She Magazine

Milwaukee

Besides beer: Milwaukee is full of great eateries

Published:

Story and photos by Mary Bergin

One of Milwaukee’s hard-earned nicknames is Brew City, but a whole lot of other excellent products make the metro area an epicurean’s dream.

Getting to know Milwaukee as a good food destination means more than finding a good restaurant for dinner. Set aside a full day with friends to hit these family-owned treasures.

The beverage absinthe used to be outlawed, but not anymore, and you can taste it at the new

Great Lakes Distillery,

616 W. Virginia St., which calls itself the state’s first distillery since Prohibition. Tours are on Fridays and Saturdays; a tasting/sales room is open more often. The small-batch business also produces a smooth, gently flavored line of vodkas and gins, two of which already are international award winners. More information can be found at, www.greatlakesdistillery.com, or by calling 414-431-8683.

Near Miller Park are one-hour tours of

Palermo’s Pizza

production at Palermo Villa, a business that began as a little ethnic bakery in 1964. Now it pops out 150 pizzas per minute. Public tours begin at 1:30 p.m. Fridays; groups are scheduled on other weekdays. All tours end with free and steamin’ slices of pizza from Palermo’s café, which also serves soups, sandwiches, cannoli and Italian cookies. To learn more, go to www.palermospizza.com or call 414-455-0383.

Serious cooks know

Penzeys Spices

for its exotic and extensive (as in 250-plus) line of seasonings, sold by mail order and at dozens of retail outlets nationwide. The company headquarters is a roomy outlet at 12001 W. Capitol Dr., Wauwatosa. You can go to www.penzeys.com or call 414-760-7307 to find out more.

Who inspired business founder Bill Penzey? His parents started the

Spice House

, 1031 N. Old World Third St., more than 50 years ago. Now Bill’s sister runs the show, in an intimate setting known to blend spices for some of the area’s top chefs. Take a whiff of Milwaukee Iron (a smoky pepper-garlic blend) or buy a gift box with spices that emphasize ethnic heritage. More is at www.thespicehouse.com, or call 888-488-0977.

Across the street is the no-nonsense outlet store for

Usinger’s

, 1030 N. Old World Third St., which has been producing sausages from European family recipes since 1880. Learn about yachtwurst (pork, beef, pistachios, garlic) to kishka (blood sausage). About 125 meat products are sold, some at hefty discounts. For more information, go to www.usinger.com or call 800-558-9998.

Almost 200 kinds of cheese (plus Wisconsin meats, beer and wines) fill

Wisconsin Cheese Mart

, 215 W. Highland Ave., a former German grocery store, in business since 1938. Sample before stocking up: A tasting bar recently opened, offering flights (three or four samples) of products (beer, wine, cheese, chocolate, sausage), usually for less than $10. More information can be found at www.wisconsincheesemart.com or by calling 888-482-7700.

In the Historic Third Ward, indulge in sweet to savory fare at

Milwaukee Public Market

, where more than one dozen family-owned businesses sell sushi to streusel. Local chefs sometimes lead cooking classes in the market’s second-story Madame Kuony’s Kitchen, a demo space named after the founder of a highly regarded organic foods culinary school. Learn more at www.milwaukeepublicmarket.org or by calling 414-336-1111.

Market vendor

Kehr Chocolates

, hand-dipping candy since 1930, also welcomes visitors at its three-generation factory store, 3533 W. Lisbon Ave. Go to www.kehrs.com or call 414-344-4305.

It also is possible to shop at the

Quality Candy/Buddy Squirrel

headquarters, 1801 E. Bolivar Ave., but 45-minute group tours are suspended during the busy production months of November and December. Especially popular: the annual open house during Easter season (the next is March 21). If you’re interested, go to www.qcbs.com or call 800-972-2658.