I know, I know, I'm a creature of habit. But that's one of the best parts about Summerfest -- renewing old traditions that you can only enjoy 11 days a year.
Everyone has his or her own annual Summerfest plan of action: taking a lap from stage to stage, scoping out the merch tent, riding the Skyglider, whatever.
But for the purpose of this blog, I want to lay out my own food traditions. None really make for a healthy dinner, but maybe all that walking and sweating helps burn off some of the excess calories (does listening to music count as exercise?).
Of course, I don't I eat all of these on every trip to the Big Gig. But I can say that I eat only these at Summerfest. There might be better food available, but the fest curmudgeon within me is perfectly content to munch on:
Robbie's Corn: Summerfest and corn on the cob go hand in hand. I love making a bee line for the corn stand, then wandering around the grounds, gnawing my way through an ear. I spend the next hour trying to dislodge corn from my teeth with a complimentary toothpick or 10.
Saz's mozzarella sticks: I've heard plenty of people say they are trite, but since I find myself at the actual restaurant less than once a year, I get my fill at Summerfest. Fried inside an egg roll wrapper, hands down, Saz's makes the best mozzarella sticks I've ever had (though the Safe House is a close second).
The King and I's volcano chicken: Not all the food at Summerfest is fried and loaded with carbs. The King and I's volcano chicken, which is great at the restaurant, is also great on the grounds. And it's a big plate of food for $9, making it one of the better bargains at Summerfest.
Edwardo's stuffed spinach pizza: This is a bit more of a novelty now, considering Edwardo's shut its Downtown location. But even I know that there's nothing even vaguely healthy about a gigantic slice of stuffed pizza. I'd put this entry into the "retired" category.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
