Your Best/Worst List of Wisconsin restuarants

[fondybrewfan]

The thread about the Kenosha restuarant got me thinking what are your favorite restuarants and which ones would you just assume forget?

 

Favorites:

Fusion's in FDL

Nakashima's in Appleton

Backyard Bar & Grill - Fond du Lac

Del Bar - Wisconsin Dells

Chef Renee's Backbay Cove - Minocqua

Island Cafe - Minocqua

 

Awful:

Ottos Supper Club - Wisconsin Dells

Ruby Tuesday's - Milwaukee

Cheescake Factory - Milwaukee (Not horrible just way over priced)

Norwood Pines - Minocqua

Applebees - Everywhere

[bullox]

So basically stay away from chain restaurants is what you are saying? Ruby Tuesdays, Cheesecake Factory and Applebees are all over the country. I'm not saying that makes them good, just saying they're not exactly Wisconsin restaurants.

[SeriesFinale]

I don't have much advice to offer here, but every time I'd drive up to my folks' place in Vernon County I'd stop at Ella's Deli in Madison for lunch. Not the most amazing four-star restaurant, but a really fun place to eat some tasty sandwiches and a poundcake sundae with a chocolate phosphate. I loved it as a kid and I enjoy it now.

[viking188]

So basically stay away from chain restaurants is what you are saying?

 

 

I don't know if that's what Fondy was saying; but I personally feel that way. I make a mission of never eating in a chain restaurant. But thats just me.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

My favorite depends on what we are going to eat. I've got a favorite, rib place,chicken place, mexican place, lunch place, beer and food place, steak place, date place, well ya get the idea.

[Thurston Fluff]

One of my favorite places in Appleton is Koreana.

For bar food the 10th Frame is well above the norm.

[Mike Felder]

The Fox & Hounds out in Hubertus - great food and Monday through Friday they have a buy one entree get one free deal that covers everything except lobster (we got two large, great steaks with bread, side, and soup/salad for $25).

 

And I've always been a big fan of Mama Mia's (or just Mama's, as the one on 76th and Burleigh is now known) as well. We always just go for the pizza, garlic bread, and salad, but I hear the other stuff is very good too.

[Menace II Sobriety]

Mama Mia's lunch buffet is great, as far as burgers go we ate at Sobelmans (19th & St. Paul) a few weeks ago and there were great (they even use the round bacon) http://www.milwaukeesbestburgers.com//. For mexican I love botanas (http://www.botanasrestaurant.com/) great food and atmosphere with a cheap lunch menu. Other than that for the milwaukee area I like benno's on 76th and greenfield they have a great fish fry.

 

Wingers in Oshkosh used to have massive wings and the gyros across the street at Niko's were always knockout but that was a few years ago.

[JoeHova]

Milwaukee:

Ribs: Speed Queen

Burgers/Custard: Kopp's

Gyros: The Gyro Stand

Pizza: De Marini's (original)

Mexican: Los Comales

Lunch Meat/Sausages: Usinger's

Popcorn: Knight's

fine dining: none

[NeedMoreFans]

Faves:

 

Schwartz's in St. Anna (near Elkhart Lake)

Pasta Tree in Milwaukee

Old Fashioned in Madison

Great Dane in Madison

 

Least Fave:

 

I'm general...pretty much any chain.

[Menace II Sobriety]

Plus one on the dane in madison. We were going for breakfast one sunday morning deciding where we were going to go. I stated to take me anywhere where I could get lasagna for breakfast and boom it was on the brunch buffet. loved it.

[hawing]

I'm an unabashed fan of the Food Fight diners in the Madison area: Blue Plate on Atwood, Hubbard St. in Middleton. Bluephies is also nice, and not only because we can walk there from our house.

 

Although it's a chain (but not a ubiquitous one), going to the Original Pancake House is an event for me and the S.O. Spinach omelet or (in Madison/Monona) strawberry pancakes?

It doesn't really matter because they're both awesome.

[burniebrewer]

Hawing, how about Tex Tubb's on Atwood (?). Not sure if he's a part of the "Food Fight" deal, but it's the best sober burrito I've ever had.

[Nader Raider Tim]

Koreana - Nice call Backupcatchers, it's so sad they have my order memorized there

Sai Ram - Great Indian food

Hu Hot - Good Mongolian BBQ, I would have said Mongo's, but Hu Hot ran them out of business

Noodles - It's just Macaroni and Cheese how can it be so darn good.

[T B0NE 10]

The Essen House is awesome!

[logan82]

Not real big on The Great Dane's food, but the beer is good.

 

Water City Grill in Oshkosh is very good.

[JimH5]

A couple of faves from Door County:

Ephraim--The Summer Kitchen
Sister Bay--The Inn at Kristofer's
Sister Bay--The Mission Grille

Overrated. . .

Al Johnson's
Wilson's

Both landmarks and must see places, but the food. . .not so much.

[homer]

Milwaukee:

Ribs: Speed Queen

Burgers/Custard: Kopp's

Gyros: The Gyro Stand

Pizza: De Marini's (original)

Mexican: Los Comales

Lunch Meat/Sausages: Usinger's

Popcorn: Knight's

fine dining: none

 

You've obviously never eaten at Sanford, Lake Park Bistro, or Coquette Cafe.

[Hammer]

While not "fine dining" I am quite partial to Friar Tucks in Oshkosh (one in Fond du Lac as well). They have very good sandwiches and their soups are typically very good as well. I am not a hater of chains like a lot of others here so I will say this: Chili's has really become my "oh yay, we are going to Appleton" restaurant. It just tastes good to me there...

[davebobn]

I'm with Homer all 3 of those choices are excellent. Though I'd say Lake Park Bistro is probably my favorite restaurant in Milwaukee. You can't really go wrong with a Bartalotta place. I've never had a bad experience.

Hey Homer have you been to Hinterland in the Third Ward? I went recently and had maybe the best dining experience I've had in Milwaukee. Great service, excellent food and they make their own beer. Their menu is everchanging, but the options are always really intriguing.

http://www.hinterlandbeer...restaurantmilwaukee.shtml

[chrisisoutrunning]

Not real big on The Great Dane's food, but the beer is good.

Can't say I agree with that statement at all, other than the beer is good part. I don't think I've ever had anything I haven't loved, and trust me, I don't have a small sample size.

 

Other good places in Madison (5 years of college will give you a lot of opportunities to get out):

Mickie's Dairy Bar (sober, hungover, doesn't matter)

Amy's Cafe (go with the spicy fries)

Claddagh Irish Pub

Johnny's Italian Steakhouse (not cheap, especially for someone in school, but great food when i was there)

Ian's Pizza (okay so it's not really a restaurant, but the list involves food, so I nominate Ian's)

 

not my favorite places

TGI Friday's (fiance loves the place, to me, meh...)

Essen Haus (fiance worked there for 9 months or so, great beer, but food is all overpriced)

Tutto Pasta (has a nice ambiance, but it seems like I could make all their dishes in my sleep)

[RyDogg66]

Appleton - Koreana

 

Oshkosh - Water City Grill (although wife hates hit)

Oshkosh - Lara's tortilla flats

Oshkosh - Becket's (new restaurant on the river)

 

Madison - Jolly Bob's Jamaican Jerk Joint (#1 by far)

Madison - Chautara (on State Street)

Madison - El Dorado Grill (another Food Fight restaurant if I am not mistaken

Madison - that greasy Thai food place on Gorham and Henry (Vientienne Palace?)

 

Milwaukee - Sake Tumi

Milwaukee - Sabor

[Chio151]

When I think of Wisconsin restaurants, I think of Supper Clubs where every Friday they have a fish fry and every Saturday they have the prime rib special -- and it's 'the best prime rib in the state'.

 

 

But hey, Ruby Tuesdays has good food for a chain.

[hawing]

The place RyDogg's thinking of at Gorham and Henry is Vientiane Palace. Mmm.

His list also reminds me to give props to Kabul and Himal Chuli, both on State.

 

I believe El Dorado Grill is also a Food Fight venue. I still have to try that, and Tex Tubb's.

In fact, I think we have a Food Fight gift card at home.../drooling/

[Thurston Fluff]

Koreana - Nice call Backupcatchers, it's so sad they have my order memorized there

 

Same here Nader. They started out as a hole in the wall takeout place in the same building as we are on Wisconsin and Richmond. They used to deliver the food to us at the shop. It was a very sad day when they became so popular that they moved to Northland. Nice family that runs it.

[bork]

Favorites:
Wisconsin Dells - Essen Haus
Madison - Ella's Deli
Milwaukee area
La Fuente - Great Mexican Food only a few blocks from my work
Kopps - Burgers and custard
Ghingis Khan Mongolian BBQ
Tandoor - Good Indian food in West Allis
That's Amore - Better Italian food than the chains
Brisco County - The best rotiserie chicken I've ever had