18-hole food guide for PGA Championship fans
SHEBOYGAN – The return of the PGA Championship to Whistling Straits brings the top golfers in the world hungry to win one of the PGA TOUR’s major titles. It also brings a host of fans who will be hungry and thirsty for good food and drinks.
With that in mind, here are 18 bits and bites for fans to munch and sip during their time in the Sheboygan and Lakeshore area.
1. Championship Martini
A golf tournament of this magnitude deserves its own signature drink. Whistling Straits chef Dan Dries concocted this martini just for that reason:
1 ½ oz Belvedere Vodka
¾ oz Chambord
¼ oz Cranberry juice
Splash of pineapple juice
Bruleed pineapple garnish
Combine all liquids in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Serve in a martini glass with bruleed pineapple wedge.
2. Stay hydrated
Levy Restaurants, the caterer and concessionaire for the 2015 PGA Championship, is prepared for thirsty fans with lots of water — as in 180,000 bottles of Aquafina.
3. Keeping their cool
It took 200 tons of ice to keep drinks and concessions chilled during the last PGA Championship held at Whistling Straits.
4. Miles of wurst
Fans will consume 20,000 foot-long Oktoberfest brats. That’s nearly 3.75 miles worth of wurst.
5. Eat your brat like a pro
If you want to make the cut as a bratwurst pro, the appropriate toppings include any combination of sauerkraut, mustard and onions. Ketchup on your brat will mark you as an amateur.
6. Tea (and coffee) up
Golf-themed beverages to start the day include The Sand Trap (an iced honey macadamia nut latte, $3.50) and The Tea Off (an iced rishi tea, lemonade with jeremiah weed, $7).
Both served beginning 6 a.m. at The Greenhouse, 419 Highland Drive, Kohler.
7. Got curds?
Gibbsville Cheese, W2663 County Road OO, Sheboygan Falls, is a multi-generational family owned and operated cheesemaker.
They make cheddar, colby, pepper jack and plenty of other Wisconsin best sellers, but their cheese curds are a local favorite.
8. Beer and curds
It’s the best of both worlds at 8th Street Ale Haus, 1132 North 8th St., Sheboygan.
This pub/restaurant/brewery not only offers a huge selection of craft beer but they also were voted the best place for fried cheese curds in Sheboygan. Small-batch 8th Street brews are on tap including 30 Year Old’s Scotch Ale, Hard Roll Hefeweizen and 55 mph IPA. There’s a weekly brisket and beer pairing on Tuesdays.
A 10-tap takeover by Alpine Beer Co. and Green Flash Brewing is set for Wednesday. A cask conditioned Sour Doppelbock beer with Cherries from Hinterland Brewery will be available on Friday.
9. Or wine and cheese
The Blind Horse Restaurant & Winery, 6018 Superior Ave., Kohler, features award-winning Syrah, Cabernet and Chardonnay paired with fine dining.
About an hour’s drive north of Whistling Straits is Parallel 44 Winery & Vineyard, N2185 Sleepy Hollow Road, Stangelville, which makes award winning wines from cool climate grapes such as Frontenac, St. Pepin and Petit Pearl.
Earlier this year they released their first Ice Wine, made from grapes that were harvested after they were frozen on the vines. It’s one of the few places able to produce a true Ice Wine.
10. Three cheers
Sheboygan’s own 3 Sheeps Brewing Company will be out and about with small-batch brews and their latest seasonal specialties, along with their flagship beers.
One of their options at The Horse & Plow, 419 Highland Drive, Kohler, includes Seven Legged Cartwheel, a wild pale ale IPA brewed with wild yeast served for the first time on nitro. Paid Time Off! an imperial black wheat that’s brewed with coconut, cocoa nibs, and walnuts will be one of five options at Holidays Sports Pub and Grill, 5533 Superior Ave.
Check out 3 Sheeps’ profile as part of Gannett Wisconsin Media’s WisBrewView series.
11. More beer here
Plymouth Brewing Company, 222 E. Mill St., Plymouth, is a nano-brewery located 20 miles from Whistling Straits.
They rotate their drafts frequently, but brews likely to be on tap include: Stafford Coffee Stout, Nutt Hill Nutbrown, Hub-A-tui Tangerine hefe, Bubbler Blonde Ale and Mutta-Rutta Belgian IPA.
Regular tap room hours are 5-10 p.m. Thursday, and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, though hours are subject to change, call (920) 400-1722 to verify.
12. Locals say eat here
If your looking for a restaurant popular with local diners, head to Majerle’s Black River Grill (5033 Evergreen Drive, Black River) that was voted the best all-around restaurant in the Sheboygan Press Media’s Readers Choice poll.
The menu features classic American cuisine including steaks, broasted chicken and fish. It also earned top honors for its Friday fish fry.
Regardless make sure to save room for the broasted cheesecake (deep fried cheesecake nuggets topped with chocolate and strawberry).
13. Clubbing it
Supper clubs — complete with the ordering dinner and waiting at the bar until your dinner is ready, so have an old fashioned or two why dontcha experience — are a uniquely Wisconsin tradition.
Schwarz’s Supper Club, W. 1688 Sheboygan Road, New Holstein embodies that tradition.
Embrace the drive through the countryside to get there. It’s part of the experience.
14. With kids, then without
Kids (ages 12 and younger) eat lunch free, with the purchase of an adult entrée 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Horse & Plow, 419 Highland Drive, Kohler.
For the grown ups, there is a nightly happy hour, 4-6 p.m. with $5 house-made pretzels, and two-for-one Wisconsin craft or domestic draft beers, house wines or rail mixers.
15. Save some green
There are 25 places in Sheboygan County offering discounts or specials on food to anyone showing their PGA ticket/volunteer credential as part of the Show Us Your Ticket promotion.
Most places are offering discounts of 10 to 20 percent. If you’re looking to score early morning points with friends, get six free doughnuts with the purchase of six doughnuts at Festival Foods, 595 S. Taylor Drive, Sheboygan.
Visit sheboygan.org for complete list and details for the Show Us Your Ticket promotion.
16. Chicken for a cause
Chicken and All That Jazz, a fundraiser for the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan Foundation, serves up grilled chicken dinners with a side of Dixieland jazz music, 4:30-8 p.m., Wednesday on the UW-Sheboygan campus grounds. Tickets are $17 each in advance.
For more information on tickets contact Carrie Hoppe at (920) 459-6612, e-mail carrie.hoppe@uwc.edu.
17. Concession game plan
There will be 12 concession stands and multiple mobile carts selling water and other refreshments to spectators, with prices ranging from $1.50 to $14 per item.
As one might expect, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. are peak times for concession sales.
18. Wisconsin eats on the course
While the 1/3-pound cheeseburgers, smoked turkey and cheese sandwich, and grilled brats are the big sellers, some Wisconsin-inspired concession options include a PO boy-Polish sausage, smoked sausage, Wisconsin cheddar and egg sandwich, and Great Lakes fish and chips with tartar sauce.
Daniel Higgins writes about food and drink for Gannett Wisconsin Media, dphiggin@gannett.com, Twitter and Instagram @HigginsEats, facebook.com/gwmdanhiggins.