Have you Hurd... Some beer must be consumed Winsconsinbly...

It is going to be tough tapping out this next post in our far north travelogue as the phone rings every fifteen minutes with a call from Donald J. Trump.  Or at least that is who the caller ID says it is...  I am not sure what it is he needs or why it is so pressing that he keeps calling back, but I am dedicated to my readership and will not be distracted by mere politics.  For we have more weighty matters to consider, like the scrumptious details of our late supper at the Sheeley House (Saloon) in Chippewa Falls, WI.  As a side note, I am thankful the Ryder Cup kept us out of Minneapolis-St.Paul for our first night.  Opened our eyes and taste buds to a little gem just east of there where I am betting very few have really taken the time to slow down, drop off the freeway and taste the local flavor.

This is as close as we got to
the actual brewery.  Next time
we will be sure to not miss
 the tour.

We didn't miss the tasting room
though.  Some might say this
is the MOST important part of
any brewery tour anyway.  

As I mentioned earlier, the bartender at the Leinie Lodge recommended the Sheeley House.  She talked not just generically about it being a good place, but spoke specifically about one or two menu items that she really enjoyed.  She cautioned that the menu was seasonal, but she was pretty sure at least one of her favorites would be available.  After completing our tasting and buying a few souvenirs (both liquid and otherwise), we headed for the Sheeley House.  I will confess to one quick stop en route to use our Leinie Lodge coupon to purchase some "Wisconsin only" Leinenkugel brews to take back home with us.  (Can you say "thank goodness we are driving and not flying?!?!")  We grabbed an Explorer 12-Pack with the Maple Dunkel and Wisconsin Red Pale Ale (as well as two others), plus an additional case of Wisconsin Red Pale Ale and a four pack of the Uber Oktoberfest, part of the Big Eddy Series.  Christmas is coming early this year, right?  -big smile-  Two minutes later, we walked into the Sheeley House and found a nice table in the back away from the bar.  Being a weeknight and somewhat late, the bartenders were doubling as waitstaff and they informed us which Leinie brews were on tap and that they had "every other one available" in bottles.  Since we are both lightweights and just finished tasting, we decided food and low octane beverages was the best course.  I ordered the Sirloin Steak Tips Fettuccine and my sweetest opted for the Sheeley Burger.  The steak tips were blackened and sauteed with cherry tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and shallots.  The fettuccine had a cajun seasoned alfredo sauce and a side of grilled asparagus crowned the entire dish.  I am not usually a fan of blackened anything or cajun seasoned sauces as they tend to be too spicy for my taste.  However, this offering had just a pleasant amount of heat and a lot of other flavor besides.  The asparagus was well seasoned and perfectly tender too.  The Sheeley Burger was served on a grilled pretzel bun and was topped with a slice of melted aged cheddar, peppered bacon, rosemary garlic aoli, and red onion marmalade and was accompanied by house cut fries.  My wife usually steers away from peppered bacon for the same reason I steer away from cajun seasoning.  She can't handle any amount of heat, even black pepper.  Hats off to the chef.  The cajun cream sauce was a home run in my book and she loved the peppered bacon.  He's clearly got some mad skills in the kitchen.  His staff know the menu thoroughly too.  They definitely have their game on, top to bottom at the Sheeley House.  When we go back to Chippewa Falls (I still need to take the brewery tour), I may dine some other places, but only after I hit the Sheeley House first.  Then we'll check out the rest.  -sigh of satisfaction-

Steak tips fettuccine done right.  Oops, I ate
the asparagus before I remembered to
take a picture.  Just dream about the most
perfectly grilled asparagus you have ever
seen and mentally photoshop it in.

My sweetest enjoyed every morsel of the burger,
particularly the red onion marmalade and
peppered bacon.  She thought it was an
exceptionally well done burger.  Fries
were crispy and well seasoned too.

If you avoid major traffic in Chicago and Indy and don't make too many stops, you can make it from Columbus, OH to Chippewa Falls, WI in a good solid day of driving.  Leave early and maybe you can make the last tour at the brewery.  We left home at 7:30am and just missed it by 20 minutes.  If you want a good night's rest in a great hotel without breaking the bank, stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites - Chippewa Falls.  We did, not knowing what to expect as the travel site we used for booking had a relatively low rating for the hotel.  In spite of this, we thought the room was great, the staff were exceptional, and even though we didn't eat much (stopping at Fat Nat's in MSP)... The free breakfast rocks!  Guess the travels site rating system needs rated too.

After the aforementioned good night's sleep and an early wake-up, we were back on the road.  Instead of going further north, we were now headed mostly west to Minneapolis-St.Paul to meet good friend and fellow CPCU Society Chapter Governor, Mike Happe, for breakfast at Fat Nat's Eggs in New Hope (NW suburbs of MSP).  I can't say how excited I was to be eating at a place called Fat Nat's.  Didn't know exactly what I was going to have for breakfast, but I knew it was going to be -cough, cough- hearty.  That is not to be confused with heart-healthy.  As a fellow hunter and outdoorsman, I knew if Mike picked this place as his favorite breakfast stop, it was certain that chickens would be involved and pigs would be committed in the making of our breakfast.  -HUGE smile-

Even the breakfast coffee
cups were cute at the Hampton
Inn and Suites.  Did I mention
they ROCKED IT all around?

An exciting revelation about
halfway through Chicago or maybe
crossing into Wisconsin.  Caribou
Coffee is common in Minnesota.
Brought home several pounds of Amy's
Blend.   

 Although I am not sure the food really mattered quite so much as catching up with Mr. Happe (pronounced just like it looks HAPPY).  Meeting him for breakfast gave us a good break from an otherwise long second day of driving and he got a break before his typically hectic workday.  As I expected, the food was great and the company was better.  I had the Fat Nat.  My sweetest enjoyed the short stack of pancakes and bacon.  Mike had the Julie.  I skipped the breakfast potatoes in an effort to trim some carbs from my day.  Given the pancakes really were as big as manhole covers, it all evened out between us. -wink and smile-  When we were finished the plates were almost empty, our bellies were full, and it didn't dent the wallet too badly.  Which is good, because Mike insisted on paying for all of us.  Knowing that he would have embarrassed me in front of everyone, I did not offer to arm-wrestle him for the bill.  Just thanked him for his generosity and told him next time it was our turn to buy.  We look forward to Mike's lovely wife joining us too.  So Mike, please remember to give her sufficient advance notice so she can plan for it.   Married men have to watch out for each other, right?  -sly grin-  As much as we enjoyed it, we are sure to return.  Now that we know the way, we'll just get in the car and drive back.  Who needs an airplane anyway?  

Fat Nat sans the breakfast
potatoes.  Satisfying even
without the extra carbs. Really.

The Julie.  Maybe it's named
after the character Big Julie
In Guys and Dolls.  This just
doesn't seem like a regular
Julie to me.  Does it to you

Pancakes not shown to scale.
They are bigger.  MUCH, MUCH
BIGGER in real life.

Be sure to look for the next edition of the travelogue...  "Have you Hurd... I wish there was a Taco John's in Columbus... just like the one in Milbank, South Dakota."  Please be sure to tell all your friends.  Have been trying to break through the 100 mark with page views of this little blog of ours.  Every little bit helps... Please share it with anyone who may be interested.  

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

Sheeley House Saloon
236 W River Street, Chippewa Falls, WI
www.sheeleyhousesaloon.com

Fat Nat's Eggs (several locations in MSP)
www.fatnatseggs.com

Hampton Inn & Suites - Chippewa Falls, WI
12707 30th Ave, Chippewa Falls, WI
http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/wisconsin/hampton-inn-and-suites-chippewa-falls-EAUCFHX/index.html

Have you Hurd... Driving is the new Flying... (Travelogue Continued)

My first experience with commercial air travel was way back in January 1986.  As a page to the House of Delegates in the Commonwealth of Virginia, travelling home on the weekend was the responsibility of each of the pages, including myself.  Big difference for me was that I lived much further from Richmond than most of the other House pages.  I was not yet old enough to drive and would likely not have had a car of my own even if I did have a license.  Most weekends I could catch a ride toward home with one of the Delegates who served a district in my part of the state.   I could get close enough that my parents could easily pick me up late on Friday night and drop me back in the same spot on Sunday afternoon so I could return to Richmond in time for work on Monday morning.  It wasn't perfect, but more than a workable arrangement to enable me to have such a great opportunity.

The biggest transportation challenge came in my very first week.  It was the the inauguration of a new governor and most, if not all, of the elected Delegates were staying in Richmond for the weekend festivities.  Seeing no other alternative, my parents called Piedmont, the regional airline that served Richmond International Airport, and quickly reserved a round trip ticket for me.  Thinking back, the experience seems almost other worldly.  I showed up at the airport without any photo identification or perhaps any identification of any kind.  All I would have had at that age was my Social Security Card and I didn't carry it with me on a normal day.  I paid $98 cash at the counter for my ticket, didn't check any baggage. and walked down to the boarding gate unassisted.  If there was any sort of security, it was minimal.  I don't even recall passing through a metal detector or having my bags scanned.  There was no limit on how many items I could take on the plane or on the size of my individual pieces of luggage.  I changed planes in Charlotte, NC and my parents were waiting for me when I arrived at Tri-Cities Airport in Johnson City, TN.  I am not sure if they waited on the observation deck or at the gate.  Either way, they watched my plane land and taxi to the gate.

Nowadays none of that is possible.  Purchasing tickets for cash... Ticketing without ID... Boarding without security screening... Taking multiple pieces of over-sized luggage on the plane... A minor travelling unassisted...   Meeting passengers at the gate when you don't have your own boarding pass...  At fourteen years old, it was an almost magical experience.  Given the captive audience in Richmond that weekend, both of my flights were nearly empty other than myself and the flight crew.  Perhaps as close as I will ever come to a private plane ride.  I got copious snacks of smoked almonds on both flights and all the soft drinks I wanted.  They even let me have the can.  Seems almost crazy to even suggest that now, doesn't it?  In 31 years, flying has gone from a magical experience to being more akin to punishment for me.  Planes have become so many Greyhound buses in the sky.  No offense to Greyhound.  I took a flight last month that lasted a combined 11 hours in the air and I received little more than a handful of pretzels, a sugar biscuit, and a couple of soft drinks.  After paying over $1,300 for a an upgraded coach seat (which didn't seem any more comfortable)  I was being asked to pay an additional $12 for better snack food.  Even more for a decent meal.  I JUST COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO DO IT.

This is a big reason why I was happy to be sharing driving duties with my wife for our quintessential American road trip to Ortonville, MN / Milbank, SD.  I have decided that 16 hours in the car each way is far preferable to a third as many hours in the air and perhaps another third dealing with all the hurdles to get in the air.  Yes, it was a long drive, but not without a few perks.  Here's my quick version of the legendary Top Ten List of reasons I now prefer to drive instead of fly:

1.  Public restrooms aren't always the best, but they are way better than airplane lavatories.
     Except for the occasional seedy looking gas station in the middle of nowhere.  Use your best          
     judgement to avoid this pitfall.
2.  You can stop, get out for a quick walk around, and stretch whenever you want.
     Maybe not when driving through Chicago or other major urban traffic zones, but nearly all times 
     otherwise.
3.  The food selections are decidedly better and can be purchased with cash or credit.    
     If you don't like what you see at Exit 49, just go another few miles and the options will certainly 
     be different.
4.  Comfortable all-leather interior and fully adjustable seats.
     Hertz Gold - membership has its privileges.
5.  Road noise is considerably quieter than jet-engine noise.
6.  Toll booth collectors seem happier and they are friendlier than TSA screeners.
     Disclaimer:  I have not met all TSA Screeners nor every toll booth attendant.  This is based 
     merely on a small sample of relatively recent encounters.  Some TSA Screeners may be quite 
     happy and exceedingly friendly and some toll booth collectors may be miserable and unfriendly.  
7.  No pre-flight safety briefing required before getting on the road each time.
     Although my wife does make sure I go through a pre-flight checklist to minimize distractions 
     once I am on the road.
8.  You can bring a big gulp in the car with you and a case or two of beer in the trunk if you want.
     We did go to Chippewa Falls and they sell some beers there that ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN 
     OHIO.  Review that.  Beers unopened in the trunk.  Soft drinks in the car.  Enough said.  
9.  Everybody gets a window seat and the views are always amazing.
     Who knew they had this much corn in Minnesota?  Is that a truckload of sugar beets?
10. You never have to wait in line before boarding.
      I look forward to a line of adoring fans huddled by the car waiting for my autograph someday. 
     In the meantime I will revel in the convenience of anonymity.

Looks like the pre-amble to this post turned out to be longer than usual... So I will share just a few quick teasers before rounding out the first stop of the travelogue in the next post (that I will publish tomorrow).  We had a one-night stay in Chippewa Falls, WI on the first waypoint.  Missed the last tour of the day for the Leinenkugel brewery, but still visited the Leinie Lodge tasting bar.  Got a great tip for a dinner stop from the bartender.  Good thing too, since the desk clerk at the hotel was of little value in this regard.  The Sheeley House looked like just your average neighborhood watering hole, but the food was exceptional.  Got a great night's sleep at the Hampton Inn & Suites and then back in the car to finish the second leg of the trip to Milbank, SD by way of Minneapolis-St. Paul.  You will get all the details plus maybe a few from the second leg of the trip in the second half of this post.  Stay tuned true believers.  -big smile-    

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

When booking the hotel, I thought Chippewa
Falls sounded familiar.  Indeed it was.  Home to
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and the
Leinie Lodge.  

I can't believe I never visited this great state before!
Johnsonville Brats for less than $4 at a gas station?
WOO-HOO!!!
WELCOME TO MY WISCONSIN STATE OF MIND.

Have you Hurd... You can call it chocolate gravy if you eat it for breakfast...

For the next several posts, there will be no rhyme or reason to the order I create and publish them.  I am just going to scroll back through the travelogue photos on my phone and pick a stop and dash off a few choice words for my dedicated readership.  Think of it as a foodie's version of the movie Pulp Fiction and in this version nobody gets hurt.  Not seriously hurt, anyway.  -sinister smile-

I am sure for most people, one of the ways your parents and other family members loved and cared for you was by setting limits on the various aspects of your life.  When you get up in the morning or go to bed at night.  What kinds of TV and movies you are allowed to watch.  Places you were encouraged to visit (church, school, park, local swimming pool) and places that you were discouraged from visiting (pool halls, bars, other more adult venues).  Naturally, this setting of limits also extended to dietary habits.  I know these limits were ever-present at meal time throughout my formative years.  I was discouraged from drinking too much milk or consuming too many other dairy products (risk of developing kidney stones).  I was not allowed to eat more than 2 eggs for breakfast (risk of high cholesterol) and usually didn't get eggs more than twice a week.  My Mom didn't really have to steer me away from candy, other sweets, or soda pop (will rot your teeth).  I had a dislike of these until my later teenage years and they are still far from a favorite thing to eat.  It also was sort of an unwritten rule that you generally only had one starch at mealtime, with the exception of weekday breakfast when we would have cereal and toast.

Why the lengthy diatribe about all the dietary controls in my early years that I have so clearly shattered now that I am an adult?  Three... Simple... Words... Gabetta's... Chocolate... Gravy...  I am pretty sure if I had encountered it at the age of 12, it would NOT have been permitted for breakfast.  Especially if I wanted to smother a plate full of hash browns, eggs, bacon, tomatoes, olives, peppers, onions, and cheese in it.  In fact, when I ordered it... The waitress could have been channeling my Mom when she questioned my sanity in front of everyone.  As she left the table, she was uncertain if the chef would even make it in the manner I requested.  You see, Gabetta's normally serves their chocolate gravy over biscuits.  Sort of like dessert for breakfast.  I was trying to skip the biscuits and still get a taste of that chocolaty goodness.  So I asked if they could smother my Junk Plate (it IS on the menu that way) with the chocolate gravy instead.  Thankfully, the chef was willing to push the limits of his otherwise delicate sensibilities.

Yes, that is really chocolate gravy.  I will know
if my doc is reading this.  She is sure to ask me
about it next time I see her.  I ate sensibly for the
rest of the trip.  I swear.  

Have mercy!  When they say they smother it, they really do smother it.  I enjoyed every sinfully chocolate bite.  I could taste all the other flavors too, just as I had hoped.  My only regret is that I didn't ask them to split the gravy, 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 sausage so I could sample both of the breakfast gravies at the same time.  Perhaps it was best that I didn't.  One more variation might have sent the chef out on strike.  One other lesson from my experience is that perhaps a healthy drizzle is sufficient rather than the full on smothering.  The last two or three bites felt like almost too much.  Of course, these last two or three bites were taken as I swept up the last of the chocolate gravy from my plate with a half slice of buttered rye toast.  It was soooo rich.  Reminded me a lot of my grandma's homemade chocolate sauce.  She serves it on ice cream.  Guess I need to tell her it is good for breakfast too.  I am not really sure what differentiates a gravy from a sauce.  Is it whatever the chef says it is?  I am going to go with that for now.  Don't want to do anything to spoil the fun at Gabetta's.  If I did, the chef might send me back to my childhood and tell me 'no chocolate for you and only two eggs in your omelette.'  That would be a tragedy of monumental proportion.  I intend to go back next time I am in Kokomo, IN.

We have family in and around Kokomo and visit frequently to spend time with them.  If you don't have family there, let Gabetta's be your reason to plan a trip soon.  Gabetta's and Kokomo are a lot alike.  The food is great, the atmosphere is as inviting as anywhere in the Midwest, and the folks are friendly and willing to let you push the limits.  -self-satisfied grin-  While you are there... Hit the Half Moon Restaurant and Brewery for a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a house brew (look for Brian and ask him about his homemade hot sauce)...  Stop by the Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for a wet burrito and a frozen liter of margaritas... Shop around a little and grab some Triple XXX Root Beer to bring back with you...  It's a trip worth taking.  Maybe you will find a spot or three I haven't mentioned.  I look forward to you telling me about them.  -big smile-

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

Gabetta's, 503 North Buckeye, Kokomo, IN
https://www.facebook.com/Gabettas-743047265762862/