FOOD at Airventure

[Bill Greenwood]

When spending a week at Oshkosh, the food gets pretty old, both selection and quality.
I know EAA has tried to make some changes and improvements, but success has not been reached.
There is no bar b q that is close to what is commonly available in Texas, and no seafood such as one finds all along the Gulf coast or eastern shore.
There is an attempt at oriental food, but I'd give it a 6 on a scale of 10, at best.

I try not to drink many soft drinks, but Pepsi is just plain bad, and has been for decades.

[Kyle Boatright]

Catch the bus to the local Target and Wal-mart (or to one of the vendors right outside the gate) to buy your drinks. You can buy Coke (TM) products there.

For food, the Subway at the junction of warbirds and homebuilts is a good change-up for both breakfast and lunch.

For lunch and dinner, the SOS Brothers outside the main gate offers a variety of very tasty meals, all of which are bad for your health. (But it is only one week a year, so what the heck.)

[FlyingRon]

Actually, when they finally ditched Zaugs and let a lot of the local restaurants/catering outfits come in things got more varied and better in my opinion. Frankly one should not expect Texas-style or NC-style BBQ or seafood other than Perch in Oshkosh. Dag nab it, it is Wisconsin after all. I largely use it as my opportunity to eat brats and perch for the week.

The SOS tent is definitely worth the trip at least once. These guys got roundly shiat upon by the EAA but persevered (unlike some of the others like Schiffelbein who used to have an excellent corn and brats stand right there where the tram turnaround has been recently except for last years complete fark up with the tram routes).

If you have wheels or can bum a ride, there are some interesting places to go to. I still morn the lost of Justmans and the while the Granery wasn't haute cuisine, it was better than what replaced it.

[CarlOrton]

[snip] Dag nab it, it is Wisconsin after all. I largely use it as my opportunity to eat brats and perch for the week.

DITTO!!

But, you left off Fried Cheese Curds...

Bill, as a Native Texan who lives in Colorado, you should be PROUD you can't find good BBQ outside of Texas. If *anyone* could do it, it would destroy the mystique.

...says the guy who has lived in Texas 33 years, but embraces his Yankee heritage.

[FlyingRon]

Or just plain cheese curds...yah hey...squeaky cheese.

BBQ is PORK and it comes from North Carolina.

[Chick]

Or just plain cheese curds...yah hey...squeaky cheese.

BBQ is PORK and it comes from North Carolina.

My wife is from Wisconsin and I love cheese curds. I'm from Georgia and BBQ is pork; but, you must leave the cole slaw off!

[Mike M]

I made the mistake of ordering a "Philly cheese steak" in an upscale restaurant in AZ once. My wife ordered pork "bbq" at a roadside restaurant in the Hill Country once. Slow learner me ordered steamed shrimp in Idaho once. Vendors sell what people buy. Called "free market" last I checked. Wisconsin. Brats. Perch. Cheese. Beer. Y'all got a pro'lem with that, bring your own or stay home :)

[FlyingRon]

A friend of mine who's a cattle rancher from Oklahoma was bitching about the poor quality of a steak he got when we were in St. Simon's Island Georgia. I pointed out that if I visited his neck of the woods, I wouldn't order shrimp.

We don't put slaw on our bbq either, it's served on the side with the beans and hush puppies. The only question in NC is white or red for slaw color.

[Tom Steber]

I've been pretty pleased with The Machine Shed's food. Just south of the Red Barn. Also the Italian place up in Warbirds isn't that bad either.

[FlyingRon]

The other one I like is Major whatsisname or whoever that operated the Vintage Cafe and the Food tent up in the North 40. Great food and enormous portions.

[sr2500]

My favorite meal of the day at Oshkosh is breakfast. I catch a ride (stick out your thumb) around the North Forty, and walk out the gate by the hotel/Friar Tucks, and cross the street at a 45 degree angle to the right. There is a small family restaurant, La Sure's, that opens at 6am. Huge breakfasts and anything your want for a very reasonable price. If you're a bit late, plan on waiting but the line moves along quick. Then, I take it easy the rest of the day.
Jerry Folkerts

[Bill Greenwood]

Jerry,since you have told the great unwashed masses about La Sures, how long do you think the line will be now?

And while it may be good, it is still outside Airventure. I'd like to see good food available all over the grounds. And agree with Tom's suggestions, the north place is ok. I find the best hamburgers in the tent on next to camping on the south side of the North 40.

I haven't gotten down to the Machine Shed much, it is a long ways south, but I will keep it in mind.

[FlyingRon]

If you're down in vintage, the Vintage guys themselves run the Tall Pines Cafe (a large tent near the end of the ultralight runway). Reasonable food and it goes back to the organization.

[MEdwards]

Last year I found La Sure's wasn't open for dinner. I hope that was temporary, because I like to make the walk-tram-bus-walk up there once or twice a year.

Never had breakfast there though, I like the Tall Pines.

[MADean]

"There is no bar b q that is close to what is commonly available in Texas, and no seafood such as one finds all along the Gulf coast or eastern shore."

That's 'cause we're Wisconsin. We're quite a ways from Texas, and the Gulf coast. (An' we like it that way. :))

[Zack Baughman]

I don't have the years of Oshkosh experience that many do, but I've been coming to Oshkosh since 1996 and working for EAA for the last 13 years. While I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the Zaug's root beer floats, I've got to say that Ryan Rasmussen and the rest of the EAA Events Dept. staff have done a pretty remarkable job of securing some outstanding new food venues during AirVenture over the past few years. From Major Goolsby's massive heart attack burgers to the fantastic wraps at Buca Di Beppo to a simple sandwich from Subway, the food choices on the grounds have improved significantly. If costs are a concern, there's always the Sacred Heart food stand near the main gate, which has been a go-to stop for me every year I've been here. Food choices on the grounds have never been better in my opinion. That being said, sometimes the best meal you can have during AirVenture though is simply a hotdog off the grill in the campground surrounded by your aviation friends.

[Janet Davidson]

the best meal you can have during AirVenture though is simply a hotdog off the grill in the campground surrounded by your aviation friends

Zack, that is the quote of the forum, for me :)

I like good food, and avoid 99% of junk/fast food. I think the food has improved significantly over the last few years. There's always room for improvement, but I'm at Oshkosh for the friends & planes, not the gourmet dining :thumbsup:

[psvinny]

Zack, I echo Janet's comment. When I read that last sentence of your comment my eyes fogged up a bit. That's what Oshkosh is all about. You can bring in everything aviation but if people don't care, you have nothing. I am sooooooo lucky to belong to an organization where everyone cares about the next person, the organization and the Oshkosh experience.

[Bill Greenwood]

If I was emperor of Oskosh, I'd put Mr. and Mrs. Zach in charge of catering all the on the field food. They did a great job when hosting parties at their EAA house. Don't know if they could adapt to feeding thousands rather than dozens, though.

Janet, decent Bar B Q is not anything rare, at least in some parts of the country, and food doesn't have to be considered "Gormet" to be good. I know EAA has tried and it trying, but they don't need to sit on the position that fair is good enough.
An example is the restroom facilities. Now finding toilets for that many people is a huge task, but over the years some people have asked for more and EAA has responded. The two indoor restrooms with believe it or not, RUNNING WATER, AND CLEAN REAL SINKS and TOILETS, are a major step forward and I think are really appreciated. If you don't believe that, take a poll of all the vistors, ESPECIALLY THE LADIES, and see if these restrooms are a hit.
And I know there are only those two, but they are right where most needed, at the com hangars, where most everyone goes at least once a week, and they make a difference.
It would be great to have a couple more of these. maybe one up near Warbirds and one just near the south part.

If you think I am making too much of this issue and we should be satisfied with not so good food for a week, think of the showers for campers. They are pretty good, clean and large enough , and in general they are well used and accepted, don't need a major upgrade.

As for a hot dog on a grill, it can smell good, and if it is a brat it tastes even better. But really, a dog or even a brat is a long way from healthy food and especially not good to live on them for a week.

And as for as "everyone cares about the next person" that is great and I like the spirit of community at Osh, but that is not counterindicative of the food quality. The last time I was at Sun N Fun, the people and planes were there also and the food was somewhat better.
Can you have better food with that many people? Well the stadium at U T holds 101,000 people and used to be full when they were good a few years back, and the food in the stadium is better and even better at the Alumni center next door.

[Mayhemxpc]

Wisconsin, reasonably close to Chicago. That means Bratwurst....Pizza. Christianos Pizzeria in the shopping center north of the airport. Sounds weird but from someone raised in Chicago and spent a great deal of his adult life in Germany, I can attest that it is awesome. Closer to the airport I second Zach's recommendation of the Sacred Heart stand. If you miss root beer floats, A&W will do it. If you can't stand Pepsi (although I like Pepsi products) A&W will sell you straight root beer if you ask for it. (Maybe I shouldn't have said that.)

[Floatsflyer]

The new last year so-called International Food area just north of Shell Square(or whoever the sponsor happens to be) is OK, not that authentic to the ethnic food type, but it's a nice diversion from the burgers and brats, etc. My feeling is that for one week out of 52, it's OK to eat not so healthy on the grounds. I always order a separate salad as well so that kinda offsets the other food choices somewhat and makes me feel better.

The food place I really miss was in the Hangar Cafe by Vintage. For years up until last year, it served a southern fried chicken dinner--I know, not that healthy but oh soooooo tasty good.

[Byron J. Covey]

... Well the stadium at U T holds 101,000 people and used to be full when they were good a few years back, and the food in the stadium is better and even better at the Alumni center next door.

Yes, the University of Tennessee stadium holds lots of Volunteer fans, iand is in a lovely location right beside the Tennessee River. Glad that you thought to mention it, although I spent my college years hanging around Grant Field in Atlanta.

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BJC