This year I decided to attempt to embrace winter, which does not come naturally to me.
When the kids were little we’d build forts and snowmen and toss snowballs, but that’s what dads do. For them, I could bear it, but lately, the cold gets to me and gets me down.
This year, however, I have ran seven miles outside one January day, spent some time at the frozen lakefront, and enjoyed a chai by the firepit at Colectivo in Tosa on a really, really cold morning.
The problem may be that I’m not a winter sports lover. I prefer a drink around the lodge fireplace over slaloming downhill outside.
To that end, when I saw that Grand Geneva’s Mountain Top Lodge has a ski-up (or in my case, walk-up) waffle stand, I had to give it a go, especially because I was going to be near Lake Geneva for another story.
Located around the back of the ski chalet next to the resort’s ski hill, The Waffle Stop has two sweet and one savory waffle cones, including Banana Nutella, Strawberry Chocolate and Hot Maple Smoked Chicken.
There is also an array of warm beverages like coffee, hot cocoa and hot apple cider – you can get those latter two “spiked” – as well as beer, soda, a canned cocktail and bottled water.
The waffles are made on-site and then filled to order. The chicken is warming, which can be nice, but I preferred the sweet banana and Nutella and the strawberry with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
You can either take them upstairs into the lodge, where there is a fire blazing in the hearth or you can pull up a chair to the similarly flaming firepit right at the bottom of the ski hill.
Since it wasn’t insanely cold, I opted for the latter and watched the snowboarders and skiers descend and hurry right back to the lift for another go.
While you’re up there, check out the ski lodge, which also has the Leinenkugel’s Mountain Top Lodge restaurant and the cafeteria-style Timbers Grill, both of which are open daily.
The Waffle Stop is open daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
And don’t worry, skis are not required.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
