Dining in Kenosha – a treat!

Kenosha, Wisconsin is a cheese lovers dream! June 4th, 2019, the day my friend Annie Jansen and I arrived on our sponsored trip it just happened to be National Cheese Day! Our first dining in Kenosha option was Grab’s Burger Bar where we experienced cheese heaven!

Grab’s Burger Bar, one of our options for dining in Kenosha!

Meridith Juminsko and Laura Tyunaitis of the Kenosha CVB hosted our trip to Kenosha. Meridith and Laura took us on a whirlwind tour of Kenosha and our first dining in Kenosha stop was Grab’s Burger Bar. Here we had our first love affair with Wisconsin cheese.

Angie Preston, the owner of Grab’s Burger bar fixed us up with some Mozzarella coins, fried cheese curds and dipped it all in a wonderful sauce. Angie worked at Grab’s Burger Bar before becoming the owner. It has become a family business for her!

Annie and I both had great burgers. We loved the decor of the diner. I got a kick out of the fact that this is the only diner that the nearby Carthage College students can use their dining dollars for.

The 1844 Table & Mash

During our stay in Kenosha our lodgings were at the very posh Stella Hotel & Ballroom. Inside the renovated historic hotel that once was a former Elk’s Club (read about this in a previous blog) is the wonderful 1844 Table & Mash.

We loved the luxury of the restaurant. Feeling very upscale Annie and I both dressed up for the occasion. Our server Alexis was adorable and treated us like Queens!

We decided to split everything so we could try a bit of what the menu had to offer. We ordered an appetizer of Charcuterie which included a salami spread, olive mix, orange marmalade, cheese mix and bread. Yum! I found layering the flavors quite tasty while Annie preferred each item individually.

We split the Cesar salad which Annie said “Is the best I’ve ever had”.

Then the spring chicken with mushrooms and potatoes rounded out our meal followed by tiramisu. Dining at the 1844 is an event.

Cafe at the Stella is a casual dining choice.

We can’t leave out the Cafe at the Stella. While we didn’t have a complete meal there, we did have passion fruit iced tea and chocolate chip muffins to take back to the room. The service was wonderful and we loved the muffins! This is a casual choice for dining in Kenosha if you are not wanting a fancy meal.

The Buzz Cafe dining in Kenosha is fun!

By now it was Wednesday morning after arriving on a Tuesday. We bustled over to The Buzz Cafe a short walk from the Stella which was nice. Located downtown the Stella Hotel is near everything and the Buzz Cafe had a fun vibe with a mix of business people getting their before work fix and the slower “lets sit and sip” crowd like Annie and I.

Outside of the Buzz was the cutest sign with the saying, “When you fell a little depresso, have a little espresso!” Very creative. While I am not a coffee girl, I most certainly am a hot chocolate one and my oh my do they know how to make a mean hot chocolate!

Annie and I both ordered a cheese, egg and bacon bagel that was scrumptious. Then we got a cinnamon roll to go! How could we resist? The art was quite lovely in this cute downtown diner. The servers were also super friendly and fun!

Jack Andrea Cafe eat and shop!

We really did do more than eat on this trip, but I must say, we ate like royalty! Jack Andrea was quite a surprise. This restaurant is as much a shop as it is a diner and it has quite a history. The story begins when Giacomo Andrea started selling tobacco and candy out of a piano crate in 1911. In 1917 he opened a store adding an Italian marble soda fountain.

Today the fourth generation of the family has become part of the business and they still sell ice cream and tobacco products along with a line of wonderful gift type of items. Annie and I were quite taken by both the shop and the food alike. Amy Sichmeller took a bit of time to come and visit with us and share her favorite items on the menu. She said that the tuna salad was what put the diner on the map so we had to order that and we decided to try the more adventurous ham with brie and apple sandwich as well.

After Amy gave us a bit of background about the cafe and diner Annie looked down and pointed out a book titled, Prep It. Plate It Post It and we saw it was written by Amy. So not only does she manage the dining area, but she is also a writer as well!

We loved our meal. Annie also tried a healthy coco water lemon-aid mixed with tonic water which she liked. We walked away with a few amazing truffles that we later enjoyed in the evening at the Stella. What fun! Eating and shopping and history, right up our alley!

The Red Oak Restaurant

While most of our dining options in Kenosha were in the city, a few were in the county. Red Oak Restaurant was one of them. Located in Bristol this was quite a treat. It took a bit of time to drive there, but we enjoyed the scenic view on the way.

The Red Oak Restaurant has a different concept. Rather than expecting a tip, they include the tip as part of their service to get a living wage for the employees. All employees split the tips so all are compensated evenly.

At the Red Oak they use fresh sourced ingredients and the food was fantastic!

We again shared our food from beginning to end. Annie and I chose asparagus wrapped in prosciutto for our appetizer which was covered in butter sauce. This was followed by spring greens with ranch. The greens were a bit bitter, but tasty. The beef tenderloin with baby potatoes and mushrooms in wine sauce was beyond any description I can give, it was that good.

Annie ordered apple and rhubarb turnover and I had a wonderful chocolate eclair concoction we both shared. Yummy, yummy, yummy! The dining atmosphere was also very conducive to an enjoyable background of casual luxury.

The Daily Dose

The Daily Dose was a cool family business where they served panini sandwiches. Expecting a traditional breakfast diner, we were pleasantly surprised by the fun atmosphere and amazing food. I had the best veggie wrap I have ever ate, and Annie had an amazing bacon, cheese and egg panini. Again, we shared so we could try everything.

The owner Jennifer Capponi was wonderful she has worked all of her adult life in the restaurant business and this was her dream. Open for 12 years, she has a loyal clientele and servers. We heard clients hollering praise from back tables even as we ordered. Amazing food, one of our favorite places of the entire trip, four stars for fun, fun fun!

We took some pretty amazing double fudge brownies away with us that we devoured later on! While we ate breakfast there, I read that they also have homemade soup, I can only imagine.

Bristol 45 Diner a retro place!

Like the Red Oak while most places we ate while dining in Kenosha were in Kenosha a few were in the County and Bristol 45 was in Bristol. This diner is just plain fun. Set in a 1950’s decor you can get your picture taken with Marilyn and Elvis (and I did).

The food was very enjoyable. Annie and I had burgers and fries and an appetizer of haystack onion rings. I know, I can hear my arteries slamming shut too! But hey when you travel….

Anyway, there was also soup so we did get some veggies in. The navy bean soup was awesome. We really liked this fun diner and had as much fun looking at the decor as eating the food!

So, Annie and I literally ate our way through Kenosha and the county.

There is a lot to do in this neck of the woods. If you enjoyed the dining read, you may also enjoy the story aboutKenosha museums. Read on!