How To Eat A Sheboygan Brat.

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. 

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!

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.