I left Culver's feeling happy and full. My cheese curd craving was satisfied — that is, until the next time I'd make it back to the Midwest.
Throughout the meal, it was cool to realize that many of the main ingredients were coming from the state I was in. From the beef to the dairy, everything came from Wisconsin farmers.
Bad lighting aside, Culver's concretes are the best dessert around. The frozen treat combines Culver's custard with mix-ins like candies and sauces. I put M&Ms in mine.
Culver's shakes up its menu, which always has chocolate and vanilla, with a flavor of the day. On the day we went, it was vanilla with peanut butter cups.
When I was growing up, Culver's was my first custard experience. Not to be confused with ice cream, frozen custard has egg yolk added in, which gives it a creamier texture.
All that salty food left us wanting something sweet to finish out the meal. One of Culver's main attractions, lucky for us, is its signature frozen custard.
Needless to say, it was a hearty, deliciously fried feast.
And, like the cheese curds, the chicken tenders taste amazing with ranch dressing.
The chicken tenders come out steaming hot. The white-meat chicken is covered in a crispy fried coating.
The ButterBurger may be great, but the meal that originally stole my heart at Culver's is the chicken tenders. A basket of four chicken tenders and cheese curds (again, an extra dollar, but so worth it) and drink came out to $8.29.
It comes with tomato, lettuce, raw onions, pickles, and mayonnaise.
We ordered the ButterBurger Deluxe, which came with two patties made with Midwest beef, two slices of Wisconsin cheese, and a whole host of toppings.
The ButterBurger is named as such because of its buttered buns that are then toasted. No, the burger patty isn't fried in butter. That would just be a mess.
On to the crown jewel of the Culver's franchise: the ButterBurger. A Deluxe ButterBurger basket, with fries and a medium drink, cost about $7.89.
After testing out the sides, we took a look on the back of the tray lining to get a view of where Culver's locations are. Since our original visit in 2015, Culver's has expanded into Georgia and North Carolina, but the company still hasn't cracked the West Coast and the Northeast.
Although I don't crave them as much as I do the cheese curds, Culver's crinkle-cut fries are definitely sublime, especially if you're not in the mood to pay the extra dollar for the cheese curds.
The combination of cheese curds and ranch truly brings me joy.
A fried cheese curd wouldn't be complete without something to dip it in. I go for ranch dressing. Hey, if you're going to eat fried cheese, you might as well go all-in.
How could you go wrong with cheese that's fried? They're the best when piping hot (though be careful not to burn yourself with all that melty cheese).
Well, I'm here to tell you it's amazing. Essentially, it's a mini mozzarella stick, only with fresh white and yellow cheddar.
I know what you're thinking. How can something called a "curd" (also known as the building blocks that make actual cheese) taste good?
I routinely think about how much better my burger experiences on the East Coast would be if I could have fried cheese curds as a side.
To start, we have to take a look at Culver's sides, including two of my favorites: fries and fried cheese curds.
At last, our meals arrived in all their glory!
We headed to our table to wait. Culver's employees bring the food to your table, and the wait gives you extra time to agonize over how good everyone's food looks.
After placing our orders, we went to fill up our soda. Culver's is known for its signature root beer, which tastes even better with a dollop of Culver's vanilla frozen custard.
We went around 4:30 p.m. on a rainy day, and the place was already packed for the evening. The menu board greeted us with a host of options from frozen treats to full meals, called "baskets," that came with drinks and a side.
To start my culinary adventure, I found a Culver's in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the alma mater of Culver's CEO Craig Culver.
