Ralph and Lori Tour the Midwest

If you figure out the Kopp's day, I could probably meet you there. 
 
Off the top of my head, other Milwaukee places you might want to try are Nite Owl (closed on Mondays), Maria's Pizza, Ilija's Place (Serbian food), Polonez (Polish food), and I'm sure there will be an ethnic festival of some sort at the Lakefront when you're here. 
Outside of Milwaukee, I recommend a stop in Racine for Kringles, Fred's World's Best Burgers in Burlington, a stop at the New Glarus Brewery in New Glarus, as well as (also in New Glarus) The New Glarus Bakery, Maple Leaf Fudge and Cheese Shop, Roef's Meats, and Hoesly's Meats. Also, in Monroe, Baumgartner's for lunch, and the newly-remodeled Alp & Dell for cheese and other WI goodies. 

Ralph, I'm very envious of your trip already, and you haven't even left!  A few random thoughts:

1. I agree about the lutefisk.  We had it once at a friends' potluck in MN, and it was only because I requested it, and my friend's grandmother made it for us.  It's boiled fish and I was honored to try it, but it's not a taste I'm dying to have again.  It should be likened to your brains & eggs from Big Ed's in Raleigh: glad we tried it but probably never again.  However, I'd be interested in finding a restaurant that actually serves it as a regular menu item!
2. I also agree on LC's for burnt ends, as they are my favorite.  If you have time, Niecie's is also a great stop for fried chicken, pork chops, and sides, though call ahead for the pig ears if interested.  When we went and ordered the pig's ear sandwich, our server said they were out and that I should've called ahead to reserve some!
3. If you have time around Milwaukee, the drive out to Holy Hill Cafe in Hubertus is well worth the trip.  Not only is their Fruits of the Forest pie one of the best I've ever had, the church and grounds are breathtaking -- by far one of the most memorable RF stops anywhere.
4. When in Cincy, don't forget CajunKing and Graeter's for ice cream, in that order!    Chris

I would love to meet up with all, 
on a weeknight I can probably hit most anywhere in Chicagoland,
but Milwaukee might be a bit too much of a drive....
I'm free both 16 & 17, and 23 & 24 (I think)
 

Ralph Melton


- if I want to sample lutefisk, where should I find a great lutefisk experience? 

My wife works with a woman who's lived here in Stoughton forever so on a whim I asked her, and to my surprise she named 3 local restaurants that have been known serve it occasionally (but not consistently, as special EPA permits would probably be required).  So if this is something you really want to look into you could contact:
 
Sunrise Family Restaurant, 608-877-1930
Koffee Kup, 608-873-6717
Sugar & Spice Eatery, 608-873-9299
 
And since you'd no doubt have to make it up to Lori I suggest a visit to Fosdal Home Bakery as well.

Holy Hill is a must, if possible. The cafe is awesome, and the views are stunning. Bob and i have had another bad news situation-the transmission on our 5 year old car blew....however, I have learned the bus system and would love to meet you, if possible! Now that I am back in the city, very easy to meet up!
 

TJ Jackson

Ralph Melton

Yes, but http://www.campwashingtonchili.com/ says "NOTE: WE WILL BE CLOSED FROM JULY 1 - JULY 15 FOR VACATION", which makes me hesitant to rely on it, to say the least.

ERK! Sorry about that.

Instead, head over to Price Hill Chili or Blue Ash Chili.  Pretty sure Price Hill serves both items all day long, but Blue Ash says breakfast items not served between 11am and 2pm. 

Blue Ash has some of the best double deckers in the city, imho

Have you tried Cincinnati-style chili in each of the three main ways it is consumed here?  as a cheese coney, over spaghetti, and au naturale? (the chili, not you)

 
Thanks for the recommendations. I believe that we've failed to visit one of those before, but I can't recall which one.
 
We have tried Cincinnati chili on hot dogs and spaghetti; I don't think we've tried it unsupported.

"in a bowl all buy its lonesome" is by far the least common way cincinnati-style chili is consumed locally, so no biggie. 
 
Since you've covered that ground already, then, your priorities should be
 
Goetta
Double deckers
Aglamesis Brothers ice cream (dont listen to Chris, what does he know? *laff*)
 
 

Thanks for all the great ideas, and I am really hoping to meet up with folks as we go.
 

Ralph and Lori,
You've heard from a chunk of The Contingent now, and they are ready to meet you.  I'm sure as more check in on this thread, there will be more showing interest.  Now it's up to you to keep us updated on your travel progress so we can plan accordingly.  Also, giving us some ideas of what you'd like to eat will be helpful in picking the right place.
 
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
 
Buddy

who the heck is icecreamchick?

It's a secret.

TJ Jackson

Aglamesis Brothers ice cream (dont listen to Chris, what does he know? *laff*)

Hey, TJ!  That's hilarious!  I just feel bad that I haven't had a double-decker yet...   Chris

TJ-
If icecreamchick is talking about kissing Ralph, it better be Lori!

Chris-
I am happy to report that Graeter's is now available here in some Pittsburgh grocery stores.  Needless to say, I usually have a pint or six of black raspberry chip in my freezer.  No doubt that the Meltons do, too! 

TJ Jackson


who the heck is icecreamchick?

Offer to buy her a cone and she'll tell you!

buffetbuster


TJ-
If icecreamchick is talking about kissing Ralph, it better be Lori!

The way I read it, she's talking about NOT kissing him
 
 
 

ayersian

TJ Jackson

Aglamesis Brothers ice cream (dont listen to Chris, what does he know? *laff*)

Hey, TJ!  That's hilarious!  I just feel bad that I haven't had a double-decker yet...   Chris

Aglamesis is just simply better - imho :-)

You know you can also buy Graeter's here in Chicagoland at Sunset foods...
(which also sells Roadhouse BBQ sauce I believe....)

Yeah, Graeters is becoming a national brand, unfortunately

lleechef and I just got back from the Graeter's here in Gahanna. Peach all around.
 
Giant Eagle and Kroger both stock Graeter's. Velvet, too.

 
This is the menu board from the Dinky Diner in Decatur City, Iowa. Its less than half a mile off I-35 in the southernmost part of Iowa.The location is convenient.
 
The Dinky Diner is a later model of the Valentine Diner company, twice as wide as the earlier prefabricated railcar diner models.
 
This is the daily specials, they have a regular menu and pies. Notice the selection of salads:

TJ - I wash Ralph's socks. Enough said! ;-)

BuddyRoadhouse

 Ralph and Lori,
You've heard from a chunk of The Contingent now, and they are ready to meet you.  I'm sure as more check in on this thread, there will be more showing interest.  Now it's up to you to keep us updated on your travel progress so we can plan accordingly.  Also, giving us some ideas of what you'd like to eat will be helpful in picking the right place.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Buddy

 
We've got some updates to our plans to share: 
 
Apparently the Wilder Festival in Walnut Grove soaks up all the available lodging for many miles around, and therefore we will be staying for two nights at a B&B in New Ulm. Because of this, we will probably be attending the Bavarian Blast in New Ulm on Sunday, July 22. It appears that we will miss the wiener dog racing and the sauerkraut eating contest - and even I cannot tell whether I'm saying that with deadpan humor or genuine regret.
 
Folks have suggested enough nice things in Milwaukee that we are happy to return there. So we will plan to dine with folks in Chicago on the evening of Monday, July 16, and we'll plan to dine with folks in Milwaukee on the evening of Tuesday, July 24.
 
As to what we'd like to eat: we are largely happy to eat where the local Roadfooders recommend. Lori needs there to be options on the menu that are not capsaicin-spicy at all; our usual rule of thumb is that if I detect any heat at all, it's too spicy for Lori.
 
But I think you're requesting more specific guidance, so I'll try to provide:
In Chicago, I felt we missed out on Chicago-style pizza when we were there last year; the only local style of pizza we sampled was the pizza pot pie at Chicago Pizza and Grinder. I know that there are several styles of Chicago pizza, so this doesn't wholly narrow it down. (And if it's better to go somewhere else, we can get pizza on our own.)
 
In Milwaukee, I'm curious about the options for Serbian food, because I don't know much about Serbian cuisine. (Though we did eat at Serb Hall on the tour.) But again, my tastes are wide-ranging, and this is a suggestion, not a restriction.
 
After dinner in Milwaukee, I would like to get a drink at the Safe House. I know it's a gimmick bar, but it's a cool gimmick that is not available in Pittsburgh, and I have fond memories of the Safe House from 1997.

One more thing I'm going to try to do on this vacation: I have plans (that may or may not work well) of taking a time-lapse movie of the whole road trip using my iPhone. (I've got a tripod that coworkers have used to hang an iPhone from the rear view mirror, but I'm investigating other options as well.)
 
There are so many places that we've seen on our travels that look nice, but not nice enough to justify stopping; I'm excited at the prospect of having photos from a sample of these places.

Ralph,
 
Go to Ilija's Place for Serbian in Milwaukee.  It is always an experience, and the food puts it over the top.
 
Jim

Ralph,
 
Try to hit the west shore of Michigan on your trip.  It will be gorgeous in August.
 
There are a few Roadfood reviewed places and a bunch more to be reviewed.  Charlevoix needs to be discovered
 
Jim

Ralph and Lori, I "third" the idea of having dinner at Ilija's Place during your Milwaukee visit. Forget about Serb Hall, Ilija's is the real deal. I wish I could go and meet you, but I'll be in Canada when your caravan comes to town.

Ralph Melton
Folks have suggested enough nice things in Milwaukee that we are happy to return there. So we will plan to dine with folks in Chicago on the evening of Monday, July 16, and we'll plan to dine with folks in Milwaukee on the evening of Tuesday, July 24.

So it sounds like Ilija's on Tuesday the 24th, and some kind of Chicago style pizza on the 16th.
 
Being a Monday, Burt's is closed so that's out of the question.  At the risk of sounding too partisan, I've got to say, there are no other Chicago style pizzas that appeal to me.  But that's just me.  I know there are plenty of other places out there that are enjoyed by lots of people.  So if you've got something in mind Ralph, I'll be happy to go along.
 
I do know a couple of places in town that serve stuffed pizza which I like very much.  Definitely not the classic Chicago pan-style, but darned tasty.
 
Or, there could be some other option not yet on the table.  Is there a specific ethnic cuisine that is lacking in Pittsburgh that might be in abundance here?  We've had some amazing meals lately.  There's a Peruvian place (not necessarily spicy, if that's a concern) that leaps to mind.  We were there a couple weeks ago with abe_froeman and Mr. Maki, along with some of their friends and my mystery daughter.  From apps to entrees it was absolutely fantastic!  We also have a plethora of authentic taquerias, pupuserias, and carnecerias.
 
If south of the border bores you, we have plenty of eastern European joints of our own (Milwaukee doesn't hold the license you know).  Plus Asian and Middle Eastern food from Japan to Egypt.
 
There are great Burgers to be had as well--on a par with Tessaro's, no less!
 
Give us your thoughts Ralph and Lori, and we will do our best to provide.
 
See you next week,
Buddy

If someone can can get me a count for Ilija's Place ASAP, I will call. We generally need less than 1 day's notice for a group of about 10, but we DO need a full day's notice for Burek, as I recently, regretfully, found out. 
I can call Ilija and make the reservations and also order the Burek, at least one cheese and one cheese and spinach (Hey! No spices! Lori can eat Burek to her heart's content!), or more depending on how many are joining us. I fully intend to have leftovers, as Burek just keeps getting better. 
I will not, however, be able to make it to the Safehouse afterwards. I work at 7 AM and am usually up by 4.30 AM, so late nights on weeknights just do not happen. Sorry.
 
SO...who's in for Ilija's? 

Also, for Tuesday, Kopp's Flavors of the Day:
 

Red Raspberry

A natural raspberry flavor with sweet, tart berries

Chocolate Trüffel

A connoisseurr's imported trüffel flavor with delicate chocolate flakes.