The Vanguard

It’s hard to imagine Bay View before Vanguard. The bar is the meat of the coolest neighborhood in the city. But it’s even harder to imagine Milwaukee before Vanguard. In a land known for sausages, the city had no true sausage spots. Now the likes of the “Salazar” (Hungarian sausage with cream cheese, cheddar, and bbq sauce) and the “Kilig” (an Asian-leaning pork sausage with hoisin, soy and chili sauce) are household names, while the Duck BLT and the velveeta-draped Dirty Burger—yes, a sausage burger—are pigout game-changers. Co-owner Jim McCann brings Michelin-star pedigree—he is also part owner of Chicago’s Longman & Eagle—and big city, Hot Doug’s-ish inspiration toward a cheffy, artistic approach to tubed meats. The menu changes frequently, a neat analogy for the ‘hood. But sociological analysis here seems beside the point, Vanguard is simply a killer neighborhood corner bar that is also the ultimate fat guy food emporium.