Trail Of Beers: Verona Road

Bar-hoppers on the South Side can hit a unique string of boozy eateries by following Verona Road from the edge of Madison into Fitchburg. These joints may be a little careworn but show flashes of fierce pride, drawing on traditional Wisconsin kitchen handiwork to serve their quirky clientele. The A.V. Club discovers lovable local predilections for beer, burgers, and battered bluefin in some seriously off-kilter venues right at the edge of town.

Feiler's Restaurant
The freeway appears to have grown around the ramshackle Feiler's (4506 Verona Rd., 608-271-6237). Ghosts of Wisconsin's past inhabit the menu of liver and onions, spaghetti and meatballs, homemade clam chowder, and of course, a Friday fish-fry. Daredevils might gravitate toward the artery-clogging pork chop sandwich or a brat and cheeseburger jammed into a single bun.
Lovable peculiarity: A vintage salad bar, the kind that's a cart, sees lots of action when wheeled out despite the lack of trendy greens like frisée.

Bennett's Meadowood Country Club
Visitors to Bennett's (2009 Freeport Rd., 608-271-3827), just off Verona, are greeted by signs warning them to "LOCK YOUR CAR!" Liver sausage sandwiches and shrimp baskets are on the greasy menus, but everyone seems to be eating the cheeseburgers, which ooze fat and call for french fries slathered in everything on the condiment caddy.
Lovable peculiarity: Where else can hard partiers watch hardcore porn over breakfast, then proceed directly to drinking Seven and Sevens at the bar while catching Fox News?

The Dry Bean
The Dry Bean (5264 Verona Rd., 608-274-2326) is often described as a meat market, but the meat sandwiches are pretty good too. "Of course" burgers topped with bacon or sautéed mushrooms are offset by "what the...?" moments like the stuffed hamburger with "a surprise inside" (which turns out to be cheese, mushrooms, and onions). The sheer range of culinary styles—fajitas, St. Louis-style ribs, filet mignon, gyro, baked cod, chicken cordon bleu—paints a fascinating picture of ambitious, schizophrenic roadhouse chefs.
Lovable peculiarity: The distinction between cheese and Velveeta is often shrugged off.