Varmint

Mimma's is an OK Italian restaurant on Brady Street, which has a cluster of Italian restaurants/bakeries/grocers. It's a reliable place, but I wouldn't put it on one of my "Best Of" lists. We'd eat there fairly often, primarily because it was within walking distance to our house. Mimma's was a trailblazer, however, when they (or should I say, she?) opened the restaurant in the late 80s, as they introduced to Milwaukee a more contemporary type of Italian cuisine. Milwaukee was not much of a restaurant town until the 90s, so it took a number of folks such as Mimma (I've always loved her name) to show the city some culinary flair. For that reason, she is a well-deserved Milwaukee icon.

Not to mention, "Do you know why they call it 'red eye' gravy?"

Maybe you could do a bit of a spin-off on the How Stuff Works concept: How do grits work? How does red-eye gravy work? (Did you know that people add coffee and salty ham to make red eye gravy?) How does pot likker work? On another notion, you could ask questions such as why is it that children in Northern US eat a white, warm cereal (Cream of Wheat) that you add sweetener, whereas children in the South eat a savory cereal (grits) to which you add butter? The possibilities are endless, even if one were to look only at breakfast foods.

I have always loved the beer and chocolate combination. If I were at a party drinking beer and found some chocolate chip cookies, the hosts often wondered the next day where those damn cookies went. It's almost an obsession with me. I think I ended up marrying my wife because she also likes that combination!

First, trust Holly's advice, as he has an amazing ability to find the best spots. We just got back from a family vacation in Bar Harbor, and you really need to get out of that town for decent lobster. There are a couple of decent lobster pounds on Mount Desert Island, however. Try Beal's in Southwest Harbor or Thurston's in Bernard (just beyond Bass Harbor). I didn't try it, but I also told to visit the lobster pound that is just off Mount Desert Island (to the right as you're coming in -- I can't remember its name, however). Although neither Beal's nor Thurston's may be as good as what Holly recommends, they are superior to anything you might get from a restaurant in Bar Harbor. Make sure that when visiting Acadia, stop by the Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers. The rest of the food is only so-so there, but the popovers (and the scenery) are unforgettable. Finally, hike hard and spoil yourself at Ben and Bill's. It's an ice cream and candy shop, and I got something there 6 out of my 7 days on the island. Try their ginger ice cream. You might want to try (but not actually order) their lobster ice cream. It's not all that great. Have fun!

The free beer reminded me of my days in Milwaukee. That was back when Pabst was still in operation -- I used to ride my bike throught the middle of the brewery complex every day. Anyhow, they used college students to conduct their tours, and they would let people drink free beer for as long as they wanted. It was an awesome way to overindulge for free. The Miller Brewery, however, was much more of a sterile and Disney-esque tour. They had videos and all functional parts of the brewery were behind glass. Thus, you couldn't hear (and smell) what was going on. Worse still was that they gave you tickets for your beer, limiting you to 2 eight-ounce samplers. But then, this may be the reason why Miller is still operating in Milwaukee and Pabst is not!!

I grew up in Northwestern PA about 40 miles from St. Mary's and have very fond memories of Straub beer. My father said it was the only beer that didn't give him heartburn, and that's saying something! I believe Straub was one of the first breweries to tout their lack of the use of preservatives. Thus, for as long as I can remember (25 to 30 years ago), they dated their bottles to ensure that your beer was as fresh as possible. Now I don't know if that was a true quality control issue or sound marketing, but my dad always talked about needing to drink the Straub's before it went bad. I bring a case back to NC every time I visit my old stomping ground. Pretty tame and lifeless stuff today, but its flavor brings back fond memories.

Although it's been several years since I've lived in Milwaukee, there are still a fair number of decent (although not outstanding) restaurants in the northern portions of the city. Most of the best spots are closer to downtown, with some of the best ethnic restaurants scattered across the town. You might want to try the River Lane Inn in Brown Deer, which is quite close to Brown Deer Golf Course. They focus on seafood. The Riversite in Mequon could also work. Cafe Siciliano (f/k/a Manacci's Cafe Siciliano) is a decent Sicilian restaurant in Mequon. It's a bit pricey, but pretty darned good. Pandl's in Bayside offers a good fish fry on Fridays (it's mandated by Wisconsin law that all restaurants in the state offer a fish fry on Fridays ) Although not right near the golf course, any of the Bartolotta restaurants would work well. You should try to go to Three Brothers on the south side for some Serbian food. When I lived there, Milwaukee had 4 Serbian restaurants. I hope they all are still in operation, but Three Brothers always had a warm spot in our heart. It's housed in an old Schlitz Bar (from the days when the breweries actually owned the bars). It's not fancy at all. Be sure to get a burek. Finally, Karl Ratch's has always and continues to set the standard for German food in Milwaukee. It's downtown and somewhat fancy, but worth a trip. A law school classmate of mine used to be the restaurant's roaming violinist -- one of the few restaurants that still have one of those annoying features! I agree with Kopps. I actually prefer their chicken sandwiches to their burgers, but they have awesome (and well-priced) custard. If their flavor of the day is cashew caramel crunch, get it! Looks like I need to start planning my annual trip to Milwaukee! By the way, it should be fairly crazy in the city, with the All-Star Game there (as well as with Summerfest going on). There's always a party in Milwaukee. Have fun!

Great story. Ham biscuits are a staple here in North Carolina, but there are actually two different types. Most of the restaurant/fast food places will serve the traditional biscuit made with self rising flour, soda, buttermilk & milk/cream, butter/shortening, and salt. However, when done for catered events or brunches, you typically see angel biscuits, which are a bit lighter and less savory. Angel biscuits also contain yeast, which transforms them tremendously. Regardless, they're all yummy. If there is ever a North Carolina eGullet get together, I'll be sure to supply the group with biscuits galore! I hate catching typos after the fact!

We're a stereotypical family in many ways, but bass-ackwards in others. We have 4 children, ages 8 and younger, and we put them all to bed by 7:30. I don't get home from work until 7, so my wife has already fed the children during the week. Thus, dinner around the table for the Varmint family doesn't occur that often Monday through Friday. Mrs. Varmint's cooking is exclusively for the children, as neither she nor I would want to eat what she makes. When I get home and help put the l'il Varmints to bed, I'll start cranking on my 30 minute meal for the two of us. Pastas, risottos, salads, and stir fries are the usuals. On Fridays, I'll leave work at 6, swing by the Whole Foods or farmers market, and cook for friends as well. I handle all the weekend cooking as well, including breakfast, where I feel like a short order cook (although we do sneak away to visit the country's 2nd oldest Krispy Kreme once in awhile). Biscuits, omelets, french toast, cinnamon buns, grits, pancakes, waffles -- I let my children have their pick during the weekend. It's also the time that I get the children involved in the cooking. They generally help with Sunday's dinner -- they love to flatten chicken breasts into cutlets. Mrs. Varmint doesn't go near the stove on the weekends. We're all greatful for that.

First, I would merely drop a hint that I liked to cook as a topic opener. If the woman was interested in food at all, she generally would follow through with the discussion. Before you know it, I'm asking, "You ought to let me cook for you some time." A later roommate and I also had an annual party that we put on -- it was a pig pickin' (that's what we call pig roasts down here) that we held for 150 of our closest friends. I'd get up early in the morning and get the fire going and proceed to cook a sizeable swine (head on, of course). It was always quite an endeavor to keep the fire box going and feed the cooker with the hot coals. Plus, I made my own NC-style sauce that had non-traditional elements in it. Needless to say, this party was quite a scene (I've always thought it was due to my cooking -- which also included homemade slaw, hush puppies, and other items -- but others claim the beer truck we borrowed from a friend of a friend was the major influence). Anyhow, many of my female friends learned of my cooking in this manner. As for my wife, the first thing I ever cooked for her was a homemade deep-dish pizza that I delivered to her doorstep while she was studying for one of her med school exams. I spent as much time figuring out how to get it to her house without getting soggy as I did eating the damn thing, I recall. The first true dinner was not all that ornate -- seared tuna with a blood orange type of sauce. Something that I don't think I'd do today. I also baked a lot of bread (her ultimate weakness) and made a lot of homemade pasta with local produce and seafood. It's funny, but when the bar is set so low for the world of men cooking, it's easy to sail over it without much difficulty. I find that the bar has gone up significantly over the years.

I grew up in a very isolated small town where ethnic food meant spaghetti or lasagna. My mother tried her very best, but she did most of her cooking using canned vegetables, overcooked meat and starches, and lots of dairy (nothing wrong with that last aspect!). It wasn't until I went to college in 1981 that I had my first taste of Asian, Mexican and other foods that are now fast food staples. I also became a basketball manager with the University of North Carolina basketball team and was given the opportunity to travel to exciting places and experience fantastic and new foods. Greece, Japan, San Francisco, Louisiana, New York and Hawaii were all places where we traveled. We got to eat in great restaurants. I remember my senior year when we were playing Maryland and were staying at the Watergate Hotel. The team was given the choice of receiving the NCAA allowable $25 of meal money or to eat in the hotel's restaurant. Amazingly, only one other player joined the other two managers to the hotel's restaurant: Jean Louis, which was Jean Louis Palladin's place. I was totally overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was ordering, but I told the waiter to surprise me. It was my first experience with foie gras and truffles. It knocked my socks off. That experience gave me the great desire to learn to cook, as I couldn't really afford to eat out much. Plus, I was starting graduate school. At that time, I happened to be rooming with a guy who was one of the biggest food snobs in the world. He drank Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee simply because of its price. However, he was rather flush with cash -- how he got his money is a mystery to me. Anyhow, he said that he'd pay for the food if I'd cook it. Thus, I began to experiment, experiment, experiment. I cooked rabbit, simply because I had never even eaten it before. I made my own spice blends from whole seeds. We'd drive to the coast (2-1/2 hours away) just to get the freshest seafood. It was a perfect match. Finally, I realized that not only did I like to cook, but doing so also got me more dates than I had ever gotten before. There apparently weren't a lot of 24 year old men in Chapel Hill who could cook well back in the late 80s, and my female friends grew in number. They'd even call me! This was how I impressed the women who became my wife 10 months later. Since that time, I've learned to experiment when I can. I do enjoy reading cookbooks, but rarely use recipes. They're great for ideas and to help introduce me to new cuisines and styles, but they're just a formula. Only with a lot of time and experimentation will you be able to get a decent grasp of cooking well.

Regarding South of the Border, I had asked Steve to count the number of SOB signs he saw on his trip. I know that in the 85 miles I have to travel on I-95 to get to the place, there were exactly 82 SOB signs. Some of my favorites: "Weather Forecast: Chili Today, Hot Tamale" "Keep Screaming, Kids. They'll Stop." "You Never Sausage a Place" Do we live in a great country or what???

Oh, and two-toned shoes.

Tommy, if you've ever seen Steve's "dress-up" attire, you'd really ask, "whassup widdat?" Let me briefly create one image for you: "Mustard-colored zoot suit and fedora."

I'm more familiar with Stone Soup, a nearly identical story involving three crafty soldiers who flummox the miserly townspeople into thinking that such a great soup could be created from a stone. What I want to know is what would make a better soup base, nails or stones? Hmmm.

Gee, I wish you hadn't started this thread. Others that just come to mind: The Very Hungry Caterpillar -- Eric Carle Green Eggs and Ham -- Dr. Seuss (how could we miss that one?) How the Grinch Stole Christmas -- Dr. Seuss (Roast Beast, anyone?) My Father's Dragon -- Ruth Stiles Gannet (citrus on the beach) Strega Nona -- spaghetti out of control One Morning in Maine -- Robert McCloskey (lost teeth, ice cream, and "Clam Chowder for lunch!) OK, back to work on this Saturday!

Hmm, I always wondered about the Turkish Delight in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Food? Perhaps not, but ingested nonetheless. Lewis frequently used elements of mind-altering substances in his children's books. I very much loved the tales of the food Mary and Colin surreptitiously ate in The Secret Garden. Roald Dahl is a master when it comes to food. Whether it's the cake eating scene in Matilda, the BFG's description of different foods, or most of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- I'm not sure I can name another children's writer who could so vividly describe the wonders of eating -- or the decadence of overeating! Heck, he even wrote a cookbook: Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes. One more fairly recent food-themed children's book: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Children truly get a kick out of its preposterous premise. Finally, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the "Bowl Full of Mush" line from Goodnight Moon. With four children, I could devote a lot of time to this thread!

The one place that I would never try a new food item is Hardee's, easily the least consistent fast food restaurant in the South. I think there's some sort of inverse proportionality at work here: The nastiest "special" items are likely to come from the restaurants that introduce them the most frequently. If a fast food restaurant has to keep introducing new items, it may be a sign that their overall quality isn't all that great to retain their customer base. I will also add that McDonald's is the one fast food chain that I'll visit if I'm in the middle of nowhere and need to get something quickly. The average McDonald's is better from a quality and sanitary standpoint than the average from the other chains.

Steve- "Too much pork for just one fork?" That's the title of a 1991 album from a local (Chapel Hill, NC) band, Southern Culture on the Skids. They have a lot of food-related songs on their albums. I just want to make sure that someone finds the original reference to this line!

Steve, as you know, we're often slaves to convenience with our 4 children. The 3 older ones are now going through a bacon phase where they want bacon with everything. We've succumbed to the convenience of Hormel pre-cooked bacon, and it isn't as terrible as Blue Heron described it. It ain't great, but it does a decent job in a club sandwich, cooked in grits, salad topping, and other quick preparations. The bacon has so little grease remaining that it loses a lot of its flavor. It also has a sort of cardboard consistency, but it's not too bad. Think of eating bacon that you made the day before (have you ever had leftover bacon?).

Of course, cooking bratwurst in seasoned beer before briefly grilling is a standard in Wisconsin. Saute onions, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and other seasonings, add beer (generally a dark beer is good), bring to boil. Add bratwurst and cook until you begin to render off some of the fat -- this allows a small amount of the fat to come off and some of the beer flavor to permeate the brat. Grill quickly (they'll dry out if you grill too long, as the brat doesn't have as much of its fat). Serve with a spicy mustard on a brat roll (available in Wisconsin) and good kraut (not available in Wisconsin).

I sometimes wonder what would happen to Fat Guy if you took his internet away from him for a week.

I'm shocked that you failed to mention Fat Dog's joining you on this venture.

I'd want to go to the Moonlight in Owensboro, KY just to say I had mutton barbecue.