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.
Friday, July 8, 2011
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.
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