I started a pre-birthday weekend of fun with friends at Brandywine in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. We saw great reviews for it, and it lived up to the praise.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

Brandywine is in a historic building dating back to 1862. Inside it was clean and modern but still had a classic feel. Named after an heirloom tomato in honor of the owner’s mother, Brandywine is family-owned and -operated. Utilizing locally grown produce and meats, the menu shows a heavy Wisconsin influence and changes often.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

As soon as I saw the menu, my eyes went to fried goat cheese curds. I love goat cheese, and there is no better place to get it than Wisconsin. These were amazing.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

The cauliflower salad had green grapes, almonds, fried chickpeas, chevre and lemon vinaigrette. The mushroom salad had frisée, sunflower seed puree, turnips, farro crisp, black truffles and white soy dressing. Both were light and full of many layers of flavor and textures.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

I enjoyed the squid ink gnocchetti with seared bay scallops, braised calamari, ‘nduja tomato sauce and herb breadcrumbs. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The spicy sauce brought a little heat.

Photo courtesy of Brandywine.

After the fantastic meal, we went to nearby Circle B Recreation Center. One side featured bowling and video games. The other side had a wrestling event. We settled in the middle, at the bar, to watch the Green Bay Packers playoff game. I actually put aside my fandom for the Bears to cheer for the Packers. Unfortunately, the Packers lost, but it was a great game played in a snowstorm.

We left our Wisconsin friends early enough to beat the storm back to Chicago. We plan to do it again in February to watch a Milwaukee Bucks game. I’m already looking forward to Brandywine’s goat cheese curds.

— John Wroblewski, online writer