Best Burgers

This past weekend was opening season for classic car shows - the Spring Jefferson Car Show and Auto Swap Meet. Rick was there with his friend, Paul, on Friday and they stopped for a burger at Wedl's in downtown Jefferson. Rick thought his burger was one of the best he's ever eaten so he encouraged me to stop on my way home from his place on Sunday. This tiny hamburger stand (64 square feet) had been featured on the Travel Channel. I had the double cheeseburger, with grilled onions, and it was delicious. Probably because of the lard on the ancient grill that the burgers are cooked in!

The stand is about 8 feet by 8 feet on the corner of E. Racine St (Highway 18)
and S. Center Ave. A few people were in line ahead of me but I didn't have
to wait too long for my burger.

The sign on the door to the ice cream parlor says it all!

Speaking of ice cream, Wedl's scoops up Chocolate Shoppe ice cream. Unfortunately, my favorite - butter pecan - was temporarily out on Sunday.

The seating area for Wedl's is a patio out back. Very pleasant on a sunny day.

A couple of weeks ago Rick was in Madison and we went for burgers at Tipsy Cow, a corner tavern just off the Capitol Square. Rick had seen a review online and thought we should sample the fare.  

We both had the Tipsy burger - two 1/4 pound Knoche's Market patties, 3-year cheddar, grilled onions (me), Widmer's brick cheese, Nueske's bacon, tipsy sauce, and Mike's pickles. Another great burger - juicy and flavorful. The fact that the ingredients come from either local or Wisconsin-based businesses is a plus.

Interior decor at the Tipsy Cow.

One more burger place that Rick and I can recommend is Oscar's in Milwaukee. Located about a mile south of the Potawatomi Casino, Oscar's has been in business for only two years. But the owner, who used to be a chef at Sobelman's, another well-known bar and grill in Milwaukee, knows how to make a tasty burger.

And, we've been to Sobelman's, too. Good food and a distinctive building but an uninspiring location in an industrial area of Milwaukee. Parking isn't easy either. 

Sometimes when we're wandering, it's a burger that we want when lunch rolls around. Once we put aside our concerns about cholesterol, we're pleased that we've found places in Wisconsin where our appetites for this yummy sandwich can be satisfied.

Museum of Wisconsin Art

A beautiful new museum in West Bend opened this past weekend. The Museum of Wisconsin Art was established by the Pick family more than 40 years ago as a way to collect and exhibit the work of their ancestor and Milwaukee-born artist, Carl von Marr. Today the Museum shows many contemporary Wisconsin artists as well as maintains a vast archive and collection of historic Wisconsin art. Its new home is stunning.

The building sits on a parcel where an outlet mall was located in years past.
The design fits the slice of land perfectly. Landscaping on the long
street side of the Museum includes native Wisconsin grasses planted in long
narrow patches that mimic the walls of the permanent galleries on the second floor.

My favorite exhibit was "Antifragile: Contemporary Glass" that will be up until July 28. Many beautiful examples of studio glass were part of the exhibit. This art form is relatively new. Harvey Littleton, an art professor at UW-Madison, is credited with starting the movement. He began the first academic glass program in the country in 1962. 

This cast bronze and blown glass piece is "Husk-a-Ruckus"
from Michael Meilahn of Pickett.

The staircase at the pointed end of the Museum houses a beautiful glass sculpture.

We learned that the artists brought along a few extra pieces for their creation in case anything
was broken during the installation. The trickiest part was taking down the scaffolding that was built
to install these hanging multi-colored glass balls. Apparently the workers were very careful because
nothing was broken.

A close-up shot underneath the sculpture.

The Museum of Wisconsin Art does not have any art glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly, one of Littleton's most famous students. However, other glass artists from around Wisconsin are showing works from their independent studios, many of which are located in rural areas.  

Truman Lowe, another art professor from UW-Madison, has a sculpture from his collection at the Museum.

This piece sculpted from willow is called "Thunder."

Rick liked this chest of drawers, a piece from the Museum's permanent collection.

Sculpture, painting, mixed media - a lot of variety was evident at the Museum.

"Tunnel Vision" displayed on the gently curving outside
wall of the Museum was one of my favorites.

I'm thinking about becoming a member of the Museum. It's a great deal at only $12/year. Besides unlimited FREE entry, a member can participate in classes. "Baby Loves Art" (for kids 1-3) looks like a lot of fun and I'd love to "borrow" one of Rick's grandsons for a day at the Museum.