On our way out of an amazing Wisconsin weekend, we made a pit stop at Breakwater Restaurant in Superior. It looked like a local version of Denny’s, which was just what we wanted on our way out of the Northwoods. We were quickly seated and since everyone moves a little slow on the morning of July 4th, we weren’t waited on quite as fast as we had been seated. But outside of the hustle bustle of LA, we were happy to not be rushed out of breakfast.

The menu was definitely reminiscent of your average Denny’s-style breakfast/brunch, but with the Northwoods addition of at least one Lumberjack reference. Cue the Logger Lover here.

I went for the Corned Beef Hash. This was served with a choice of toast, muffin or pancakes. Most people would opt for the cakes, but I chose sourdough bread instead. I’m not like most people. I got my eggs over easy to complete the lyrics of the Dick Siegel song, “Angelo’s.” When the meal came, it looked tasty and I dug in with gusto. I found some perfectly salted corned beef hash, but they would become even better when I cracked open my eggs to let the yolk run through. Both the hash browns and beef had been sort of cubed, which gave them an interesting and delicious texture. The egg/corned beef hash combo served me well. The toast was a nice addition and had that extra touch of being pre-buttered. It didn’t have much of a sourdough flavor, but I wasn’t exactly expecting some sort of artisan bread.

To make my meal even meatier, I added a side of bacon to the mix. This was a nicely crisped breakfast side that made me sad to soon be departing the land of meat and cheese.

In the end, Breakwater served a pretty good meal. It was nothing groundbreaking, but with a name like Breakwater, that would be way too ironic. It was a good and reliable, which is sometimes all you need out of breakfast.

Oh, and they get bonus points for the taxidermy poster at the entrance.

Located just south of President’s on Highway 53 in Superior, Wisconsin, is a restaurant in a box car. I’m not sure how, but it somehow got the name of Choo Choo Bar & Grill. Although it is plenty old, it seems that Choo Choo has been renovated recently and has the look of a new dive bar that will not look new for very long. And if anyone knows how to test out the food of a dive bar, it’s this guy.

I was told to check out their namesake Choo Choo Burger, but the presence of mushrooms and onions quickly sent me looking for something more unvegan. The search ended quickly with the Bacon Cheeseburger. I knew I didn’t have to order mine without vegetables, because my girlfriend had asked if they had salads on the menu and was rapidly shot down. Bad news for her, but reason for celebration for unvegans everywhere. I also knew this wasn’t going to be some fancy schmancy burger when the waitress walked away without even asking how I wanted it cooked. Fine by me.

What I got was a good old fashioned bacon cheeseburger. Classier than fast food, but without making any attempt at being gourmet. The meat was fresh and misshapen, while the bacon was some of the best I’ve ever had on a burger. It was perfectly crispy, salty and smoky. And while the cheese was good, it didn’t blow me away like Wisconsin cheese should have. Yet, that is a small complaint. No, this was not the best burger I’ve ever eaten, but it is definitely unvegan approved.

In this wonderful planet that we live in, there are few greater meccas of meat than Northern Wisconsin. After all, you’re not going to survive that winter on lettuce and kale. Yet, while shrines to meat are all over this mecca, the true Kaaba of Northern Wisconsin is Superior Meats. Located in the heart of Superior, Wisconsin, on Tower Street, the place is not in the most ideal location for someone like me looking to grill at Amnicon Falls, but like any meat pilgrimage, the journey to Superior Meats is well-worth it.

In the world of Michigan that I hail from, you grill hot dogs and hamburgers. In the Southwest, you might throw a little carne asada in the mix. And in Wisconsin, it’s all about the bratwurst. Superior Meats is the holy grail of brats. The flavors range from the simply named Beer, to the descriptive Wild Rice Cranberry Turkey, to the curious Sheboygan. But it doesn’t stop there. They also pack in crazy burgers with similar ingredients to the brats, amazing beef sticks, multiple varieties of jerky and cheese. Since we were a huge crew of guys with a couple girls sprinkled in, we loaded up on a feast of meats for grilling. Of all we ordered, here is what I remember:

Brats:

Breakfast

Beer

Three Cheese

Packer

Hunter

Philly Cheese Beef

Bacon and Blue Cheese

Burgers:

Philly Cheese

Bacon Cheddar

French Onion

Pepper Jack

The grand total, including all our fixin’s came to a measly 7 bucks per person. When we got to Amnicon Falls to grill, we opened up our spread of meat and witnessed something beautiful. But there was barely time to admire before the grill was fired up and we got to cooking. While the cooking job may not have been the greatest (due to lack of tongs), there was no question that these brats and burgers were some of the best the world had to offer, if not the best. My favorite was the bacon and blue. These tubes were oozing with flavors, snap and an unbeatable touch smoky goodness. After these, I don’t know if I can ever eat grocery store bratwurst again. And the burgers, too, were out of this world. Juicy, cheesy and unquestionably delicious, they managed to squeeze awesomeness into every ounce. A lot of places try to pull off the loaded burger patty, but Superior Meats has perfected it.

Now the only trouble is figuring out how to live my life without Superior Meats. Southern California is a far cry from Northern Wisconsin and I do my best to live a good unvegan life here, but now that I am back, I am concerned about what to do about grilling. Grocery store-bought burgers and bratwurst simply cannot compare to the glory of Superior Meats and perhaps it is better that way. Such a place would likely go unappreciated in the health-conscious enigma of LA, yet I can’t help but think that meats like those of Superior could convince a vegan to slaughter a pig on the spot.

So do yourself a favor…if you are ever within driving distance of Superior Meats, go. You and your stomach will thank me for it for the rest of your life.

Oh and if you know of a greater meat mecca than Northern Wisconsin, please let me know, because when I find myself eating up there it feels as though I’ve died and gone to meat heaven.