Midwest's Best List

The following are some of the "best ever" foods we have experienced in the Midwest!

• Carrot cake - http://www.riversbendgb.com/  @ River's Bend Supper Club in Green Bay, WI
  This carrot layer cake is moist, has excellent carrot flavor, crushed pineapple right in the cake, and a wonderful cream cheese, pecan, coconut frosting.
• Thin crust pizza - http://www.libertybellchalet.com/  @ Bell Chalet in Hurley, WI
  This pizza is currently under review because of a change in ownership.  However, the pizza has always had a flavorful crust, an excellent pizza sauce, and just the right amount of fresh toppings.  Leeann always has onion (very thin and long cut) and mushroom pizza while Travis and Ian generally share a mushroom and sausage (fresh and excellent as well).  They cook the pizzas in an old-fashioned pizza oven, and the toppings come out perfectly cooked while the crust is nice and crispy.
• Chicago style pizza - http://www.loumalnatis.com/  @ Lou Malnati's Pizzeria in Chicago, IL
  They have mastered the balance of a flavorful, fully-cooked crust and fresh, tasty ingredients.  I (Leeann) particularly enjoyed the "Lou" which has fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese, and I ate the entire thing which really tells you how good it is! We did have individual pizzas, so do not know how the larger pies are.  However, since they have expanded around the Chicagoland area, chances are that their pizzas overall are awesome.
• Fried Calamari - http://linoitalia.com/  @ Lino's Ristorante in Sheboygan, WI
  Lino's only uses their frier for their calamari, which ensures a very clean flavor.  They have a very light breading, and they fry the calamari quickly in a very hot oil so that they are not greasy and the calmari are still exceedingly tender.  They give you a generous amount, which is also so rare!  We have said that we could each have a plate just to ourselves!

So, what are your favorites?  Do you have a favorite in one of the above categories that you think may challenge one we have experienced?  We would also love to hear what you think if you try one of our favorites!