» “Denver, Wis.”:
Colorado bar menu includes cheese curds, beer brats; televisions show Packers and Badgers games
James Weimann taps his Sheboygan roots to bring Wisconsin to life in his new Denver restaurant, Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern.
James Weimann tapped his Sheboygan roots — and his family photo albums — to bring Wisconsin to life in his new Denver restaurant.
Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern opened to big crowds last weekend in the hopping LoDo neighborhood in the Mile High City’s downtown. The joint has a cheese curd, beer brat and butter burger menu. And of course a Friday fish fry.
But what gives Wally’s a special twist comes from the Sheboygan home of Weimann’s parents, Wally and Terry.
“It’s my parents’ wedding photo. It’s an 8 by 10 photo that was sitting on their night stand,” Weimann said.
“In her own ‘Wisconsin way,’ my mom said, ‘I’m not sure if that should be in a tavern,’ ” he said, adding that she later decided, “it’s not too bad.”
Based in Seattle, Weimann has been in the restaurant business for more than 25 years. He and business partner Deming Maclise have opened about a dozen, including 10 in Seattle and the area, and now have two in Denver.
Wally’s is adjacent to the German-themed Rhein Haus that Weimann’s company also runs.
In addition to raiding the family’s archives for the bar’s decor, Weimann tapped his own experience as a teenager at the nowclosed Johnny’s supper club in Sheboygan.
“I only worked Friday nights during the fish fry,” he said.
“I worked in the dish pit. The plates would be piled up to the ceiling,” Weimann said, adding that he’d kid the waitress by saying, “Is that all you’ve got? I thought it was busier than that.”
Weimann’s Denver joint features old-fashioneds and regional craft beers, including offerings from Leinenkugel’s and Horny Goat.
While planning the restaurant,
Weimann took his business partner for a scouting trip on a “big old loop” that included Sheboygan, Elkhart Lake, Oconomowoc and Milwaukee.
“We ate cheese curds for at least two weeks,” he said.
The duo determined that a tempura batter worked the best.
“It creates that right crunch. And the cheese stays nice and stable.”
Big crowds gobbled up 75 pounds of walleye on the opening night’s fish fry, and there was a nice turnout for the Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packers games over the weekend.
Weimann said the business is off to a great start but there are some kinks to work out.
“We’re trying to get the Sheboygan hard roll nailed down.”