A Month of Meals from the Atlantic to the Pacific: Part 1 – Milwaukee

March was an unbelievable month!  I had to travel for work for the first time in a while and took advantage of every possible opportunity to eat and drink like the locals.  First stop was Milwaukee.  Now I know what you're thinking... Milwaukee can't be all that exciting for a pseudo-vegetarian, right?  WRONG!  Sure there were loads of sausage everywhere.  It seemed like everyone who found out I was going there told me I HAD to get some bratwurst.  To be honest, the idea hadn't occurred to me until someone suggested it and then it just kinda grossed me out.  And besides... Milwaukee's in WISCONSIN... the land of CHEESE!  

So I set out on a mission to eat lots of amazing cheese and that's just what I did.  I did my due diligence and searched trusty old yelp high and low  for the best cheese Milwaukee had to offer and decided to check out the Wisconsin Cheese Bar at 1048 N. Old World 3rd Street.  I was lucky enough to have a friend to go with!  Christina, an old friend from Lehigh happened to RANDOMLY be in Milwaukee (staying at the same hotel no less) while I was there and let me tell you... there's no better way to catch up with a friend than over some wine and cheese!  I got an amazing platter of cheeses that included a raspberry cheddar, a cranberry cheddar, some "string cheese" (think fresh mozzarella curd), and some fudge!
Nuts, crackers, and dried fruit completed the plate and a flight of white wine perfected my meal.  I got to sample all of Christina's cheese, too!  Talk about a cheeselover's heaven on earth... this is the place!  If you’re ever in Milwaukee, I would definitely recommend a stop at the Wisconsin Cheese Bar.  They’ve been making cheese for over 70 years and carry over 150 types of Wisconsin cheese.  Oh, and by the way, they deliver!  

That pretty much sums up Milwaukee.  I was there Wed - Sat and worked all day every day, so I didn't have much time to explore.  I was pleasantly surprised by the city itself.  It was pretty charming and if the weather hadn't been cold and rainy, I might have explored a little more. I did make sure to pick up a bag of cheddar cheese curds at the airport as I was leaving.  It felt a little weird to be digging around a bag of cheese bits on my flight to San Francisco (that post will be next), but those cheese curds were delicious. 

Side Note: Just in case you're wondering, I was in Milwaukee for a computer science education conference to market books to professors.  That's what I do... I market computing books.  The conference was a big success, but the conference food that was served during breaks made me want to throw a temper tantrum.  I discovered High Fructose Corn Syrup in yogurt and juice and it made me angry!