no reason you wont be.

Macho Burger

_____________________________________________________________

Captain Mike's Beer & Burger Bar
5118 6th Ave
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 658-2278

Hanson's Bar & Grill
615 Cranston Rd
Beloit, WI 53511
(608) 313-8797

Skippy's Sports Pub
113 Green Bay Rd
Thiensville, WI 53092
(262) 512-1240

Three Guys & a Grill
W7039 County Road S R
Elkhart Lake, WI 53020
(920) 876-2535

VFW Bar & Grill
110 W Mineral St.
Platteville, WI 53818
(608) 348-8883

The Monk's Retreat
1118 Main St
Cross Plains, WI 53528
(608) 798-3781

Tamarack Bar
Holcomb Coulee Rd
Galesville, WI 54630
(608) 539-2763

Dick's Bar & Grill
111 Walnut Street
Hudson, WI 54016
(715) 386-5222

Doorn's Inn
6935 County Highway North
Barnes, WI 54873
(715) 795-2000

Anton's Saloon
26320 County Hwy W
Shullsburg, WI 53586
(608) 965-4881