Wisconsin Eats: Cheese, with Beer

Winter scene in the Northwoods of Wisconsin

The first food that comes to mind in Wisconsin is cheese. Green Bay Packers fans are cheeseheads and although I was heading to the Northwoods, regional pride means that everyone is a cheese fan.

Fried cheese curds at the Sawmill Saloon

I spent 5 days in the frozen tundra of the Northwoods of Wisconsin, in the small towns of Cable and Hayward. I was there to experience winter outdoor adventures, though in the record cold, we had to curtail some activities. No amount of hot cheese can warm you up from minus 37 below.

Greetings from the North Pole

But the polar vortex meant that we were all burning extra fuel just to get in and out of restaurants, so we didn't have to worry about calories. Which was great when we had dish after dish of cheese.

Cheese curds for all

At the Sawmill Saloon, between Cable and Hayward, I finally understood the fuss about cheese curds. I'd only had fresh cheese curds, which seemed like mozzarella's less flavorful cousin. But dipped in breadcrumbs and fried, these cheese curds oozed melted cheese and tasted great.

The pizza oven at Tamarack Farms Winery

The Saloon also makes pizza, and had a vegetarian version with fresh mushrooms, peppers and olives.

Wine, and cheese

We also previewed the food at the new Tamarack Farms Winery. This brand new winery has a wood fired pizza oven. The winery uses local cheese in its pizza and appetizer plates.

Come warm weather, (July?) Tamarack will have a dog friendly outdoor patio. The winery specializes in fruit favored wine, using local cranberries in its award winning cranberry wine. Apples, strawberries and blueberries are used in other wines. The winery also sells California wine, and beer.

The local beer scene

Some of the vegetarian options at Old Southern BBQ

Wisconsin has a hyper local brewery, New Glarus. Available only in Wisconsin, the cult brewery makes Spotted Cow, a farmhouse ale ubiquitous in the state. I tried it on tap and in a bottle. I also had Moon Man, a hoppy session pale ale. Beer isn't the first thing you think of when it's many degrees below zero, but these were tasty.

Southern BBQ in the Northwoods

Local Dave Anderson had a restaurant, Famous Dave's, that burned down. He rebuilt it as Old Southern BBQ. While meats, with meat on the side, is the reason to go here, vegetarians aren't forgotten. There is a rich and creamy macaroni and cheese, chickpea salad, creamed corn and roasted sweet potatoes. I tried them all, with every homemade BBQ sauce. The spicy Diablo was my favorite.  There is also cornbread, served as muffin top so everyone gets a crunchy part.

Old Southern has 5 locations including a branch in Minneapolis. Dave is a partner in Tamarack Farms Winery.

Local cocktail

Warm up with a maple old fashioned

Wisconsin riffs on a classic old fashioned, with brandy instead of bourbon. This is a great way to warm up. Have I mentioned the polar vortex?

At Birches Roadhouse, which specializes in organic, made from scratch food, a bourbon old fashioned still has a Wisconsin twist. Local, bourbon aged maple syrup subs in for the mundane sugar.

Birches would be at home in any big city, with delicious food like wild mushroom and caramelized onion flatbread and butternut squash ravioli with sage.

The wild mushroom and caramelized onion flatbread at Birches Roadhouse. Yum!

Note: I was a guest of Travel Wisconsin, which covered my travel expenses. Full belly and near frostbite were all my own.