Dishing it out: Community restaurants convene at lakefront festival

By: Joe Luther

Posted: 9/10/08

Taste of Whitewater is fast approaching and soon you will be able to find all your favorite foods in one location. The best part is all the great food is priced between one and four dollars.

Taste of Whitewater is a festival which showcases restaurants and various businesses and what their menus have to offer. Thirteen local restaurants and businesses are scheduled to attend the two day festival.

Among the many in attendance, are familiar chains such as Culver's, Sentry Foods, and Topper's Pizza along with local restaurants ready to show off their wide array of menu choices.

This isn't your typical festival food either. Sure there will be pretzels and nachos, but most of this festival food is not something you're likely to find at your local county fair.

For those looking for some traditional Wisconsin food, you might want to check out Dan's Meat Market. Its menu features garlic herb pork loin sandwich, cheese curds, and polish sausage. The festival is a big draw for the meat market and there are always exciting choices to be found.

"The festival draws a lot of people from outside cities," said Heather Reu of Dan's Meat Market, "The meat market is right across the street from the festival and we get a lot of people that stop over to see what we have in the store."

The Downstairs Sports Bar & Grill is looking forward to showing it does serve more than just alcohol. Go and check out some of the grilled treats and stop by to see what specials the bar will have.

"We're doing all sorts of different specials right now," Downstairs owner, Bob Sweet said, "And hopefully some of the Taste of Whitewater people will come down to see what we have."

If you're looking to cool off a bit you can always stop by the Greenhouse Coffee Co. for a fresh fruit smoothie. Or how about the Frosty's Frozen Custard booth for a root beer float? Of course Culver's will also be selling its favorite custards.

There truly is something for everyone at Taste of Whitewater. Whitewater's favorite restaurants have delved deep into their menus and pulled out some of their best offerings for the festival.

The festival is also a great chance for students to show their support for the City of Whitewater and to enjoy the many treats local businesses have to offer.

"The cooperation between the city, the university, and the businesses is great," Jon Laundrie, owner of the Whitewater Culver's, said. "[Taste of Whitewater] is good for everyone."

A full menu for each restaurant can be found on the Taste of Whitewater Web site, www.tasteofwhitewater.com. Restaurant vendors will be open Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.