This Rochester Restaurant Is Serving Cheese Curds With What?!

Cheese curds have to be one of the most popular appetizers in the Upper Midwest. Whether they’re squeaky fresh or deep-fried to a perfect golden brown, curds seem to show up on menus just about everywhere.

I tried to find specific statistics on how many cheese curds Americans eat each year, but surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much data focused solely on curds. What I did learn is that Americans consume an average of about 42 pounds of cheese per person annually.

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When it comes to dipping sauces, everyone seems to have a strong opinion. I’m a ketchup person myself, but nearly everyone I know prefers to dunk their cheese curds in ranch dressing. Ranch, ketchup, and marinara are all fine options, but restaurants are always experimenting with new ways to serve this classic appetizer.

One spot in Rochester serves its cheese curd basket with a dip that sounds downright disgusting. They swear it’s catching on, and now I’m curious enough to try it and judge for myself.

That restaurant is the Canadian Honker, located just across from Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester. The Honker is a local favorite and something of a destination for both residents and visitors. It’s best known for its Bunnie’s Coconut Cake, walleye dinners, and hearty breakfasts, but the menu is filled with comfort food classics.

On Friday, the restaurant shared a note on its Facebook page introducing the world to Laura, one of their servers. According to the post, Laura suggested pairing the cheese curds with a side of caramel sauce.

Ever tried cheese curds with a side of caramel sauce? We hadn’t either until server Laura joined our Honker family, and now it’s all we can talk about! Laura has had such great reviews of it that she’s started giving caramel sauce to every table who orders cheese curds so they can try it too! Next time you get an order of our cheese curds, make sure to ask for some caramel—we’re sure you won’t regret it!

My immediate reaction was, yuck—no thanks. However, I’m a huge fan of sweet-and-salty combinations, so I think this might actually work. If you want to try it for yourself, you can find the Canadian Honker at 1203 2nd St. SW in Rochester.