After our time spent at the Apostle Islands it was time to start heading back south to Chicago. I had a tough choice to make when figuring out which route to take between going from Bayfield to Marquette, MI and then going down to Lake Michigan and taking that all the way home or to take Highway 51 thru the heart of the state from top to bottom. Highway 51 won out and we were on our way back. The upper portion of this drive is pretty nice and you go thru alot of WI towns. At around 11a we needed gas and I saw on the food exit signs a place called Chip's Hamburgers in Merrill, WI. We hadn't ate anything yet and needed to stretch the legs and get gas so we stopped in at this spot which was unplanned and not on my radar.


Merrill, WI

Upon first glance it looked like it could be something good. It was packed and the drive thru had constant traffic so we went in to take a look at the menu. The menu was large and had 100's of things so I just went with the first burger listed which was called The Blue Jay, named after the local high schools team nickname, and like the rest of them comes flame broiled. It all went downhill when I saw the frozen patties being thrown on the grill. In the end Chip's and the Blue Jay Burger was a step up from Burger King and the Whopper. Very similar and so on we marched.


Blue Jay burger

Chip's Hamburgers
1203 East 3rd Street
Merrill, WI 54452-2533
(715) 536-6532

After logging in some more miles down Highway 51 towards Chicago we took a little sidetrack that would take us to Jefferson, WI which is the home to another very old seasonal burger shack. Wedl's is a 90+ year old joint that's been mentioned and rec'd on here by eatwisconsin and is also featured in George Motz's book-Hamburger America. It hasn't always been named Wedl's and used to go by Peterson's until it was sold to a family of longtime customers who just changed the name but not the burgers or how and where they are made. Much like Pete's mentioned upthread, Wedl's is a shack on the sidewalk.


Jefferson, WI

The picture above is the view from across the street and as you can see, the shack is on the left in front of the building which is an ice cream parlor. There's also a patio to the right for people to sit at and eat. If you go inside the building where ice cream is served you can see some old time photos of the hamburger stand and other shots of it from thru the years. You walk up to the sidewalk shack outside for burger orders. The menu is rather packed and I'm sure most of the items have been added on the last 20 some years. The grill dude told me the steak sandwich was also very popular and really good but I was there for their classic burgers which they've been doing up the same since the shack started.



The burger shack (top L) "Wedl you taste them"

Seen in the large photo above is a shot inside and a look at the grill where the burgers are made. Wedl's gets fresh ground beef from the towns butcher and they start off as balls that are smashed into patties making them the much loved by LTH, 30's style burgers. Next to the patties are a pile of onions grilling away that flood the air and can be smelled by anyone near. When your burgers are ready you take them over to the side of the shack and can top them with ketchup, mustard and pickles. I ordered a double with onions and put some mustard and pickles on it and I was ready to go.


double cheeseburger from Wedl's

Well you can put another burger on the board for WI. A classic 30's style burger with fresh meat and potent and perfectly grilled onions and just mustard and pickles to top it off was the way I love them. Add in a soft bun and you got yourself a great flavor combination. Wedl's took the bronze for burgers on this trip but the reality is six of the spots were fantastic. Jefferson is 40 miles east of Madison, WI and worth the stop if in the vicinity.

Wedl's Hamburger Stand (seasonal)
200 E Racine St
Jefferson, WI 53549
(920) 674-3637

Da Beef,

you truly are the king.

great post as always, thanks.

So the last stop on our trip back to Chicago would be-Milwaukee. I had wanted to see whats up at the Nite Owl but they are closed on Mondays so I re-routed the directions and we would instead stop at Mazo's which is another spot I had never been.


Milwaukee, WI

There is a whole thread dedicated to this popular Milwaukee burger destination right HERE. Its a place that's been on my radar since I first started reading LTH and that thread came up. Anyplace that's been doing up burgers and shakes since the 30's will always be on my "to get to" list. Its still a family run business and on our visit it was almost full with customers but it was only me ordering so I just got one to go from the younger waitress who said her favorite was the bacon cheese so that's what I went with. I asked for it medium and that is how it came out. It reminded me alot of a good old fashioned diner burger and I was happy with the product. It might look like a frozen preformed patty is hidden between that bun but that it is not, just fresh ground beef formed into pattys. It had me spooked that it looked awfully similar to Phil's Kastle in looks, not flavor, thank god. I liked this burger and would happily have one again but I think I'm a Kopp's man over Solly's but a Solly's guy over Mazo's. Either way, Milwaukee has some great burgers. It was nice that Leon's Custard is across the street and that would be the final food stop on our little journey up the river around the state.


Bacon cheeseburger from Mazo's

Mazo's Hamburgers
3146 South 27th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53215-4338
(414) 671-2118

I was up in the Madison area to start the wkd on Friday and was finally able to check out another well known and much loved WI burger place due to the timing. Since it was a Friday I was able to make a pit stop in Lake Mills which is pretty much in between Milwaukee and Madison. The Lake Mills VFW American Legion Post #67 is yet another seasonal shack selling burgers along the sidewalk in the state.


A line starts forming around 11a and rarely goes away the rest of the day

I never heard of this place when I was at school in Madison otherwise I would have been. However they are only open on Friday's from May thru October. They open at 10a and close when the patties run out, usually around 7 or 8. You know they are open or closed when the American flags seen in the pic are hoisted. Just like Pete's featured upthread the menu is limited and burgers are ordered "with" or without which are the onions filling the downtown street with a pungent aroma. The only difference from Pete's at the Post is that cheeseburgers are available. Its been this way since 1926 when they used to be sold out of a cart across the street in the park. The sidewalk stand was built in 1950. Freshly ground chuck patties are delivered daily along with a 50 lb bag of onions.


Lake Mills, WI

I arrived at the stand a little before 11a. It was easy to find, just follow the highway exit to Lake Mills and it takes you right into town, roll your windows down and you'll smell the onions and when you see a line along the sidewalk you'll know your there.


The menu and your choices

The people making the burgers are Vets and volunteers who love to make the burgers for the people of the town that have eating them for generations. Although these burgers are pretty basic they are full of greasy flavor. Locals call them sliders but they are about the same size as a McDonald's cheeseburger so I wouldn't call them that, since it was early I only ordered two, both cheeseburgers "with". The patties are fried and from what I was told by the guy next to me they are seasoned with only black pepper. The onions are chopped and cooked to a perfect translucent color and are as potent as you will find. If I've learned anything about seasonal WI burgers stands its that they are all experts in the onions department. Along the side there are bottles of ketchup and mustard and all the napkins you need which you're going to need because these things are greasy. When I took one out of the bag in the butcher paper it was already soaked thru. They packed quite the punch and although I wasn't hungover I knew that these would be the perfect remedy for one. I was actually only able to eat one due to it being my first bite of the day and not all that hungry. The burger was however in my mind the rest of the day though. Good stuff indeed.


cheeseburger "with" from the Lake Mills VFW Post

American Legion Post #67 Hamburger Stand
(seasonal and open Friday's only)
133 North Main Street
Lake Mills, Wisconsin 53551
(920) 731-1265

Da Beef wrote:I was up in the Madison area to start the wkd on Friday and was finally able to check out another well known and much loved WI burger place due to the timing. Since it was a Friday I was able to make a pit stop in Lake Mills which is pretty much in between Milwaukee and Madison. The Lake Mills VFW American Legion Post #67 is yet another seasonal shack selling burgers along the sidewalk in the state.

Ha! I was in WI last weekend, and read about this shack in the "food edition" of the Milwaukee newspaper on my last day.. but it was a Wednesday, so I couldnt do it. Wondered about it, was planning on visiting next time in the area on Friday, and was going to ask about it on LTH.. only to find it just being mentioned Thanks for the review, will definitely stop in next time in the area!

Also, Id like to second the rec above of Wedl's in Jefferson.. had been there a couple times before and thought it only "ok".. but tried it again on this trip and thought it terrific. Stopped in twice on consecutive days - both days the double-cheeseburger was outstanding. Also, both their "Mackinac Island Fudge" and "Banana" icecream (the latter only a "special" available on certain days) are completely terrific, and well worth the stop if in the area.

c8w

Mazo's used to be out of this world until they hired the safety police and no longer cook to medium rare. It was better than Kopps, Sollys or Soblemans and now, while still tasty, is kind of forgettable.

I got a chance to take a ride up to Jefferson, WI with PhilDub yesterday while he dropped something off and was glad to check another one off the list. As is evidence from a bunch of the previous spots on here featured upthread Jefferson County has some really great burgers in the area. In fact I have a few more spots I have yet to get too on my list but was able to cross off one of them on this trip. We visited Zwieg's in Watertown, WI. The town in itself actually has its own thread right HERE. Originally started by happy_stomach I actually never saw the useful info on it until I searched here today. Oh well, she was dead on though. I also grew up in the city and love visiting small town America especially in Wisconsin which seems to have so many of them all with a main street that includes an old theater, diner, tavern, ice cream spot, butcher/bakery, barber shop, Drug store, painted murals on the old buildings and so on. I've seen alot of these Main streets in the state and Watertown's was one of the best. It was pretty alive with cars, people walking and had all the regular things mentioned that a Main street in Wisco has.


Mullen's Dairy Bar is classic Americana

Well if you ever make it thru the area or are near here (not far from Johnson Creek Outlet Mall and right off I-94) I would recommend doing as follows. One of the spots featured in Watertown's own LTH thread is Mullen's Dairy Bar seen in the pic above. Located on Main street its vintage Wisconsin, they make their own ice cream and have all the old school equipment a parlor would have. It reminded me of Mickies Dairy Bar in Madison but instead of the food its known for its ice cream concoctions. I saw some great things on the menu including a sherbet drink made with that and phosphate water but had to go with a chocolate malt on my first visit. Boy am I glad I did and would highly recommend you do the same. Get it to go and then head down Main street towards Zwieg's.

ChiNOLA wrote:Other Watertown spots worthy of mention are Zwieg's Grill, which is a half diner / half sit-down place - I have eaten many hundreds of hamburgers there over my lifetime - they also feature Broasted Chicken (I haven't had the Khan BBQ version, but Zwieg's version rocks).

I read about Zwieg's in Hamburger America and it's been on my radar since then. Just another old ass place serving the same burgers the same way just like back in the day. Gotta love it. Nicely described above by ChiNOLA it felt like half diner and half supper club inside there. It's been around in this location for over half a century. Its a great site when rolling up on it down Main street.


Article about switching the grill after 50+ years...I love the clock


Watertown, WI

We parked the car and went in to place an order that we were going to take out and eat at the table outside. The menu had the usual suspects on a diner for breakfast like omelets and American fries and bacon and eggs and some of the usual's on a Supper club menu like broasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and a Friday fish fry. We were there for the double cheeseburgers (which I've come to taste are best in Wisconsin) with fried onions, pickles and mustard. We also got an order of fries which were frozen crinkle cut and thus 'eh. As like everywhere else the service was charming and the burger expertly prepared. Meat patties were preformed but were fresh and the taste of this one was right up there with the rest in the county, one of the best in a state with so many. Paired with that malt from Mullen's its one helluva lunch. I'm sure there's many more to come.


double cheeseburger from Zwieg's

Zwieg's Grill
904 E Main St
Watertown, WI 53094-3936
(920) 261-1922

riding with the beef, what a day
last week fri. we hit some great place's
this burger stop was tops, would drive up any time

Two hidden burger gems in Kenosha are Jack's Cafe, inside Andrea's Gifts and Ron's Place. A while back, Cathy visited Jack's. It's an old fashioned soda fountain, gift, candy, and cigar store, serving excellent malts, cheeseburgers, patty melts, and some fine home made soups. Be sure to eat at the counter to watch the ice cream action. Ron's Place is a tavern with a small grill offering their famous 5X5 Cheeseburger. The best seat in the house is in front of the grill at the end of the bar.

Andrea's
2401 60th Street
Kenosha, WI
www.andreasgifts.com/jacks.html

Ron's Place
3301 52nd Street
Kenosha, WI

csd,

What do you think of Andy's Drive In in Kenosha? I visited Andy's Diner once, which was since closed. Andy's Drive In always seems dead. It is also in serious need of a lively paint job. Redwood red is not doing it any favors. Yet the signage advertising their food is hot rod culture cute.

I've never eaten there, either. I once went in hoping for the homemade pie offered at Andy's. I recall a deadpan lack of enthusiasm didn't motivate me to stay. I don't need effusive, just not totally pegged stranger whose business you could take or leave.

Are my impressions mistaken?

Regards,

I ate at Andy's recently during a quick tour of Kenosha drive ins. I thought the Burger wasn't very good...especially when compared to places like The Spot. I'm not likely to ever return.

Andy passed away years ago and his two sons continued to run the restaurant and the drive-in. Both were eventually sold. After the sale of the restaurant, it closed. The drive-in continued, however, I stopped eating there after the family left the business. The burgers at the drive-in and the restaurant, were identical and when owned by the family, were always very good. It's been a while since I ate at the drive-in, which interior wise, hasn't changed in over 30 years. When ever I went to the drive-in for burgers, it was always to go. I just couldn't force myself to eat in that place.

chicagostyledog wrote:Two hidden burger gems in Kenosha are Jack's Cafe, inside Andrea's Gifts and Ron's Place...Ron's Place is a tavern with a small grill offering their famous 5X5 Cheeseburger. The best seat in the house is in front of the grill at the end of the bar.

Chicagostyle, Ron's Place has long been on my radar, probably since my first trip to Tenuta's right next door. Ever since I saw that stained glass with the cartoon character eating the burger, by the looks of it from the outside I knew it was a real deal Wisconsin tavern. It was just hard to find a time when there was The Spot, Big Star, Kewpee's etc...(all featured upthread). When your rec' came I promised myself next time I was in Kenosha I would get me a 5x5. Took a ride up to the outlets Wednesday and made my usual stop at the Brat Stop followed by a trip to Tenuta's and then Ron's Place.


Kenosha, WI

I forgot your mention of getting the seat at the end of the bar but they were taken anyway, so we sat at the middle of it between two groups of regulars. Classic Kenosha with a couple of them in Bears gear and a few others in green and gold. Ron's Place is famous for it's tea's aka Long Islands. They have a ton of different flavor combination's ranging from original to Hawaiian to Jamaican and so on. They come served in a southern glass tea mug and the menu is so large when you look at it becomes hard to decide. I didn't want one on this trip but will be back to have one next time. Of course like any respectable WI tavern they have spotted cow in the bottle, though not on tap.


View from my seat at the bar

With this being my first visit I knew I was going to have the 5x5 but other burgers are available. The 5x5 comes with your choice of cheese if you want it and the option of lettuce, tomato and mayo. They bring a platter of ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles and giardinera for you to distribute onto your burger as you so please. It's nice being able to load the pickles on and I liked that hot peppers were included. I told the friendly bartender "gimme it the way it's most ordered" and got mine with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. I put everything else on it but the ketchup and it was a messy thing to say the least. It helped cutting it in half after I dressed it.


5x5 with cheese from Ron's Place


Toppings platter and my burger cut in half

I thought it was everything you would want your local establishments burger to be. It was $5.95 with fries and quite a large portion when everything was piled on. The only semi bad part was the bottom bun was virtually soaked up in meat juice which was what made it only somewhat bad, skip the fries. A very juicy burger, great with a cold one while sitting at da bar. I will be back again.


Another good burger in Kenosha

Ron's Place
3301 52nd Street
Kenosha, WI 53144
(262) 657-5907

After a bite at the Philly Way which let the lunch rush crowd from Sobelman's die down, we headed back over to the old Tied House for some drink's and burgers. Sobelman's is a very popular Milwaukee tavern/burger joint that is also one of the best Tied House's I have ever seen. It's very well kept and fits in great in the industrial part of town amongst the factories which are really the only things near it. It's not below the radar or anything like that and has been featured in many publications, top burger lists and seen on Travel Channel/Food Network etc... The tavern has it's own thread started by the expert himself located right HERE.


Milwaukee, WI

This was my second visit here and it was as good as the last. I first went during Summerfest following when that thread was first started. Everything said about it was to my agreement with it being a classic Milwaukee tavern. On this visit it was around 2p and there was still a nice crowd but a few tables and seats at the bar were open so as always I plopped down at the bar. They had the music playing from the jukebox, it was Friday and people were alive with the Pack playing the next day, many were getting started early. The staff at Sobelman's is as nice as any and you could tell they enjoyed being there on the job as they spread their joy around the bar. Too bad fro them, the fun is going to stop this Sunday when they come down to Chicago.


The view as you enter

The first time I visited here a few years back it was the pictures of the Bloody Mary that drew in. In typical Wisconsin fashion they are overdone loaded with condiments from a cocktail shrimp to sausage and cheese along with all the necessary veggies and a damn nice Bloody when it's all said and done. They made them with Absolut peppar and they had that nice spice kick that I like. I knew I was going with the signature Sobelman burger as did one of the others in the group and one had the Loser burger which is named after the burger that lost in the Milwaukee burger challenge featured on Travel Channel's Food War's. The 'Loser' comes with Nueske's bacon, caramelized onions and a few types of cheese. He very much enjoyed his loser burger and is somewhat of a burger nut.


A 'Sconnie Bloddy


The Loser burger

I was happy with my Sobelman burger which comes with three types of cheese, a circle of bacon and a jalapeno like relish. The beef patty's are from the Tallgrass Beef company and can be pretty lean but they do cook them to perfection. If your so inclined you can watch the grill-men make your burgers live on one of the TV's. The best part about the burger to me is the bun, it's an excellent version for this burger and overall I am a fan of Sobelman's burgers but I like the atmosphere inside the pub and it's history a little more. Great place to stop on in at in Milwaukee for some lunch and drinks.


Sobelman Burger basket

Sobelman's Pub & Grill
1900 W Saint Paul Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 931-1919

Great pics and post Da Beef! U ROCK!
Dang i want a triple char burger from sum where now.

After a fun Saturday night in Milwaukee that included a live viewing of the Chicago Bulls beating down the Milwaukee Bucks with plenty of beers both before at the bars, during at the Bradley Center and of course afterward, with a trip to more bars and then the casino and then more bars and after it all it was time to head home. It was a fun night running with the Bulls North up the lake and into Milwaukee, the city and casino were flooded with Chicagoans. I had a place long on my list in Fort Atkinson on my mind for morning breakfast but it's closed on Sunday's. So instead we made our way back to Chicago and stopped in at the world famous Frank's Diner in Kenosha for breakfast.


Kenosha, WI

Frank's is a real classic American diner that's been in it's place in downtown Kenosha since six horses pulled it there from Pennsylvania in 1926. Just another one of the gems I found thru LTH long before Guy Fieri was pulling up in his red Camero. Frank's Diner has it's own thread HERE. We arrived around Noon on Sunday and it was packed. The funny thing was my buddy who was a first time visitor thought the sit down section to the left when you enter were mirrors of people sitting at the counter. The place was jammed to the brim but we got seats at the end near the entrance within 10 minutes. It was calm chaos as always with the staff their usually chatty self's. We went with a short stack of blueberry pancakes to start and a three meat and veggies combo platter garbage plate, their specialty, as well as what's called on the menu the "Bates burger". Which for what it's worth is actually much more normal than Norman, nothing too crazy.


Bates burger from Frank's Diner

The burger is actually a breakfast sandwich served with a sausage patty, but it's called a burger and served in Wisconsin so it's a burger of Wisconsin to me. The patty is crisped up on the edges to perfection and served on a well buttered local bakery sourced bun which was excellent. It comes topped with sauteed jalapenos and melted Swiss cheese. The burger is served alongside American fries. I thought about asking for it with a fried egg on top but in the end it wasn't needed. This was an awesome "breakfast burger" and everything added together made it memorable for me. The pancakes and garbage plate were excellent as well.




A trip to Frank's is always very filling and fun

Frank's Diner
508 58th Street
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 657-1017

Beef,

If I'm not mistaken, those buns and all the breads are baked in house.

stevez wrote:Beef,

If I'm not mistaken, those buns and all the breads are baked in house.

Ya I don't doubt that. I just assumed since there were quite a few family run bakeries in the Kenosha-Racine area it was delivered from one of them, it wasn't prepackaged from the supermarket that's for sure. The baked in house breads would make sense to me too since I think the best part of the Garbage plates is the thick toasted bread slices that come with them. Made in the old school toaster seen in the pic collection up above, they're great with the other parts of the plate spread atop them. Good stuff.

Wow, I love this thread. Though all of the burgers mentioned on here look amazing, I have to say the best ones I've ever had are right up at the top of the very first set of photos: Sollys and Kopps. Maybe I'm partial, since I grew up in Glendale, but they're excellent. Melt-in-your-mouth beefy cheesy deliciousness. And the best part? You can get an amazing malt to go with them! I recommend keeping it simple (single cheeseburger) at both spots, though Kopps is at least twice the size, get a chocolate malt, and split some fries with a friend. Nothing better. I'm drooling thinking about it!

This is a great thread and makes me understand how little I knew about the Wisconsin burger culture.

Geez, one of the better burgers in Wisconsin I've had was at Kopp's Custard Shop, which after reading this thread doesn't look at great. (But it was a good burger )

Da Beef knows more about Wisconsin burgers and hidden gems than most Wisconsin foodies, myself included!

Da Beef wrote: I had a place long on my list in Fort Atkinson on my mind for morning breakfast but it's closed on Sunday's. So instead we made our way back to Chicago and stopped in at the world famous Frank's Diner in Kenosha for breakfast.

Hmm. I thought I knew Fort a bit... maybe I dont know it as well as I thought Which breakfast place is this, that you had in mind? Iam not sure Id rank any of the ones I know in Fort up to Frank's Diner standards...if there is one Id love to try it! (But then I think Franks is awesome actually... even their 'special dessert roll" or whatever it was that I tried a year or so ago was brilliantly good. And their bread is terrific, of course.

c8w

c8w wrote:

Da Beef wrote: I had a place long on my list in Fort Atkinson on my mind for morning breakfast but it's closed on Sunday's. So instead we made our way back to Chicago and stopped in at the world famous Frank's Diner in Kenosha for breakfast.

Hmm. I thought I knew Fort a bit... maybe I dont know it as well as I thought Which breakfast place is this, that you had in mind? Iam not sure Id rank any of the ones I know in Fort up to Frank's Diner standards...if there is one Id love to try it! (But then I think Franks is awesome actually... even their 'special dessert roll" or whatever it was that I tried a year or so ago was brilliantly good. And their bread is terrific, of course.

c8w

Having grown up there, I can only imagine he is talking about Soup's On. Which is a fine breakfast place, but I wouldn't call it destination breakfast food.

All of these places look amazing. Due to the lack of burgers places in Chicago I will be making a road trip north in the near future.

Da Beef, I have another Milwaukee burger gem. Once you check out their website, you'll immediately know about this Wisconsin burger palace. We've been there twice and loved it! Happy Eating!

Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill
1952 N Farwell Milwaukee, WI
414-273-GRAS
http://www.milwaukeeshealthiestburgers.com

BTW, on your way to Wisconsin, visit Interstate Dogs, connected to the BP station on the northwest corner of I94 & HWY 50, next to the McDonald's. Vienna Beef hot dogs, Polish, fries, and Italian beef at great prices.

CSD: Beef covered Sobelman's just a few posts up on this very page, although he visited a different location.

The man is everywhere!

TomInSkokie wrote:CSD: Beef covered Sobelman's just a few posts up on this very page, although he visited a different location.

The man is everywhere!

Different location, slightly different menu, geared toward the healthy burger eater, if in fact, there is such an individual.

TomInSkokie wrote:CSD: Beef covered Sobelman's just a few posts up on this very page, although he visited a different location.

There is a dedicated LTHForum thread on the St Paul Av Sobelman's by Rene G as well.

Cbot wrote:Great pics and post Da Beef! U ROCK!

kicks22 wrote:Wow, I love this thread.

P. Channon wrote:This is a great thread and makes me understand how little I knew about the Wisconsin burger culture.

eatwisconsin wrote:Da Beef knows more about Wisconsin burgers and hidden gems than most Wisconsin foodies, myself included!

bosk wrote:All of these places look amazing.

chicagostyledog wrote:Da Beef...Happy Eating!

TomInSkokie wrote:CSD: Beef covered Sobelman's...The man is everywhere!

Hey folks, thanks for the love. Glad y'all are enjoying all the bombastic burger stops in the heavyweight state, although probably not quite as much as I am...

So here's another one.

brandon_w wrote:

c8w wrote:

Da Beef wrote: I had a place long on my list in Fort Atkinson on my mind for morning breakfast but it's closed on Sunday's. So instead we made our way back to Chicago and stopped in at the world famous Frank's Diner in Kenosha for breakfast.

Hmm. I thought I knew Fort a bit... maybe I dont know it as well as I thought Which breakfast place is this, that you had in mind? I am not sure Id rank any of the ones I know in Fort up to Frank's Diner standards...if there is one Id love to try it! (But then I think Franks is awesome actually... even their 'special dessert roll" or whatever it was that I tried a year or so ago was brilliantly good. And their bread is terrific, of course.

c8w

Having grown up there, I can only imagine he is talking about Soup's On. Which is a fine breakfast place, but I wouldn't call it destination breakfast food.

What no love for Scottie's Eat Mor?


Fort Atkinson, WI

Well I made it up there this past Friday. I was in Kenosha and said screw it. The drive from Kenosha to the Fort is pretty simple. You just get off at the Lake Geneva exit from 94 and take Route 50 to Route 12 which takes you right up to Scotties Eat Mor after about 25 minutes. I first heard of Scotties from a rec from a friend at the local bar who's from around that way. This was last year about the time I started this thread that he told me about it. After a little online search at some point (theres not much on Scotties) I found this dudes flickr account and his pics put it on my "must hit in Wisconsin" list. Scotties isn't the first burger found along US 12 on this list (It's also in Jefferson County like many others) and the ride into Fort Atkinson was pretty nice on the sunny spring day. We went thru Whitewater, which has a classic Wisconsin Main street and also passed quite a few supper clubs, bakeries and taverns en route. This is the middle of dairyland and Fort Atkinson is the home to the National Dairy Shrine. Huh? how do you worship dairy? Is there a sacred cow or something? It shares a visitor center with the Hoard Historical Museum, which was William D. Hoard's house. Hoard I learned was the 16th Governor of the state and the founder of Dairyman's Magazine.


America's Dairyland

Scotties is a classic old style diner. It's small, like smaller than Frank's, it sits 16 and more times than not has a full house. It's been around in the same spot, same building since the original diner tenant opened up shop in 1935. Of course it sits on Main street.


The view as you enter


The view from my seat (in back) with Scottie manning the grill

This was my first time up around this way and I got great rec's already from brandon_w and c8w and wouldn't call this destination dining but thought it was really good "middle America" eating. It was classic Wisconsin. Scottie, the namesake, controls the grill and he does it like a world class pro. Not to mention the grill is smaller than alot of peoples HD TV's these days. Scotties sister, Jackie, handles all the waitressing duties and together they make up the staff and everyone in town knows them. One local stopped in for lunch and brought them a peacock feather? The menu has many of your typical breakfast joint items including omelets, skillets, biscuits and gravy, BLT's and quite a few other things including more usual sandwich suspects and burgers. They also have a specials board and I don't know why I forgot but I missed out on the fish fry. Scottie hand batters his fresh cut fish and doesn't take many short cuts with the rest of his menu either. It's just good home cookin'.


Friday's specials board

It was me and a friend and he let me do the ordering so after my mind went blank I settled on a Denver omelet, an order of biscuits and gravy and a bacon, mushroom, Swiss burger with home fries. On my visit we had regulars sitting next to us and the old timer was shocked with what we ordered. He said I wouldn't be able to finish the burger let alone the rest of the food. He'd been going there since 1954 he told me. By the time we left Scottie had a full house and they were all regulars, all chit chattin' it up with each other. I'm not a breakfast expert but I liked both the omelet and the biscuits and gravy. I thought the sausage gravy was pretty damn good and my favorite part of the duo.


an omelet and some biscuits and gravy from Scotties...eat mor!

So I hear some people asking, "how 'bout the burger?" Well it was damn good too. Scottie starts off with a 16 oz hand patted patty that when cooked goes down to about 14 oz so this isn't no slider. I opted for the mushroom and Swiss with bacon added on and that was the right choice as this was the best bacon I have ever had on a burger. So thick and full of flavor it comes from a local butcher. The burger was cooked to a perfect medium (my friend wanted it that way and we were splitting) but they cook it how you want it. I passed Lake Country Market (seen upthread) on the way to Scotties and I don't remember a burger with as much beefy flavor as Scotties had since that stop.


Bacon, Mushroom and Swiss burger from Scotties Eat Mor

As I was saying, Scotties doesn't take too many shortcuts and they hand cut their fries in house. We had a little bit of confusion however since this was my first visit and I thought the fries were the home fries since they were cut so thick, but what I got seen with the burger were the home fries, the regular fries can be seen in that guys flickr account pics, they look great. Nonetheless, the home fries were no slouch neither, cooked with onions and complemented with hot sauce they paired well with the burger. At $7.95 this might be the best burger deal in America. All the food and an iced tea (poured right) set me back $20.61 before tip. It reminded me of Mickie's Dairy Bar in Madison for many reasons and now I'm thinking maybe a 'Breakfast Stop's in Wisconsin' thread might be in order. You know farmers gotta eat well and in Wisconsin it seems they do. Scotties is a breakfast/lunch joint only and they shut down early and are closed on Sundays so call ahead. I gotta feeling theres alot of locally loved stops like this around the state, heck I've been to many. Stay tuned, more to come.


Eat Mor is a motto I've long lived by

Scottie's Eat Mor
124 North Main Street
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
(920) 563-2900