The Winzer Stube

A recent Sunday afternoon drive ended with a stop at another one of Hudson’s distinct restaurants; The Winzer Stube. After entering the small storefront and navigating the stairs, you enter old world Germany in the form of a small, family-run eatery with a truly authentic German atmosphere. The walk to our table doubled as tour of Germany as we gazed at the postcards and photos papering the walls. The uniquely rolled menus and our lovely waitress who spoke with a strong German accent, added to the ambience.

The menu read pretty much as expected with schnitzels, wieners and spatzle sprinkled liberally throughout. After some difficulty making a choice, and a recommendation from our helpful waitress we settled on Rinder Rouladen, a beef roll-up with mustard, pickle, bacon and onions for Eric, the Zigeunerschnitzel, a breaded pork cutlet with strips of Black forest ham, red and green peppers and a cream sauce, for Andrea, and Potato Cakes with applesauce for the little ones. Not being German, nor frequently sampling German cuisine, we underestimated the culinary delights we were about to experience. Shortly after ordering our entrees, our meal began with a handmade loaf of artisan bread. Even this generously portioned loaf didn’t last long when placed at a table of four hungry Christenson’s.

Soon after it was gone, our heaping plates arrived. Each entree was accompanied by two types of cooked cabbage, a red and a white. Eric’s meal included a side of spatzle and Andrea’s a side of bread dumplings with gravy. As we ate and shared our dinners together, each bite left us amazed at the wonderful flavors of German food. The only downside? Our girls aren’t big fans of onions so they didn’t enjoy their cakes as well as we did.

That was not the end. As the girls finished their cakes, around the corner came a large ice cream sundae for the girls to share (turns out, ice cream is included with their meal). Mom and Dad didn’t want to be left without a dessert, so we quickly ordered an Apple Strudel. Gazing at the behemoth that arrived, covered in ice cream and cinnamon whipped cream, we were glad we had decided to share and not attempt to eat one each.

When we finished our feast we were grateful we had ordered the lunch sizes, since we left with full stomachs and cash left in our wallet. Excluding tip, lunch for four came to under $30. At a place like this, we consider that a pretty good bargain.

Want to visit?

516 2nd Street

Hudson, Wisconsin 54016

715-381-5092

San Pedro Cafe

For our first culinary adventure, on the record that is, we chose to try the San Pedro Cafe. We remembered visiting years ago on our first anniversary, and couldn’t wait to try it again. The San Pedro did not disappoint.

The restaurant is nestled amongst the historic downtown area, one block east of the St Croix River. When we arrived there was a short wait - about twenty minutes. This allowed us to browse in some of the unique shops on that block. As we walked down the sidewalk, the enticing smells drew both of us in.

It could have been the charming brick building, the Caribbean atmosphere inside, or the fact we left our kids at home with the sitter, but we felt transported straight to the Islands.

With a wide range of entrees, from brick oven pizza to fresh fish options, there was a feast for every palate. After some deliberation, we chose: Eric - San Pedro Red Grouper and Andrea - Coconut Scallop Pasta.

The portions were generous, the taste was outstanding and the price just about right at twenty bucks per meal. One of the draws of Caribbean food for Eric is the heat. Both the wait staff and chefs happily added extra-extra spices for him, and substituted the red beans, not a favorite, for an interesting banana mashed potatoes concoction. Banana mashed potatoes? Definitely a must-have. Andrea had previously declared she didn’t care what she ate as long as it had grilled pineapple. The best selection was the scallop dish which she eyed warily, not sure if she even liked scallops. By the way the plate was licked clean, there was no doubt that, at the San Pedro anyway, Andrea is a big fan.

Drawbacks? Not many. There are stairs leading into the restaurant and the inside of the building is small which leads to close quarters and a higher noise level. Yet, if you choose to leave the kids home, these drawbacks seem to disappear in the glow of the brick ovens and the aroma of tropical food.

Our only regret? Not having room to sample the Chocolate Habanero Cake or a slice of Key Lime Pie. I guess we’ll have to visit again, maybe this time just to linger over dessert.

Want to visit?

426 2nd St

Hudson, WI 54016