Potato, Potato, Potato

Looking for great food, a fun place to explore, and a menu featuring the best of the Midwest, plus other food favorites from the open road. Look no further than Motor, the restaurant at the Harley Davidson Museum located just south of downtown Milwaukee. We made plans to visit the museum in August, but by the time we drove to Milwaukee from Madison, we were hungry. After checking out the menu at the Motor, we just had to check out a few of their specials before walking through the museum. And we were really glad we did.

The menu was full of unusual offerings, but we couldn’t make it past the “starter” menu. I was fascinated by the Reuben “Potato, Potato, Potato” Pancakes. The menu describes them as “a deli in a single bite, with slow-simmered corned beef piled on gas cap-sized potato pancakes, plus Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, chives and Russian dressing.” They were totally yummy. The meat was piled thick and lean, the dressing tangy, and the potato pancakes done to a crispy perfection.

When I spoke to the manager, he explained the unusual offering. The menu was created by members of Harley, and they wanted to include potato pancakes on their menu. What better than to combine the pancakes with Reuben ingredients. The name comes from the sound a Harley seems to make as it rumbles. You know – “potato, potato, potato.” Just like an engine pu-pu-pu-purring.

To complete our lunch, we had the Italian Sausage Flatbread. I think it is one of the finest flatbreads I have ever eaten. The crust was thin, properly crusty, and topped high with fire-roasted peppers, extra-virgin olive oil, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and topped with fresh basil. The Italian sausage was spicy enough to satisfy my husband’s adventurous taste buds, yet didn’t start any unwanted fires on mine.

We explored the museum after our meal. What a great way to walk off a few calories. Filled with Harleys and Harley memorabilia of all kinds, it is a fun visit whether you are a Harley rider, aficionado, or just a casual fan.

Motor is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 AM to 9 PM (10 PM for the bar) and Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 11 PM (bar til 1 AM). There is also a cafe on the site open from 7 AM to 7 PM Sunday through Thursday and 8 AM to 7 PM on Friday and Saturday. The museum’s hours are 9 AM through 6 PM everyday, with extended hours to 8 PM on Wednesdays, through the end of October. See the website for winter hours after November 1, directions, and further information.

–Bo Mackison is a Madison area photographer and writer. She travels throughout the state of Wisconsin, taking photographs, enjoying good food, and visiting fun places. See her photographs of Wisconsin at Seeded Earth Photography.

Washington Island Treats Not to be Missed

A trip to Door County is not quite complete without a ferry trip to Washington Island and a stop at the Washington Island Hotel is an integral part of a great stay. When my family and I planned a camping trip to the Door, we included a day trip to Washington Island off the northern tip of the County.

After a day sunning at Schoolhouse Beach , climbing the Mountain Park Lookout Tower for a view of Lake Michigan and the nearby islands, and exploring Stavkirke, a replica of an 11th Century Scandinavian church, we stopped at the Washington Hotel for drinks and snacks before catching the ferry back to the mainland.

Ah, the Washington Hotel and Restaurant! What an absolute treasure and foodie find. The chef-owner, Leah Caplan, a transplant from Rockland County, NY, presents an internationally-inspired menu with an American twist, focusing on locally-grown bounty and green sustainable processes. We sampled several appetizers: a trio of cumin-inflected parsley garlic hummus, a sublime slightly sweet walnut pesto and a savory rustic calamata olive and roasted red pepper blend. We spread these delights on brick oven stone ground island wheat bread. The highlight was a fried rosemary olive surrounded by crispy island wheat crust – see above photo.) To wash down the delectable morsels, I drank a surprisingly refreshing ginger limeade, which amazed a palette that usually doesn’t enjoy either separately. Also sampled was the Capital Island Wheat Beer, and a tongue-tingling Canella Prosecco di Conegliano.

Besides running a thriving hotel and restaurant, the staff holds culinary hands-on seminars and lecture series at the site. This Wednesday, August 6th, Neeta Saluja introduces Indian Cuisine, the subject of her recent New York Times critically acclaimed cookbook, Six Spices . The Hotel restaurant will be featuring Saluja’s recipes on Saturday, August 9. More information on both events can be found at the Washington Hotel, Restaurant and Culinary School website . Neeta has taught many Indian cuisine classes in the Madison area and is a well-known and popular teacher. If you love Indian food, this is a treat not to be missed.

— Bo Mackison loves to spend time away from the city indulging in the rural regions of Wisconsin, enjoying quiet spaces, open spaces, and places that specialize in great food, good times, and perfect customer service. She vacations with family, one of whom is also is camera-crazy. Photo courtesy of JPTsai © 2008. All rights reserved.

Lunch at the Farmers Market

Dane County Farmers’ Market was in full swing this morning. I came home with vine-ripened tomatoes, corn on the cob picked at dawn, yellow and red peppers, eight different varietals of garlic, pumpkin bread, cheese bread, ostrich burgers, and a huge bouquet of orange, yellow and deep red lilies. But the highlight was the purchase of pumpkin blossoms. We dipped them in egg and seasoned flour–actually the same flour mix we use to pan fry our fish we catch in Lake Mendota–and then fried them in butter. To round out lunch, we had grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, and drippy-fresh peaches.

Summer eating at its best.

–Bo Mackison is a Madison area writer and photographer who likes to visit the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings, cruising for photos and fresh food for the week. Visit her photo gallery at Seeded Earth Photography. Photograph “Real Tomatoes” © 2008 by Bo Mackison. All rights reserved.

Fish Boil – A Door County Tradition

I have a suspicion that if you mention “fish boil” anywhere in the United States, except Wisconsin, you will see some odd expressions, but the traditional Door County Fish Boil is wildly popular in this northern Wisconsin vacation destination. The main ingredient – thick steaks of delicate, freshly caught whitefish from the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan – make dinner an occasion for many a visitor. This is especially true when the fish is prepared in a huge black kettle amidst a fiery blaze. When a member of the Boil Over Crew sounds the dinner bell, it is the signal for the “boil over” and that is the signal that it will soon be time to eat.

For the uninitiated, a fish boil begins with a kettle of hot salted water perched atop a wood fire. The boil master drops one steel basket of potatoes and onions into the boiling water, and a second basket of fresh whitefish goes into the steaming cauldron a few minutes later. When everything is nearly ready, kerosene is added to the fire and a huge flame erupts, causing the water to boil over the top. Hence, a “boil over.” The hot flames cause the water to boil over the sides of the kettle, removing fish oil that has collected on the surface during the cooking process.

As you can see in the photo, the crew then lifts the baskets from the heat, lets the water drain, and the ingredients are presented to the hungry crowd with a generous drizzle of butter and hearty slices of bread. And to make the event an even grander foodie experience, the meal is finished off with a slice of Door County cherry pie.

Yum!

— Bo Mackison is a Madison area photographer and writer who camps in Door County as often as she can. Visit her photo gallery at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Door County photographs. Photograph “Fish Boil-Over” © 2008 by Bo Mackison. All rights reserved