Wisconsin Cheese Tour

So I’m sure you were expecting this yesterday. It only makes sense. Unfortunately I have to travel sometimes for my full-time job and it couldn’t be done. But good things come to those who wait. So as I mentioned Wednesday, I was invited on a mini cheese tour by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and it was pretty much amazing. Even more amazing than all of the cheese and ice cream that I ate was the food from some amazing restaurants in the area. Starting here in Milwaukee with Braise.

Braise is a ‘local food’ restaurant headed up by chef David Swanson. The concept is to bring locally sourced foods into his restaurant with a menu that changes daily. He doesn’t typically serve breakfast but as a treat he brought us a delicious to-go box filled with a lovely assortment of his creations. Picture this: a chive biscuit topped with egg, bacon, greens, a garlic jelly and goat cheese. It was probably more delicious than it sounds. Also in the treat box was a homemade granola, fruit and yogurt. Delicious ginger cookies. And a fruit smoothie to die for. And this was only our first stop. Chef David also offers a home delivery service for farm-fresh foods and a variety of cooking courses in his restaurant.

Next on the men was The Gouda Girls who followed us from Milwaukee up to Fond du Lac. The Gouda Girls is a grilled cheese truck run by Tina and Katherine who have a passion for food and an even bigger passion for people. They travel the state serving up cheesy delicacies in their truck and love to share the stories of the people they have met along the way. I’m a fan of ‘The Classic’ grilled cheese, so that’s what I had but my mouth was drooling while watching someone else eating their mac n’ cheese grilled cheese. Seriously.

For dinner we wined and dined at Sardine in Madison. Sardine offers bistro style dining with a lively bar scene and delicious food and drinks. It’s no secret that I’m not huge on seafood but from what I hear it was delicious. I opted for the Grilled New York Strip Steak which was unlike any steak that I had before. To complement the steak there was a side of roasted vegetables and a delicious sauce of sherry and roasted garlic. To top it off….lemon tart. And now I’m drooling!

Our two day ‘cheesecation’ was topped off by brunch at Graze in Madison, hosted by Chef Tory Miller. Another ‘local food’ type of restaurant, Graze offers a higher level of traditional pub food. Chef Tory stepped out of the kitchen to introduce himself…and table full of croissant creations. I couldn’t believe I then had to choose something for breakfast. The options all seemed amazing and fresh. Following brunch…a plate of cheese of course.