Sweet Home Wisconsin focuses on Wisconsin foods with a Chicago twist. It’s located in the space OSS once occupied, and frankly (sorry for the pun), it’s what OSS should have evolved into.
The inside has been remodeled, with a small but welcoming bar. I liked that you can enter the front door now, unlike OSS, which made you enter through a side door in the alley.
The menu features sandwiches, burgers and links. Of course, I had to try the Chicago dog ($9). The Knoche’s Angus beef frank is huge, juicy and has the right amount of snap. All the toppings were fresh tasting, and the ensemble wasn’t buried under relish like some other Chicago dogs. I also like that no ketchup is allowed (in capital letters on the menu).
As a fan of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” I also ordered the Abe Froman’s Polish sausage ($8.50). I generally love Polish sausages, but Sweet Home Wisconsin’s version had very little flavor. You’ll need some sauce to get through it.
Let’s look at some of these other items, starting with the Jamboree melt ($12.50). Similar to the Polish sausage, the patty was tasteless, but in this case, it was saved by the sweet roasted red pepper jam, the funkiness of the brie and the grilled sourdough rye.
I recommend getting the Phish Fry sandwich ($9), available every day. The big piece of cod is flaky and crunchy and rests inside a toasted brioche bun. The tartar sauce leans a little sweet.
All sandwiches come with pub chips, but you should always upgrade your side because you get to choose any of the appetizers. For example, the wings ($9 as an appetizer) are meaty, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. I chose the garlic parmesan seasoning–it wasn’t powerful but still tasty.
The Wisconsin cheese curds ($7 as an appetizer) are lightly battered and have enough saltiness that you don’t need any sauce, although if you’re like me, you’ll drown them in the super enjoyable garlic aioli, one of several homemade dipping sauces. Meanwhile, the potato wedges ($6 as an appetizer) aren’t overly potato-y (a good thing). I dug the Cajun seasoning and the accompanying Sriracha ranch sauce.
Sweet Home Wisconsin is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
***
See more photos in our Sweet Home Wisconsin Flickr album.
