Food & Wine: A Local’s Guide to Wisconsin’s Coolest Culinary Experiences

#2: Horseradish Kitchen & Parlor Hotel (Princeton)

Credit: Courtesy of Tracy Harris for Horseradish Kitchen

When the Horseradish food truck first opened its window on Water Street in the quiet town of Princeton, people didn’t know what to make of it. But soon, the lines for creations like the Capri sandwich — a ciabatta embrace of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and pesto — were enough for owner Matt Trotter to open a café specializing in dressed-up sandwiches, salads, and cocktails.

“I really just wanted to honor the bread being made by Renard’s Bakery [down the street] and sandwiches was the best way to do that,” says Trotter. “We like to keep it fun and funky.” Sit at the bar and tuck into the Midwest Beet, a sandwich interpretation of a beet and goat cheese salad; or hit the patio, where live music drifts with the gentle rush of the Fox River.

Trotter grew up in Princeton, worked in design in Chicago and Sheboygan, then returned home with a vision that not only includes Horseradish Kitchen but the neighboring new Parlor Hotel, a cozy flashback to simpler times. Its seven guest rooms are immaculate, but the lobby is your playground: Pop a record on the player, tool around on the piano and try your hand at foosball. Trotter and his partner in life and business, Greg Wright, recently enlisted local chef and meat purveyor Dan Solberg to run the kitchen and create custom menus for hotel guests.