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Ott Haus Pub & Grill - New Glarus - Wisconsin-esque Tavern; Burgers
This entry was posted on 8/3/2010 2:06 AM and is filed under Taverns Wisconsin, Tavern Burgers and Fries.
Back when I took shifts at the New Glarus Emergency Medical Service (EMS), I spent a good deal of time eating and playing pool at the Ott Haus Pub & Grill over my ten year tenure with the service. It was about a 30 second walk from the EMS building, and over 10 years from time to time, when the pager sounded, I did indeed have to make the quick jaunt back to the building, often leaving a burger and half finished pool game behind.
Now remember New Glarus is a tourist village in the middle of rolling corn fields in rural Green County. So, much of their shtick is old world Swiss decor. But, every tourist town has its local hangouts. The Ott Haus probably falls in that category. It is in a small building just around the corner from the main park that has the village swimming pool.
I suppose that during the many Swiss festivals the village has throughout the year, Ott Haus gets its share of wander-ins. But for me, it was a go-to place. It served a utilitarian need. Ever sit through an EMS or fire station shift in a small town?
The other week while in the area, Heide and I happened to wander-in a couple of my old haunts. We being from Janesville now - back in the area of my roots. A detour in life, as life will dish up, had us living in New Glarus for 10 years a while back.
On a couple of occasions, the EMS pager went off, I and my partner of serveral years, left our food and pool game and ran to the station. About three hours later, we came back to Ott's and our game had been preserved, and, the bartender made us new lunches for no charge. The same folks still own the place. The day Heide and I were there, the same bartender chick was still at the helm, a couple of familar mainstay locals sat at the bar.
Like many eateries and taverns in tourist towns, this particular place has had a few owners and names over the years. The current owners have had it for a chunk of time now. I did notice a real estate sign nailed to the side of the building on my recent visit. But, working in both Lake Geneva (a bigger tourist trap in Walworth County) and New Glarus (smaller tourist trap in Green County) during my life, it is not uncommon for every thing to be for sale all the time in towns like these.
If you did not know you were in a tourist town, other than the German/Swiss name and spelling of the place, this joint could be in anyone of a thousand Wisconsin villages. For a small and old building, tucked in a row of 19th Century architecture, they are clever with the use of their available space. They manage to get a pool table in by the front windows. The bar is a horseshoe shape which seems to save space. And, they are able to get the consummate gaming and video machines in amongst a couple of raised eating tables. The grill is back behind a divider and you can hear and smell the eats being prepared. There will usually be a couple of floor fans circulating the air no matter what time of year it is. You have to turn sideways to get into the bathroom doors, even if you are thin.
I had my consummate cheeseburger and fries basket. A good fresh pickle will accompany the presentation. Once years ago, the owner insisted I be sure and finish the pickle, since as she said, she went out of her way to serve up fresh ones. Heide opted for a fish sandwich with no fries. I don't know how she can eat fish damn near every day. But, I digress. With a couple of sodas, our sandwiches, and tip, we got out of there for about the same reasonable price I did from back in those EMS days - non-tourist prices in this place.
The Ott Haus Pub & Grill is still cool with Cool Dadio. Find them at 406 2nd Street, New Glarus, Wisconsin. Call (608) 527 - 2218 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)
Senior Airman Adam Peter Servais, 23, of Onalaska, Wisconsin died Saturday August 19, 2006, when the vehicle he was in came under hostile fire in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, 720th Special Tactics Group out of Hurlburt Field, Florida. The Website pigstye.net (a data base set up for military casualties) states Servais was a member of Air Force Special Operations. Two other soldiers were killed in the incident. The data base went on to say Senior Airman Servais died along with two Afghan soldiers during combat with more than 100 insurgents. He had joined the Air Force in 2002 and was a combat controller in its elite special operations command. Servais was assigned to the Air Force's 16th Operations Group located at Hurlburt Field. The group is the Air Force's largest special operations unit, "with 7,000 highly trained military professionals who stand ready to conduct special operations missions at a moment's notice," according to a Hurlburt Field fact sheet. The group conducts unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency and psychological operations. The troops in Uruzgan are part of a U.S. mission to train the Afghan National Army. The data base also mentioned Adam was a 2001 graduate of Onalaska High School and was a standout athlete who excelled at hockey and football. Adam was also "well-liked by his classmates," said to have a good sense of humor, and also was know to put his heart into everything he did. The 2007 - 2008 Wisconsin Legislature Senate Joint Resolution 31 states Adam Servais was born on September 1, 1982, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He had served with distinction in his elite unit and earned his combat controller red beret in June of 2003, and was in his second tour of duty in the Middle East. At the time of his death, Senior Airman Adam Servais was survived by his parents Pete and Susan Servais of Onalaska. Adam Servais was the eighth Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Afghanistan since October 2001.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
97,140 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,575 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,413 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1209 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
764 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,897 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
7,150 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
102 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
19 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
142 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 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.
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