13 championship-worthy foods to eat in the Green Bay area for Packers fans returning this season
Daniel HigginsEditor's note: Story has been updated because one restaurant is closed until spring and has been replaced by another option.
I've assembled 13 championship-worthy foods and drinks to fuel Packers fans who are in the Green Bay area, hungry for more than just another Super Bowl win.
The list blends longtime local favorites, hidden gems and new eats. It's not an official ranking, nor a comprehensive list of every local superstar dish, treat or drink around town. Think of them as a Titletown sampler.
Why 13? True Packers fans will get it and hope next season it will be 14.
Blood of my enemies
Enjoy a refreshing glass of Lions Blood hard seltzer. Or Vikings Blood. Or Bears Blood. Stillmank Brewing (215 N. Henry St., Green Bay) makes a red-hued hard seltzer inspired by the tiger's blood snow cone flavor. The fruity flavor will remain constant, but the name will change during the Packers season. Owner and head brewer Brad Stillmank says the name will match the Packers' NFC North and playoff opponents. Visit the brewery's taproom for a draft pour.
Grilled, stuffed chicken wings
Bite through these chicken wings without worrying about bones. The deboned whole chicken wings get stuffed with cabbage, onion, carrot and bean noodles then grilled. Smokiness and fattiness of the skin adds layers of flavor to the chicken meat and veggies. Find them at Plia's Kitchen (1300 S. Webster Ave., Allouez, closed Saturdays and Sundays until summer) and PhoComa (154 N. Broadway, Green Bay).
Sausage bread
Seasoned ground pork and gooey mozzarella cheese nestled in the folds of soft bread. Sausage bread is a two-way player that works in a breakfast lineup with eggs, or as a lunch or dinner appetizer dipped in warm marinara sauce. Heck, it works as a whole meal. Find it at Not By Bread Alone (940 Hansen Road, Ashwaubenon) alongside a full range of from-scratch baked goods, sandwiches and salads.
Chocolate that pops
Chocolate-coated chocolates known as meltaways go beyond traditional options like milk chocolate and mint at Seroogy's (two locations). Opened in 1899, the candy shop makes chocolates in just about every form imaginable, but it's hard to beat piercing a chocolate candy shell to have a creamy chocolate melt in your mouth. Seroogy's adds pops of flavor with additions like almond, chocolate crisp, peanut butter crisp, mocha and toffee almond. The Shock Rock meltaway filled with Carbonated Crystals adds fizzy pops.
Smoked chicken wings
Smoked or deep-fried wings? How about both. Parker John's BBQ & Pizza (2851 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon) starts with barbecue seasoning rub on the wings before a 2½-hour cook in a fog of hickory wood smoke. Then wings get dipped in the deep fryer to crisp up and tossed in sauce before serving.
Thailand curry connection
Head chef and co-owner of Narin's Thai Kitchen (1981 E. Mason St., Green Bay), Phanthavasunt "Narin" Phornarin Dorsch, makes food the way she remembers it in her hometown of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. To be as authentic as possible, key ingredients, including her curry mix, come straight from Thailand. In addition to curries, the menu features a couple dozen dishes made fresh to order including spring rolls, pad Thai and fried rice.
Bubble teas are made with real fruit. The only way to get more pineapple, mango or whichever flavors are available at the time (options rotate) through a boba straw would be to jam it into the fruit itself.
Cheesesteak with a side of 'Star Wars'
The two obvious reasons to swing into Cheesesteak Rebellion, (1301 S. Broadway, Green Bay) are the cheesesteaks and the "Star Wars" decor that owners JoLinda Gorzelanczyk and Jason Burkard put on full display. But do not underestimate the power of the soup.
Spatula-wielding cooks prep thin strips of steak, chicken and veggies on a flattop grill behind the bar for one of seven daily options. Try to resist smiling while ordering The Rebel Whiz (ribeye, mushrooms, onions, peppers, Cheez Whiz) and again when taking a bite. Check Cheesesteak Rebellion's Facebook page for specialty creations.
Culinary masters order a side of soup or chili. Gorzelanczyk makes them from scratch following handwritten recipes once used to make soups at the restaurant where she started her cooking career.
While waiting for your cheesesteak (or burger) snap a selfie with a full-size Han Solo frozen in carbonite. Make it a video to capture the blinking lights on the side. You also can pass the time in a small arcade with pinball, claw machine and a few video games. Sorry, your droids aren't allowed.
RELATED: Star Wars-inspired restaurant's owners want you to join the Cheesesteak Rebellion
Kringle kings
Uncle Mike's Bake Shoppe (three locations) racked up plenty of kringle accolades since winning the North American Kringle Competition in 2014 with its Sea Salt Caramel Pecan kringle. Choose from one of nine fillings between 36 buttery, flaky layers of dough twisted into a pretzel shape.
If nine filling options aren't enough for you, Olde World Pastries Plus (1770 East Deerfield Ave., Suamico) has more than 40 kringle flavors. Caramel nut is the top seller. Flaky layers made with secret ingredients in the dough follow recipes dating back hundreds of years from Danish immigrants.
The Pat's Special pizza
Get double helpings of sausage and mushroom and plenty of cheese, plus two extra toppings of your choice on this pizza. A cracker-thin crust with a sauce that leans more to zippy than sweet forms the base. It takes longer to cook than other pizzas at Cranky Pat's Pizza, (709 Bellevue St., Bellevue) but worth the wait.
Pulled pork, the Yucatan way
Tender pork ribbons, sandwiched between toasted bread and topped by pickled red onions, create contrasting textures unlike typical pulled pork sandwiches.
To make cochinita pibil, as it is labeled on the menu, seasoned pork wrapped in banana leaves cooks in its own juices while slow roasting for up to 18 hours, said Gourmet Corn owner Samuel Rosado. Oh, and Rosado needs to ship his pork seasoning ingredients from his home region of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula.
Yes, as you might expect from the name, Gourmet Corn serves corn. Six types of Mexican street corn. Elote corn sticks close to traditional flavors with a coating of mayo, cotija cheese, Tajin powder and lime juice. Straying from classic flavors, Gourmet Corn makes jalapeno and bacon, garlic and Parmesan, and barbecue crunch with your choice of cheese, barbecue sauce, and potato or tortilla chip crumbles.
The Gourmet Corn food trailer sets up at Green Bay farmers markets (Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings), De Pere farmers market (Thursday nights) and other venues. Find locations on gourmetcorn.net or the restaurant's Facebook and Instagram feeds. When it gets too cold for food trucks, most likely in October, Rosado said they will open the restaurant at 821 S. Huron Road, Green Bay.
Beer ice cream
Order a beer in an ice cream cone or dish at Badger State Brewing (990 Tony Canadeo Run, Green Bay). The brewery runs one of its beers through a soft serve ice cream machine to make beer ice cream. Badger State rotates the beer turned ice cream about once a week, depending on how fast each batch sells out, that could be anything from a hazy IPA to a barrel aged stout or even a hard seltzer.
Cheese curd drive thru
Grab a cup of coffee and bag of curds (the Green Bay breakfast of champions) without leaving your car at Scray Cheese Co., 2082 Old Martin Road. The fourth-generation, family-owned artisan cheese factory opened in 1924 makes more than curds. There's a multitude of cheddars from mild to aged 15 years and additions like Door County cherries. Smoked gouda is also an Scray all-star seller.
MORE: Fourth generation making curds, cheddar, gouda and more cheeses Scray Cheese
Browsing in a meat wonderland
Start with more than 20 types of bratwurst, add a multitude of snack sticks, Summer sausages and jerky, fresh sausages, smoked sausages, nearly every cut of beef, hams, roasts and that's just the start of a meat love affair at Maplewood Meats, 4663 Milltown Road, Howard, that has out-of-towners filling coolers before heading home. For folks looking for next-level tailgating fare, mix in a few brisket burgers or ribeye burgers on the grill.
Contact Daniel Higgins dphiggin@gannett.com. Follow @HigginsEats on Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook.