FIRST DUMP OF THE YEAR // Weekly Food Dump #13
I had what might be my most Wisconsin weekend on-record. This week saw my first game at Lambeau Field and my first Pink Squirrel.
Hey, reader! Happy New Year (again)! The later in the year it gets, the more I think of that Seinfeld bit where Jerry complains about getting “Happy New Year”-ed in February. Thankfully we’re hardly a week into the year so I still have some mileage on that one before I have to get creative and find a new greeting.
This week had some pretty cool firsts—all very Milwaukee/Wisconsin-coded, I might add! I just spent the last few hours writing and scheduling emails and getting all my pressing assignments in a row for Monday morning. A very cleansing feeling! Even though it’s frustrating that I feel at my most energized at 2:16 in the morning.
Alright, let’s get on with it! Here’s this week’s Insta post:
#1: a trip to Vanguard // Vanguard
Vanguard is one of my favorite restaurants in the city and has been for some time. Their craft, house-made, creatively conceived sausages are quintessentially Milwaukee. They play the hits, sure, but their more off-the-wall stuff like those fried tofu squares, vegan sausages (made from seitan), and the duck BLT sausages are all really clever. Plus, it’s rare for me to be able to enjoy a brat with my friends who eat Halal, so it was cool to enjoy that piece of my history with a friend.
#2: potato leek soup // dad
This French classic is also a David classic: leeks, butter, cream, and potatoes. That’s more or less it. Simmered, blended, and topped with chives and lardons (really just bacon but I’ve got French food on the mind), this is one of the best soups out there.
#3: sushi // Wonita
Deeply normal, inoffensive, American-style sushi is a comfort food for me. That said, I miss Japan. And I miss the sushi I ate there.
#4: Chambord alexander custard // Kopp’s
Rich raspberry mixed with chocolate and that slight bite of booze that still remains when you turn it into custard helped to catapult this Kopp’s flavor of the day high into my Kopp’s flavor power rankings. Below Butter Pecan (classic), cookies ’n’ cream (my favorite), and caramel cashew, this is kind of a fruitier departure from Kopp’s usual affair. This pic really doesn’t do the maroon-ish color of the custard any justice.
#5: pork souvlaki wrap // dad
Turns out well-seasoned, marinated meat is really tasty. My dad actually made the bread for this wrap! With sauteed onions inside too, which I’d never seen—I ate a few pieces with the hummus he made. It gave me Godzilla atomic heat beam level garlic breath. That’s how you know it’s good.
#6: Friday fish fry // Lakefront Brewery
Friday Fish Fry deserves a deeper dive than I’m going to give it here. That’s because it’s a Lent activity that’s become something of a competitive sport here in the 414, and Lent doesn’t start for a few weeks. Hell, damn near every bar, diner, food truck, and home cook with a deep fryer and a supply of cod or perch batters their fish in beer and seasonings before dropping it in the fryer.
I always pooh-poohed the event as a kid, no matter where I went. I was a bit pickier than I am now, and cooked fish of most kinds was one of the biggest targets. See again: my come-to-Jesus moment with the mussels I recounted a few weeks ago. I also hated church and saw the eating of fish on Fridays during Lent to be some act of compliance with Canon. So I always went for a burger. It’s no manifesto nailed to a church door, I’ll tell you that much.
To this day, I’ll almost always choose something else. Nowadays, it’s not because I don’t like fish, but because fish fry is usually pretty uninteresting next to a burger, fried chicken, or other seafood options.
Maybe it was the polka, maybe it was the beer. This was one of the best things I’ve eaten since getting back from Japan. The fish was shatteringly crisp and tender—it needed salt, but there was plenty at the table. The coleslaw was fresh and clearly housemade with an extra kick from fresh-ground black pepper, some much-needed zing from sour apples, and a perfectly modest amount of mayonnaise. The crispy latkes and surprisingly cinnamon-heavy apple sauce tasted like they were meant for each other.
#7: Indian food FEAST // Hyderabadi House and Taste of India
Indian food is one of my most embarrassing culinary blindspots. It’s incredibly diverse and regional. I can pinpoint spices, names, and techniques here and there, but every time I have it, I wind up eating a dish I’ve never heard of. I know that there’s biryani in that big bucket and Manchurian Cauliflower in some of the smaller containers. I’m missing at least four different items…
This is actually from two different restaurants. I still don’t fully understand the logic behind it, but my friends chose everything so it’s not really mine to understand in the first place!
#8: Pink Squirrel and Grashopper // At Random
Here’s another Milwaukee classic. The Pink Squirrel is one of—if not the—only major cocktail invented in Milwaukee. Originally created at Bryant’s, now served at their sister bar, At Random, it’s incredible. Towing the line between almond and cherry mixed with just a little bit of chocolate, this was an absolute treat.
At Random’s another personal favorite of mine, and it’s one that sees pretty regular recognition. It hearkens back to a time when peak mixology was making boozy milkshakes or stirring gin with olive brine while looking at a bottle of vermouth. It’s not an everyday kind of thing, but whatta delightful treat. And probably very low-ABV, too. Plus, who wants to get lit off milk and ice cream?
#9: Lambeau bratwurst // Lambeau Field
I went to my second NFL game today! This was my first time at the iconic Lambeau Field; home of the Green Bay Packers. Now, I’m pretty firmly not a football guy—sometimes I joke that I left Wisconsin because of how sick of football culture I was. I’d probably feel differently if Milwaukee had a football team or if I’d gone to UW-Madison. Either way, it’s all different live; I’d never turn down an opportunity to go see the Packers play at Lambeau.
I had a great time with my dad and a couple of friends of ours who invited us, I learned a little about the sport, and enjoyed a quintessential Sconnie experience. We had great seats, froze our asses off, and ate brats and cheesesteaks! I sang the beer barrel polka (which feels like stolen valor outside of Miller Park but I’m sure it’s been a thing at Lambeau for decades longer) and did the “Go Pack GO” chant.
I love stadium food and my comically large brat was pretty well-cooked; perfect char and all that, but no mustard?! The opportunity for relish and mustard (green and gold!) is right there. Vince Lombardi’s rolling in his grave, I’m sure.
#10: bacon cheeseburger // Eagle Park Brewery and Distillery
We stopped at this brew-pub on the way home from the game! It’s come highly recommended from writers and people whose opinions I respect for ages now, so I’m glad I finally made it in! It didn’t disappoint at all. Something unique about this burger that I appreciated was the use of red onion, which was sliced in larger, thicker chunks than you’d normally find on a burger. I love that biting, acidic—almost acrid taste it brings to the table. Absolutely delicious. The fries were tossed in some kind of savory-sweet seasoning, too, which made ‘em hard to stop eating. In fact, I think everyone at the table finished their fries.
Song of the week: Rhymes Like Dimes
The beat on this song feels like the right kind of upbeat to start the new year—that is to say, measuredly so. There’s some blue to find in there somewhere but it mostly gets swept away with DOOM’s quick flow.
Thanks for reading!