There's a fairly big brewing tradition here in Wisconsin, in case you haven't heard (they even named their baseball team, Los Cerveceros, after said industry). Much of the history can be traced to German immigrants in the 19th century, who brought with them a hard work ethic, a strong knowledge about brewing, and lots of funny sounding names.
Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz, Leinenkugels, Heilleman; these were the titans of the Wisconsin brewing industry. Some guy named Miller was in there along the way too, but anyways, I think you get the picture. Once refrigeration took off and distribution became possible, the breweries of Wisconsin helped keep the Midwestern states well lubricated for decades. But the party didn't last long, and corporate America and the birth of the American "lite lager" repaved the brewing industry in America into a advertising driven, calorie cutting, flavor annihilating beast. Only Miller was successfully able to catch this wave and ride it into becoming one of the nation's powerhouse breweries. Not that this was a good thing, but they did it none the less.
But from the dust of the once giant brewing industry in Wisconsin has arisen a new class of craft breweries. Though the craft brewing industry has been on the upswing nationwide since the 80s, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Wisconsin brewed beers that are available in the Milwaukee area. It's almost like a Colorado of the Midwest, which makes me believe there's probably a connection between the beer giants Miller and Coors, and the microbrewery industries that sprung up around them the last few decades.
I've had a chance to sample some offerings from a couple of the different breweries in my few short months here, and what has quickly become a favorite of mine in Capital Brewery, based in the Madison area. You don't have to be a computer hacker to figure out that these guys know what they're doing, the awards listed on their website pretty much give it away. I'm not sure how widely available many of them are, but still an impressive list nonetheless. Oddly enough, what has been my favorite beer from them, the US Pale Ale, isn't even listed. But then again I'm a sucker for anything with cascade hops so what can I say. Now that it is officially fall, I just picked up some of their Oktoberfest, which has proven to be a solid offering as well.
The Capital Brewery is now officially on my to do list when I finally get to Madison (which is near the top of my to-go list). Luckily quite a bit of their selection is widely available around the Milwaukee area. They list distributors in Illinois, though I'm not sure how widely available they are around the Chicago metropolitan area. Beyond that, you can find their beers in the Twin Cities and that's about it. Apologies to all my readers outside of their distribution area, you'll just have to come visit Milwaukee now.
I'm not claiming that Capital is my favorite Wisconsin brewery, its much too early to make that decision, but I will say that so far they are leading the pack. There are quite a few votes for New Glarus, another Madison area based brewery, out there as well I'm sure. Leinie's will always be a favorite, but I think I'd put that in a category above the craft brewers in terms of size. And in Milwaukee, Lakefront Brewery has impressed me quite a bit for a brewery that's so poorly named (it's on the river!). Supposedly they make a good fish fry too so if you're heading to Milwaukee now you're Friday night is planned out for you.
Moving to a new city where you don't know anyone is always difficult, but when that city just happens to be in a land where beer is celebrated, appreciated, and more importantly drank by the truckload, it makes everything just a little easier.
Last week I caught the "making of" episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, an episode in which they give a behind the scenes look at how the Kerala, India episode was planned, filmed, and produced. The episode featured commentary from several of the people who help make the show what it is, as well as lots of anecdotes and flashbacks to previous episodes.
Before I move on though I should probably back up and introduce my thoughts on the show. In a phrase, I think the show is amazing and one of my favorites on TV. I have loved it ever since I began watching it a few years ago, and has probably been the single biggest influence on my interest in combining the culinary and travel worlds. Perhaps you've seen the Egypt episode from season 4 where Bourdain casually glances over towards the pyramids off in the horizon and then remarks something to the effect of "We won't be going anywhere near those while in Egypt". Of course, he says it in the dickish way that has helped make him so famous, but regardless, the sentiment really struck me. I found in his passion for food a new focus for my need to explore the world. One can only look at so many churches, ruins, and monuments before they all begin to look the same. And besides that, most of the interesting landmarks are so crowded with tourists and trinket-hawking vendors that the real crux and purpose of why you're there is almost impossible to enjoy. Looking back at some of the trips I've taken lately, and thinking about how what and/or where I intend to eat has become the main focus point in my preparation, it's not much of a stretch to say that his show has markedly defined the way I travel now.
However, watching the behind the scenes episodes, it came as a great relief to see one of the biggest issues I have with the show addressed (albeit not directly). My biggest complaint with the show, and really its more of a frustration, is that the edited, produced series that is beamed to my television makes it appear as if Bourdain merely wanders the streets of each city he visits until he comes upon a food stand, restaurant, market or other area of interest and begins to chat up the owners, partake of the best offerings, and impart some wisdom as to why this place is so remarkable. He just makes it look so damn easy.
But thankfully, this new episode has shed light upon the tireless work of the many people who make the show work behind the scenes. In reality all the scenes are scouted beforehand, the shots planned and lighting set up, and the people are often prepped on how to hold their "spontaneous" conversations on camera. I guess this is nothing earth shattering, and most people reading this are probably thinking that this is more or less common knowledge. Maybe it was just the jealous, paranoid person in me who couldn't figure why he was so much better at traveling and experiencing the world the way I wanted to than I was. Now I can rest easy knowing that he has quite a bit of help in doing so.
This segues into my other complaint, which is that he often makes it appear as if the only way to experience a real culture is to go to some impoverished neighborhood, sample some local working class fare, and chat up the locals about their lives and how they represent the real country. I don't have a problem with this on the surface, its just that Bourdain makes it seem like we're missing out because we don't have the balls to go where he goes, when in reality it's because we don't have the security, camera and accompanying posse to make it possible. This particularly struck a nerve with me in the Colombia episode, a country that I have been fortunate enough to have visited. It's a great episode, but when he is partying on the rooftop on the outskirts of Medellin or eating with the locals in the poor fishing village across from Bocagrande my thoughts just kept returning the to the idea that there's no way that I could have gone to those places with out a strong local connection, some protection, and cameras rolling all the time to keep people from trying anything. Unfortunately my strikingly good looking German complexion means it's difficult to walk around in Colombia and blend in with the locals.
It seems a bit odd that my first post about a show I love is more or less just nitpicking at things about it, but given that it's already in its 6th season I think plenty of people know why it is an amazing show and therefore it stands on its own merits. In the end I was glad to see the behind the scenes show because it satisfied my general curiosity of how they make it all come together, and confirmed in me the suspicion that there is much more work involved that the finished product lets on.
For a while I worried that if Anthony Bourdain can get paid to just wander around, eat good food in front of a camera and offer sarcastic comments and vulgar quips then why can't I. But the truth is he has a lot of help to make the show what it is(That and he has a much better on-screen personality than me). They've done a couple interesting episodes this season, a few of which I still need to catch up on, but I'm glad to see that even after 100 episodes (I just watched the 100th episode special the other night with Eric Rippert who is a perfect foil for Bourdain) the show is still going strong and offering fresh perspectives on places both new and old.
I would assume that most of the people who read this blog already watch the show, but if for some reason you haven't then you have a lot of catching up to do. So get going already!
Most often when we talk about regional or national cuisines, we speak of those which we really love. It's decidedly less common for people to talk about general cuisines they dislike outside of reasons having to do with "it's different and I don't like it". I consider myself a pretty open minded eater, and enjoy most types of food. However, I've never quite been able to develop and love and appreciation for southern food. I'm generalizing a bit here, as there's quite a bit of variation between food in areas of the south, but certain themes are prevalent more than others. I've complained about the lack of spices and seasoning, the heavy reliance on salt, fat and breading as the only way to enhance the flavors of ingredients, and the overall "heaviness" of the dishes. It wasn't that I particularly disliked those foods, but just that I had never been that impressed during the times I had eaten them, and found them far less appealing that many other types of food.
But I was determined to give it one more try on my trip to Nashville, and much to my surprise, I found some food there that I actually really enjoyed. To say "found" might be a bit inaccurate because the places we went to were by no means hidden gems. In fact on Sunday we spent over 2 hours combined waiting for our meals. But the thing about waiting is that it usually an indication of good food to come. Unless you're at Cheesecake Factory, then it just means the portions will be gigantic.
And so we were up before 9am to stand in line at the Pancake Pantry, a Nashville institution known for....wait for it.....their amazing pancakes. We had to stand in line for almost an hour (not my favorite way to nurse a hangover) in order to walk in the place, but the 70 degree weather and complimentary coffee pushed things towards the tolerable side of life. The secret to ordering at the Pancake Pantry, we were told, was that all the other breakfast dishes come with pancakes as well. We all took this route, and while my dining companion's omelets looked delicious, the sausage and eggs I had were surprisingly mediocre. Eggs over easy without toast just doesn't cut it. But that's a side note, because the pancakes were fantastic. Being true to their "pantry" name, they have a wide selection of pancakes to choose from, but I settled on the sweet potato ones because I had never had anything like that before. I think I can honestly say were the best pancakes I've ever had. It's hard to describe them anymore than just to say the flavor and texture were perfect. I'm no pancake aficionado, but I had an instant appreciation for what I was consuming. While the other parts of my meal were not stand outs, the pancakes had definitely lived up to the hype.
But pancakes were really just a warm up for the evening's meal at Loveless Cafe, a country diner that has been serving travelers along the Natchez Trace Parkway for over 50 years, though the steady encroachment of metropolitan Nashville means it's no longer an out of the way destination. They weren't kidding when they said an hour and fifteen minute wait at 7pm on a Sunday evening, but as we walked through the entrance full of pictures of celebrities, athletes, and politicians dining there I had a feeling it was going to be worth the wait.
Family style proved to be the way to go, and so we ordered a couple meats and various sides to constitute our meal. It was a slight deviation from the authentic Meat and Three concept but the principles were still the same. Highlights? Well for me it was the meatloaf, which was flavorful and juicy, and along with Comet Cafe in Milwaukee, helped renew my interest in this famous but often brutalized dish. Biscuits with home preserves? Excellent. Creamed corn? Succulent. Pulled pork? Great and served with a tangy Carolina style BBQ sauce. Collard Greens? Not so much....I'm sorry but I still get their appeal. At the end of the day they still taste like bland, boiled down vegetables, even with a lot of salt and hot sauce. But all in all it was a very satisfying meal, and I left thinking that maybe my previous opinions on Southern food, while maybe not totally incorrect, were at least prematurely developed.
If I tried to tie these two posts together about my weekend in Nashville, some sort of summary as a real writer would call it, I think it would be that it is a surprisingly distinctive city with plenty of things to experience beyond the tourist traps that seem so tantalizing to the average American. I would come back to Nashville to see more music, eat more food, and perhaps make my pilgrimage to my father's Mecca....the Jack Daniels Distillery. Because we must always honor our parents wishes.
Quick apologies, I didn't intend to go this long between posts but got in between while prepping for a trip and next thing you know its been over a week. The good news is I actually managed to do some traveling that I can write about. Almost like a real travel blog.
It's always nice when a city surprises you in a good way. Maybe doesn't blow you away, but at least offers up more than you had anticipated. Of course this requires going in with preconceived notions, but most of us inevitably have them anyways. Most people would admit that it's hard to not plan on going somewhere without holding at least a small idea of what the experience might entail.
I had never been to Nashville before this weekend, only driven through it before on a couple road trips down to the dirty South. This was the first time I had made it off the interstate and caught more than just a passing glimpse of downtown Nashville. When I say I was pleasantly surprised by the city, what I mean was that somewhere along the line I had formed the idea that Nashville had entirely sold out to the idea of being the "Music City", and instead of really being a city where music is woven into the everyday fabric of life, it had become just some tourist trap filled with hokey theme bars and venues and lots of radio style country music. I envisioned myself sitting in some bar, large groups of overweight tourists in jean shorts and fanny packs stuffed into the booth next to us, with some girl from suburban Atlanta singing songs about growing up a country girl and loving life on the range.
Somehow I envisioned that Nashville wasn't really the "music city" as much as a city with a musical past that they had figured out how to exploit for the tourist dollars. I'm not trying to justify my preconceived notions, just state what they were going in.
But, thankfully, I was wrong. There was lots of real music there, and plenty of it good. What we found was a city where live bands, bands and musicians with actual talent, and a passion for creating something of their own, are a common sight. As we hopped out of the cab on Broadway you could immediately hear the music that flooded the street. From what I could see almost every bar in the nearby vicinity had a live band that night. It was a nice change of pace to see people, especially those of my generation, out at bars with live music instead of DJs and Ipod playlists. In retrospect I wish I had focused more on appreciating the music that evening, but the festive atmosphere and allure of tasty beverages and old friends proved too much. And so I woke up on Sunday with only a few memories: dancing to an alt-rock band, wandering the streets of Nashville at 1:30 in the morning, and trying to put money into a broken cigarette machine for 10 minutes. But with those also came the hazy feeling that I had had a good time in Nashville, and that it was a city with a personality and identity.
Now, one can't simply claim that getting drunk and catching a couple live bands is the best way to judge a city, but combine that with the people in our hotel warming up for the open mic night, and the bluegrass jam session we caught in The Gulch (in an old fashioned bar surrounded by the new trendy Nashville neighborhood), it formed in me an impression that music really is an important part of its identity. There's not too many places in America where you can say that.
Our stay wasn't long enough to get to see too much more of the city, though we did manage to check out the East End area of town as well, around the Five Points area that is becoming Nashville's new hip (read: hipster) neighborhood. It has a way to go, there was only one bicycle shop and not a ton of other bars and restaurants yet, but you could see it was on its way. We stopped by a bar and had some brews from Yazoo, the local brewery, though none of them seemed to be particularly noteworthy. But as always I was at least glad to see that they did have something local on tap to try, and I think if I lived in Nashville I would throw back a Dos Perros lager or the Pale Ale from time to time.
The food was another pleasant surprise, though not necessarily for Nashville but for Southern food in general. I'm going to do a separate post for this but I can say for now that the trip definitely improved my perception of Southern cuisine. I'm not a full convert yet, and I still believe it has its limitations, but damn did we eat well. And when you have good food, good drinks, and good music, its hard not to enjoy where you are.
