When I was a kid, the place was called the Twinkling Star, after the short stretch of road it sits on off the main highway. Years ago the place got a new lease on life. And, a new name. About four miles to the north of Whitewater, Wisconsin on Highway 12, find Saxe's Lonestar. Now in the interest of disclosure, my dad's farm was down the road from Wayne Saxe's farm out in Lima Center. I doubt if Wayne would remember me, but I am sure he would remember Dad. When I do get over to the Lonestar from time to time, I usually hear that Mr. Saxe is working in back.
At first blush you think you are in a rural Wisconsin-esque tavern. There is the typical Green Bay Packer team photos, some Wisconsin Badger memorabilia, a wall-mounted tech jukebox, and the consummate tavern game machines. There is a big black star on the dining room ceiling. But on closer inspection as you have your adult beverage, you should notice there are more thoughtful nuances adorning the place. Starting in the main eating area more personalized family pictures hang on the walls. There is a small picture and tribute to my wedding best man Jack Nelson who died in 1996. He was a well known figure in Whitewater. The more intimate decor works its way back to the smaller eating room.
If you are a non-smoker you will be treated to that smaller dinner nook off the main dining room. There after sitting for a bit you will notice family pictures on a dresser - some of them old black and whites. A living room lamp sits on an end table, and aerial photos of the Saxe's home farm hang on the wall. There are nicknacks on shelves and in a wall inset class-cabinet.
The waitress will snag your order at the bar. In a bit they will have a place set and the first round of dinner ready. At your table you will find a basket of rolls and some whipped butter. There will be creamy yet crispy cole slaw, served up in a good sized bowl for the party to share just like the old days of fish frys. The tarter sauce is in a table bowl as well, and is creamy and smooth. A bowl of apple sauce awaits the potato pancakes.
I ordered the two-piece Cod with potato pancakes. The fish was lightly breaded and in large square chunks. The pancakes come with low-cal syrup.
Perhaps it is just that I can relate to much of the nuances in the Lonestar. Perhaps I have been in other establishments that have personalized decorations as well, and I just don't place meaning on them. But, my instinct is that Saxe's Lonestar is one of the more unique Wisconsin taverns I have been in.
Saxe's Lonestar is cool with Cool Dadio. Find then at N416 Twinkling Star Road north of Whitewater. Call (262) 473 - 9899 for more information.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
This week's Wisconsin soldier to remember is Army Sergeant Andrew L. Bossert, 24, of Fountain City, Wisconsin who was killed when a car bomb detonated near his work area in Ramadi, Iraq, on March 7, 2005. He was in Company C, 44th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Bossert's unit had spent over two years in South Korea before being sent to Iraq. Bossert arrived in Iraq with his engineer battalion in August, 2004. One of the unit's jobs was to search for buried explosives at night. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described Andrew as a tall, muscular man that had played basketball for Fountain City. He also liked riding motorcycles. He had spent a semester at the University of Wisconsin-Stout after graduating from Fountain City High School. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Andrew's family said he had hopes of studying architecture after serving in the Army. Bossert's wife is from Russia and they met in South Korea and had been married for two years. Sergeant Andrew Bossert is the 36th service member from Wisconsin to die in Iraq since spring, 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
95,099 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,366 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,377 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
959 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
317 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
625 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,633 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,829 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
101 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
17 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
139 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
17 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.
