I know what you all came here for and it wasn't for a grilled cheese sandwich. You want to know the results of the 2020 PEC Tournament Challenge. Well here they are (if you want to continue onto the grilled cheese assessment I won't stop you.)
In perhaps the tightest matchup of the entire tournament, both Big Mike's Red Store and Fairwinds Deli went back and forth all-day, with Big Mike's taking an early lead and Fairwinds coming in hot during the afternoon returns. A nighttime push and heavy, heavy blog poll presence catapulted Big Mike's to a three-vote victory (51-48) and is crowned our 2020 PEC Tournament Champion!!
Fairwinds saw a 47-33 margin on the Instagram poll, but ultimately it was the 18-1 blog post poll that leveled the playing field and brought Big Mike's the win. A huge thank you to EVERYONE who participated (whether you voted or not you were subjected to my Instagram stories for three weeks so sorry not sorry).
Now onto the grilled cheese (blog don't sleep). No, I didn't pick The Big Wisconsin today because they still went through with their primary election yesterday despite a global pandemic (OK, I did, but this is a politics-free zone). Instead, I'll power rank all of the things I think about when I think Wisconsin. I've been to Wisconsin exactly (1) time and the lads and I had a great time watching baseball, drinking beer, and eating cheese curds in Milwaukee four summers ago, so I'm pretty much an expert. Anyway here's are my Wisconsin power rankings:
1. Friendly-ness.
I arrived in Milwaukee around 10 hours before all my friends did. Not a problem! Milwaukee is known for beer, I'm sure I wouldn't have trouble finding a place to hang out all day. What I didn't expect was to link up with a group of dudes who suspiciously had nothing else to do that day (it was a Friday afternoon) but to take a newcomer on a bar crawl in their city. Was I almost lured and murdered by wannabe Dahmers? I don't know. But they were all very friendly and hospitable.
2. Cheese curds.
Holy fuck do these people love cheese. It's literally in everything. Bacon on a stick with cheese. Tots with cheese. Brats with cheese. But the delicacy that is cheese deep fried in batter really won me over. You just don't find it a lot on the East Coast, unless you go to Hamilton's in DC, you'll thank me later.
3. Stadium Shuttles.
All of the bars have free shuttles to take you to and from Miller Park during games. What's more, these free shuttles also come with coolers of light beer for a more refreshing trip out to the stadium. A genius move by the bars, by the way, who pretty much make it so you have to take a shuttle BACK to a bar after the game. (I guess you could Uber but why not enjoy yourself)
4. Cheap booze.
I think I had a bar tab of $40 USD over 10 hours by myself? That included multiple rounds of beer and shot combos. Sure, I can probably sniff out a place with cheap booze anywhere but these places were actually kind of nice and not just your run of the mill dive bars. They really, really love drinking and sports in Wisconsin which is exactly the vibe you like to see.
5. Brewers fans.
I'd say some of the nicest in the country. Sure, a drunk member of the Stephen Avery family tried to fight an entire section of Mets fans, but overall everyone was so welcoming and happy to see away fans (which is the opposite of the attitude you'll see in NY). Tailgating is big at Brewers games and many people were inviting anyone who walked past to share in their tailgate. Again super nice people. Like suspiciously nice. I was half expecting one of them to ask me to help them move.
The Big Wisconsin: American, Cheddar, Bacon, Tomato
As far as the Taliercio's grilled cheeses go, this one was by far the most on-point. Now, I only consumed cheese curds and sausage during my time in Wisconsin so I can't exactly verify the validity of its authenticity, but this was an amazing grilled cheese. The kind that makes you think of snow days when you were younger. An instant classic. The combo of cheese, the white bread so perfectly buttered and toasted, and let's not forget about that bacon. Some people like tomatoes on their grilled cheese, some don't, I could take it or leave it. You aren't looking for much when ordering a grilled cheese except melted cheese and buttered bread and I got it with this order.
Overall: 8.3/10
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