THE RIGHT WAY TO PREPARE A HOT DOG. One of the little inconveniences of being a displaced Cheesehead in flatland is coping with the local default setting that mustard is not brown and sauerkraut is not available. A foodie from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel explains the correct default settings.

My first choice is a hot dog with a natural casing. It's why I drove to Hoffmann's Market in Cedarburg before the butcher shop closed for good in November - so I could stash a supply of natural-casing hot dogs in my freezer, from a disappearing breed of store.

Next, I prefer the dog served in a bun of some substance, with brown mustard only. It surely isn't the only way I eat them or appreciate them, but that kind of dog says comfort food to me.

If the bun is the typical white-bread, squishy variety, I'd rather it be toasted than steamed. When I shared this information with a friend, an aficionado of Chicago-style dogs, I thought I saw him shudder a little. He's a steamed-bun man.

You like what you like.

Yes, if your default settings are out of whack.

The article lists a number of eateries that get hot dogs (and bratwursts) right. The Old German Beer Hall (putschen optional?) and the Milwaukee Brat House are a brisk walk from the Everett Street Depot, even though the Everett Street Depot is two blocks south. For the Chicago-style experience in Milwaukee, the columnist recommends Martino's, a somewhat longer walk from the Milwaukee Airport station. (There is a Culver's close by, with more authentically Wisconsin food. But I can recommend several other eateries a shorter walk from the Airport station.)