RNC attendees are discovering just how good the food scene is in Milwaukee

A photo of the Riverside Theater made the rounds on social media boasting downtown Milwaukee's award-winning restaurant scene.

It noted the 200 locally owned restaurants and the 17 James Beard-recognized chefs that call downtown Milwaukee their place of work. Although downtown restaurant service has been unexpectedly slow since the start of the convention, it doesn't mean that the thousands of people in Milwaukee for the convention aren't digging into the food scene.

And yet, one particularly viral tweet has people living outside Milwaukee and the state believing pasta is often served flight-style on charcuterie boards.

San Giorgio Pizza has entered the chat. Emerald Robinson, host of The Absolute Truth, set the record straight about Milwaukee's Italian cuisine. It isn't a pasta flight on a wet plank that distinguishes Milwaukee, but wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. "The best food at the RNC in Milwaukee is San Giorgio Pizzeria," Robinson tweeted.

RNC attendees unfamiliar with Wisconsin's heroic number of breweries are falling in love with Spotted Cow, which has earned the nomination as Wisconsin's official beer for at least a few attendees. Imagine Spotted Cow's presidential cabinet — Moon Man, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, Central Waters' Black Gold. But out-of-state attendees are likely to have their hearts broken, since the farmhouse ale doesn't abide other states.

A pint of Spotted Cow sometimes serves as a chaser to Wisconsin's massive Bloody Marys, a point one journalist said he was shocked to experience. Yes, having a beer chaser with a Bloody Mary stacked with pickles, mozzarella sticks, olives, celery, and even a sausage link, is a total Wisconsin thing.

But no matter where you go, a good, cheap drink is easy to find. One attendee expressed surprise that he paid $13 for a bourbon double and has "never been so tempted to move to the Midwest."

And although Tupelo Honey is not distinct to Milwaukee, with soul food restaurants spanning the country, one attendee enjoyed the Milwaukee location's fried chicken, which he gave a 9 out of 10. The star of the show on his plate, however, was the biscuits and jam, which he gave a 9.5 out of 10.

Although she didn't say where, Fox News' Dana Perino said on X that she thought "she had the best chicken of my life last night." "I didn't realize Milwaukee is such a great place for foodies," she said. She also gave a shout-out to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which she visited this week — "something that I have always wanted to do."

And of course, no Milwaukee food round-up would be complete without a nod to the cheese curd. A Journal Sentinel reporter asked a cheese curd vendor at Convention Fest about the sheer volume of cheese required to satisfy RNC attendees. David Hofer, the vendor, said he brought 360 pounds of cheese for curds alone.

One attendee recommended enjoying what many believe to be Wisconsin's holy trinity: frozen custard, butter burger and cheese curds. She urged attendees to head to Dairyland in the Third Ward Market Hall for all three.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What do RNC attendees think of Wisconsin's Spotted Cow, cheese curds?