Taste of Travel: Milwaukee : The German Link : Beer, brats and sauerbraten: The city’s ethnic heritage is as close as its Old World restaurants, delis, bakeries and brew pubs

French croissants and Italian caffe latte may have infiltrated the Milwaukee food scene, but Wisconsin’s largest city hasn’t forsaken its German gastronomic tradition. The city’s roots still run deep in neighborhood bars where foaming steins of beer named Blatz or Schlitz or Miller far outnumber wine glasses; in its perfect brick buildings made by precise German craftsmen; in its old-style restaurants that honor the German spirit through heaping portions of sauerbraten or rouladen ; in shops that vend the state’s famous cheeses and in bakeries that produce German delicacies that never spare the butter.

The traditions are longstanding. By the mid-1800s, according to a federal census of the time, one third of Milwaukee’s population was German. Whether seeking new opportunities or fleeing religious persecution in Europe, these new immigrants were lured to the area by a climate and topography similar to those they had left behind. To this day, the city’s German past is perpetuated in suburbs called Germantown and New Berlin, in streets such as Teutonia Avenue, and in its food.

Visitors hungry for a taste of Milwaukee, German-style, will find that one of the easiest ways to savor the city’s heritage is to stroll a renovated block of historic buildings along the Milwaukee River downtown: Old World Wisconsin at Third Street. For those willing to stray from this area, another part of that tradition and a remnant of the city’s Roman Catholic heritage are Friday night fish fries that remain social events in restaurants and clubs around town.

Perhaps Milwaukee’s most famous sausage manufacturer, Fred Usinger Inc. has occupied the same half block in the Old World Wisconsin district since 1880. The factory’s retail store is still decorated with old-fashioned hand-painted garlands of elves spouting axioms in German and English on its walls. “WARNING: The tasty flavor of these sausages may be habit forming!” one announces. It appears to be true, since the store always seems crowded with customers buying plump links of bratwurst for grilling or, as is the local style, for poaching in simmering beer. On my way to the airport for my trip home to Southern California, I am among the many travelers who pick up a gift pack or two of garlic-scented beef summer sausage, German-style Thueringer sausage and an intensely flavored liver sausage. (Usinger products also are available by mail order.)

A few doors north, the Wisconsin Cheese Mart features Wisconsin’s primary claim to fame: cheese produced by local cheese makers. Aged Cheddar and smoked Edam are best-sellers, as is brick cheese, so called because bricks originally were used as weights to compact the cheese during the manufacturing process. The Wisconsin Cheese Mart also sells its products by mail order, from Cheddar cheese spreads packaged in ceramic crocks ($13 for a 12-ounce container) to customized assortments.

Some of the same spices used in the sausages made at Usinger can be found across the street in the aromatic confines of the Spice House. Walking into the narrow, brick-lined store is like taking a fragrant excursion to the faraway lands of cassia and cloves. This is the place for German food connoisseurs to purchase freshly mixed sauerbraten spice blend, or pounds of Hungarian poppy seed to make strudel. The Wauwatosa spice--a blend of ground celery seed, gated shallot and ground green peppercorns--is named for the Milwaukee suburb where the owners grew up. Spice House customers are sprinkled around the nation, thanks to the store’s thriving mail-order business.

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Nearby, a stone archway inscribed with the word willkommen (German for welcome) greets diners who enter Mader’s, one of the oldest and best-known German restaurants in town, opened at this location in 1902 and still in Mader family hands. Two suits of armor on display in the dark paneled dining room cut imposing silhouettes against the restaurant’s stained glass windows. Waitresses in frilly German dirndl dresses, walls lined with beer steins and a museums’ worth of cuckoo clocks all contribute to the beer hall atmosphere. The extensive offering of German specialties includes savory sauerkraut balls ($3.95) made of sauerkraut and corned beef; spaetzle, spindle-shaped dumplings ($3.95); Rheinischer sauerbraten ($16.95), or Rhine sauerbraten, a hearty portion of marinated beef covered in raisins and almonds, and a German sampler for two that includes beef rouladen and sauerbraten, as well as Bavarian red cabbage ($17.95).

The German ambience extends to the collection of porcelain objects and rare beer steins housed in the adjacent building, Mader’s Old World Third Street Gallery, which bills itself as the world’s largest retailer of hand-signed Hummel art.

Karl Ratzsch’s, another landmark restaurant a short walk from Mader’s, is in its third generation of family ownership. Leaded glass windows and walls lined with a collection of rare beer steins contribute to the pub-like decor. Spry, golden-age waitresses in dirndl dresses cheerfully serve up hefty portions of German food. At lunch and dinner, Karl Ratzsch’s attracts legions of suited businessmen who dive into the kombination plate with kassler rippchen (smoked pork chops) and an enormous stuffed pork chop adorned with a smooth puree of green peas, homemade sauerkraut and fresh applesauce ($18.95) or a plate of succulent pork shank, bratwurst and kassler rippchen with sauerkraut ($20.25). Like all dishes on the menu, Ratzsch’s authentic Wiener schnitzel, two breaded veal cutlets sprinkled with fresh lemon juice ($20.45), plus potato dumplings the size of tennis balls (or a dish of plump spaetzle), are served with a basket of warm rye bread and dark, anise-scented pumpernickel rolls. Somehow, Karl Ratzsch habitues leave room for the restaurant’s extravagant strawberry schaum torte, a meringue cradle filled with scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream topped with a mound of fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

If it is Friday night (and after Oct. 1, since the hall is at the moment being remodeled), head for the fish fry at Turner Hall, just a few blocks away, for the quintessential Milwaukee experience. The warehouse-like building, which contains the historic hall and doubles as the German Heritage Tourism Center, was erected in 1883 by the Turners--free thinkers from Germany who fled political persecution in their homeland. The society prides itself on being instrumental in introducing physical education into American public schools, and still ranks as the oldest athletic and civic organization in Milwaukee.

On Fridays, diners crowd in for the bountiful fish fry ($8.75 a person). The all-you-can-eat meal is served family-style, and begins with a trip to the informal salad bar for cream-style coleslaw and, of course, sweet-and-sour German potato salad. Soon after sitting down, waitresses deliver platters of crisp-fried fillets of lake perch and cod, golden pieces of fried chicken and French fries. The dishes, meant to be washed down with pitchers of beer, are replenished as often as desired.

A dining spot of a more recent variety is Brew City BBQ on Water Street. Yet the hip eatery, located in what was once an old floral warehouse, contains all sorts of Milwaukee memorabilia, from antique brewing equipment to old-time posters. The outdoor beer garden is a popular rendezvous for a young crowd craving racks of tender, hickory-smoked baby back ribs ($11.95), or plump, grilled bratwurst nestled in a hard roll and doused with sauerkraut ($4.25). Brew City keeps nine different beers on tap, including Sprecher’s, a beer produced by a popular Milwaukee micro-brewery.

Water Street Brewery, one of the city’s first micro-breweries, awaits beer connoisseurs across the street from Brew City BBQ. Several times a day, a handful of beer makers clad in white lab coats ceremoniously dip ladles into the large copper vats located behind bay windows at the entrance to check on the brewing process. The Water Street Brewery produces six house beers and serves about 40 other brands. The extensive menu includes trendy pasta and chicken dishes, as well as bratwurst simmered in beer ($4.50) and a smoked sausage platter ($8.95) featuring Polish kielbasa and sauteed red cabbage.

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A number of establishments slightly removed from downtown also illustrate the city’s German roots. Two blocks from the beautifully landscaped shores of Lake Michigan is Kneisler’s White House, Milwaukee’s oldest family-owned bar, a lovely Victorian-style home that’s been in the hands of the Hilebrandt family since 1891. Once the meeting place of local Republicans, Kneisler’s these days more resembles the set of the TV sitcom “Cheers,” especially on Sunday afternoons when football fans gather to root for the Greenbay Packers. The prices at Kneisler’s also seem a throwback to another era: the $5 Kneisler’s weekend brunch includes three flaky miniature croissants, four slices of rolled ham, slices of cantaloupe and a cup of cappuccino. The bratwurst patty sandwich ($5.50), as well as the beer cheese soup ($2 a bowl) are high on the list of preferences for local patrons. This registered historic landmark may well be the only bar in town to keep a supply of toys on hand for its smallest patrons.

The same informal atmosphere prevails at Kegel’s Inn, a Milwaukee landmark on National Avenue since 1924. Patterned by owner Jim Kegel’s grandfather after a cozy Bavarian inn, the restaurant remains a favorite hangout of university students. It is well worth the detour although it is a 10-minute ride from downtown.

Bavarian-inspired frescoes of plump maidens frolicking with cherubs cover the walls, concealing the fake panel that hid grandfather Kegel’s moonshine facilities during Prohibition. Kegel’s is famous for its Friday fish fry, when $5.50 buys a basket of crisp, fried shrimp and French fries or $5.75 buys a dinner of fried lake perch and fries. Kegel’s offers several German beers as well as an assortment of local beers on tap.

Students, neighbors and local politicians make up the clientele at Jake Levin’s Deli, a city landmark for more than half a century. Indeed, Jakes’s was saved from demolition by a group of high-powered Milwaukee businessmen who still gather here regularly to nosh on the corned beef and pastrami. The plain wooden booths offer a cozy refuge after a Saturday morning stroll through the Fondy farmer’s market held at the nearby intersection of Fond du Lac and North Avenues. This historic delicatessen in the heart of the inner city, specializes in soft, chewy bagels piled high with lox ($4.95) and sandwiches bursting with pastrami studded with cracked black pepper. The beer to ask for here is the locally brewed Leininkugels ($1.50 a glass).

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Elsewhere around town, a host of food manufacturers also follow a time-honored German tradition. For over 75 years, the Milwaukee Sausage Co., a historic manufacturing plant on West National Avenue, south of downtown, has been supplying ethnic festivals with German smoked meats and sausages made in the style of Old World sausage makers. The small, on-site retail store is open daily for purchasing pounds of Schinkenwurst as delicate as New England ham; Hungarian, Slavonian and German-style brats made on the premises ($2.69 a pound), and a smooth liver sausage as rich as French foie gras. The gift pack of Jelena’s Feast of Flavors, which includes an assortment of cheeses and sausages, mail orders for around $25.

Since 1923, homemade ice cream and freshly baked cakes and pies have contributed to Heinemann’s reputation as one of the city’s finest bakeries. With five restaurants located throughout the Milwaukee area, Heinemann’s is known for its delectable, home-style specialties, including Wisconsin beer cheese soup and thick slices of fresh bread ($2.50), apple pie a la mode, made from Granny Smith apples ($2.50) and Heinemann’s own grilled coffee cake smothered in bourbon vanilla ice cream and hot caramel sauce ($2.95).

German and Austrian-style pastries are always on the menu at Hartters European Fine Pastries. The small pastry shop on Prospect Avenue, a main street running through Milwaukee’s hip east side, is a popular spot to linger over a cup of cappuccino and a thick slice of Bismarck apple coffee cake ($3.50).

From beer and brats to a pastry named Bismarck, the spirit of Germany still permeates Milwaukee’s gastronomic scene.

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GUIDEBOOK: Best of the Wurst

Where to eat: Brew City BBQ, 1114 N. Water St., Milwaukee; telephone (414) 278-7033. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Late night snacks from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Fred Usinger Inc., 1030 N. Third St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 276-9105 or (800) 558-9998.

Hartters European Fine Pastries, 2101 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 225-0090 and at three other locations. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Heinemann’s, 412 E. Silver Spring Drive, Whitefish Bay; tel. (414) 964-6060. Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at six other locations.

Jake Levin’s Deli, 1634 W. North Ave., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 562-1272. Daily except Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Karl Ratzsch’s, 320 E. Mason St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 276-2720. Daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended.

Kegel’s Inn, 5901 W. National Ave., West Allis; tel. (414) 257-9999. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Kneisler’s White House, 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Bayview; tel. (414) 483-2900. Friday, Saturday, Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mader’s, 1037 Old World Third St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 271-3377 or (800) 558-7171. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Milwaukee Sausage Co., 1334 W. National Ave., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 645-6655. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Spice House, Wisconsin Seasoning Merchants Inc., 1031 N. Old World Third St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 272-6877.

Turner Hall, 1034 N. Fourth St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 272-1733. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday 4:30 to 10 p.m. (Closed until October, 1995, for remodeling.)

Water Street Brewery, 1101 N. Water St., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 272-1195. Daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and to midnight on weekends.

Wisconsin Cheese Mart, 215 W. Highland Ave., Milwaukee; tel. (414) 272-3544.

For more information: Greater Milwaukee Visitors and Convention bureau, 510 W. Kilbourn, Milwaukee, WI 53203; (800) 231-0903.

--K.M.