Wisconsin!

The land of beer, cheese, supper clubs and brats!

Tim and I just got back from Wisconsin, which by the way makes state No. 40 for me! (I just need North Dakota, the Carolinas, the states of New England and Alaska!)

We started out with a stop in Chicago to visit my sister and brother-in-law. We had to get in a stop to Ikea, do a little shopping and have a deep-dish pizza before venturing into American’s Dairyland. Little did I know cheese, super clubs and beer would become such a big part of our trip!

We drove up to Milwaukee Friday morning, with a stop along the way to Marz Cheese Castle. Not only did this place sell lots of Wisconsin cheese, but was in a building in the shape of a castle. We were soon to discover the castle is a popular architecture motif in Wisconsin.

We stayed downtown and ventured out to the Water Street Brewing Company. I tried my first ever Scotch egg and some local brew. Next up it was Mader’s – Home of the Giant Pretzel – where, yes, we had a giant pretzel! It was huge! This was spilt between four people.

Its glasses of wine and drinks were also huge! I enjoyed some strawberry wine and Tim had a giant old fashioned. In addition to beer, Wisconsin also makes a mean old fashioned – sweet or sour OR press or water.

The highlight of the evening was our visit to the Five O’clock Supper Club. It was our first trip to this great Wisconsin tradition, which includes fish frys every Friday, relish trays at the table, brandy old fashioned sweets at the bar, huge steaks, seafood and game.  I must say my filet was the best I’d ever had, and I am a Nebraska girl! (Sorry Husker House and Misty’s!) First of all, I LOVE getting a relish tray at my table. There was a restaurant in Columbus that used to do this – Johnny’s Steakhouse. Their liver pate was my favorite as were its crab legs with drawn butter. I miss that place. Anyways…at the Five O’clock Supper Club, you put in your order at the bar, and when you are seated at your table, the relish tray, salad and bread is waiting for you. I was full already after all this, but then came my fillet with mushrooms – yum!  The steak was done a perfect medium rare with a nice char on the outside. We also added a shrimp cocktail and crab mac and cheese to our table. It was the best! We were all so full afterwards! We learned about this place from a friend of my sister’s whose Mom owns the place. What a great find!

On day four, we ventured to my brother-in-law’s parents’ lake house, where we spent a rainy afternoon on Lake Puckaway, visiting some of the local establishments, including Good Old Days which had the best burgers ever, and getting in a little shopping.

The next day we said our goodbyes and headed up to Baraboo, Wis., where we toured Circus World – yes, who knew the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey used to winter here each year with its circus?

Next up it was a bloody mary, which included a delicious slice of Nueske’s bacon in it – yum — at Driftless Glen Distillery. We sat along the river, taste-tested some of its spirits and olive oil and vinegar. It was truly a great find!

After this we ventured to find Frank Lloyd Wright’s summer home – Taliesin. I have now been to all three of his residences – Taliesin West in Phoenix, his home in Oak Park, Ill., and this one in Spring Green, Wis.

The last stop of the day was The House on the Rock. First of all, we had no idea what a complex this place was. It also was the weirdest place I think I have ever visited! The house, built on a rock, is room after room built around nature, with an Infinity Room that juts off the rock and into the air. Just walking out on it gave me the creeps! The man that built the house – Alex Jordan – also was a collector of many things from dolls to Asian art, Tiffany lamps and more. We just toured the house and called it a day. We spent about an hour in the house. The entire complex takes four to five hours, we were told.

Our fifth night of vacation was spent in Madison. We drove through the University of Wisconsin campus and enjoyed dinner at Cooper’s Tavern on Capitol Square. The UW lakeside campus was very picturesque. At Cooper’s we both had to have salads after splurging on pizza, steak and burgers the days before!

Day six was one of my favorites with a stop at New Glarus Brewing Co. I have never visited a brewery that was so pleasant. It not only had a tasting room, but a beautiful outdoor beer garden where you can imbibe. The brewery is built on a rocky bluff, made to look like a Swiss village, as is the rest of the town of New Glarus. We enjoyed another stop at the Maple Leaf Cheese and Chocolate Haus, where we first picked up cheese and crackers to have with our beer tasting picnic at the brewery.

 

After New Glarus we made our way to Galena, Ill., for the night. Galena is a picturesque small town with a beautiful Main Street that includes numerous shops, restaurants and wine tasting rooms.

Our favorite is Galena Cellars, where I had to stock up on a few of my favorites. We definitely plan to enjoy the wine from Galena and beer from New Glarus this summer.

And that is our trip in a nutshell. Summer road trips are one of my favorites. Our next trip will be another road trip later this summer to California. What are some of your favorite road trips?