Milwaukee eats, 2009.

I was on Mike and Mike this morning and apparently made Scott Feldman a left-hander. Good times. The moral of this story, since I was thinking about Feldman’s cutter as a weapon against lefties, is not to think when talking on the radio. I did 90-minute chat and believe I got everyone’s handedness right, so there’s that.

Joe Posnanski mentions me in his new column for Sports Illustrated, which means I’ll probably hear from a whole new group of people from my childhood who had no idea I was a sportswriter.

I didn’t do much new in Milwaukee from my last trip, revisiting Cempazuchi (and ordering the same stuff) and Beans & Barley (going for the whole wheat pancakes, which were very good but very wheaty). I finally visited Kopp’s for frozen custard, and it was very good, particularly the texture, which was probably an 80 on the 20-80 scale – you’re not likely to find smoother custard on the planet. Their chocolate isn’t very chocolatey, but the only place I hit last year that had a strong chocolate custard had the worst texture.

I had breakfast at Hotch-a-Do, across the street from Beans & Barley, a really funky, very local place that unfortunately only opens at 9 am. The blueberry and banana pancakes were a little rich and mildly flavored but generally good, although I’d probably give something else on the menu a shot next time around. They do serve Alterra coffee, which I tried the next day at the Alterra stand at the Milwaukee airport. I’ve largely given up drip coffee, but Matthew Leach at mlb.com swears by Alterra, and he didn’t lie – that is some Damn Fine Coffee, dark but not overroasted, with plenty of character of the bean (Nicaraguan, mildly acidic but well-rounded with good body), and brewed at the right strength.

Matthew and I also had dinner at Elsa’s on the Park after I found out that Sobelman’s was closed for dinner on Labor Day (but open in the afternoon … that makes, well, no sense). He raved about his burger, but mine was cooked enough to serve as a coaster despite the fact that I ordered it medium. They also lose points for having no beer on tap and almost nothing local, but I did enjoy a Chicago beer, Goose Island Matilda, a “strong Belgian pale ale” that was a rich amber with great body and a pronounced note of good-quality honey.

Comments

  1. I’ve not had Kopp’s (Ted Drew’s in St Louis is the only big-name custard place I’ve been to), but as the former manager of a now-defunct custard shop in Tucson, I can tell you that the texture you get is highly dependent on a) its freshness and b) the machine’s operator. It’s at its very best right out of the machine and almost immediately starts to develop larger ice crystals; within an hour, it should just be melted and reprocessed.

    The person making the custard also has to know what he’s doing. The temperature and churning speed are constant, but the flow rate of the custard is not, and you want it to be just right so that the custard comes out at the right speed, not too slowly (or the machine freezes up) and not too quickly (or it’s not hard enough). The “ribbon” of custard should resist gravity pretty strongly as it exits the front. Most of my employees simply could not or would not master this process, which requires dedicated attention and fine adjustment. Presumably Kopp’s, in the custard capital of the world, has better training processes than I could come up with.

    Anyway, my point is, if you try the same custard place multiple times, you’re likely to get noticeably different textures on each occasion.

  2. Next trip to Milwaukee you need to make it to the Bay View area for places like Sugar Maple (60 craft taps) and Roman’s (haven’t been myself but highly regarded on Beer Advocate and also has a great craft selection).

  3. Brian Eagles

    Keith,

    Love your blog and writing for the four-letter. I too am a snarky libertarian. I happen to work for Goose Island and Matilda is part of our Reserve line and our top focus. Glad you liked it. If you ever are in Chicago and want a case and a tour of the brewery, let me know.

  4. I agree on the Matilda. I’ve been enjoying a few of late.

  5. Well, I was kind of annoyed that I couldn’t get a local beer, but I feel better knowing that it was a reader’s beer. I’ll definitely let you know next time I’m in Chicago.

    Paul, maybe I’m confused, but I would think that once the custard is out of the machine, it would no longer be developing ice crystals. Ice forms during the freezing process, but once it’s out in the air, won’t the crystals melt?

    The crystal size in ice cream is determined largely by how quickly it’s frozen – that’s why homemade ice cream can’t approach the professionally-made product. Supposedly ice cream made with liquid nitrogen has unbelievable texture because the crystals are so small.

  6. Keith, any chance you’ll let us know here what VK in DC’s post was in yesterday’s chat?

  7. I make it a point to visit the Goose, though it was easier when I lived in the city (proper). I’m a huge fan of their Nut Brown Ale & seasonal varieties as well. You can also earn an MBA from them if you get to 42 credits (you earn credits while working your way through their beer list). I value the Master of Beer Appreciation more than my MBA from Lake Forest College!

  8. I’ve had ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen. It was the smoothest ice cream I had ever had, not to mention the “wow” factor being a chemistry graduate student.

    My favorite Milwaukee area custard place is Oscar’s followed by Leon’s, but both are probably out of the way while you are in town. Sobleman’s is good, but don’t get their signature burger. They put three slices of cheese on it–far too much.

    I think Paul might have been mentioning the fact that the small ice crystals will immediately begin melting and then start refreezing into a larger crystals while waiting for customers.

  9. Color me ignorant, but what is the difference between custard and ice cream?

  10. Mainly the eggs – custard typically contains 10% butterfat and 1.4% egg yolk.

  11. Love your blogs and chats, although your comments on Jeter today made me wonder: Exactly how long ago was it that you forget what it means to be a fan, and understand that fans and their devotion to teams and players is the total driving force behind all baseball attendance?

  12. I like how pointing out that the media is making undue fuss over Jeter passing Gehrig because they’re Yankees makes me some sort of anti-fan.

    I have no problem with Yankee fans appreciating Jeter passing Gehrig in hits. I have an issue with the attention it has received in the national media. If Jeter was a Twin or an Astro, this wouldn’t receive anywhere near the same degree of attention. And I don’t think I’ve been at all unclear about that complaint.

  13. Wait. You mean that a massive manhug at 1B isn’t appropriate? And, let’s be honest, ONLY Jeter would have had the wisdom to time it to happen on 9/11 and at home.

  14. Glad you enjoyed Kopps custard. Their vanilla is there best. You should have tried a burger there too, it is of a jumbo, 50’s drive thru style. It is very good.

    If you prefer the pub burger style, then yes Sobelmans is worth it. There are really a dozen or so very strong burger places in Milwaukee. There are also 5-6 notable custard stands, but stick with Kopps (vanilla and their specials) or Leons, Gillies/Oscar’s are good, but a notch below Kopps.

    Believe it or not, Elsa’s on the Park was founded and owned by the founder of Kopps. Elsa Kopp. They also own, for some reason, Bar 89 on Mercer in Manhattan. Both the burgers at Elsa’s and Bar 89 are very different from Kopps. They go for more the thick pub burger.

    Try Kopps next time, then try Solbelmans.

    About the lack of beer on tap, wow, that is pretty much unheard of in Milwaukee. Sprecher is the best Milwaukee Brewery. There are other excellent Wisconsin breweries worth tasting, you need to make a point to visit a real Milwaukee beer bar next time. AND, try Sprecher Root Beer, the best, I’m confident you will at least agree it is excellent.

  15. I need to start paying more attention to your twitter feed. Had I known that you were going to be at tonight’s game, I would have tried to find to you to chat during the 2 hour no-rain delay.

  16. Kieth,
    Have you made an effort yet to log your favorite Boston eats, or are you keeping them secret to avoid over crowding?

  17. elsa’s burgers are overrated, but their sundaes are not. best in the city.