John Henrichs | 210SA Culver's advertises its frozen custard and ‘Butterburgers.' (It's called a Butterburger because the top of the bun is lightly buttered and toasted.)  The most popular items are the Cheddar Burger, the Wisconsin Swiss Melt and Wisconsin cheese curds.

Wisconsin has never been our favorite place. It's home to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Milwaukee's Best light “beer” and badgers. Lots of badgers.

But America's Dairyland has regained our respect with the discovery of a local franchise of Midwestern favorite (and Wisconsin-based) Culver's.

The local owners have transplanted a bit of cheesy goodness and Midwestern cheer to San Antonio.

“We thought the restaurant provided something that we had not seen in San Antonio — a comfortable, family-oriented restaurant that specialized in a large variety of food choices,” owner Lesa Koster said.

WHERE: 5836 DeZavala Road (a couple of blocks west of the intersection with I-10 and across from the post office)

HOURS: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; on Friday and Saturday, it stays open till 11 p.m.

TASTE SENSATION: Culver's is known for its frozen custard, which is basically like ice cream, but better. “Frozen custard is creamier, thicker and smoother, placing it in the ‘gourmet' category of ice creams,” Koster said. Culver's has vanilla and chocolate frozen custard and a flavor that changes daily. The flavor of the day usually mixes in a combination of berries, candy or nuts, or is a more unusual flavor like mint or peanut butter.

TUMS-WORTHY: Good food, great service, what's not to like? But can a place that specializes in Butterburgers and frozen custard be anything but a diet-buster? In a hard-hitting interview, we grilled Koster like a Wisconsin Swiss Melt.
“As I tell all our customers, the custard may not be calorie-free but it sure will make you smile!” she said.
We wanted to ask a tough follow-up question, but our mouths were full of sweet, delicious custard.

THE 210 TAKE: The folks in the booth behind us claimed loudly on their cell phone that they were eating “TGI Friday's food at McDonald's prices.” While these people had obviously slurped a little too much frozen custard, you get the drift: It's got a great variety and quality at fast-food prices.
The menu selection keeps us coming back to Culver's. They've got over a dozen kinds of burgers and everything from a pot roast sandwich to a fish dinner and a blackened chicken and cashew salad.
The long list of choices can be intimidating when you walk in, so you may want to check out the menu at culvers.com before you go. And the “flavor of the day” is listed online, too.

John Henrichs | 210SA