How to eat a bratwurst. In Sheboygan, there are rules. You can have it as a single brat or a double. God forbid anyone who serves you a double on separate buns. Never call it a "sausage". You'll just end up with a side of eggs by accidentally.
You sit down at the local dining establishment, and it would be reasonable to expect to be told where the meat was made. Bill's Cafe gets their's from the old market down on twelfth who makes theirs extra peppery. Others get's theirs from Johnsonville. Half the homes in town quietly grill their Old Wisconsin brats. My personal preference is Uttinger's from Milwaukee. But any local Sheboygan serious brat establishment who can afford it will get theirs from Meisfield's. For some reason, perhaps because it's from the butcher itself, there is that aura of an extra touch of magic or love.
Gaelle and I walk into Schultz's on Calumet. The window says, "Cash only." The exterior is painted brick - a numbing light blue shade. The graphics is the illustration of a guy shoving a sandwich down his throat. I have driven passed it on the way out north, on the way back south. I've driven up to it nervously in the past only to be rejected by the "Cash only" sign. There are always cars there. That's got to mean something. So I asked Gaelle how seriously she truly was, how committed she really was, to our endeavor of penetrating the Sheboygan underground. So we ventured, two loud out of towners into the dining church of Sheboygan culinary lifestyle.
We entered and were greeted by a wall of quiet. People quietly hunched over their meals. You can almost hear their chewing. Slow, methodical, pansive, quiet .... seemingly miserable chewing. No eye contact. A very interesting aspect of Sheboygan dining culture. On the menu was a history of Schultz's. A very old establishment with a great deal of interesting history with notable recognition. Gaelle and I breezed through the appetizer section and our attention were both caught by their offering of fried cauliflour. I have recently discovered a dozen interesting ways to cook and eat this simple vegetable. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Gaelle, the obligatory brat sandwich. They get their's from Meisfield's. Okay, we are impressed.
Behind us is the open kitchen, comprising nearly solely of a charcoal grill. The cook throws a flat brat patty on and begins to shovel the coal around to change up the heat. Minutes go by and a lot of conversation catching up on our lives. We were the only one talking so our voices carried throughout. The owner seemed delighted over our buzzing excitement about food in general and the vivacious tone taken over the restaurant. Others around us, parents and children, friends and family, peek over occassionally to put faces to the voices.
Gaelle whispers to me, "You notice something Mandy?" "No, what?" "There's no utensils. Anywhere". That's true. Not only are there no utensils on our table, there were none for the other diners either. The sandwiches arrive wrapped in paper, placed on the table. I don't remember if we even received a plate with the sandwiches. The cauliflour did arrive on a plate. We ate it by hand. I don't know if it's just Sheboygan culture, as reflected here, exemplifying puritanical eastern european sense of austerity in the most stripped down sense, but neither Gaelle and I felt like we were supposed to enjoy our food. That we had been breaking the rules all this time and now it is time to pay in repentence by unwrapping our sandwiches and eating them quietly, hunched over.
The sandwiches were plain. Meat in Sheboygan hard roll with the pickles we asked for. Gaelle took her first bite apprehensive of pending doom or misery but responded rather with shock. Her face lit up with unexpected surprise. She handed me a piece. It was as though fireworks exploded in our mouths, reminding me of the old Coca Cola 1984 commercial of the olympian tearing through an old Russian propoganda movie screen. The brat, without the casing, exposing seasoned meat, caramelized over slow grilling, melding with the fatty juices of the pork fat, resulting in a browned sweetness similar to that wonderful flavor of korean bbq meat. The juices flowing and soaking into the fresh Sheboygan roll. My bbq pork sandwich was also deliciously tender, meaty, sweet and savory and juicey. I felt indignent for the food that people should eat in such solemness with this level of flavor in their mouths. It was shocking.
We polished off our plate of cauliflour but had to add extra salt. Well executed, but a little bland in flavor. Could have used sauce. A complete contrast from breaded fried food in the south. I don't understand the contrast of cultures, so severe, between parts of the United States.
With full, but confused stomaches, Gaelle and I wrapped things up, leaving as quietly as we entered. Definitely a "very Sheboygan" restaurant. Would we come back again? Yes, for sure the quality and flavor of the food would keep us craving more. The price was more affordable than a McDonald's Big Mac. The owner was very warm, sweet and welcoming. The company...well you'll need to provide your own good company.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Juicey Gossip!
What a sweet surprise. My family and I ran into Harry (the OG of Harry's Diner) at Duke of Devon tonight during dinner service. He mentioned a few very juicey developments in the Sheboygan food world. To begin, he has already begun building prototype of his outdoor brick oven at home. You can find fotos of what's to come at Harry's Diner's facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harrys-Diner/112342312132839. In addition, a prior chef at one of Stephano's Italian eateries recently branched out on his own with his wife and will be launching their grand openning of a French or French inspired bistro in the Woodlake Market Center...grand openning will be tomorrow, June 9, 2012. Gaelle...hint hint, wink wink. This has your name written all over it. Last bit of gossip, owner of Restoration Gardens and Lino's will be unveiling a new winery-inspired restaurant at their old location on County Road O (or Superior Ave. by Kohler) with full brunch, lunch and dinner menu I hear. Grand openning is projected for sometime around June 20, 2012. They apparently own a local winery and will be show casing local wines among others. This is such exciting news and much food for thought. Gaelle and I will be putting our grubby hands all over this in due time. Until later, Bona Petit and Namaste!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
A Greek Odessey
Zeus arrives in downtown Sheboygan, from heaven on a Greek food truck chariot. It is the official arrival of the food truck revolution. Lightening strikes and a light bulb is lit. Something new is happening to the Sheboygan food scene. Suddenly, new blooded talent has found a way to challenge our food paradigm. Why not want more? More quality food. More cultural diversity of flavors. More adventure and accessibility. More color and creativity. Dynamic food paves way for dynamic life. Combine this together with our unique heritage for high quality fresh food and watch Sheboygan solidify our reputation in midwestern cuisine.
From Sparkies to Rosies on Union Ave. and now introducing Gyros 2 Go mixing up a storm of Greek proportions on 8th downtown. The proven success of food truck restaurant-touring is now taken a step further. For the first time, our city is asked to address questions relating to moving gourmet food trucks...erupting chaos among city Gods over pro and anti business philosophies. The change of cultural tides brings wind of possibly more food trucks to come (soon in the form of a gourmet cup cake truck?). Greg Lee (owner-chef of Gyros 2 Go) arrives home from gourmet kitchens of southern California to write his own Greek epic, paving ground for an inspired food scene that similarly put Austin Texas on the national food tour map.
Should you stand anywhere near Gyros 2 Go, or drive pass the truck within a 5 meter vicinity, you will experience the faint whaff of grilled meat, waking your summer time appetite and forcing you to answer the unexpected question: What's on the grill that doesn't smell like bratwurst?! The smell is sweet savory caramelizing rather than charring. The meat includes tender grilled chicken and sliced lamb and beef gyro mixture. There is also the smell of fresh pita pan seared to a buttery golden brown. Nestled in layers over each other, first the warm bread, then the seared meat, under a tussle of fresh sliced lettuce-tomatoes-onions and smothered with cool creamy cucumber yogurt sauce. The flavors of a country's rich history slides down your mouth. I asked for my gyro with grilled onions, melding the buttery flavors together if you are craving mid-western style comfort Gaelle had hers in the traditional way with contrasting sweet and spicy crunchiness of fresh onions. I'd suggest it both ways, depending on your mood, the weather and exceptional company. As we ordered, joggers stopped to order, families on vacation waited in line, office executives and construction workers took breaks for their share of fresh wholesome goodness.
We briefly interviewed Greg on what more Sheboygan may look forward to down the road on this exciting menu. Already were options of traditional, chicken and vegetarian styled gyros, hot off the grill- grilled cheese, home made baklava and kataifi by Greg's mother (long time reknowned baker at the Weather Center) and today's special....ice cream with honey and cinnamon topping. The dessert special was intended to test customer's reception for potential plans and collaborations of home made Greek Gelato. As Gaelle and I dipped our spoons into the soft melting mass of tart lightly sweet vanilla ice cream, we delightfully found ourselves perplexed. Where did they get their ice cream? Was there a hint of vanilla yogurt tartness in the ice cream? What special variety of cinnamon powder did they use? Our appreciation of vanilla ice cream and knowledge of cinnamon suddenly came into question as we entered a happy lull contemplating a more thorough research of the cinnamon spice. Known elements and prior assumptions were unexpectedly called out in the most unpretentious way by a simple dessert.
While lucky carp splash before us below the north side pier, we chased our happy gyros and sweets down with tea and espresso by a shaded spot in the warm sun. Another successful taste of Sheboygan's summer time culinary experience.
From Sparkies to Rosies on Union Ave. and now introducing Gyros 2 Go mixing up a storm of Greek proportions on 8th downtown. The proven success of food truck restaurant-touring is now taken a step further. For the first time, our city is asked to address questions relating to moving gourmet food trucks...erupting chaos among city Gods over pro and anti business philosophies. The change of cultural tides brings wind of possibly more food trucks to come (soon in the form of a gourmet cup cake truck?). Greg Lee (owner-chef of Gyros 2 Go) arrives home from gourmet kitchens of southern California to write his own Greek epic, paving ground for an inspired food scene that similarly put Austin Texas on the national food tour map.
Should you stand anywhere near Gyros 2 Go, or drive pass the truck within a 5 meter vicinity, you will experience the faint whaff of grilled meat, waking your summer time appetite and forcing you to answer the unexpected question: What's on the grill that doesn't smell like bratwurst?! The smell is sweet savory caramelizing rather than charring. The meat includes tender grilled chicken and sliced lamb and beef gyro mixture. There is also the smell of fresh pita pan seared to a buttery golden brown. Nestled in layers over each other, first the warm bread, then the seared meat, under a tussle of fresh sliced lettuce-tomatoes-onions and smothered with cool creamy cucumber yogurt sauce. The flavors of a country's rich history slides down your mouth. I asked for my gyro with grilled onions, melding the buttery flavors together if you are craving mid-western style comfort Gaelle had hers in the traditional way with contrasting sweet and spicy crunchiness of fresh onions. I'd suggest it both ways, depending on your mood, the weather and exceptional company. As we ordered, joggers stopped to order, families on vacation waited in line, office executives and construction workers took breaks for their share of fresh wholesome goodness.
We briefly interviewed Greg on what more Sheboygan may look forward to down the road on this exciting menu. Already were options of traditional, chicken and vegetarian styled gyros, hot off the grill- grilled cheese, home made baklava and kataifi by Greg's mother (long time reknowned baker at the Weather Center) and today's special....ice cream with honey and cinnamon topping. The dessert special was intended to test customer's reception for potential plans and collaborations of home made Greek Gelato. As Gaelle and I dipped our spoons into the soft melting mass of tart lightly sweet vanilla ice cream, we delightfully found ourselves perplexed. Where did they get their ice cream? Was there a hint of vanilla yogurt tartness in the ice cream? What special variety of cinnamon powder did they use? Our appreciation of vanilla ice cream and knowledge of cinnamon suddenly came into question as we entered a happy lull contemplating a more thorough research of the cinnamon spice. Known elements and prior assumptions were unexpectedly called out in the most unpretentious way by a simple dessert.
While lucky carp splash before us below the north side pier, we chased our happy gyros and sweets down with tea and espresso by a shaded spot in the warm sun. Another successful taste of Sheboygan's summer time culinary experience.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
An American Diner
In a hurry to squeeze in one last tasting before D-day for my luscious baby belly, I followed Gaelle on a curious trail. Harry's Diner on the southern side had recently changed up their menu and with a bold sign across their exterior with large bold black letters, stated the following: Home Made Fresh Mozzarella Made Here. I thought it was either pure daringness on Gaelle's part to venture to Harry's Diner for fresh handmade mozzarella or perhaps she just didn't know what local diner fare was and how unconventionally scary it was to envision an organic cheese making factory set up in the same line kitchen that cooked corned beef and hash. But we went anyway because this was a serious piece of advertisement that required serious attention.
As always, the service was pretty great. Our waitress was super friendly and knowledgable and the atmosphere is as it always has been. A very 50's diner theme. The menu however has changed significantly since I last visited several years ago. At least 2 years ago, there was a large italian inspired pasta fare. This time, all the italian dishes had vanished and replaced with simple American lunch and dinner specials typical to the local area. Speaking with the waitress, the owner whom at his heart is an epicurian, uses his base station (the diner) as a place to also experiment and play with his own evolving culinary self expression. At the moment, he is in a cheesemaking mood and is trying to justify his passion with any item on the menu where fresh mozzarella can find a home. Even on a Sheboygan bun on top of a grilled bratwurst. There is talk about adding pizza to the menu. Interestingly, and possibly for legal reasons, or perhaps a matter of sufficient hours in the day, they do not sell fresh mozzarella to the public. You can't even order a plate of fresh mozzarella alone as an appetizer. It only comes incorporated in a prepared dish. But the waitress was gracious enough to let us try a small plate sampler and guarantee that we would be as impressed by it as she has been. For lunch, we decide to go exotic by going native...we order a plate of German potato pancake (which received positive reviews by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), a simple Nutella crepe, the cheese sampler plate, and each a cup of coffee.
Our ultimate assessment of the cheese? Pretty sublime. A pure soft milky white silky and moist to the touch. The taste is pure and simple. Sweet simple flavor of light creamy milk and the clean taste of the quality water that created it. My only question to the owner is whether he used local tap water in making the cheese or filtered water? There was something about the afternote that almost hinted at chlorine like the tap water at home. However, maybe I'm just hyper sensitive to the flavor of chlorine since I've been drinking too much tap water lately and my pregnant taste buds were hallucinating. Or maybe i just don't know what I'm talking about as far as fresh made mozzarella is concerned. In any case, I give it a n 8.5 out of 10 and I would head back and order a bowl of it to take home if I could. It was very impressive. If only he made buffalo mozzarella, I'd camp out in front of the restaurant for that any day.
A second surprising discovery we both made there unexpectedly was their nutella crepe. Now, we're not talking about the best crepe in the world, or even a standard good quality crepe you'd find in France. But, admittedly, it was a very decent to good crepe that truly hit the spot both visually and taste wise for the both of us. So decent that it would even justify Gaelle bringing her family out to Harry's Diner for a french inspired treat. And now that I'm thinking about it, am craving it again too and will be taking my entire family out for a plate of it tomorrow morning.
The German potato pancake wasn't what I had envisioned, although I really have nothing to compare it to except the smell and visual of my coworker's homemade crunchy fried potato pancakes that she use to bring to the office and make me salivate over. If I had to criticize it with no prior knowledge of what a good potato pancake should be like, I'd say that this pancake could have done with less flour, more shredded potato, be less cake like and more greasy-cruncy-savory-potatoey, could have had more green onions in it and a little more salt to season. The waitress had asked whether I wanted it with a side of sour cream or apple sauce. I asked for both and they came in little dip sized ramekins. I didn't understand the ramekin of applesauce. Was it only for dipping? I wish I had a German friend there to explain to me the proper way of eating a potato pancake. Gaelle and I agreed that it was missing something in the dipping sauce to bring out its potential. I ended up dipping mine in both the apple sauce and sour cream, which worked. Even though the Milwaukee Journal dubbed it the best potato pancake ever between here and Milwaukee, I sadly won't reorder it.
I wish the owner the best success with his culinary ventures because thus far, it's made Harry's Diner an interesting place on the map to check into once in a while for new inspiration.
As always, the service was pretty great. Our waitress was super friendly and knowledgable and the atmosphere is as it always has been. A very 50's diner theme. The menu however has changed significantly since I last visited several years ago. At least 2 years ago, there was a large italian inspired pasta fare. This time, all the italian dishes had vanished and replaced with simple American lunch and dinner specials typical to the local area. Speaking with the waitress, the owner whom at his heart is an epicurian, uses his base station (the diner) as a place to also experiment and play with his own evolving culinary self expression. At the moment, he is in a cheesemaking mood and is trying to justify his passion with any item on the menu where fresh mozzarella can find a home. Even on a Sheboygan bun on top of a grilled bratwurst. There is talk about adding pizza to the menu. Interestingly, and possibly for legal reasons, or perhaps a matter of sufficient hours in the day, they do not sell fresh mozzarella to the public. You can't even order a plate of fresh mozzarella alone as an appetizer. It only comes incorporated in a prepared dish. But the waitress was gracious enough to let us try a small plate sampler and guarantee that we would be as impressed by it as she has been. For lunch, we decide to go exotic by going native...we order a plate of German potato pancake (which received positive reviews by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), a simple Nutella crepe, the cheese sampler plate, and each a cup of coffee.
Our ultimate assessment of the cheese? Pretty sublime. A pure soft milky white silky and moist to the touch. The taste is pure and simple. Sweet simple flavor of light creamy milk and the clean taste of the quality water that created it. My only question to the owner is whether he used local tap water in making the cheese or filtered water? There was something about the afternote that almost hinted at chlorine like the tap water at home. However, maybe I'm just hyper sensitive to the flavor of chlorine since I've been drinking too much tap water lately and my pregnant taste buds were hallucinating. Or maybe i just don't know what I'm talking about as far as fresh made mozzarella is concerned. In any case, I give it a n 8.5 out of 10 and I would head back and order a bowl of it to take home if I could. It was very impressive. If only he made buffalo mozzarella, I'd camp out in front of the restaurant for that any day.
A second surprising discovery we both made there unexpectedly was their nutella crepe. Now, we're not talking about the best crepe in the world, or even a standard good quality crepe you'd find in France. But, admittedly, it was a very decent to good crepe that truly hit the spot both visually and taste wise for the both of us. So decent that it would even justify Gaelle bringing her family out to Harry's Diner for a french inspired treat. And now that I'm thinking about it, am craving it again too and will be taking my entire family out for a plate of it tomorrow morning.
The German potato pancake wasn't what I had envisioned, although I really have nothing to compare it to except the smell and visual of my coworker's homemade crunchy fried potato pancakes that she use to bring to the office and make me salivate over. If I had to criticize it with no prior knowledge of what a good potato pancake should be like, I'd say that this pancake could have done with less flour, more shredded potato, be less cake like and more greasy-cruncy-savory-potatoey, could have had more green onions in it and a little more salt to season. The waitress had asked whether I wanted it with a side of sour cream or apple sauce. I asked for both and they came in little dip sized ramekins. I didn't understand the ramekin of applesauce. Was it only for dipping? I wish I had a German friend there to explain to me the proper way of eating a potato pancake. Gaelle and I agreed that it was missing something in the dipping sauce to bring out its potential. I ended up dipping mine in both the apple sauce and sour cream, which worked. Even though the Milwaukee Journal dubbed it the best potato pancake ever between here and Milwaukee, I sadly won't reorder it.
I wish the owner the best success with his culinary ventures because thus far, it's made Harry's Diner an interesting place on the map to check into once in a while for new inspiration.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Good Day Sunshine!
It has become a sign of spring as with the budding of leaves and chirping of birds when Sparky's Hotdog Stand reopens for business. It seems each year, Sparky celebrates its presence and the coming of the season with something a little more summery festive. A couple of years ago, there was the addition of decorative garden chairs and tables. This year, we have fun carribean steel drum music raining over us like radiant smiles of sunbeams tickling us from heaven. It certainly makes for an other worldly atmosphere when you head for a hot dog in downtown Sheboygan for lunch.
Gaelle and I had been in an unusual anticipatory mood since the weather hit 70 by end of June. We just wanted to be out, somewhere with a deck or patio, somewhere with a lot of sun, and somewhere very American-summery. It was time to introduce Gaelle to Sparky's Hotdog Stand. This is a place you can bring your pocket book and your spicey cravings to. For $5, you can get a loaded up chili cheese dog with extra jalepeno peppers and fresh diced onions, a side of spicey bbq kettle chips, an an iced cold can of soda. If you're a bit old school, load it up with mustard, relish, onions and kraut. But if you're a true mid-western dog fanatic, then a full on lip smacking Chicago dog please. Find a spot under a shaded tree, find a seat by the carribean steel drum music, or seclude yourself in your air conditioned car by the south pier and watch young men fish and old men kite. Sparky's means mid-day mid-work picnic and a happy dancing tongue. And oh yes, their dogs are plump and juicy and their bread is always fresh, in case you like it just plain.
It is important to note that Sparky's is a traditional hot dog stand as you would find in Chicago or New York, but with a few more options like ice cream cones and warm nachos. No brats served, particularly unfortunate if you've developed a penchant for the Sheboygan brat. Still, let's not cry for the undead. There is no shortage of brat frys in Sheboygan County but nothing else like Sparky's in this little town. I'm glad that even though we are in the brat-epicenter of the brat universe, the idea of a hot dog stand remains possible. Thank God for Sparky's.
After our $5 lunch, we headed a block north to the Victorian Chocolate shop for hand crafted artisan chocolates. I've learned several years ago that European style chocolates are very different from American style chocolates. European dark chocolate is nearly bittersweet compared to our more milked down version and their milk chocolates are more mild and buttery compared to our instensely sweet versions. You will either have a preference for one style or the other as a picky chocolate eater. Which is why I really love the Victorian Chocolate shop because I think they sort of hit the spot with their chocolates being less sweet than the store bought brands, a higher quality chocolate flavor and aroma, rich creaminess in both dark and milk chocolates and with quality ingredients going into their fillings. Particularly real fresh fruits and real candied fruit rinds. For the same quality of hand-made goodness elsewhere as in Chicago or Philadelphia, you could easily pay up to $50 for a box of dozen hand-made truffels. Here, it is less than half that cost. Which is what makes this place so accessible to anyone willing to give it a try.
Dutiful wives and mothers that we are, we bought one giant sized chocolate covered strawberry and a fresh chocolate covered rasberry for each family member and gobbled ours up on the carway back home. A considerable treat to a hardy lunch with great atmosphere, great conversation and a healthy pocket book. Sheboygan summer dining offers many promising options.
Gaelle and I had been in an unusual anticipatory mood since the weather hit 70 by end of June. We just wanted to be out, somewhere with a deck or patio, somewhere with a lot of sun, and somewhere very American-summery. It was time to introduce Gaelle to Sparky's Hotdog Stand. This is a place you can bring your pocket book and your spicey cravings to. For $5, you can get a loaded up chili cheese dog with extra jalepeno peppers and fresh diced onions, a side of spicey bbq kettle chips, an an iced cold can of soda. If you're a bit old school, load it up with mustard, relish, onions and kraut. But if you're a true mid-western dog fanatic, then a full on lip smacking Chicago dog please. Find a spot under a shaded tree, find a seat by the carribean steel drum music, or seclude yourself in your air conditioned car by the south pier and watch young men fish and old men kite. Sparky's means mid-day mid-work picnic and a happy dancing tongue. And oh yes, their dogs are plump and juicy and their bread is always fresh, in case you like it just plain.
It is important to note that Sparky's is a traditional hot dog stand as you would find in Chicago or New York, but with a few more options like ice cream cones and warm nachos. No brats served, particularly unfortunate if you've developed a penchant for the Sheboygan brat. Still, let's not cry for the undead. There is no shortage of brat frys in Sheboygan County but nothing else like Sparky's in this little town. I'm glad that even though we are in the brat-epicenter of the brat universe, the idea of a hot dog stand remains possible. Thank God for Sparky's.
After our $5 lunch, we headed a block north to the Victorian Chocolate shop for hand crafted artisan chocolates. I've learned several years ago that European style chocolates are very different from American style chocolates. European dark chocolate is nearly bittersweet compared to our more milked down version and their milk chocolates are more mild and buttery compared to our instensely sweet versions. You will either have a preference for one style or the other as a picky chocolate eater. Which is why I really love the Victorian Chocolate shop because I think they sort of hit the spot with their chocolates being less sweet than the store bought brands, a higher quality chocolate flavor and aroma, rich creaminess in both dark and milk chocolates and with quality ingredients going into their fillings. Particularly real fresh fruits and real candied fruit rinds. For the same quality of hand-made goodness elsewhere as in Chicago or Philadelphia, you could easily pay up to $50 for a box of dozen hand-made truffels. Here, it is less than half that cost. Which is what makes this place so accessible to anyone willing to give it a try.
Dutiful wives and mothers that we are, we bought one giant sized chocolate covered strawberry and a fresh chocolate covered rasberry for each family member and gobbled ours up on the carway back home. A considerable treat to a hardy lunch with great atmosphere, great conversation and a healthy pocket book. Sheboygan summer dining offers many promising options.
Good Bye Norma Jean
I smack husband's arm each time he has the urge to count the number of remaining days to this year's aweful short summer. Spring didn't arrive until June with the air cracking just above 60 every day that month. It's been a tough year all around for Sheboygan County. Still suffering the slow down in our local economy, everyone from top down has been patiently wading through difficult times day by day waiting for any small turn in luck. Which makes it so much harder when summer sells us short and luck is still on winter break somewhere in the south Carribean.
This month, Jumes on 8th Street closed it's doors to its devoted patrons after nearly 82 years of restauranteuring. An all American original 50's diner that defined 50's dining from decor, to food, to their dry-witted waitresses. This is the place that any self-respecting local or wanna-be local Sheboygan resident would be found enjoying weekend brunch with their children, spouse or by themselves on a workday morning. The food was straightforward unpretentious. The coffee was a good American brew. Not too strong but with good mild flavor. Perfect with cream and sugar. There was nothing about Jume's food that stood out as award winning. What stood out was comfort in its reliable simplicity and consistency. What stood out was the spot in the corner that you could call yours should you make it a routine to come in every morning. A humble slice of home-made pie every Friday evening after a tough work week. A walk across the street for a refill on your coffee around noontime. And the friendly waitresses with their dry wit and good humoured jabs...not like they ever watched an episode of Mel's Diner.
It had become my routine every other morning since openning my office across the street to stop by for my usual bacon-egg-cheese sandwich on a Sheboygan hard roll and a medium cup of coffee. The cook, easily mistakable for Tommy Lee Jones, would crack open a fresh egg over the greasy fry top, warm up a fresh baked roll, heat up several thick slices of crunchy tasty bacon and top it all off with a melting thick slice of real Wisconsin sharp cheddar. The waitress would serve me a cup of coffee to go but each time forgetting to hand me a spoon...the old retired man whom I'd gotten to know very well would hand me his spoon in turn and begin discussing the local coupon and sales section from that morning's paper. You wouldn't know how much you had fallen in love with Jumes and accepted her into your life until she was gone and you're left wandering the corners of 8th street searching for an adequate substitute. For $5, you could have the best egg-bacon-cheese sandwich and medium cup of hot coffee to last you through late lunch. For $10, you could have something similar at The Field of Fork, but with a much different take on American dining and a much different personality. After nearly a century of offering up good traditional American dining, we wish you the best of luck in the next chapter of your life.
This month, Jumes on 8th Street closed it's doors to its devoted patrons after nearly 82 years of restauranteuring. An all American original 50's diner that defined 50's dining from decor, to food, to their dry-witted waitresses. This is the place that any self-respecting local or wanna-be local Sheboygan resident would be found enjoying weekend brunch with their children, spouse or by themselves on a workday morning. The food was straightforward unpretentious. The coffee was a good American brew. Not too strong but with good mild flavor. Perfect with cream and sugar. There was nothing about Jume's food that stood out as award winning. What stood out was comfort in its reliable simplicity and consistency. What stood out was the spot in the corner that you could call yours should you make it a routine to come in every morning. A humble slice of home-made pie every Friday evening after a tough work week. A walk across the street for a refill on your coffee around noontime. And the friendly waitresses with their dry wit and good humoured jabs...not like they ever watched an episode of Mel's Diner.
It had become my routine every other morning since openning my office across the street to stop by for my usual bacon-egg-cheese sandwich on a Sheboygan hard roll and a medium cup of coffee. The cook, easily mistakable for Tommy Lee Jones, would crack open a fresh egg over the greasy fry top, warm up a fresh baked roll, heat up several thick slices of crunchy tasty bacon and top it all off with a melting thick slice of real Wisconsin sharp cheddar. The waitress would serve me a cup of coffee to go but each time forgetting to hand me a spoon...the old retired man whom I'd gotten to know very well would hand me his spoon in turn and begin discussing the local coupon and sales section from that morning's paper. You wouldn't know how much you had fallen in love with Jumes and accepted her into your life until she was gone and you're left wandering the corners of 8th street searching for an adequate substitute. For $5, you could have the best egg-bacon-cheese sandwich and medium cup of hot coffee to last you through late lunch. For $10, you could have something similar at The Field of Fork, but with a much different take on American dining and a much different personality. After nearly a century of offering up good traditional American dining, we wish you the best of luck in the next chapter of your life.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Me Encanta Menudo
You wouldn't think it, but Sheboygan has some of the best Mexican dishes served up this side of the border. It's still a big mystery how it is possible that just only a day ago, I was served the best and most appetizing hot rich bowl of Menudo in my life at El Camino. This is not even a hyperbole because Menudo is such a simple dish. An otherwise bland dish composed of tripe, hominy, water, chile, salt and pepper...livened up with fresh lime, onion and cilantro garnishes. It's always been Mexican soulfood for me, tightly knotted in memories of long weekends working the La Mirada swap meet in California. In my days of childhood enslavement, menudo was always a good reason for my parents to let me loose on a lunch break to the catering truck stands where they served home made menudo. After a short lived obsession with Menudo, the boy band of the 80's, I rediscovered Menudo in a different light. The taste test begun between a food fight between catering trucks, which lead us to venture further into local restaurants...subconsciously feeding into my obsession with Mexican culture till I got a first bite of my ex-boyfriend's mom's Menudo to which I am still unable to replicate. Still, in one variation or another (more salt, less salt, more fat, less fat, longer boil, shorter boil, etc.), the ingredients seemed to remain hardfastly traditional and unchanged.
Then there is El Camino's version of serious smack down Menudo, and these people mean serious business here. The soup arrives, in a deep smokey rich peppery redness generously filled with tender loving tripe. Gaelle takes a first dip of her spoon into the broth and already we both see that this was not any water based broth. It coated her spoon thickly even after leaving the bowl and into her virgin Menudo mouth. Wow, according to Gaelle, was the taste of Sheboygan County's version of Menudo. What makes this version so special and loving is the fact that the chef at El Camino, Momma Camino, must have cooked 50 pounds of beef bones with thick tendons for ten days because we found melt in your mouth fist sized tendons, boiled down knuckles among everything else in the bowl. We know that Momma Camino loves us dearly because there was not a centimeter thick layer of grease one would expect from this level of boiled down stock. The cook took painful care to remove excess fat from this stock so that what would remain would simply be soup, soup and soup. It was a glorious spicey beef brew and perhaps an incomparable way of making an otherwise straight forward dish.
This journey into Sheboygan's underground food culture, not so underground since El Camino's magnificant renovation, has already turned me upside down in my prior prejudgments about dull Midwestern cuisine. Two taste tests into Gaelle and my adventure and I'm starting to see what a greater anomoly Sheboygan may in fact be. Who would have thought that the country's best Italian, Mexican, British and American cuisines could be found deep in the belly button of the United States?
Then there is El Camino's version of serious smack down Menudo, and these people mean serious business here. The soup arrives, in a deep smokey rich peppery redness generously filled with tender loving tripe. Gaelle takes a first dip of her spoon into the broth and already we both see that this was not any water based broth. It coated her spoon thickly even after leaving the bowl and into her virgin Menudo mouth. Wow, according to Gaelle, was the taste of Sheboygan County's version of Menudo. What makes this version so special and loving is the fact that the chef at El Camino, Momma Camino, must have cooked 50 pounds of beef bones with thick tendons for ten days because we found melt in your mouth fist sized tendons, boiled down knuckles among everything else in the bowl. We know that Momma Camino loves us dearly because there was not a centimeter thick layer of grease one would expect from this level of boiled down stock. The cook took painful care to remove excess fat from this stock so that what would remain would simply be soup, soup and soup. It was a glorious spicey beef brew and perhaps an incomparable way of making an otherwise straight forward dish.
This journey into Sheboygan's underground food culture, not so underground since El Camino's magnificant renovation, has already turned me upside down in my prior prejudgments about dull Midwestern cuisine. Two taste tests into Gaelle and my adventure and I'm starting to see what a greater anomoly Sheboygan may in fact be. Who would have thought that the country's best Italian, Mexican, British and American cuisines could be found deep in the belly button of the United States?
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