When three people with previous affiliations to the Cactus Club, Odd Duck and Chicago’s acclaimed Longman & Eagle come together to open a restaurant and bar, you know it’s going to be special. The Vanguard in Bay View is already serving as a beacon of glorious encased meats in a city that prides itself on its sausages, but has relatively few dining options to show for it. Finally, you can get immensely flavorful homemade sausages in a cozy, modern bar setting.
In past years, you could get a taste of The Vanguard’s sausages at Bay View Bash, and it left people hungry for more. Once the permanent location opened in November 2014, there was already a hefty following of fans, salivating for sausages. There’s a lot to choose from: The menu lists 15-17 rotating sausage options, plus there’s an ever-rotating list of specials offered daily. All are homemade, with smoked sausages made by Madison’s Underground Meats to The Vanguard’s recipe since they have proper smoking equipment.
The menu is divided into two main sections: “Classics” and “Styled.” Classics sausages are all served plain by default, with a choice of onion, kraut, giardiniera, relish and sport peppers, plus homemade condiments such as aiolis. The smoked cheddarwurst ($5) had a snappy, bronzed casing around a garlic-heavy pork-and-beef blend with huge chunks of melted white cheddar. For once, you couldn’t miss that there was cheese in a cheddarwurst. Other Classics range from brats ($5) and hot dogs ($4) to a vegetarian sausage made from seitan ($6) and a longanisa ($6), an Asian sausage with palm sugar and soy sauce.
Styled sausages come dressed with toppings. The Red Hot Zerkel ($7), named after local chef Paul Zerkel, takes a soft pork sausage flavored with powdered Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and tops it with homemade cheese sauce, onion rings and jalapeños. The whimsy in ingredients and naming extends to their daily specials, like the rotating special Kurt Brussel ($7) with their Toulouse pork and apple sausage, roasted Brussels sprouts, deviled egg mousse and salt and vinegar sunchoke chips.
Man cannot live on sausage alone, so there are numerous potato side options. Two kinds of poutine ($7) include one meaty and one vegan. Thin, dark homemade fries are topped with either veal and onion gravy, or mushroom gravy; the meat option includes fried cheese curds and maple braised duck, while the vegan features roasted garlic cloves and fried basil leaves. They do not skimp on the gravy, so eat fast to avoid soggy fries. Baked potato balls ($6) are a spin on potato croquettes: mashed potatoes rolled in panko and deep fried, topped with cheese sauce, bacon, chives and sour cream. These are heavy and filling, but could have used more of the toppings.
The drink menu is extensive, with a heavy focus on whiskey. Each day there’s a whiskey special, with different brands on discount. There’s also a large selection of bottled and canned beer plus an eclectic mix of taps. Cocktail drinkers will appreciate that there are eight draught cocktails on tap. The old fashioned ($8) was balanced but strong, and finished with fresh citrus zest, belying most fears of a premixed cocktail. The variety of drinks, sausages and shows on the TV (anything from Packers games to retro “Batman” episodes) make this a place where you can spend a lot of time and still crave more.
The Vanguard
2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
414-539-3593
$
Handicap access: Yes (one step, assistance available)
