Join us on Saturday, July 22 for some lakeside munchies at the second annual OnMilwaukee Food Truck Fest. Choose from a menu of 20 trucks and enjoy the live music, games and entertainment. It's the biggest gathering of the best food on four wheels.
At OnMilwaukee, we believe in lifting up all voices and using our platform to support others’ dreams. And that's what we hope to do for Dominic the Food Reviewer. When I first met Dominic almost two years ago, I was impressed by his passion, his curiosity and his interest in improving his writing. Over time, I’ve not only enjoyed getting to know him better, but he has taught me as much as I have him. My hope is that you’ll not only enjoy reading Dominic’s reviews, but also glean understanding and joy from seeing the world of food through his eyes. -- Lori Fredrich, Dining Editor
This weekend, I visited Boondocks BBQ Burgers and Brews. It is located at N67 W33525 County Hwy K in Oconomowoc. The restaurant is in a little town called Stone Bank.
I had the honor of meeting Samantha, the general manager, our waitress Heidi, and the owner, Tom Evert. He told me that his nickname is "Tom Foolery", and that he used to operate Foolery’s Liquid Therapy right on Okauchee Lake.
Barbeque was a hobby for both himself and his father while he was growing up. Tom opened his first restaurant in the 90s on Nagawicka lake. He started Foolery’s in Okauchee in 2010. Boondocks opened May of 2019. Before it became Boondocks, it was called Joseph Armeli’s Meat ’N’ Place. They had to do tons of remodeling before opening Boondocks.
The ambiance at the restaurant has a Northwoods theme with a very large bar and fireplaces with beautiful stone. They also have some games that include coin drop, slot machines and a crane game.
On every single table inside the restaurant they have have sauces such as Carolina mustard, Carolina vinegar and house BBQ, which has rum in it. Tom said that all of their sauces are housemade and natural with no msg or anything artificial.
Some of their most popular dishes are the chicken wings, which are dry rubbed, smoked and flash fried with sauce on the side. They are also known for their BBQ sampler platter, homemade cornbread and smoked prime rib special on Saturdays.
For my appetizer I got to try their smoked wings with Caribbean jerk and Texas BBQ sauces.
The wings were super tender and flavorful. The Caribbean jerk sauce had a nice sweet flavor and a little bit of a tang. That Texas BBQ sauce had a nice smokey taste to it that was addicting.
For my main course, I tried their BBQ sampler platter for two, which comes with a half rack of ribs, a half pound of pulled pork, a half pound brisket and a choice of four sides.
I have to say it was all just mouthwatering. The rib meat just fell right off the bone and had the perfect amount of seasoning on it. That half pound of pulled pork was extra tender and I dipped it into my BBQ sauce. Their beef brisket just melted right in my mouth. For my sides, I tried their baked beans, deep fried Brussels sprouts with bacon, crinkle cut fries, and haystack onion rings. Their bbq platters come with their cornbread too.
The baked beans had a slight smoky flavor and the deep fried brussels sprouts had a fresh taste. You can’t go wrong with the haystack onion rings because I absolutely am a huge fan of onions, and they had a perfect crispness. Another one is the cornbread, because there is nothing at all like this cornbread with peppers in it. I could really taste that the cornbread was very moist and cooked perfectly. That cornbread rocked.
For dessert I tried the housemade Heath Bar cheesecake. They made it look like a work of art with the whipped cream surrounding the cheesecake in the center of the dish. Their cheesecake tasted super sweet and it had a smooth texture to it. I loved it all.
I would highly recommend checking Boondocks out because they have reasonable prices, big portions and tasty food. If you go, try their wings, ribs and cornbread for sure.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
