Day 44: Beer, Brats & Supper Clubs

Ahh yes… Wisconsin.  There’s not much better than a Friday night fish fry at your local supper club.  And there appears to be a supper club on every other corner around here.  And then a bar on each corner in between.

McKinley Marina – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Home of the Summerfest music festival, Milwaukee is the sometimes forgotten stepsister as everyone flocks south along the Lake Michigan shore to Chicago.  Less congested and more laid back, Milwaukee is a well-kept secret with friendly folk of German heritage.  They like their brats, love their beer, and are always up for a summer barbecue.

Bradford Beach – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Top Milwaukee Recommendations

• Best neighborhood:  Downer/Bradford which sits north of downtown near the waterfront.
• Best location on the Lake Michigan shore:  Bradford Beach where sand abounds and the water is cobalt blue.
• Best local beer:  Leinenkugel’s
• Most over-looked tourist attraction:  North Point Water Tower in Downer/Bradford, built in 1871 out of limestone and overlooking Lake Michigan.
• Best local meat market:  Usinger’s Sausage.  In 1880 Fred Usinger of Frankfurt, Germany took over a little butcher shop on what is now Old World 3rd Street.  Still a family-run business today, Usinger’s produces sausages and meats, in many cases using traditional 19th-century recipes.  Carnivores love it, herbivores hate it.  Try their varieties of bratwurst, salami, kishka, chorizo, liverwurst, beerwurst, bologna, pastroma, frankfurters, summer sausage, blood sausage, and head cheese.  Yummy, except the last two.

And friends Mary Mann, Donna Genzmer, Amy Rechner and Craig Krenek could name dozens of great restaurants and other sites to see.

North Point Water Tower – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When living in Milwaukee in the 90s, I was intrigued with the numerous difficult-to-pronounce city names stemming from American Indian culture:  Ashwaubenon, Oconomowoc, Weyauwega and Menomonie.  And then I moved to Washington State and had to learn even more:  Enumclaw, Nisqually, Puyallup, Tulalip and Tshletshy.  And let’s not forget the S names in Washington:  Skamokawa, Skokomish, Skykomish Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Snoqualmie.  This is not a test.

Downtown Pewaukee, Wisconsin

I just spent a wonderful Wisconsin evening with friends Sheri Marr and Ann Britzke of Lannon, Wisconsin dining at the Golden Anchor Supper Club on the shores of tranquil Pewaukee Lake.

Golden Anchor Supper Club – Pewaukee, Wisconsin

With Sheri and Ann

Sheri and Ann with their two best buddies

And believe it or not, I turned 36 yesterday, plus or minus 20 years.  Seriously!

Email wilfahrtd@yahoo.com – Mobile 415-815-8537 – Do share with friends

Today’s Road Trip Soundtrack…

(Photos 1 and 4 taken with no shame from the internet)