Cheese Curds at Wilson's

It's been more than 100 years since Wilson's Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor began serving the ultimate diner food to hungry residents, and droves of tourists who descend on Ephraim, Wisconsin, each year. Whether customers order thick chocolate shakes, juicy burgers, or the famous Wilson's homemade rootbeer, this is a place to indulge - and worry about calories some other time.

But, ask any Wisconsin native and they'll likely tell you a quintessential Wisconsin item on the menu is fried cheese curds. $4.95 buys a huge basket of freshly prepared Cheese Curds on a Bed of Fries, that ooze mellow cheesy goodness beneath a light, crispy batter. In fact, Martin Hintz and Pam Percy, authors of Wisconsin Cheese, A Cookbook and Guide to the Cheeses of Wisconsin, declare that cheese curds 'are as Wisconsin as...milk.'

Order the fried cheese curds because they represent the state, or because you'll swoon over their decadent goodness - but just be sure you don't leave without trying this signature item.