I keep seeing ads in local papers for
Harpoon Willie's fish fry in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. As the crow flies, it is not so far from Janesville. We headed over there on a sleeting Friday night a week or so ago. Williams Bay is the consummate lake town. The faithful will know the area as being famous for Yerkes Observatory. Every grade school in a 100 miles radius has been making the field trip pilgrimage to visit the telescope at one time or another for over 100 years.
Our mission this night is that of fish. The tavern is down the road from the observatory. My Fourth Grade teacher did not take us to the bar for lunch after peeping at the stars. So, we have to make up for lost time.
Connected to the tavern is
Cafe Calamari boasting Italian Dining. At the The
Harpoon Willie's side of the place you will note somebody put some heart and soul into the fish'n theme. There is an old wood sail boat hanging from the ceiling (it has an old Playboy Club flag draped in the stern). There is lots of authentic nautical rope and gear strewn about the place. There is much boat related signage and innuendo too-boot.
We sat at a high table by the patio door where smokers go in and out. Also the place has tons of big windows. My point being, if you go in the winter, wear a sweater in the joint. Non-the-less, the cold winter weather never hindered the hordes from their beloved fish fry in the "great snowy northland."
We started out the meal by sharing a large order of clam chowder which came in a foam container. I thought it was a pretty good offering. My fish choice was fried Walleye which came in a huge tasty chuck. Heide tried the fried Perch. Both fish options were excellent. We both got the homemade potato pancakes. They were large and what we up in these parts might call traditional - they were damn good.
Heide even commented on the tarter sauce which had a pureed texture with a bit of a dill theme going on. A couple large lemon slices came on our plates. Of course the pancakes came with applesauce. The cole slaw presentation in this case was diced.
They also have an extensive pizza menu. I noticed there was a steady steam of to-go orders waiting to be picked up from the bar.
I don't usually critique the restrooms in a joint, but if you are a swimming pool aficionado, you should smile at the tile and its inlaid signage. "No Diving," "Depth 6 Inches," et cetera. Heide and I both got a pleasant laugh. Never seen the idea before, wish I had thought of it first.
Harpoon Willie's is cool with Cool Dadio. Find them at 10 East Geneva Street (just off Hwy 67) in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Call (262) 245 - 6906 for more information; or, visit their Web site at
www.harpoonwillies.com .
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Corporal Rachael Lorraine Hugo, 24, Madison, Wisconsin, died Friday, October 5, 2007 in Bayji, Iraq. She was killed when insurgents attacked her unit using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. She was assigned to the 303rd Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve, out of Jackson, Michigan. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted as a medic, Hugo received commendation for saving a sergeant's life while under fire in Iraq in February of 2007. At the time of her own death she was killed trying help injured soldiers after they were hit by an improvised explosive device and came under small-arms fire in Bayji, north of Baghdad. She had been in Iraq close to a year and was due to return home in November 2007.
The Web site iraqnam.blogspot.com using information via WISC-TV-3, noted Hugo was a 2001 graduate from Madison East High School, she was serving as a combat medic with the U.S. Army Reserve in Iraq since September 2006. She was just weeks away from returning home. Hugo was studying to be a nurse and had been accepted at Viterbo College in La Crosse.
The Web site iraq.pigstye.net a data base for military casualties, noted via information from the Wisconsin State Journal that Rachael took classes working toward her bachelor's degree in nursing and also worked as a home health aide for the La Crosse County Health Department. As a certified home health aide she would visit homebound patients to help with daily health needs. Hugo also was employed by Meriter Hospital in Madison as a nursing assistant in the hospital 's mobile unit.
The Web site obits.nj.com a data base for obituaries noted via information from the Associated Press that Hugo was apparently treating another soldier when she herself was killed. The site mentioned Rachael had been a cheerleader during her high school years. During her military duties she was known for volunteering and going out on missions. She had two years of nursing school remaining.
The Wisconsin State Journal Web site mentioned Rachael also helped care for her grandmother during an illness. Hugo's rank posthumously was changed from Specialist to Corporal to acknowledge her role in combat.
Rachael's biography posted on the Gunderson Funeral Home Web site said she was born on May 13, 1983. She enjoyed learning karate, gymnastics and cheerleading, and also taking up a jazz dance class for several years. The site went on to mention she made the Dean's list in her nursing program. At the time of her death Rachael was survived by her father Kermit Hugo; he mother Ruth Hugo; brother Scott Hugo; and, grandmother Carol Hugo. Rachael Hugo was the 81st Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
99,357 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,825 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,435 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1460 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
841 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
32,126 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
10,082 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
103 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
27 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
145 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; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.
