Gail Ambrosius seems to have it all figured out. She turned a tough situation (getting laid off after ten years at the same job) into a glorious opportunity by doing what so many of us chocolate geeks long to do: head to Paris and study under the masters. With technique and experience under her belt, she launched Gail Ambrosius Chocolates in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2004 and has since been garnering praise for her wide range of offerings and unusual bonbon flavors—shiitake mushroom truffle, anyone? More

My wife and I visited Milwaukee almost exclusively to eat and we weren't leaving the city until we had a certain Wisconsin specialty: frozen custard, which is thicker and smoother than ice cream due to the higher percentages of eggs and cream. Of the two rivals in town (Kopp's and Leon's) we went with Leon's. More

My first stop in Milwaukee was Sil's Drive-Thru, an odd little stand that specializes in mini donuts, a foodstuff I didn't exactly know I needed in my life, but sounded too fun to ignore. They're served piping hot, tossed with just a bit of sugar. More