I currently live in Minnesota, which means I ache for a homestyle Wisconsin fish fry. That means a cut of lake perch expertly scaled and fileted by someone’s uncle LeRoy, who probably has a cigarette dangling from his mouth the whole time. Those perfect, translucent filets go into an egg wash and then into a simply seasoned cracker meal before sliding into oil heated over a gas burner in the garage. Fried to a golden brown, they’re finished with smears of homemade tartar sauce, flecked with pickle relish and sneaky heat from horseradish.
No offense to the fast-food chain that’s currently taking butter burgers nationwide, but they have nothing on the signature butter burger at Kroll’s in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Open since 1935, the iconic family-run restaurant serves up open-flame cooked burgers that offer a perfect balance of char, vinegary ketchup, biting raw onion, and crowned with cool, creamy butter. They come bisected and wrapped in paper so the butter melts a little by the time it arrives to the table—a perfect little indulgence wrapped like a gift.
Some places blur the lines between bar and restaurant, like the dives I remember from my childhood in up northeastern Wisconsin. Many of those dimly lit venues are still stocked with jars of preserved treasures—like old-timey apothecaries selling pickles instead of patent medicine. Pickled eggs, those glistening white orbs bobbing in murky brine, were always my favorite. At my wedding reception, for the sake of nostalgia, I bought one, to bless my union with brine. I bit into the rubbery white, and as my teeth sunk into the grainy, sulfuric yolk at the center, I coughed a little bit from the vinegar’s bite. It was just what I remembered. —Natalia Mendez
Natalia Mendez (they/she) is a queer person of color and lifelong Midwesterner who loves to eat, travel and explore on two wheels. They write about food, travel, the outdoors, and experiences on the margins. They can also be found behind a camera. Their love letters to food and the way it connects us can be found on Instagram at @lengua.y.corazon.