Trendy Asian Food Imports

-Grubbing in Chicago(land) 
Korean Fried Chicken + Corn Dogs and Mochi Donuts

Asian food is taking over the globe in ways it hasn't before. Chinese food has always been popular but we’re seeing a major shift in the Quick Service Restaurant spectrum which has seen an influx of Asian leaning franchises start to open up across the country. Some of the more popular offerings at these spots include Bubble Tea, Korean Fried Chicken, Korean Style Corn Dogs and the newly trending Mochi Donuts. I feel like most of us know what Korean Fried Chicken and Bubble Tea are by now but Korean Corn Dogs are still on the rise ever since becoming popular on tik tok out in LA. The biggest difference in a Korean Corn Dog and a corn dog as most of us know them is the Korean corn dog is made with rice flour. It was back in September of 2019 that I got to try my first mochi donut while in Seattle. I became an instant fan among many other Seattle-ites who were lining up to try these unique at the time donuts. Mochi Donuts aka Pon de ring donuts are a product of Japan where they moved into Hawaii before coming to Seattle and now the rest of the country. Some suggest the name has less to do with the glutinous rice flour that's associated with foods called mochi and more to do with the phrase mochi-mochi, which describes a uniquely soft but elastic and bouncy texture.

_______________________________________________

2d Restaurant

Our first stop takes us to Lakeview and a place where social media people flocked too upon it's opening. 2d Restaurant on Halsted is the city's first 2d cafe. The entire inside of the restaurant is hand-drawn two-dimensional monochrome illusionary that makes you feel like you're in a comic. Korean fried chicken and mochi donuts make up for what might be Chicago's most instagrammable / tiktokable dining destination. I visited with my young nieces who each got a kick out of it. You have the option to get your chicken tenders crisp or extra crisp and it comes with a sauce of choice and fries. I liked this for what it was which is some extra crisp juicy fried chicken. No complaints at all on that front and while the donuts were also good they were a tad bit too cold with a chocolate covered churro and a pina colada being our choices. The lines seem to have died down (weekdays anyway).

Fried Chicken and Mochi Donuts at 2d Restaurant
_______________________________________________

Mochinut 

A mochi donut and corn dog chain based out of Los Angeles recently opened it's first Chicago location over on Taylor Street. Mochinut is a name you should expect to hear more as they continue their expansion. They currently have four more Chicagoland locations planned including one in Lincoln Park. Their menu boasts more than 20 types of donuts though they're not all available at the same time. Along with the donuts they also do corn dogs and bubble tea though I dont think they've started to serve the other two just yet. These arent cheap coming in at $3.75 each but they are satisfying.

Mochi Donuts at Mochinut
_______________________________________________

Kong Dog

Korean Corn Dogs are popping up all over and Kong Dog is a newish spot that boasts locations in both Glenview and on Taylor street. It's owned by a local who tried Korean Corn Dogs in LA and wanted to bring them to Chicago. The menu showcases about eight different options including their most popular which is dusted with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The ordering process is pretty easy in that you pick your style which for me was potato which means theres diced potato included in the breading. After that you pick what you want your corn dog stuffed with which can be a hot dog and or cheese (cheddar and mozzarella). I opted for half hot dog and half cheese (mozzarella) with my choice of sauce being the sweet chili option. Unlike traditional corn dogs these are not easy to eat on the go. They're huge and served piping hot which means the cheese will come oozing out. I liked this more than I thought I would. Sure it's festival food but it hits all the notes of what makes festival food fun to begin with including the fact they turn heads. Expect lines on Taylor street for the time being.

Korean Corn Dog at Kong Dog
_______________________________________________

Mochidou

The best mochi donuts I've tried around town thus far come from Mochidou in Hoffman Estates. There's very little info online about this spot but they just opened and they also do bubble tea. The menu switches weekly with about eight different donuts on offer including an ube and strawberry which are pictured below. No surprise to find these out here where there's lots of Asian food options.

Mochi Donuts at Mochidou
_______________________________________________

Oh-K-Dog

Our next stop takes us to the H-Mart in Niles where Oh-K-Dog has opened their first Illinois location. I read somewhere that they're a Texas based chain with locations in more than five states including a few in NYC. Korean Corn Dogs are just one of their draws with the other being Korean Egg Toast. I decided to try the latter since while tasty, Korean corn dogs are similar from spot to spot. Egg Toast is another popular snack amongst Korea's youth and it's basically a breakfast sandwich. Thick slabs of buttered brioche secures surprisingly soft and silky scrambled eggs along with other ingredients that vary by selection. My ham and cheese also came with a mayo concoction that worked well.

Korean Egg Toast at Oh-K-Dog
_______________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking 

New Food Options in Chinatown

-Grubbing in Chicago
Developments in Chinatown

A Happy Chinese Lunar New Year to all! The 15th (and final) season of S'C'&C begins today and with that we're headed to Chinatown to celebrate. It remains one of Chicago's best and most interesting dining neighborhoods in large part due to it's increased growth which has been the main catalyst behind regular openings of new spots. Another catalyst is we're seeing the ushering in of a new Chinatown and the exit of an old one. Like the rest of the city and most everywhere else around the country it's becoming much more corporate. Old school spots are shutting down and being replaced with what seems to be mostly bubble tea shops and chains. The latter of which isn't necessarily bad but for the most part these places seem to be doing a similar menu with options like fried chicken, wraps and ramen popping up. That said many of these places are opening in newer developments that aren't replacing older restaurants bc the developments they're in are completely new. I'm talking about the building at 2252 S. Canal which is starting to see some spots open up (more to come) and also the building at 2105 S. Jefferson which hosts 88 Marketplace among handfuls of other recently opened businesses. Today we'll visit five spots that have more or less recently opened up shop. 

_______________________________________________

Monkey King Jianbing 

You kind of need to know about Monkey King Jianbing to find it. It's highly unlikely that you'd find it on a stroll through the neighborhood since it's located on the second floor of the previously mentioned development on Canal. I first visited back in December of 2020 when it had just opened up. I was driving by and saw a sign on the door that said jianbing which caught my eye as I'm a fan. Jianbing is a Chinese crepe that's rolled with a variety of fillings which most always includes a cracker among chili and hoisin sauce and maybe some sausage if that's what you want (popular without meat too). Though I’ve had Jianbing in Beijing I’ve still only had it from a handful of spots total but I’ll tell you what - it always seems to be satisfying. Typically eaten on the street for breakfast. This one was crunchy from both the fresh veggies and fried crackers (bao cui) inside. A great way to start the day. 

Jianbing from Monkey King Jianbing 
_______________________________________________

Ying Dim Sum

I mentioned the newish 88 Marketplace in the opening and Ying Dim Sum is one of it's tenants. The building at 2105 S. Jefferson was renovated a couple years back and it's main tenant is a large Chinese Supermarket and within the market are a handful of food stalls. The turnover here has been pretty high to start. So much so that I visited twice in the span of a week last November and on my first visit the stall where Ying has opened was hosting a different business. Well the dim sum in their name caught my eye and I decided to step in and try a few things. The menu has lots of the classics including siumai and rice crepes which can both be seen below. In between those is an order of their Taishan dumplings which had a jelly texture, they were interesting. Unlike in NYC rice crepes aren't all that popular in Chicago so I don't have many others to judge these by but they were fine. Siumai are pretty much always good as were these but I still list those from D'Cuisine as tops in town. 

Dim Sum at Ying Dim Sum 
_______________________________________________

New Great Wall BBQ

The latest spot to open up shop in Chinatown Square is neither a bubble tea shop nor a chain. New Great Wall BBQ seems to be a reboot of the old Great Wall Chinese Restaurant which it replaced. I visited just this week and it had a very locally owned feel. The reboot makes the former sitdown spot more of a takeout place as Chinese bbq is the feature. They offer up all the classics as far as that goes. For a first time visit I decided to try the bbq pork as that's a favorite of mine at BBQ King down the square. They also had some really good looking chicken wings hanging in the window that were very tempting. But I settled on some bbq pork over white rice which comes with a few bunches of bok choy, a cup of chicken broth and a thousand year egg all for $8 which is a steal of a deal.  

BBQ Pork Plate at New Great Wall BBQ
_______________________________________________

Daebek Korean Street Food 

If you're active on social media or follow any type of TikTok food accounts you've probably seen a thing or two on Korean corn dogs by now. They're a popular trend as a handful of spots now serve them when a year or so ago there was really just one place making them (inside Assi Plaza). A few of the new Korean corn dog shops are full fledged brick and mortars and at times people have been known to line up to get one. So what's a Korean corn dog? Pretty much a corn dog with the choice of a hot dog, rice cake, cheese and sometimes even a fish cake inside. I was surprised when I got one from Daebek Street Food in Chinatown Square and it was only half of a hot dog (ordered with cheese which is what the other half was). These are good in that state fair food sort of way. I wouldn't go out of my way just to eat one but if you're hopping around Chinatown you can try one of them there. Daebek also does Korean shaved ice aka Bingsu. 

Korean Corn Dog at Daebek Korean Street Food 
_______________________________________________

Ken Kee Restaurant 

Ken Kee has been a fixture in Chinatown Square for as long as I can remember. But it was almost lost when it was sold and bought by the owner of Strings Ramen. But instead of making it nothing more than a memory they decided to spruce it up a bit so to say. I think the overall result is a net positive as Ken Kee is still around and so is the Hong Kong style food they've always made. But there's noodle soups that have been added to the menu and those are now front and center. I stopped by this past October when the weather was starting to turn and I really enjoyed their take on seafood laksa which isn't something you see too often around town. It's popular in SE Asia where curried soups are common. This one hit the spot and did in fact bring me back to a bowl of laksa I enjoyed in Hong Kong. The best part of it was the noodles which are the same ones used at Strings. 

Seafood Laksa at Ken Kee
_______________________________________________

See you next time @chibbqking

Eating Up Lake Michigan Pt.2

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Summertime on Western Michigan's Shoreline

With air travel a no go for the time being we decided to take a small roadtrip this summer. We're still hoping to be able to take a longer one at the end of August but around Mid-July we decided to go beaching for a few days up the coast of Michigan. A trip I try to take every summer but don't always accomplish since there's so many other spots to see. That said there isn't much better as far as a 2-3 hour trip from Chicago this time of the year. Western Michigan easily has the best fresh water beaches in the country and there's some cute little towns to be found up and down. That said this was a bit of a last minute trip so any type of cute beach bungalow was long gone as far as rentals go. So instead we decided to make Grand Rapids our home base. More on GR in my next post as today's will focus on the food we ate up and down the lake since even though we stayed in Grand Rapids we hung out on the beaches during the day. It worked out quite well actually as there was more to see / do in GR in the eve. Today's roundup will include food from Harbor Country all the way up to Muskegon. We beached all four days and found the Pere Marquette Park Beach in Muskegon to be best in class. It's spacious and the sand is super soft while the water is pretty clear.

Pere Marquette Park (Muskegon, MI)
__________________________________________________

 Patellie's (Three Oaks, MI)

I've always loved the charming little town of Three Oaks. It's a great place to stay if you're headed to Harbor Country and don't need to be right on the beach. I feel like it's seen major growth the last decade. But not to the point where it's lost any charm or feels like any other suburb. Most of the businesses in town are local purveyors of whatever it is they're selling. At Patellie's that's pizza. Found right on the main strip of town (Elm street) is this semi newish pizza place. The Michiana area has some good pizza spots and you can count these East Coast style pies and slices among them. We had called to order a whole pizza but there was a bit of a wait. Luckily they do slices and huge ones at that. I was confused by the lady at the walk up window asking if I wanted my slices sliced so I said no and ended up with basically a 1/4 of a pizza in each slice dressed with fresh local toppings.

 Slices from Patellie's 

__________________________________________________

 Flagship Fish (Lakeside, MI)

I recently took my first trip to Flagship Fish located on the Red Arrow Highway in between Warren Dunes and New Buffalo. I got the tip from a buddy and agreed it looked legit. Small menu of fried items including lightly breaded lake perch and traditional fish and chips made with cod. Fresh seafood and local meats available too. I enjoyed both fried offerings on a hot summer day before some chill time at the beach. Judging by the constant takeout they're a welcome addition to Harbor Country.

Lightly Dusted Lake Perch + Fish & Chips from Flagship Fish 

__________________________________________________

 Farmhouse Deli & Pantry (Douglas, MI)

Douglas Michigan is another cute little town that's worth spending a weekend in. If you do then check out Farmhouse Deli & Pantry for lunch one day. This is kind of the prototypical lunch option in Harbor Country if you ask me. There's lots of spots like it but they're not all the same per se. Farmhouse features a ton of Michigan products such as Great Lakes Potato Chips which are quite possibly the GOAT of bagged chips. Aside from a deli case with salads, meats and such they also have cold and hot sandwiches and fresh squeezed juice drinks. Their most popular offering is their version of a banh mi which isn't authentic at all in terms of the bread used (Dutch Crunch Roll) but they nail it in terms of deliciousness. House smoked pork with good smoke flavor is dressed with pickled carrots, pickled radish, pickled cucumber, greens, jalapeño, cilantro, sriracha mayonnaise. I'd advise to order ahead.

Smoked Pork Banh Mi at Farmhouse Deli

__________________________________________________

Pronto Pups (Grand Haven, MI)

This little corn dog stand sits on a public park overlooking the Grand River. It's been a part of Grand Haven summers for a really long time. So when I walked up and found a line with news cameras interviewing people I assumed they had just opened from quarantine shutdown or something. I watched a blue collar local walk away with five and chow them down solo at a picnic table. He must've really missed them I figured. It wasn't until after I too enjoyed my unique pancake battered pronto pups (hence the name, they cant call them corn dogs) that I learned that news cameras were there bc the day before the owner had posted a racist rant to the businesses social media account. Apparently the dumb ass meant to post to to his personal page as if that's any type of excuse. Look they were good for what they were. Cheap hot dogs battered and fried fresh but I for one want to know if a place I'm supporting is part of America's ugly problem bc I don't want to support these people in any type of way. Some will cry cancel culture but it's in fact enacting the freedom to say "Fuck You".

Pronto Pups. Served up by a racist in Grand Haven.

__________________________________________________

Fricano's Pizza Tavern (Grand Haven, MI)

Return trip to what some call the best pizzeria in all of Michigan. I first visited close to a decade ago and loved the classic atmosphere as well as the minimal menu. They offer pizza and drinks and that’s it. You can choose from just five topping options including anchovies. Also there’s just one size. Founded in 1949 by two brothers who decided to introduce Western Michigan to a Sicilian style pizza their family made and the rest is history with multiple locations today. That said the original here in Grand Haven is the one you want to try as the atmosphere is as important as the pizza. It was weird seeing the house empty but they were still churning out 100s of pizzas for takeout. The most popular order is “EBA” or everything but anchovies. But I had that last time and it was too much toppings. I think two is the most a pizza should have. So for this trip I chose sausage and green pepper. They load up the sausage with seasoning mix they call ‘birdseed’ that seems to be a dried Italian herb blend. It’s pretty potent in a good way and when ate with the sausage and peppers it tasted like an Italian Sausage with sweet. The pizza is extra thin but not cracker crispy or cut in squares - how I like it. That said between the unique style and the throwback dining area it’s worth a stop for sure. I love how they still cut the pies with scissors. Best pizzeria in the state? Maybe outside of Detroit.

Sausage and Green Pepper Pizza at Fricano's
__________________________________________________

Tootsie's Diner (Muskegon, MI)

The Friday Night Fish Fry at Muskegon's Doo Drop Inn was iconic. Featuring freshly dusted lake perch and also a popular onion ring recipe made the long gone bar one of the most popular places in Western Michigan on Friday nights. But the lake perch and onion rings live on at Tootsie’s Diner also in Muskegon. I can see why people like both recipes so much. The fish has a nice light crust that lets the fresh lake perch shine. It wasn’t crispy but it was extra tender. Friday’s only in Pure Michigan.

Friday Fish Fry and Onion Rings at Tootsie's Diner 

__________________________________________________

Crossroads Blueberry Market

If you're in these parts during the blueberry season there isn't anywhere that does them better. Michigan grows more blueberries than any other state and a large number of blueberry farms are found in Western Michigan. I stopped into a couple and found the blueberries to be best from the Crossroads Blueberry Market which also makes great blueberry donuts. I'd read that a place called Jawor Brothers rolls their pie crust by hand so I made it a point to stop there and grab one. I should've got the large instead of a small. Bomb blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream is a killer combo.

A peek inside Crossroads Blueberry Market 

__________________________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking

Regional Eats Road Trip

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-The Roads of America: Cruising while Chowing

Welcome to Travel Month at S'C'&C. Through the end of July we'll hit the road as hard as ever as we set out to seek and eat some of the great treats offered throughout the region and also Canada. Longtime readers know that when we're on the road one of the things we love to do is check out the popular locally loved spots serving up something specific to that town, city or domain. In fact we're way backed up so here's a post featuring seven specialty treats to eat found on the Great American Food Trail.
__________________________________________________

The Louisville Hot Brown Sandwich

I took a ride down to Nashville to celebrate at my cousins bachelor party last year and as the driver of one car I made sure I had some food stops we couldnt find elsewhere planned rather than the usual chains and even worse gas sation snacks some people eat while riding. Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville, KY was where we stopped for lunch on the way down.It just so happens that place is up for sale bc Lynn is moving on to her next adventure. If you ever wanted to own a piece of roadfood now's your chance. Here's my pitch.


Louisville, KY

If you haven't been or read about Lynn's it's a quirky little spot in a old school turned hippie neighborhood. It's big and there's a bar area (liquor is served) along with a good amount of tables inside and an outdoor patio as well. Inside as you first enter there's a large area with all sorts of those things you buy someone for a quick laugh, haha, then its never seen nor thought of again. I chose a Bloody to start my meal and was expecting something big time with the double digit pricetag and the mention of 36 ingredients it takes to make it. Not that I was really buying the whole ingredient thing I found the Bloody to be average at best. Nothing like you find in Wisconsin. 

Inside and outside dining

A bloody way to start the meal

I wasn't sure if the entire gimmick was why people love this place but it was all good from here. My second option would of been the fried green tomato BLT and that's was got by the three others with me. I enjoyed my half of a half sandwich that I tried and thought the sides of which they give you a choice of with your sandwich order were pretty good too. The cheesy grits and onions rings that is.


Fried Green Tomato BLT

But I couldn't go thru Louisville and not try one of their famous signature 'Hot Brown' sandwiches. Created in the 1920's at the Brown Hotel the original was concocted as an alternative option to the typical late night ham and cheese offering of that era. Its a take on Welsh Rarebit that consists of bread topped with fresh sliced turkey, layered with mornay sauce and cheese and served with bacon and in some cases tomatoes and other things on top. They offer their own version at Lynn's with sourdough bread on the bottom and fresh roasted turkey in between locally made cheese.

According to the menu this was named the "best sandwich in America" by Alton Brown and while I'm not sure if that's due to the name connection I am sure it takes a knife and fork to eat it so its not really a sandwich anyway. But eat it I did. I thought it was pretty damn good and loved the bites where I could get some bread, turkey, tomato and bacon up in there. I'd get it again if I ever stop in and I just may when I find myself back out this way.


The Paradise Brown "Sandwich"
__________________________________________________

Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Spied and tried alongside the road in the middle of Florida

I'd never tried the southern treat boiled peanuts until this past winter. A trip down to the sunshine state brought us to Tampa for a Cuban Sandwich Shuffle and then into South Florida for some local eats followed up with all sorts of seafood and fish down in the Keys. During this trip I spied a place selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road in the middle of the state and decided to give them a try. Awesome! But not something you should try and eat while driving :)

a Southern Specialty: Boiled Peanuts

__________________________________________________

The Gom Sandwich, Indiana Tenderloins & Ice Cream

On the way back from Nashville along I-65 we stopped in at another popular roadfood rec called Zaharakos in Columbus, Indiana. The town that gave us Tony Stewart y'alls! Ha I keed and am not a NASCAR fan but you know they take that serious in these parts.


Longtime favorite in Columbus, IN

Zaharakos takes Ice Cream parlors serious so I'd always wanted to stop into the historic landmark in downtown Columbus which is about a five minute ride off the highway. Founded in 1900 the place is as well upkept as any old time ice cream parlor I've been too.


As we enter

Zaharakos also doubles as a museum and has some very nice old school fountains and other soda shop memorabilia on display throughout the place and a candy/gift store too. You can take a seat at the fountain or sit a table with waiter service. The pic up above is of only one room with there being another with an old school no longer in use fully loaded soda fountain on display and tables for larger parties to sit in between the old soda fountains.

Taken into another time

The place was very nice inside and brought us back into another era sitting at the fountain. I'm not a big ice cream guy and since we still had a little bit of a ride back I only went with a real soda fountain style made Green River. Service was a little spotty but it wasn't awful either, just a few miscues and some stuff that needed to be cleaned up. The signature food item of the house is the 'Gom Sandwich' which is Zaharakos version of a Sloppy Joe served on thick toasted white bread. There's debate about whether the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is a product of Indiana or Iowa. Both take claim to the throne of which state makes the best so you tend to find them on menus throughout each.

Old School

I liked the idea of making a grilled cheese with Sloppy Joe meat but didn't think the $7 (w/ cheese) pricetag on a sloppy Joe with chips in Central Indiana was accurate but whatever, it was tasty. The pork tenderloin even though it was homemade was just ok. From my experiences thus far, Iowa handles Indiana pretty easily in that game. If you like old school Midwest towns with the long gone independent movie theaters (there's a cool one here) and ice cream parlors like Zaharakos stop in Columbus Indiana if you get the chance.

Gom Sandwich & Homemade Indiana Tenderloin

__________________________________________________

Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

If you go to a place that serves food in Iowa odds are they have a tenderloin on the menu. It doesnt matter if its a bar or or some public schools lunch menu, they eat these everywhere there. I got to try a couple loved ones in Des Moines a while back and have looked forward to more since. There's even a bible for Iowa 'loins if you're ever on the road there and want to try one. I ate another renowned place when I stopped in at TC's Point After in Dewitt.


Dewitt, IA

Dewitt is a small little town (Duh) with a typical little Main street. Subway, barber shop etc and  TC's just a few doors down. Hey, I guess you cant eat a tenderloin at TC's constantly but I sure as hell would if the option was their 2009 2nd place at the Iowa State Fair Tenderloin sandwich or some shit served inside some foam from Subway. "They take a whole pork loin and cut of about a six ounce center portion of pork, run it through a tenderizer front and back, and then coat it with a secret homemade batter." I've actually been to the spot that beat TC's out (Goldie's Ice Cream shop) and remember both for their juicy factor which is something you don't always get with tenderloins.


TC's Famous Breaded 'loin

TC's is a nice place to have as your local tavern, typical Midwest vibe inside, this one with lots of old wood and on the darker side as far as lighting with a sports theme to it. Plenty of bar league trophies and Hawkeye stuff on display as well as memorabilia from the not so lovable losers over on Addison. They love their Cubbie baseball in Iowa, as anyone who lives near Wrigley knows. They come by the busload and over the years all their walking around, taking pictures and eating and drinking, while watching bad baseball at Wrigley has caused cracks in the stadium structure and sidewalks around it. So next time around someone bring me over a tenderloin from TC's and I'll be a little more welcoming to all the big bone-ded individuals with their "(Insert some random tavern here) in Iowa Cubs Trip 2013" shirts on. I keed. TC's = Top Notch.


Not just a great tenderloin, a great sandwich...
__________________________________________________

Springfield Style Corn Dogs

Not a bad fallback found on the side of the road in Sterling, IL after catching a couple famous fried chicken places at hours they werent open. Aunt TT's Concessions is a popular place for a quick lunch. She fries some damn fine corn dogs (Born in Springfield, IL) made with Vienna Beef franks.You can find her on Facebook.

Fresh Fried Corn Dogs found around the Sauk Valley Region

__________________________________________________

Great Lakes Fish Sandwiches

The Roadfood rec'd Jolly Roger Seafood House in Port Clinton, OH

I took a road trip to Toronto recently (stay tuned) which took us thru Ohio and into Buffalo on day one. The first of many food stops was the longtime Roadfood favorite Jolly Roger Seafood House in Port Clinton Ohio. Having never been to neither I chose it over New Sandusky Fish Company which was also en route. If I had my choice we would of done both but I'm sure there will be another time.


Waiting for my order...they do an excellent breading/frying job here

It was just me and she so we decided to split both a lake perch and walleye sandwich. I made one a meal and upgraded to their onion rings and got a side of fresh fried 'shrooms too. The menu isn't big and thus what they do, they do right. The onion rings and mushrooms were both excellent examples and the sandwiches were too. I preferred the lake perch which was so simple it would seem anyone can make them like this but I never had a (Great Lakes) fish sandwich so good. Perfectly fried fresh filets between a soft locally sourced bun with their homemade tarter sauce was all that was needed. Roadfood at it's finest.


Lake Perch Sandwich plate with Onion Rings

Fresh Breaded 'Shrooms

Spots like this serving fresh caught fish from the backyard are found throughout the Great Lakes states. Check my report on lake perch in Northwest Indiana HERE.

Walleye Sandwich
__________________________________________________

Wisconsin Farmers Markets Food

Wisconsin is a great place to shop local when stuff is in season. They have one of the countries best farmers markets in Madison and smaller well stocked ones throughout the state. I stopped into the Hudson Farmers Market last summer and got some really nice squash and just had to try some fried dough from the Wisconsin Wontons stand. Both the fresh fruit filled ones and the chopped jalapenos with cheese curd wontons were a real treat to eat and so 'sconnie like.

Wisconsin Grown Produce Stuffed Wontons

__________________________________________________

Lynn's Paradise Cafe
984 Barret Avenue
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 583-3447

Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor & Museum
329 Washington St
Columbus, IN 47201
(812) 378-1900

TC's Point After
719 6th Avenue
De Witt, IA 52742
(563) 659-8188

Jolly Roger Seafood House
1737 E Perry St
Port Clinton, OH 43452
(419) 732-3382

Hudson Farmers Market
South Lot of Faith Community Church
777 Carmichael Road
Hudson, WI  54016
(612) 203-9030