Tuesday’s ad is for Blatz, a Halloween ad from 1947. Showing a smirking jack-o-lantern eyeing a full pilsner glass and bottle of Blatz beer next to it. Notice the plate of food below the main ad, with the glass of beer next to it? What exactly do you think that food on the plate might be? It’s lovely presentation, but what the hell is it?
The doughy rectangles look like tamales; what’s between them looks like raw hamburger patties w/a hot pepper on top of each; my guess that the white stuff below is horseradish (cream).
The reason I’m guessing hamburger is that when I was in Milwaukee in 1986, my buddy & I had early dinner before a night game @ the old County Stadium in a bar named “Fourth Base”, which had a home plate embedded into the sidewalk @ its entrance. On the menu was their version of Steak Tartare, w/diced red onion on top instead of raw egg. I ordered it, & was lucky to get the last one for the day. When the waiter brought it, he asked if I wanted mustard, which I declined & asked for horseradish instead – he brought the best & hottest version I’d ever tasted, so I asked where I could get it. He said it wasn’t sold in stores, but if we were coming back for the day game the next day, he could have some for us. We were, so we took him up on the offer. The other cool thing about that trip is that we stayed in a Best Western which had been owned by the late Harvey Kuenn (old time Tigers’ & Goants’ fans will remember him).
Fourth Base was still there when I was in Milwaukee in 2004 to check out Miller Park, but, unlike 1986, it wasn’t possible to walk to the park from there . And I don’t recall seein Blatz on either of my visits.