Wisconsin tour: recommendations for "W" cities?

Well, okay, they don't all start with W. But, I am going on a three-week tour of Wisconsin in October that goes to the following cities/towns:
Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Whitewater, Sauk City, Appleton, and Manitowoc. (As well as Madison and Milwaukee, but I can handle those easily).

I actually live about 40 miles west of Madison now but have not done much traveling throughout the east or middle to the state. While I enjoy the Wisconsin custard and burgers, I'm not necessarily looking to exclusively eat those for three weeks. (My waistline would perhaps never forgive me). Here's what I've been able to glean so far from this (and other) sites:

Wausau: Wagon Wheel Supper Club; Lucci's Back When Cafe; downtowngrocery.com; The Mint; The Loading Zone.

Wisconsin Rapids: There is a mention of good pub food, but nothing specific.

Manitowoc: The Penguin drive-in. (burgers and custard...)

Whitewater: I got nothing.

Sauk City: The original Culver's. (burgers and custard...)

Appleton: Apollon; Koreana; Nakashima of Japan; and Sai Ron.

I should also mention that I'll be traveling in a caravan without exclusive access to a car, so going farther afield (ie Oshkosh from Appleton) will not always be feasible.

Can anyone give me some help and save me from three weeks of Subway and MickeyD's? It would be so appreciated. And I'll report back!

Thanks
Jacki

Whitewater is pretty unremarkable foodwise. One of the frequent posters - GEO- noted that there was a sushi place in the downtown on Main St. but I have not tried it at this time. Being a college town, there ARE a lot of eating options, none that I have found to be worth a recommendation.

If you're going across the state on Hwy 10 to Appleton, there's a modest, but very good, cheese factory not too far off that road, in Zittou. It's been mentioned several times on LTH:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=22443

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... c231af383b

also check out:

http://www.savorwisconsin.com/AllListin ... pe=product

Just found out about this book over at Roadfood.com:

http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2230.htm

Looks like it might be useful.

Also, for you folks who like to wander Indiana:

http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3689.htm

Buddy

I grew up in Fort Atkinson, about 7 miles from Whitewater and cannot think of anything to eat in that city. If you travel down HWY 12 a bit further you can get to Fort, and there are a few good to decent places to eat there. None of these places are going to blow your mind or anything, but the food is good and these people are working hard to keep their restaurants open in a fairly small town.

First up:
Everybodys Cafe - I have only eaten here once but the food was good. They make their own desserts, sometimes have homemade breads, they also do soups and specials all made in house. Main focus is kind of fancy (for a small town) sandwichs and sides. The carrot cake really is good.

http://www.everybodyscafe.net/
403 Janesville Avenue
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538
Phone 920.568.8500
Fax 920.568.8600

Los Portales - A little mexican restaurant on Main Street. The inside is no frills, and maybe even a bit dumpy. I think there are maybe 3 or 4 people that work there, two cooks and a server usually. I've been here a couple of times and the food has always been really good and fresh. A good portion of food for a pretty small price.

Los Portales
226 South Main Street, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538

Salamone's - A Fort Atkinson mainstay. Salamone's has been around for as long as I can remember, my first job was making pizza's there when I was 15. It's been awhile since I have eaten there, but the pizza was always good to me because it's what I grew up with. I like their deep dish and stuffed the best. The deep dish is very fluffy and airy, not dense and thick like traditonal Chicago style. Their calazones are also good, I would not recommend eating anything outside of the pizza and calazones, most of it is pre-packaged, pre-cooked, deep fryer stuff. Their pasta sauces are also not very good.

Salamone's
1245 Madison Avenue, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
(920) 563-9217

There is another long time place called the Cafe Carpe, but honestly I have never eaten there. I'm pretty sure they serve cajun fare, I should really go eat there sometime. The owners are good people, if not a little eccentric.

Cafe Carpe
18 South Water Street West, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
http://www.cafecarpe.com
(920) 563-9391

Or if you are going through at lunch you could stop at Ken and Betty's for a Philly Cheesestake or a delicious oven grinder. Ken is from Philly and he and his sons (usually running the place) make a really good sandwich. They also run another local restaurant called the Lamp.

Ken & Betty's
41 Sherman Avenue West, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
(920) 568-1582

Lastly, in Cambridge, between Madison and Fort Atkinson on HWY 12, there is a new place called Tru Tavern. I ate here once and the food was really pretty damn good. They are putting out a really nice effort for such a small town.

Tru Tavern and Grill
157 W Main Street
Cambridge, WI 53523
Phone: 608.423.3000
http://www.trutavernandgrill.com/


I came up with way more than I thought I would, hopefully it is helpful, and not to out of your way. I really couldn't think of anyplace to eat in Whitewater.

Wisconsin Rapids--The Jamaican Kitchen at 161 2nd Street North (they have a web site) has great food. We spent 4 days in WR this summer visiting with friends, sightseeing, taking some cheese factory tours and of course eating. This was the best place we found. The owners are from Jamaica, she does all the cooking and he does all the rest. A fun couple. Place is very small and was really busy the nite we were there. The food was great! We also went to the local brewery Pub--beer was very good and the food was fine.
If you get a chance when your in the WR area, don't miss going to the High Grounds War Memorial. It's very well done, inspiring and uplifting.

Hello Jacki: your three-week October tour of Wisconsin sounds wonderful as a fall event and you've gleaned five nice selections for your Wausau visit! In particular, because I own one of them, "Downtown Grocery", which is located across the street from another of your choices, "Back When Cafe" and down the block from another choice "The Mint Cafe". And Back When Cafe is the favorite of my friends Janet & Steve whom also place a fourth choice "Wagon Wheel" which is also on Janet's favorite list.

When you visit Wausau please stop by the store and look for me, or contact me ahead of time, and I'll find Janet to give you a summary of their culinary experiences in Wausau as Janet & Steve have interesting stories about most places around town.

In addition, the other owner of Downtown Grocery is Blaine Tornow and he also owns Moonshadow Farm, a MOSA Certified Organic farm, and he'd love to give you a farm tour when you visit town. Plus Blaine has a cabin for rent on his west 40 acres. It's called Hemlock Cabin, see image of cabin at http://www.downtowngrocery.com/moon.htm, and it has two-story living space with sleeping lofts on two sides, composting toilet, sauna, and great views to Rib Mountain State Park from the big front porch. If that sounds like an interesting place to stay a night, contact Blaine and he may have an availability.

Thank you too for planning such an ambitious and tasty tour of Wisconsin and I hope you stop in our town as we'd like to help you experience the tastes of Wausau!

Sincerely, Kevin Korpela

I was in Whitewater for a football game on Saturday and here is some more information that I can pass on.

Tokyo's
161 W Main St. Whitewater
262-473-3000

This was the restaurant that GEO recommended to me last year. The place looks good but I have not had the time to stop in


Karina's Mexican Restaurant
109 S 1st St. Whitewater
262-472-9492
http://www.karinarestaurant.com/

This place is soon moving elsewhere in the downtown area. They offer a dozen lunch specials for $4.95. Their pork cubes in chile colorado was quite good. This place is really pretty good (but not great).


Frosty's Frozen Custard
535 E Milwaukee St. Whitewater
262-473-2320
http://wi.local.yahoo.biz/frostysfrozencustard

This was some of the WORST frozen custard. It lacks a certain richness and had the taste of soft serve ice cream. They have some good combinations BUT if the custard is no good.

And they claim to serve American Kobe Beef ... whatever that means.

brandon_w wrote:I grew up in Fort Atkinson, about 7 miles from Whitewater and cannot think of anything to eat in that city. If you travel down HWY 12 a bit further you can get to Fort, and there are a few good to decent places to eat there. None of these places are going to blow your mind or anything, but the food is good and these people are working hard to keep their restaurants open in a fairly small town.

First up:
Everybodys Cafe
Los Portales
Salamone's
Ken & Betty's
Tru Tavern and Grill

I came up with way more than I thought I would, hopefully it is helpful, and not to out of your way. I really couldn't think of anyplace to eat in Whitewater.

Thanks for these, BTW - Ive been up to Fort a few times, and havent eaten
at *any* of these spots yet! They will be very useful on my next trip up there.

Let me, however, add a couple more that may be useful for WHitewater and
Fort Atkinson.

First, in Whitewater itself - Cold Spring Inn. Its a traditional Wisconsin
supper club type spot, a bar area plus a restaurant area, right on a golf
course. If youre at the UW-Whitewater football stadium... its only 2 or 3
miles further away, down the same street (the stadium is just off.. Tratt
Street, is it? If you keep going down Tratt, it turns into Hwy N. A very friendly
place, and has good food - very good burgers, specials, sandwiches, a
respectable fish-fry from what I hear etc.

Cold Spring Inn
N1431 Hwy N
Whitewater
920-563-2056

Second, if youre headed up Hwy 12 towards Fort Atkinson... 10 minutes
away from Whitewater, pretty much when you hit the border of Fort
Atkinson, is a place called "Soup's On". The restaurant is open only
from about 6am to 2pm - they do a very fine breakfast, soups and
all food home-made from scratch from what I understand. (Hwy 12 is
called Whitewater Ave in Fort, BTW).

Soup's On
1125 Whitewater Ave
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
(920) 563-3878

For Mexican.. maybe the best and most authentic Mexican in the area is
not at any of the "restaurants" per se - its at a place called Guanajuato,
which is a grocery store on south Main Street in Fort Atkinson. It has a taqueria
at the back for food - very authentic tortas, tacos etc. On weekends they
offer menudo, birria etc as well! There is an attached Mexican bakery,
where you can find most of the things you get at authentic Mexican bakeries
like Ayutla in Rogers Park.

Carnicerias Guanajuato
809 South Main Street
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
(920) 568-1524

Also in Fort Atkinson, Ive eaten a burger from a bar called Lennigan's, which
was pretty good (but not destination). The owner is Albanian...and so they
also have a burek on the menu! I didnt try the burek, though

Finally, if youre in Whitewater - the pizza place rec'd to me (from students
who eat a *lot* of pizza as the one clearly superior is Rosa's, which is
just off Main street. Ive tried it only once, and it was decent on the day.

Rosas Pizza
113 N 2nd St
Whitewater, WI
Phone: 262-472-9857

c8w

jlawrence01 wrote:I was in Whitewater for a football game on Saturday and here is some more information that I can pass on.

Frosty's Frozen Custard
535 E Milwaukee St. Whitewater
262-473-2320
http://wi.local.yahoo.biz/frostysfrozencustard

This was some of the WORST frozen custard. It lacks a certain richness and had the taste of soft serve ice cream. They have some good combinations BUT if the custard is no good.

And they claim to serve American Kobe Beef ... whatever that means.

Have tried the custard at Frosty's a couple of times, and probably agree with
you Bad custard is still pretty good,of course - but I agree, it isnt really
particularly good custard here. However this area seems to be not so
great for custard in general - I dont know of too many places around
Whitewater/Fort/Johnsons Creek that even serve it. It would be nice if
there were (Michael's in Madison is the other one I know, and even that
isnt as good as Kopp's). And, of course, various Culver's - which are
ok, but which I dont often go to when in WI (since I figure I can go to them
most of the time in Chicago anyway

c8w

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions...Here's a brief wrap-up from three weeks of criss-crossing Central and Southern Wisconsin. Most of my notes are from memory and I forgot the camera, so it’s not super detailed, but perhaps a can function as a signpost if you happen to find yourself stuck in one of these smaller towns:

Wausau, Wisconsin
We ate at the Hereford & Hops our first night, one of those "only in the Midwest" places where you pick your own steak out of a glass-doored refrigerator and grill it yourself on one of the three large charcoal fire pits scattered through the restaurant. (Or pay $2 to have someone cook it for you). They also had their own beer on tap. The steak was just fine, the communal atmosphere pleasant, and the beer was ok. Not a place I would go to again in a heartbeat or anything, but fine if you’re being dragged out with others.

Hereford & Hops
2305 Sherman Street
Wausau, WI 54401
Phone: (715) 849-3700
http://www.foodspot.com/herefordandhops/menu.html

For lunch on the second day, I wrestled my crew over to the downtown grocery and met Kevin. Excellent salad bar, with many unusual offerings (herring amongst them); great little organic/local grocery; and hot dishes were enjoyed by those that partook. I dig these kinds of places, and I’m glad it’s doing well.

Downtown grocery
607 Third Street
Wausau WI 54403
Phone/Fax 715-848-9800
http://www.downtowngrocery.com/

Sunday night is, evidently, the night for every single restaurant in Wausau to be closed. Wagon Wheel Supper club: closed. Lucci’s Back When Café: closed. (BTW, some others in my group went there for lunch the next day, and were very disappointed in the food and service.) Two other places we tried: closed. For dinner, we ended up at Sawadee Thai restaurant, which was pretty good. Not the best Thai I had on tour, but very respectable, surprisingly spicy enough, good squid, Hmong families dining there, and open on Sunday night. What more can you ask for?

Sawadee Thai Restaurant
1720 Merrill Ave
Wausau, WI 54401
(715) 675-1890

Another lunch was at the Mint Café, which certainly isn’t a secret by any means but is straight-up, classic and great diner food. I was in a salad phase, so got the taco salad, which was lighter and less greasy than the norm. I was, however, quite envious of my dining partner’s hot beef, which was a classic of the genre; also great milkshakes, burgers, etc. My favorite thing on the menu might have been the “Wisconsin Vegetable platter” which featured fried broccoli, fried cauliflower, and fried cheese curds. The kitchen was worth noting for turning out our 13-top’s food in an unbelievably short period of time.

Mint Café
422 N 3rd Ave
Wausau, WI 54401
(715) 845-5879

The last night, we had pizza at the bowling alley, which I mention only for the fact that they would not serve me a beer until I went back to the hotel and produced an ID. I’m 36. The beer was watery and warm, but the pizza was hot and the bowling inexpensive. Wednesday nights are dollar night.

Mountain Lanes
1401 Elm St
Wausau, WI 54401
(715) 845-4331


Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
My one great find of the tour was here, and is unfortunately not a restaurant, but a liquor store with an unbelievably good selection of wine. Kelly’s liquors, sandwiched in a strip mall between a Perkins and a Pizza Hut, sure looks unprepossessing from the outside, and once you get inside, the 1.75 liter plastic bottles of cheap whiskey up near the front might put you off. But you must push on into a fantastic wine selection at really good prices. I got a 1992 Riesling Kabinett in great condition (a little scary, right, a 92, but what the heck?) and a 2000 Bordeaux (not from a famous chateau or anything, but still…) each for $9.99. Quite possibly, the two best bottles of $10 wine I’ve ever had. This place is a find. I would have bought a case, had I had room in my suitcase.

Kelly's Liquor Store
2131 8th St S
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
(715) 423-0591

The Jamaican place, was, as advertised, great and friendly, and an incredible boost to a (mostly) fast-food wasteland. The owners were awfully nice and the food was great. I got the jerk pork and pineapple and tasted pretty much everyone else’s food, and it was all dynamite.

Jamaican Kitchens
161 2nd St N
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
(715) 421-3930
http://www.jamaicankitchens.com

Café Mulino, in the Hotel Mead, was a decent lunch spot. I’m not big on restaurant Italian, but the selections were more interesting than most, and they serve the obligatory salad and bread to the table in a short span of time (I was starving!) My tuna salad sandwich was a more interesting take on the typical fare: grilled tuna, in chunks, with a lemon-caper aioli as the binder, served on a soft cibatta bun. The bread could have been harder, the aioli less greasy, but the carrot chips that came with the sandwich rocked. All in all, several steps above Olive Garden, and a better choice than the Taco John’s down the street.

Café Mulino
In the Hotel Mead
451 E Grand Ave
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
715-423-1500


Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Struck by the Sunday curse yet again (we were going to try Courthouse Pub), we ended up for dinner at Hacienda Santa Rosa, a self-billed “Mexican sports bar and restaurant.” The food was a notch above the usual Tex-Mex offers you might expect…I had stewed pork in chile sauce which was pretty tasty, although not mind-blowing. I would offer this as a good, not great, stop, but with an authentic flair. One of the curious things on the menu was an offer to prepare “any Mexican dish not on the menu if you are interested.” I would think, from that claim, if you were looking for something with a little more authenticity, and they had the means to provide it, they would. If only I spoke Spanish…

Hacienda Santa Rosa Mexican Restaurant
3535 Calumet Ave.
Manitowoc, WI 54220
920-652-9244

We stopped for lunch the next day on our way out of town at Beernstens’ Confectionary, a great little old-fashioned sandwich, ice cream, and candy shop, replete with wooden booths, anthropomorphic chocolates, and waitresses who call everyone “honey.” I got the lunch special of Italian meats on cibatta, which was better than the Italian place in the last city, and tried the ice cream, which was out of this world. My sandwich, at $5.95, might have been the most expensive thing on the menu; most prices seemed to hover around the $3 mark.

Beernstens’ Confectionary
108 N 8th St,
Manitowoc, WI
(920) 684-9616

Whitewater, Wisconsin
I had been warned about Whitewater being a vast food wasteland, but the two stops that were recommended turned out to be quite decent indeed. Tokyo, a sushi/Japanese place, is in a small storefront right on the main drag. You can order sushi by the piece or other traditional Japanese-American dishes (teriyaki, tempura, etc.) The sushi certainly was not the best I’ve ever had, but it was pretty good for a storefront in the middle of Whitewater. The mackerel, especially, was good. Not worth a stop if you’re driving by on the highway, but if you find yourself there, this is where you should go to eat.

Tokyo
161 W Main Street
Whitewater, WI 53190-2510
Phone: (262) 473-3000

We went to Karina’s Mexican the next day for lunch, and similarly to the place in Mantiowoc, it was good, not great. I again had the pork in red chile sauce, and as a lunch special for $4.95, I felt that it was a good experience and I got my money’s worth. In no way comparable to a great taqueria in Chicago, but for Whitewater…it was pretty good.

Karina’s Mexican Restaurant
109 S 1st St
Whitewater, WI 53190
(262) 472-9492

Sauk City, WI
Leystra’s Venture Restaurant, in Sauk City, is your average diner experience, complete with old-timers whiling away their time at cards in the front booths, and the meeting of the knitters’ club in the party room at noon. The food was fine, the coffee was hot, and the pies were tasty. Not the greatest diner in the world…not the worst. Just fine.

Leystra’s Venture Restaurant
200 Phillips Blvd
Sauk City, WI 53583
(608) 643-2004

Dorf Haus might qualify as a minor find, actually. The ambience seems kind of authentically German, the beer is served in huge glass steins, and my dining partner’s pork shank with sauerkraut (Schweinsbraten) was really good. The spatzle was unremarkable, my flour dumpling in brown gravy was a little better. My jagerschnitzel was also good (a little too bready for my tastes). The salad bar was filled, naturally, with iceberg lettuce and bac-o’s, but that’s so Wisconsin, I’m actually starting to get used to it. I’d go back to the Dorf Haus. (And as I only live 20 miles away, I probably will.)

Dorf Haus
8931 County Road Y
Sauk City, WI 53583
(608) 643-3980
http://www.foodspot.com/dorfhaus/

The Carr Valley Cheese Store is certainly worth a stop. They have several around the Wisconsin area, and I was sort of surprised at the large number of cheeses for sale. I had thought of Carr Valley as just a place that made good Cheddars, but the breadth of their selection surprised me, including a large roster of blues. I got the Benedictine, a washed rind cheese made with fresh sheep, goat and cow milk, that was really awesome. Okay, this is something Wisconsin does really really well.

Carr Valley Store
807 Phillips Blvd.
Sauk City, WI 53583
(608)643-3441
http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/about.html


A happy little find, El Paisano is a combination Mexican grocery/taqueria on the main drag (Water Street). I got a tostada el pastor, which was a fine rendition. The most exciting thing was that their salsa verde almost took my head off. As a huge over-generalization, and I realize that there are many, many exceptions to the rule, I find that the tolerance of spice and spiciness is not as intense in the Midwest as it is on the East Coast (where I’m from, originally.) So it’s kind of cool to douse your tostada in salsa verde, expecting it to be generically mild, and then to bite in and have tears instantly form in your eyes. As Wisconsin becomes increasingly multi-ethnic across the state (and, yes, there’s still a long, long, way to go), the surprising Asian (Hmong) and Mexican storefronts seem to be what to search out if you’re stuck in a little town with no ideas about where to go.

El Paisano
545 Water St
Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
(608) 643-4707

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee has certainly been covered many times, in much more detail, that I will only say that I had the best sushi here of the trip (Nanakusa- try the scallop and the sea bream) and the best, and spiciest, Thai (Thai Palace). Also, if you are really wanting to go to Three Brothers for Serbian food, make a reservation, no matter what the concierge at the hotel tells you.

Nankusa Japanese Restaurant
408 E Chicago St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 223-3200

Thai Palace
838 N Old World 3rd St
Milwaukee, WI
(414) 224-7076

Three Brothers Bar & Restaurant
2414 S. St. Clair
Milwaukee, WI 53207
(414) 481-7530

Appleton, Wisconsin
My only day off happened in Appleton, so I have more comments here than anywhere else on the tour. The Indian place, Sairam, that had been very well recommended, was not worth the two mile walk from my hotel, unfortunately. I found this to be ok Indian buffet, watered down for American tastes, with a lot of flavors that blended together. I cook better Indian. Man, I dream about Devon Street sometimes. I suppose if you have never eaten Indian, it would be good, but I grew up eating a lot of Indian and Vietnamese, so I’m extra picky about those places, I guess. (BTW, totally off-thread, but I ate at the GNR winner, Shan Grocery, in Chicago two weekends ago, and it was awesome. I think our dinner tab, for two, with tip, was $16. Thank you, LTH.)

Sairam Indian Cuisine
253 W Northland Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 733-3003

Fortunately, next door is Koreana, which is a very nice Korean place, although on the pricey side. (Appetizer, entrée, small bottle of chilled sake was about $35). I got the shumai (don’t bother) and the pork stew with kimchi, which was great. On the bartender’s advice, I ordered it “medium”, and that was perfectly spicy and flavorful, with a ton of little sides to dip and swirl in the broth. It could have fed an army. Highly recommended.

Koreana Restaurant
201 W Northland Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 733-3205

Being very full, I didn’t get the chance to try The Pasty Koop, a small storefront pasty deli, but walking in there and smelling the pasties made me determined to try it next time I’m in Appleton.

The Pasty Koop
135 E Wisconsin Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
Phone: (920) 830-0896

I got take-out at Apollon Resturant the next night, which was very good. Nice lamb, well prepared and tender, without a lot of gaminess, in a flavorful mushroom and wine sauce, with good veggies and risotto on the side. This would be the next place to go, if Koreana seemed too adventurous for others in your group.

Apollon Restaurant
207 N. Appleton St.
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 739-1122
http://www.apollonrestaurant.com

I include Taste of Thai here only as a warning to others. Possibly the worst Thai place I have ever eaten in. My dining partner and I ordered two different dishes, with different levels of spiciness (hers – 2; mine – 5) and they came out, well, exactly the same, except there were potatoes swimming in her goopy orange coconut-creamy broth and green beans in mine. Walk on by.

Taste of Thai
321 E College Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 830-2030

The Live Oak Market does a nice build-your-own salad and sandwich for lunch, with baby lettuces and spinach (Hooray!) and a variety of toppings. Also, they feature hummus, sushi, soup, and tapenades in grab-and-go sizes, along with a selection of wine, beer, and other groceries. Worth a little stop, although Flanagan’s down the street had a better selection of wines, and an amazing beer selection. I think I would have been very impressed with Flanagan’s had I not found Kelly’s earlier in the trip.

Live Oak Market
119 E. College Avenue
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 882-6737

Flanagan’s Stop and Shop
522 W College Ave,
Appleton, WI
(920) 733-6689
http://www.flanagansstopandshop.com/

I will say that Flanagan’s Wine Review, in the next storefront, was not worth the side trip. Practically Chicago-area prices at a snooty little bar/bistro where I had had every single one of the wines by the glass except one, a pinot noir from the Wilmette Valley, for $14. $14 for a glass of domestic wine seems like a stretch for central Wisconsin, especially when there is a nice wine store right next door. It was very full the night I was in, though, with plenty of the older, moneyed, “see and be seen” crowd from Appleton. I did not try the food, so I cannot speak to it.

Flanagan’s Wine Review
528 W College Ave
Appleton, WI
(920) 749-9463
http://www.flanaganswinereview.com

All right, I have already admitted my bias against Italian restaurants, but Victoria’s seems to be coasting on reputation alone at this point. It is indeed inexpensive, and you do get a ton of food for the price. But cheap and big is not necessarily the way to go, especially when the ingredients are canned and inferior, your waitress doesn’t know how to open a bottle of wine, much less pour it, and sauces are one-dimensional. The bread was really good. My salad was okay (at least not iceberg), but my pasta frutta di mare was filled with crappy olive oil, not enough garlic, and canned chopped baby clams and tiny rubbery salad shrimp.

Victoria’s
503 W College Ave
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 730-9595

Madison, Wisconsin
The last stop was Madison, which again, has been covered thoroughly by others (and this is where I go to go out, so it’s familiar stomping grounds for me.) I will mention that I had my second visit to Eno Vino, which I think is doing great small plates right now. In particular, I had a really wonderful pheasant with a truffled fig risotto. I also had my first breakfast at Mickie’s Dairy Bar (Reuben omelet, which sounds weird but was awesome), which I would go back to…and wait in line again…in a heartbeat.

Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro
601 Junction Rd
Madison, WI 53717
(608) 664-9565
http://www.eno-vino.com

Mickie’s Dairy Bar
1511 Monroe St.
Madison, WI.
608-256-9476

ItsBubbles-

Thanks for the comprehensive report!

-The GP