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Once again I am trying to catch up on my post. I visited the Tamarack II back in September. Once again I was going of an article that listed some burger places north of Madison WI. (see last post) Well this time I have my Brother with me. He has done a couple Burger Runs with me. The Tamarack II (I guess the original is in Portage WI.) is in Morrisonville WI. Frogtown U.S.A is it's nickname.
Going off the article we were there to try the Jumbo Burger with bacon and cheese. I order mine with Swiss, my Brother goes with American. The Tamarack grinds it meat daily and this burger will be a 6 ounce patty. The patty will be grill pressed and once done topped with cheese and a healthy amount of bacon. My Brother and I liked the burger a lot. It had a real peppery taste to it. I have come across places that use a lot of pepper in it's patty. The Post #67 in Lake Mills and Wedl's come to mind. They should be similar they get it from the same place! The burger at the Tamarack must be good. I met some guys there that eat at my place!! I called them traitors!! Next time they came into eat at my place they asked what a traitor like me is doing at the Tamarack II !!!
Back in August I visited Spring Creek Tavern in Lodi WI. I got some information about the place in a local magazine that did a burger article on places North of Madison. I am not talking the North woods of Wisconsin. Places that are a quick 30 minute ride from Madison. Like most places I visit for a burger in Wisconsin this is a tavern. Tavern burgers usually get good word of mouth. Once again my girlfriend was with me, perfect time to go to the Spring Creek Tavern on a Monday. Two for one burger special on Monday. We walk in about 6:45 pm. The place was packed. Well I was there to try the Tavern Burger. This Burger is 80/20 ground chuck, "fresh never frozen." That phrase is getting old. Lets say a 80/20 blend of fresh ground chuck. The bun of this burger is baked daily across the street at Weber's Bakery. Spring Creek Tavern cooks it's burgers on a flat top grill. Once the Tavern Burger is done on the grill, it gets it's toppings. The burger is topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream and lettuce. Oh the burger is not finished yet, it gets a heaping pile of fried shoe string onions. In the picture that heaping pile to the left of my burger.... was on top of my burger!! This burger was a a mess!! shoe string onions falling off it. The sour cream and lettuce sliding all over the place. It was a good but I think I need to go back and try a "traditional" burger. The shoe strings and other toppings masked the burger. I still got two burgers for the price of one!!
Editors note: As I said I went to Spring Creek Tavern in August. I was doing some finishing touches on this post and came across this article Spring Creek Tavern. If you don't want to read it I will give you the short version. Spring Creek Tavern is closed. I guess I won't be going back to try another burger.
Been awhile since I posted but I have material. Lets go way back to the start of August. I was near Rockford Il for a Corvette Show at a Home Depot parking lot. Across from the the parking lot was a Steak n' Shake. I ate there last year but did not get a picture. Well of course I deleted my picture of the burger I ate at Steak n' Shake. What I had was a "Wisconsin Buttery Burger." I guess they could not call it a "Butter Burger" since Culver's already has the rights to that, I guess. Only Solly's has the ok to use the name Butter Burger along with Culver's I guess. Let me tell you something..... you could actually taste the butter on this burger from Steak n' Shake unlike the burger you get at Culver's. I posted about Culver's in June.
Jumped ahead to the end of September. I have been trying to get to the "Big Boys/Chains" to post about them. I have had good burgers and good times. I have bad burgers and left scratching my head also. I still don't know how Culver's does it. Their sales in frozen treats must carry the franchise. Off track sorry. My next franchise I visited was...Red Robin. Now they have all these gourmet burgers. Don't get me started on a burger covered in a" California Style Salad" Once again I took my girlfriend with me. This is her 4th burger trip I think. I am glad she helps me with my hobby. I always like someone with me. Get their opinion, insight. My brother goes with me from time to time also.This would be my first time at a Red Robin, my girlfriend had been there before. I knew it was a bad sign when she orders a chicken wrap not a burger!!! I go with one of the basic burgers (which was hard to find), a Bacon Cheese Burger. I did not want Avocado on my burger! I get it with Swiss and the basic toppings plus mayo, which I hardly ever do (pictured above.) The burger.... if I go again I will order the chicken wrap I think. It was missing something.... hard to put my thumb on it. I guess I was paying for the atmosphere, like the Wendy's commercial says.
Now that was a quick post on my "Chain" burger spots. I tend to do more Ma and Pa joints and Taverns. I promise you I will get them posted. I have four places I need to write about and they are not the "Chains" See I told you I had "research material."
Where to start with this one???? Lets start with just a name. Pete's Hamburgers. Pete's Hamburgers is located in Prairie Du Chien WI. I caught word of this burger stand from Jeff Stanely (Dotty's Dumpling) last November. The name he was not sure of. I would ask people now and then if they have heard of a burger stand in Prairie Du Chien. No luck. I figured I would just have to drive the 2 hours and ask around Prairie Du Chien. Then the Burger Gods looked down on me! Last week the Wisconsin State Journal had and article on Pete's, front page even! Now after that article I had people ask me if I saw it. I have people giving me leads and info all the time now, which I love! I would tell them "Yes, I saw it and have a copy." Now after researching a bit more I made plans for my burger trip. What intrigue me the most was the history of Pete's. Make sure you checkout Pete's website. It is full of history and photos!
On this trip I would have my girlfriend. This would be her 4th burger trip with me. Now our trip would be about 2 hours one way so I took the scenic route. I took Highway 60 all the way from Sauk City WI to Prairie Du Chien. This Highway follows the Wisconsin River all the way to were it meets the Mississippi. It was a beautiful ride and can't wait to take it when the leaves change color during Fall. I am getting off track.
A little insight on how the burgers are made at Pete's. They are simmered/poached in a shallow griddle. Yes the burgers are put on the griddle then water is added. The water is the secret ingredient!! (inside joke.) There are onions also cooking with the burgers. This griddle can do batches of 50-60 burgers(pictured above) in 12 minutes. Now Pete's is open only Friday-Sunday 11 am-8 pm and open only in the "Warmer Months" here in Wisconsin. So figure late May to the 3rd weekend in October. I don't know how many burgers they do in the weekend but they easily can go through 300 lbs of onions. Now think of how many burgers that can cover...You do the math!!
You can order on either side of the stand. We waited on one side with about 12-15 people. On the other side is about another 6-8 people. The reason we are waiting is a "Batch of Burger" are being prepared. OK time to pay attention on how Pete's serves it's burgers. Now remember there are serving windows on each side. The most common way to order a burger is "with." If you are not a burger lover that means with onions. A lady in front of me ordered a onions only, yes onions and bun that's it! OK picture this, the griddle faces the front of the stand(pictured above) The cook turns to his right and takes and order. He then takes a burger places it on a bun adds onions and hands it to a server behind him and to his right. That person will add your condiments (Ketchup, Yellow Mustard, Brown Mustard, no Cheese.) That person will also get your soda and chips if needed and take your cash. After the cook finish the order on his right he turns to the window on his left. Then the whole process in done over again. After that order is done he returns to his right, pretty simple. As we wait my girlfriend is talking with a woman and we get some information from her. She is with her family. Her sons are the 4th generation to enjoy Pete's burgers. She use to live in Prairie Du Chien but had move to Texas. When she visited her folks she made sure she got to Pete's. She now is back in Prairie Du Chien so she can all the burgers she wants. Her order 2 without 3 with and that onion sandwich! In front of that family is a elderly couple with there daughter. They are from Iowa. One important thing I learned is that the burgers are going to be HOT so let them cool a bit. My turn at the window. I order two "with." The cook takes our burgers places them on the bun covers it with onions. He then places it on wax paper and sides it to his server. My girlfriend gets "Ketchup" I go with the Brown Mustard. There is no real seating but I knew that so back to my car and I got out folding chairs. We then sat by my car and ate our burgers. Burger researchers always come prepared!!! The burger is 1/4 lb. and you knew that if you read the WSJ article. First bite..... tender hot and can taste the beef. It is different to what I am use to, griddle or char-broiled burgers. It does get messy though, the bun soaks up the juices and water on the burger. I enjoyed the burger, my girlfriend said it was OK. The reason I enjoyed it is because of the history of the place and the family that has run the stand for 100 years.
Pete's Hamburgers
118 W. Blackhawk Ave.
Prairie Du Chien WI
It is hard to believe that I have not visited Solly's in more then a year. I have thought about going at times but for some reason I would not make the drive. Well I got there nice and early, 9:30 am. I was staying at a hotel just a mile away. I got there and the breakfast rush was done. I sat down and to my left a couple stools down was Glenn the owner. He was taking a break and having a coffee. He remembered me and we got talking about burgers and where I have gone. He filled me in that Andrew Zimmern had been there to film a show called Appetite for Life. It is a quick little video about Solly's. We also talked Culver's. He knows the owner and said the Franchise Consultants that help Culver's get started contacted him once. Glenn said no to having a Solly's Franchise. I am glad, Solly's is unique and I think you would lose something if you did"Cookie Cut Outs" of the place. Also learn that at times they have to cook the burger and ship it out to people that love them. A woman takes 20 Butter Burgers down to Chicago to her son and coworkers once a month. He also told me that they gave a guy burgers to take back to Colorado. I guess it made the whole plane smell like Burgers!! They have cooked them and flash froze them for some people. Best way to eat it is at Solly's though. We sat and chatted for awhile longer. I can't remember everything but it was fun just to chat. Back to the burger. I finally got somewhat good pics of the burger. I order a Butter Burger With, meaning steamed onions. The top picture you can see the butter on the right side on the burger, the second picture is a pool of butter on my plate. I let my girlfriend have the first bite. Butter started running down her wrist. "You knew that was going to happen." she said, "Yep." Now I had a burger she did breakfast. Let me tell you, I could eat a plate of the hash browns at Solly's. Yes the use the butter in that also. I wonder how I stay thin?!?!
If you are a burger nut, you must put Solly's on your list of "To Do."
Once again I find myself going to go meet George Motz for some Burger Research. On this day we started in Lake Mills at the V.F.W Burger Stand. I have been there to eat but George has not. George shows up and we go right to work. George likes to order the burger a place sells the most. He is told what it was by Carol who is working the window. George orders a "Burger With." Which is a burger with fried onions, more liked steamed. I pass on a burger knowing it is going to be a long day of eating. Some of the staff ask if George is the guy they read about in the morning paper. Word got out that he was coming to the area. You can read the "Leak" here... Wisconsin State Journal. George finish his burger and we go inside the little burger joint to ask questions. This place is small and I am surprise the seven of us could move around. (5 volunteers working and the two of us) I won't go in to details of what we learn but I will give you the basics. You can read about my other visit here, VFW Post 67 Ok this is a fried Burger. No grill, no flat top, this burger is fried in Canola Oil. If you ask for cheese they put it on the burger when it is about to be wrapped in wax paper. This is so the heat from the burger melts the cheese. We order another burger to be a model. George gets some shots then we split the burger to share it. Now George wants to get a picture of the front. He had to stand in the road. So I step out to stop traffic. At one point a Semi-Truck was coming at us. Who said Burger Research is not dangerous!!! Pictured above is George at work. After som more pictures George goes inside to get even more info. I wait outside just people watching as the lunch rush has started. George gets the info that he needs and a T-shirt then we are off to Jefferson WI, quick 10 minute drive. Before we leave though George gives me an In-n-Out Burger T-shirt for my help.
If you know your Hamburger America Book going to Jefferson means we are stopping at Perterson's or Wedl's. We order our burgers and George is catching up with the boys in the stand. He gets a couple pictures of the burger then we go inside to talk to the new owner. Inside there are pictures from way back of the place. Once again George strikes out with getting a T-shirt they are out. Now off to Madison WI.
We are going to Madison to go have a burger at the Plaza. We are also meeting Doug Moe who writes for the Wisconsin State Journal. He is the one that wrote the article of George's visit and has written a couple columns on burgers in Madison. George was excited to visit the VFW Stand but he was looking forward to taking a bite out of a Plaza Burger. It has a Special Sauce that George wants to know what it is. If you get to Madison have a Plaza Burger! We order our Plaza Burgers and boy do they hit the spot. We talk to Dean the owner and he tells us that people bring in the Hamburger America Book for him to sign. People that are on road trips using the book as a guide to destinations. Heck I even have my book signed by Dean last year. Have you lost count of how many burgers we have had??? Next stop my Dotty's Dumplings for some deep fried cheese curds!!
We get to Dotty's and I tell George this is my hang out now. I probably visit there once a week now. We go inside and order the cheese curds. Our order comes but we can't even put a dent into the order we are so full from eating all day. George gets a to go box so he can take them home. If George wanted a Plaza Burger the cheese curds were a close second on his list to eat that day. George heads out but I stay at Dotty's. It is about 2 pm now, we started at about 10 am. I am full and tired so I sit at Dotty's talking with the staff while I have some beers. Well around 6 I am still there just talking and getting hungry. Yep I order and Cheeseburger and fries. So that day I had 3 1/2 burgers and some cheese curds... I would have to say it was a good day. Hopefully the VFW Hamburger Stand will make the book. I have learn from George that you can get some good quotes from people. Well I got one that day and it came from George. I have called the burger places in Lake Mills, Watertown and Jefferson a "Triangle" George has a better saying he calls it "The Burger Belt." If you think from Madison WI to Milwaukee/Glendale there are 6 burger places that are truly Hamburger America. That is about an 80 mile stretch from Madison to Milwaukee/Glendale. 4 of the places are in the book with 2 more possibly in the new edition. If you are looking for Hamburger America, Wisconsin is a good place to visit.
Next up research for me in the Chicago area once again.
Like I was going to put up a picture of the Burger from Hooters. Well a couple weekends ago I was in Rockford for a Corvette show. The show was at Hooters. About 4 of us from my Corvette Club went down to the show. As you can see the girls were out walking around the show. Picture is me with the ladies and my girl, the yellow Corvette. Ok back to the Burger. I order it medium rare. It came pretty much rare. I was so hungry that I did not care. I have the burger down quickly because the award presentation is happening. I actually liked the burger from this "Chain." It is no Five Guys but it was good, for some reason. I have had bad food from the Hooters that was, yes was in Madison.
For the past week I have been staying away from Burgers..... yeah me. Oh I have a good reason as you will soon find out!!!
