During a previous trip to Green Bay some time ago, I happened to be reading in a local publication about a quirky little bar/cafe in the Broadway District of the city - White Dog Black Cat Cafe. I had put that on my list of places to go to and on a trip to Green Bay last fall before the snow began to fall, I headed over to check out what the place with a double dichotomy as a name was all about.
White Dog Black Cat's Cafe owners - Anne Fiorello and Holly Hebel - were both social workers in the area for a number of years. About 20 years ago, Holly decided that she needed a change of scenery from the rigors of social work, so she moved out to Egg Harbor in Door County to work in a restaurant with some friends of hers. It turns out that she enjoyed the restaurant work more than social work. From her friends restaurant, she moved on to the popular White Gull Inn working as a cook for about a dozen years and learning the restaurant business. (Click here to see an over 10 year old Road Tips post on the White Gull Inn.)
Around 2003, Anne Fiorello and Holly Hebel (pictured at right - photo courtesy Glidden Drive Association) decided to open their own restaurant in Green Bay. Now, this is just a guess, but I believe they may have named their restaurant after the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia which was owned by entrepreneur/author/urban activist Judy Wicks whose restaurant was one of the first in the nation to feature locally grown and sustainable foods cooking and to promote responsible business practices including offering a living wage to its employees. Wicks also ran the Black Cat gift boutique located next door to the White Dog Cafe which featured locally made goods and fair trade gift items. (Well prior to her life as a restaurant/boutique owner/author/activist, Wicks co-founded the Free People store with her then-husband Richard Hayne as part of an entrepreneurial class at the University of Pennsylvania. Hayne and Wicks divorced in 1971 and the store eventually evolved into Urban Outfitters of which Wicks has no involvement with today.)
White Dog Black Cat Cafe featured artwork from local artists and garnered a following the Green Bay community offering craft beers, good burgers and a great place to hang out. The success with their little bar/cafe in Green Bay prompted Fiorello and Hebel to buy a long time Door County establishment called The Hitching Post in 2015. The two transformed the bar and grill into The Tin Plate that somewhat mirrored the vibe and menu found at White Dog Black Cat Cafe. Unfortunately, having a second location proved to be somewhat too much for Fiorello and Hebel and they closed The Tin Plate last July. But they continue to run White Dog Black Cat Cafe today.
I found White Dog Black Cat Cafe at the corner of S. Broadway and N. Howard near the Fox River. (see map) Much of that stretch of Broadway is made up of small shops, coffee houses, and restaurants. I was able to find a parking spot on Broadway just past of Howard and walked back over to the White Dog Black Cat Cafe.
From the outside, you wouldn't think much about the place. It's a nondescript block style building with a brick facade and pastel colors on the side. But walking inside the building, it comes alive. The restaurant is segmented into two parts. The bar area along with high-top tables along the wall is to the left as you come into the restaurant. The "L"-shaped bar featured high-backed chairs with a barn board facade.
The burnt orange wall opposite the bar gave the room some vibrancy. The sound system was playing an interesting mix of artists such as 10,000 Maniacs, The Police, and Jade Bird. I immediately liked the funky vibe to the place.
Off to the right side as you come in to White Dog Black Cat Cafe was a more common style dining area. There was a certain funkiness to the space with the walls and curtains in pastel colors. As with the bar area, some interesting art work - all of which, I understand, was available for purchase - was on the wall. Chairs were mismatched, as were the lamps hanging from the ceiling. An antique stove stood at one end of the dining area, while on the opposite end there was a lime green couch under the window with an antique coffee maker on one side and a small wood burning stove on the other side.
I ended up seated at the bar and was greeted by my server/bartender James who had a soft-spoken, amiable and laid-back demeanor. He gave me a food menu to look over and I ordered up a Fantasy Victory IPA from the Karben4 Brewing Company, a small brewery from Madison, WI that I wasn't familiar with. I liked the beer immensely and had to pick up a couple six packs when I got to Madison later that evening.
Burgers and sandwiches are the main items on the menu at White Dog Black Cat Cafe. On Fridays, they have a number of fish and seafood items that are added to the menu. And on Saturdays and Sundays, the cafe has a popular brunch menu available. Soups, salads and appetizers are also available.
In the article I read about the place previously, it talked about how good their burgers were at White Dog Black Cat. I had a burger the day before and I wasn't certain that I was going that direction two days in a row. I considered the fish tacos or the muffuletta sandwich for a moment, but the White Dog burger is what I ended up with.
The burgers at White Dog Black Cat Cafe all come with potato chips, but I asked James if I could get a cup of the chili they had listed on the menu. This was a thick chili, but not nearly-concrete thick, with beef and beans, then topped with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped onions. It had a very noticeable and forward chili powder taste. The chili was very good - a spot-hitter, if you will, considering there was a noticeable chill in the air in Green Bay that day.
The White Dog burger consists of a 1/2 pound of premium ground beef and served with lettuce, tomato and onions. For an uncharge, you can get cheese, bacon and sautéed mushrooms on the burger. I got all three - Swiss cheese, of course. The burger was piled high with the toppings and it looked pretty impressive. The Swiss cheese just oozed off the top and onto the sides of the burger.
The burger, itself, was very juicy and very good. Even with the load of toppings on the burger, I could still get the good grilled beef taste with every bite. The only quibble was that there was too much bun. The base was very thick and the crown - although light and spongy - was a little chewy. I pulled away much of the bun using parts of it to hold as I ate the burger and the toppings. Overall, it was a very good burger.
If you're looking for a fun, laid-back and quirky place to eat in Green Bay, I would recommend seeking out the White Dog Black Cat Cafe. I liked everything about my visit - the interesting artwork, the decor, the choice of music and I thoroughly enjoyed both the White Dog burger and the cup of chili that I had. James, the bartender/server, was a nice guy, friendly and not pushy. While there's not a lot to choose from on the menu, even if you want to go there to get a beer they have a good selection of local and regional craft brews. This is the kind of place I wish I had in my neighborhood to go hang out at.
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