A Little Time and a Keyboard: Tasting My Way Through Janesville, Wisconsin

Tasting My Way Through Janesville, Wisconsin

Monday, December 13, 2021

 New Flavorful Discoveries from Janesville's Growing Food Scene


New Flavorful Discoveries from Janesville's Growing Food Scene

Disclosure: Thank you the Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for hosting my visit to Janesville. All opinions are 100% my own.

A weekend holiday adventure to Janesville, Wisconsin offered me another opportunity to explore the flavors of the city. The culinary scene in Janesville has been growing over the years and I have been excited to see the new foodie adventures available.  Enjoy a few tasty tidbits from my most recent adventure:

Citrus Cafe

Whether you have a taste for breakfast or lunch, Citrus Cafe presents a huge menu featuring many favorites. Orange juice is squeezed daily and coffee is ground fresh daily. The perfect way to wake up! Citrus Cafe serves up sizeable meals and has specials during select days and times.

Incredible veggie omelette, hashbrowns and buttermilk pancake at Citus Cafe in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Incredible veggie omelette, hashbrowns and buttermilk pancake at Citus Cafe.

Glancing through the menu, a number of items caught my eye including an array of omelettes, spins on eggs benedict, skillets, pancakes -- including Swedish pancakes -- and so much more! I had a bit of a tough time settling but soon decided to try a veggie omelette. My omelette was huge and full of veggies! The platter included a large side of hash browns and an ENORMOUS buttermilk pancake. Everything was delicious and provided the fuel I needed for a day of exploring.

Genisa

Genisa invites guests to enjoy a warm atmosphere full of elegant noshs, tempting brick oven pizzas, intriguing shareable plates, comforting meatballs, and more all inside of a historic Italianate building. Genisa features a fascinating list of wines welcoming a relaxing taste exploration.

Relaxing with a glass of wine at Genisa in Janesville, Wisconsin
Relaxing with a glass of wine at Genisa.


A leisurely dinner sipping wine and grazing from a charcuterie board really allows for time to unwind, enjoy flavors and revel in conversation. For another little nibble, our party also ordered the Florentine Artichoke Dip which was divine.

A divine charcuterie board ready for noshing!
A divine charcuterie board ready for noshing!

Genisa boasts an interesting selection of meatballs, so we tried a couple types -- absolutely delicious!

Meatballs and Florentine Artichoke Dip at Genisa.
Meatballs and Florentine Artichoke Dip at Genisa.

We did have to try the brick oven pizzas as well! Once again, a tough choice! We opted to try the Spicy Salami, Modena and Margherita. Once again -- delicious! My favorite was the Modena featuring dry ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, arugula, basalmic, and prosciutto. Divine! Plus, if you have been reading my blog for a while you know I was over-the-moon with the pile of vibrant green arugula on top. The flavors worked together in a symphony including the nice accompaniment of arugula on top. Beautiful!

A sampling of delicious, brick oven pizzas at Genisa.
A sampling of delicious, brick oven pizzas!

Genisa's desserts are crafted by local 808 Cheesecake, a spot I visited on my last trip and totally loved. On my previous visit, I enjoyed a cheesecake so it was not until I had dinner at Genisa that I could totally appreciate the range of treats baked up at 808 Cheesecake. After perusing the temptations, I opted for the Olive Oil Chocolate Cake featuring brandied cherries and candied pecans. Absolutely amazing and a perfect finish to our meal! 

Check out more of my Janesville foodie finds in my previous post, Relishing Nibbles and Small Business Shopping in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Irresistible Olive Oil Chocolate Cake at Genisa.
Irresistible Olive Oil Chocolate Cake at Genisa.

Sandwich Bar

Vibrant and fun, Sandwich Bar confesses that they serve "Life-Altering Sandwiches" and I can say that they really do! Visiting Sandwich Bar is not only a treat for the taste buds but also a treat for the eyes. With a menu featuring sandwiches flavored up with unique spins, it is only natural that Sandwich Bar feature bold murals by Jeff Henriquez! Such a fun spot for a bite to eat!

Julia Child mural by Jeff Henriquez at Sandwich Bar.
Julia Child mural by Jeff Henriquez at Sandwich Bar.

Sandwich options include the Balboa featuring Italian roast pork, fontina, peppercini relish, spinach and au jus, the Jolene featuring country fried chicken, pimento cheese, Alabama white sauce and lettuce, the Tony Salami featuring fried bologna, salami, butterkase cheese, pickled onion and mustard aioli, and many other choices. Sides include deviled eggs and fries with a dynamite parmesan aioli.

Absolutely delicious Jolene Sandwich at Sandwich Bar in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Absolutely delicious Jolene Sandwich at Sandwich Bar!

A friend inspired me to try the Jolene. Talk about heaven on a plate! Delicious! I also tried the fries with the parmesan aioli dip. Once again -- incredible and highly addictive! While thoroughly enjoying my sandwich, I could tell all of the heart that goes into preparing sandwiches at Sandwich Bar. Yum!

Deviled eggs and fries with parmesan aioli make for tempting sides at Sandwich Bar.
Deviled eggs and fries with parmesan aioli make for tempting sides.

Bodacious Shops of Block 42

No visit to Janesville is complete without a trip to the Bodacious Shops of Block 42! I always have to pick up a lovely tea at Bodacious Brew! I love that they brew loose leaf. Often, I also visit So Chopped for a fresh salad. On this visit, I strolled through Bodacious Olive enjoying the collection of olive oils, vinegars, spices and mixes available to pick up to explore flavors at home. The Bodacious Shops are fun little foodie adventures!

Shopping for culinary treats at Bodacious Olive.
Shopping for culinary treats at Bodacious Olive.

The Sugar Exchange

To satiate my sweet tooth, I love The Sugar Exchange. I have raved about The Sugar Exchange before and now it is a must-visit for me. I love their homemade truffles! So many flavors and deliciously decadent! Really, the shop is a treat-filled wonderland with the sweetest decor.

Sweet temptations at The Sugar Exchange.
Sweet temptations at The Sugar Exchange.

Savoring the Flavors of Janesville, Wisconsin

Once again, I enjoyed so many delicious and unique flavors in Janesville. I have been pretty impressed with how much the culinary scene of Janesville has been expanding. There is something to tempt everyone! Bon Appetit!

New Flavorful Discoveries from Janesville's Growing Food Scene





1 comment

  1. Thank you for this wonderful, information-packed story! I was late finding it but really appreciate your writing it because I've been curious about lovely old Janesville for a long time. I'm happy to learn it's thriving and look forward to reading more of your helpful articles about southern Wisconsin and the Chicago burbs.

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