Cheese Curds

Wisconsin is known for many things, probably most primarily:  cows, beer and cheese.  In my opinion, that's a pretty good resume.

Wisconsin cheese comes in many varieties, but Wisconsinites especially love cheese curds.  When you mention cheese curds to people who aren't familiar with them, the reaction is usually one of skepticism.  Until they try them.  Then it's usually love at first bite.  And I'm specifically talking about the breaded and fried version of cheese curds in this case.  

I don't think I have been to a restaurant in Wisconsin that doesn't serve cheese curds as an appetizer.  Scott and I usually try them wherever we go.  Over the past couple years living in Wisconsin, we have sampled a lot of curds.  Last weekend, though, I think we found the absolute best cheese curds, hands down.  The Sunday paper here in Madison featured a restaurant out in Middleton named Craft Table & Tap.  The article included a rave review about their cheese curds.  Now, Middleton is probably a good 35 minute drive from our house in Stoughton.  But refer to cheese curds as the best in Wisconsin?  We were in the car within, like, 5 minutes driving to Middleton.

We had never been to the part of Middleton where Craft Table & Tap is located.  It's in an area with some newer development.  Here's the outside of the restaurant.

We arrived around noon and the place was packed. 

We found a couple seats at the end of the bar, right in front of the taps-- which included this tap of a little fella holding his wee-wee.  It was a tap for a beer I'm not familiar with named Blanche de Bruxelles.  In Wisconsin, we have access to an impressive variety of beers.

Scott started with a Bloody Mary.

Many restaurants here in Wisconsin include cheese with their Bloody Mary garnishes.  (Have I mentioned that I love Wisconsin?)  We've seen full string cheese sticks in some Bloody Mary's.  At the Craft Table & Tap, they included a cheese curd (non-fried, of course.)

That's the cheese curd right there on the end next to the pickle.

I decided to try something new for my first drink.  A Gin Mule.

That bad boy was good.  We're going to have to figure out how to make them at home.

With first drinks in hand, it was time to order the cheese curds.  Craft Table & Tap has a bit of a different way of serving their curds, in a cute little tin bucket tipped on its side and with homemade buttermilk ranch for dipping. 

That right there, my friends, is a picture of what indeed may be the best cheese curds in Wisconsin.  I'd make a 35 minute trip to Middleton anytime for these.

I'd also make the trip for another one of these beers, which Scott ordered after he polished off his Bloody Mary + cheese curd garnish.  I had never heard of Ayinger before, but it was excellent.

The Ayinger tap was nestled between a couple of other interesting taps, including one for a beer named Hoegaarden (which, of course, I giggled at  with my 3rd grader sense of humor) and a Cappuccino stout...I'm not sure about a Cappuccino beer; we didn't try that one.

So, that's it.  Craft Table & Tap.  Good drinks and the best cheese curds around.  In terms of the Wisconsin resume, we were three for three:  beer, cheese and a cow (me).