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