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Wisconsin Northwoods (far north) Eating - (Vilas Co.)

Wisconsin Northwoods (far north) Eating - (Vilas Co.)
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  • Post #61 - September 11th, 2012, 10:46 am
    Post #61 - September 11th, 2012, 10:46 am Post #61 - September 11th, 2012, 10:46 am
    Love Marty's. That place begs you to have an old fashioned while waiting for a table and the AYCE "relish" bar (assuming its still there) is a lot of fun. Its like all of my childhood memories of supper clubs on a mini buffet - bagged breadsticks and butter, rye chips, liverwurst, and radishes. Their food is always pretty good. Love the duck and ribeye steaks.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #62 - September 11th, 2012, 1:38 pm
    Post #62 - September 11th, 2012, 1:38 pm Post #62 - September 11th, 2012, 1:38 pm
    Eatwis- no relish "bar," but they brought a huge tray of what you described directly to our table. The rye chips dipped in the cheese spread were awesome. My husband had the ribeye and I went with the fried perch dinner.

    We had a 40 minute wait for our table so we hung out at the bar. Great people-watching. A couple that had just finished their dinner retreated to the bar for their "dessert.". It was a HUGE glass of Brandy Alexander served up with two spoons. Their "usual."

    Can't say I've seen one of those ordered anywhere I've been lately. Or ever. Looked tasty though. I recall my parents having a thing for Grasshoppers after dinner in the late 1970's...

    Lunch outside today at The Pea Patch here in Manitowish Waters was solid. I think I've reached my quota on fried cheese curds now. Can't ever get enough Spotted Cow though. :D
  • Post #63 - September 11th, 2012, 4:02 pm
    Post #63 - September 11th, 2012, 4:02 pm Post #63 - September 11th, 2012, 4:02 pm
    My last visit was about 3 years ago and they had a relish tray buffet set up on the upper level and would send you there once you ordered...it had everything you could want; veggies, cheese spread, ham and macaroni salads, liver pate, etc.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #64 - September 12th, 2012, 7:29 am
    Post #64 - September 12th, 2012, 7:29 am Post #64 - September 12th, 2012, 7:29 am
    LynnB wrote:We're up here now.
    enjoy, amazing weather !!
    LynnB wrote: Will probably hit Little Bohemia for the nostalgia (not so much the food,) on Thursday.

    I'm sad to see the LB no longer offers the Hungarian goulash, I always enjoyed that dish: http://littlebohemialodge.com/menu.html

    If up that way, good meals can be had at Guides Inn in Boulder Junction: http://www.theguidesinn.com/index.php/h ... /rest_menu
    --
    LynnB wrote: It was a HUGE glass of Brandy Alexander served up with two spoons. Their "usual."

    Can't say I've seen one of those ordered anywhere I've been lately. Or ever.

    IIRC, Wisconsin consumes more brandy than the #2 & 3 states put together.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #65 - September 12th, 2012, 5:52 pm
    Post #65 - September 12th, 2012, 5:52 pm Post #65 - September 12th, 2012, 5:52 pm
    Excited to have driven by the Little Muskie Bar today and seen a "welcome bears fans" sign for tomorrow's game. Plan is to leave baby with my parents post Little Bohemia dinner and head on over.

    Sweet Willie - Mom was bummed to hear about the goulash. She was planning to order it. :(
  • Post #66 - September 12th, 2012, 9:20 pm
    Post #66 - September 12th, 2012, 9:20 pm Post #66 - September 12th, 2012, 9:20 pm
    Spent an enjoyable evening at Rustic Roadhaus tonight. Owner of 11 years is originally from the Chicago area.

    Wednesdays and Fridays are AYCE fish nights. Jonathan went with the walleye while I had the poor man's lobster (kind of fried fished out at this point...). It went well beyond my expectation - hot, seasoned well, and served with flavorful baked beans, coleslaw, fries, and buttered rye toast.

    Friendly owner, good service, talkative regulars... I liked this place. If Little Muskie is too packed tomorrow night we plan to circle back here.

    www.rusticroadhaus.com
  • Post #67 - September 13th, 2012, 7:30 am
    Post #67 - September 13th, 2012, 7:30 am Post #67 - September 13th, 2012, 7:30 am
    LynnB wrote:Excited to have driven by the Little Muskie Bar today and seen a "welcome bears fans" sign for tomorrow's game.

    fun bar and Chicago Bears friendly for sure. VERY good burgers served at Little Musky.

    a bar (Sisters) closer to my place has a bear in a compromising postion w/a packer behind the bear. :shock:
    Pretty clear where they stand on any love for the Bears :)
    LynnB wrote:...while I had the poor man's lobster

    do you recall what fish the poor man's lobster was made from? (I do a good version made w/Northern Pike)
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #68 - September 13th, 2012, 5:11 pm
    Post #68 - September 13th, 2012, 5:11 pm Post #68 - September 13th, 2012, 5:11 pm
    Willie- they use cod. In addition to the choices of the cod & breaded walleye, you can get breaded haddock or perch as part of the AYCE deal.

    Off to Little Bohemia in about 20 minutes...
  • Post #69 - October 8th, 2012, 5:37 pm
    Post #69 - October 8th, 2012, 5:37 pm Post #69 - October 8th, 2012, 5:37 pm
    Holy Cow there were a LOT of folks up in Eagle River this past weekend for Cranberry Fest, there were so many people that restaurants in St Germain, Arbor Vitae & Woodruff were handling spillover, waits were in excess of 2 hours at some places.
    Glad to see the north getting some business !! Let's hope for a good winter, they are long overdue.

    Ate at Island Cafe in Minocqua again, we showed up at 9 on Sunday, right after we sat down, there was a good 20 minute wait for a table. Mrs Sweet Willie & I had the same items we dined on before: Crawfish Étouffée over biscuits w/two sunny side up eggs, Mrs Sweet Willie had the corned beef hash with poached eggs. Again, quite delicious.

    Had dinner at Blue Bayou on Saturday evening. We had a very early reservation (5pm) as we wanted to make the 45 minute drive while light out in order to take in the glorious fall colors. Early bird gets the duck in the case as one is supposed to order their cajun roast duck 24 hours in advanced. Turns out they had 2 orders (of 1/2 duck) which our table & the other 5pm reservation gladly ordered. Duck was amazingly moist & full flavored, not really cajun in my opinion, more like some heavy spicing but no heat. I had walleye w/two shrimp on top, pan fried & dusted w/spices. I have to admit the entree looked like something from Red Lobster but both the shrimp & fish were cooked perfect, I really enjoyed this dish. Each person that orders a dinner entree receives: small dish of shrimp pate (good, not great by any means), soup (either gumbo which is terrific, or soup of the day which in this case was sweet potato & duck, simply a delicious soup!!), also a server wheels up a mini salad bar for each diner to choose their toppings for their salad. The house dressing is a mayo/mustard 'cajun' dressing (not really much cajun to it) but it was tasty none the less. Fresh baked bread is served along with what they call their cajun salsa, which is quite good.
    We hadn't been to Blue Bayou in quite awhile as after Chef Walter passed away, we felt the entrees went downhill, after our experience this past Saturday, I'd say Blue Bayou is back.
    Blue Bayou
    288 U.S. Highway 51
    Manitowish Waters, WI 54545
    Phone: (715) 543-2537
    http://www.bluebayouinn.com

    Sayner is lacking in breakfast choices but they do have a new TINY restaurant that opened on Labor Day weekend called Junction Cafe, they have 3 tables, four seats each. Thankfully as we pulled up, a table had just let out. So the Mrs & I sat down. A couple minutes later a single diner walked in and was waiting for a table so we invited him to join us as we had two extra seats at our table. Turns out he is a local business owner who has a business on our lake, always a good thing to know the locals & local business.
    I had a breakfast BLT, which consisted of 3 thick slices of bacon on wheat toast, w/lettuce, sunny side up egg, & tomato dressing. The latter I was a bit leery about but the acid of the dressing worked great with the egg & bacon. A delicious breakfast sandwich and all for less than $5. Mrs Sweet Willie had scrambled eggs w/a huge sausage patty. Scrambled eggs as they wouldn't (or couldn't) poach. She mentioned sausage was just ok. I for sure will be back for another sandwich.
    Junction Cafe
    2879 State Highway 155
    Sayner, WI 54560
    Phone: (715) 542-2228
    (closed Mondays)

    A new place opened in St Germain this spring called Knockers (great name :roll: ) but we always try every place near our cabin so we had to try this place even though the name told us to steer clear and the fact that it is in a strip mall (strip mall food in urban areas we all know can be terrific, I've always found strip mall food in rural areas are almost always a no go). We went in just as the Packers game was starting, we were 2 of 4 people in a 60 seat restaurant, clearly the locals go elsewhere when a game is on. We ordered a pizza & picther special for $15. Pizza was typical northwoods meh, too much medicore cheese, not enough sauce, crust is blah. While I wanted to check off Knockers as a place we didn't need to go to ever again, I caught sight of the sandwich/soup special of the day (a BLT on croissant & chili), maybe it was that I was still chilled from taking out the pier but that combo did look darn good.
    Knockers Bar
    438 Hwy 70,
    St Germain, WI 54558
    Phone: (715) 477-0594


    On a side note, for folks who are visiting the northwoods and are interested in the local artist scene, I urge you to look into the Northwoods Art Tour http://www.northwoodsarttour.com There are two tours per year, a summer tour & a fall tour.
    We sadly only visited one artist The Natural Edge http://www.naturaledge.bizland.com who produces some fantastic wood/metal work.

    FIANLLY we were able to try the smoked prime rib at Bad Bones BBQ in Minocqua, delicious, great smoke ring. It is a special that he runs once in awhile, for 2 years we haven't been in the area when he's smoked prime rib, finally got the chance to enjoy.
    Bad Bones BBQ
    Minocqua WI
    http://www.grabyourpork.com

    Anyone been to The Plantation Supper Club http://www.plantationsupperclub.com (corner of 51 & 70 East) recently? I'm curious as this place must have had near 80 cars in their lots on Saturday night. I'm guessing the spillover effect but still, that is a lot of folks going.
    -
    Last edited by Sweet Willie on October 10th, 2012, 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #70 - October 10th, 2012, 8:40 am
    Post #70 - October 10th, 2012, 8:40 am Post #70 - October 10th, 2012, 8:40 am
    Sweet Willie, have you tried Sayner Pub's pizza? That's my favorite "Northwoods Tavern Style" pizza.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #71 - October 10th, 2012, 2:16 pm
    Post #71 - October 10th, 2012, 2:16 pm Post #71 - October 10th, 2012, 2:16 pm
    eatwisconsin wrote:Sweet Willie, have you tried Sayner Pub's pizza? That's my favorite "Northwoods Tavern Style" pizza.
    Agreed, quite enjoyable!!! I used to prefer Spangs in St Germain but if staying local (St Germain/Sayner), we now go to Sayner Pub if we can't time Monical's right to avoid crowds.

    Sayner Pub
    2962 Main Street
    Sayner, WI 54560
    http://www.saynerpub.com

    Speaking of Sayner, if anyone is a golfer, Sayner is home to the Plum Lake Golf Course, a 9 hole course built in 1912. Quite a nice 9 hole to play and not waste too much time so one can get back to being on the lake. http://www.plumlakegolf.com
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #72 - October 10th, 2012, 2:53 pm
    Post #72 - October 10th, 2012, 2:53 pm Post #72 - October 10th, 2012, 2:53 pm
    Eat at the Sayner Pub in August. Very nice pizza. It has been over 35 years since I played the Plum Lake Golf course but I hear they still have the hole where the green is something like 20' below grade
    And IIRC that hole has a really long flagstick.

    Spent my youth going to Camp Highlands ( north end of Plum Lake)
  • Post #73 - October 11th, 2012, 8:09 am
    Post #73 - October 11th, 2012, 8:09 am Post #73 - October 11th, 2012, 8:09 am
    mhill95149 wrote:....but I hear they still have the hole where the green is something like 20' below grade
    And IIRC that hole has a really long flagstick.
    you recall correctly !! The par 3 you describe is still there.
    mhill95149 wrote:Spent my youth going to Camp Highlands ( north end of Plum Lake)
    Camp Highland is still on the north end of the lake, we launched our boat last fall into Plum Lake to take a leisurely cruise (with drinks of course) around the lake and we passed the camp, which boasts a huge diving platform. Quite a history I wasn't aware of, "Since 1904: oldest camp west of the Alleghenies"
    http://www.highlandsarchives.com/Highla ... lcome.html
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #74 - October 11th, 2012, 8:36 am
    Post #74 - October 11th, 2012, 8:36 am Post #74 - October 11th, 2012, 8:36 am
    My son and I have been to family camp the last two years. He is going this coming summer as well.
    Jumping off tower 3 is a rite of passage.
  • Post #75 - November 12th, 2012, 2:22 pm
    Post #75 - November 12th, 2012, 2:22 pm Post #75 - November 12th, 2012, 2:22 pm
    mhill95149 wrote:My son and I have been to family camp the last two years. He is going this coming summer as well.
    Jumping off tower 3 is a rite of passage.
    VERY COOL !!
    Sweet Willie wrote:There is a new chef in the kitchen at Sisters Saloon in St Germain has been producing many delicious items. The fish fry on Fridays have been elevated greatly (as it needed it). Pulled pork w/coleslaw on top is a wonderful sandwich. As good as the Carolina's, no, but great for Northwoods. Slider burgers have a great beefy flavor and are not overcooked. Buns here get the buttered toasted treatment and are consistently delicious with just the right amount of crispyness & butter.

    Sisters Saloon
    (715) 542-3483
    8780 Hwy 70, St Germain, WI 54558 (about 9 miles East of 51)

    FYI, Sisters Saloon is one of the bars detailed in the Wisconsin Public Television program "Bottoms Up" which discusses the history of Wisconsin's saloons. Link to the Wisconsin Public Television video is below:

    http://video.wpt2.org/video/2279165598/ ... e_Premiere

    (Sisters Saloon starts at the 29 minute mark of the program) Enjoy !

    Dawn's Never Inn in Hurley is in the video as well.

    PS: Sisters is 2 miles from our cabin so if anyone goes & wishes to share a beer (or bite to eat), just send me a message.
    -
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #76 - May 23rd, 2013, 6:49 pm
    Post #76 - May 23rd, 2013, 6:49 pm Post #76 - May 23rd, 2013, 6:49 pm
    chicagostyledog wrote:
    Bad Bone BBQ
    201 S. Milwaukee Street
    Minocqua, WI
    715-358-0200
    http://www.grabyourpork.com

    Bad Bones has now relocated !!!

    It is now at the intersection of 51N & 70E (make sure you are at 70E & NOT 70W which is much further south)

    I have to believe that this exposure on the main drag of 51 will create much greater awareness for Bad Bones, on a selfish note, this location is much quicker for me to get to, so double-yay !
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #77 - May 28th, 2013, 10:10 am
    Post #77 - May 28th, 2013, 10:10 am Post #77 - May 28th, 2013, 10:10 am
    This past Sat night (Memorial Day weekend), Mrs Sweet Willie & I tried to go to dinner at Four Seasons Supper Club in Arbor Vitae www.fourseasonssupperclub.com We arrived at 6pm full knowing that we might have a 1.5 hour wait that we'd kill on their small outdoor deck or at the bar. We were flat out told that in no way could they handle a party of two for the remainder of the evening, they were beyond booked. We now are very curious as to what is so good about this place as the prior two times we've stopped by for drinks & this time trying for dinner, Four Seasons has been slammed w/customers.

    We decided to go to Pub & Prime in St Germain (8085 State Highway 70 E, St Germain, WI 54558) Our 8oz prime rib was tender & tasty. The menu at Pub & Prime is VERY limited (rib eye steaks, ribs, prime rib, prawns, sandwiches). The attached outdoor Tiki Bar was as hopping as ever for drinks & their bar menu.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #78 - July 16th, 2013, 6:56 am
    Post #78 - July 16th, 2013, 6:56 am Post #78 - July 16th, 2013, 6:56 am
    Bad Bones BBQ is now open for breakfast, we found out via FB that Bad Bones was going to serve a BBQ Brisket hash, sounded heavenly to us, so Mrs Sweet Willie & I show up, no hash. The remainder of the breakfast menu was traditional breakfast items and we had our hearts set on the brisket hash, so we left. Bumped into the owner on our way out, he apologized for the FB announcement and explained he has a lot of ideas & wants to make sure they are executed properly, certainly a fair explanation as I'm a fan of what he is trying to do here.

    Speaking of which, Bad Bones took over a Neapolitan pizza place when they moved into the new location, there are still the expensive ovens from when the two guys from Italy opened the place. The owner of Bad Bones is thinking he wants to offer a high quality pizza, time will tell if he will. Business has been so good at the new location, that he is sourcing another large smoker as his current one is near maxed out.

    Seeing as we had to drive through St Germain to get to our shopping in Eagle River, we thought we'd stop by one of my local breakfast favorites Wolf Pack Café http://www.wolfpackcafe.4t.com who serves two dishes I really like, fried perch breakfast & the two eggs w/meatloaf. As expected by the time we got to Wolf Pack it was packed w/folks waiting outside. I won't wait usually and this time was no exception, so went down the street to DJ's Northwoods Family restaurant.

    DJs is where the Musky Queen used to be, Musky Queen was a soft serve ice cream place that was only open in summer. A childhood favorite and a favorite of guests we have at the cabin. Many of us were sad when Musky Queen closed and as a result I've shunned DJs, this morning however I was hungry & it looked like DJs had an opening. The breakfast we had was delicious ! Mrs Sweet Willie had a brat patty w/two poached eggs & I a breakfast special Panini, bread was chock full of nuts, pressed flat & crispy with a stuffing of sausage, scrambled eggs, cheese. My parents have said the items they've dined on a DJs have a higher quality level than the avg dining spot up north.

    DJ's Northwoods Family Restaurant
    332 Highway 70
    St. Germain, WI 54558
    http://premierdiningguide.com/premier_r ... estaurant/

    Had lunch in Boulder Junction at the Boulder Beer Bar (BBB). The chef/owner Jesse is the son of the chef/owner of Guide's Inn in Boulder Junction. Both father & son are graduates of the CIA in Hudson NY. We were told everything is made from scratch at BBB, the quality of our lunch made me believe this is true. I had a real turkey Rueben (yes real, not deli turkey). Parents both had walleye fingers. Mrs Sweet Willie had the brisket sandwich. Both the Rueben & walleye fingers were top notch. Better brisket to be had at Bad Bones. We all split a starter of riblets that were done on the smoker. Not enough smoke. OK, lesson learned for me, if wanting BBQ in the Northwoods, go to Bad Bones.

    Boulder Beer Bar
    5509 County Road M
    Boulder Junction, WI
    http://www.facebook.com/boulderbeerbar

    Edited to add:
    Almost forgot, we went for a small bite at the 19th Hole in St Germain, ended up getting the duck legs, 5 duck legs deep fried w/chili dipping sauce. Ducky delicious !

    19th Hole
    9067 Hwy 70 (just west of intersection of C & 70East)
    St Germain, WI
    www.whitetaillodge.com/19th-hole.php
    -
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #79 - July 24th, 2013, 1:17 pm
    Post #79 - July 24th, 2013, 1:17 pm Post #79 - July 24th, 2013, 1:17 pm
    Sweet Willie wrote:Bad Bones BBQ is now open for breakfast, we found out via FB that Bad Bones was going to serve a BBQ Brisket hash, sounded heavenly to us, so Mrs Sweet Willie & I show up, no hash. The remainder of the breakfast menu was traditional breakfast items and we had our hearts set on the brisket hash, so we left. Bumped into the owner on our way out, he apologized for the FB announcement and explained he has a lot of ideas & wants to make sure they are executed properly, certainly a fair explanation as I'm a fan of what he is trying to do here.
    -

    Update: sad to report that Bad Bones via FB is not open for breakfast or lunch, only dinner. Stated it is just to hard to find reliable help.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #80 - July 28th, 2013, 11:19 am
    Post #80 - July 28th, 2013, 11:19 am Post #80 - July 28th, 2013, 11:19 am
    Was up again this weekend, lows in the low 40s, felt like Oct but we still had great walks and some sailing & canoeing.

    Had dinner at a place we had never been to before: Voss Birchwood Lodge in Manitowish Waters www.vossbl.com/restaurant.html

    The interior is pretty amazing northwoods ambiance, birch wallpaper, a warm stone fireplace, lots of northwoods artifacts & of course stuffed animals.

    Sadly dinner did not live up to the anticipation. Small menu that isn't executed very well. Highlight was probably my apricot chicken, a chicken breast broiled, then in the last 5 mins is topped w/apricot jam w/just a slight hint of BBQ sauce. Chicken was cooked perfectly, still quite juicy. Sugar snap peas had no snap from sitting around too long.

    I would for sure stop by again for drinks in the bar and to take in the interior but the food I wouldn't bother with.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #81 - July 28th, 2013, 7:32 pm
    Post #81 - July 28th, 2013, 7:32 pm Post #81 - July 28th, 2013, 7:32 pm
    Willie, we're heading up again in early September. A quick trip with only 2 nights for dinner. Marty's is a must-do for our Saturday night. What would you recommend for a Sunday dinner? We're staying at Mill Point Resort in Manitowish. Bad Bones is probably out as I am pescatarian...
  • Post #82 - July 29th, 2013, 12:12 pm
    Post #82 - July 29th, 2013, 12:12 pm Post #82 - July 29th, 2013, 12:12 pm
    LynnB wrote:Willie, we're heading up again in early September. A quick trip with only 2 nights for dinner. Marty's is a must-do for our Saturday night. What would you recommend for a Sunday dinner? We're staying at Mill Point Resort in Manitowish. Bad Bones is probably out as I am pescatarian...
    go for drinks at some point at Voss (posted above), skip dinner.

    For dinner, if wanting to stay close to Manitowish, try Blue Bayou (posted above) or if willing to travel just a bit, Guide's Inn in Boulder Junction www.theguidesinn.com or if even further Hintz in Star Lake www.hintznorthstar.com/bar-and-restaura ... nty-resort

    I'm jealous of your dinner at Marty's we should have gone there instead of Voss but C'est la vie.
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #83 - July 30th, 2013, 8:46 am
    Post #83 - July 30th, 2013, 8:46 am Post #83 - July 30th, 2013, 8:46 am
    I'm heading up this weekend with my 4 year old son for his first northwoods adventure. Looking forward to trying some of the newer places on this thread, as well as old favorites like Minocqua Brewing and Island Cafe.

    Anyone have any great walleye or perch recently in this area? Preferably at a non-supper club kind of place (bars, casual eateries. I do like LynnB's suggestion of just buying some and bringing it back to the camper.

    Also my parents, who have a seasonal campsite up there, informed me that the Little Musky Bar is closed and for sale. Probably not a big loss since I heard the quality had gone down dramatically and it was no longer the must-visit spot.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #84 - July 30th, 2013, 8:50 am
    Post #84 - July 30th, 2013, 8:50 am Post #84 - July 30th, 2013, 8:50 am
    Sweet Willie wrote:
    eatwisconsin wrote: go to the Island Cafe in Minocqua instead. Best breakfast in the northwoods, IMHO.

    Ok, as I listed above, that is tall praise. So Mrs Sweet Willie & I went this past weekend for breakfast as no way in heck I'm going during high tourist season.

    I would restate that Island Cafe in Minocqua serves the best upscale breakfast in the northwoods.

    Island Cafe serves a lox plate which I don't think I've ever seen at a northwoods cafe. Some of the other
    specialties include gyro meat for a protien, southern pecan pancakes, corned beef hash (while Island Cafe doesn't make their own, they do get from a local meat supplier), and Crawfish Étouffée.

    I had the Crawfish Étouffée over biscuits w/two sunny side up eggs, Mrs Sweet Willie had the corned beef hash with poached eggs.

    Both of us really enjoyed our breakfast and while I think other places will serve just as good staples (pancakes, eggs, etc), we will for sure go back for the unique edge Island Cafe has, just not during high season!!! On a side note, we looked at their lunch menu, quite a few Greek specialties for lunch, might have to get back and try some of those as well.


    I agree on the comment about best upscale breakfast. I should have clarified that I don't like going out for breakfast staples like bacon and eggs or pancakes, I almost exclusively only eat breakfast fare that has some sort of a twist or is "upscale." That's why I love Island Cafe.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #85 - July 30th, 2013, 8:15 pm
    Post #85 - July 30th, 2013, 8:15 pm Post #85 - July 30th, 2013, 8:15 pm
    eatwisconsin wrote:Also my parents, who have a seasonal campsite up there, informed me that the Little Musky Bar is closed and for sale. Probably not a big loss since I heard the quality had gone down dramatically and it was no longer the must-visit spot.
    but it was Bears friendly :-)
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #86 - August 2nd, 2013, 12:40 am
    Post #86 - August 2nd, 2013, 12:40 am Post #86 - August 2nd, 2013, 12:40 am
    Tried the new Aqualand Gastropub, just slightly west of downtown Boulder Junction on K. The place has a lot of potential, with a good selection of beers on tap (at good prices), plus a wide variety in bottles, especially from smaller Wisconsin breweries. Sadly, on our visit, they hadn't worked out the kinks that come with being new. We were told food would take 25 minutes; we didn't receive it for almost an hour. Fortunately, that left more time to drink beer, and pass the time with one of the many sets of trivial pursuit cards that are along the bar. When we did get the food, it was good - better than any other bar in BJ (quesedillas and pulled pork for us). If they can get their service act together, it could become a destination for the area.

    Curiously, the logo for Aqualand looks exactly like the logo for the long-gone Aqualand zoo/amusement, which wsa just east of BJ. I wasn't able to find out if there is a connection or not.

    We also ate at the Boathouse (formerly Bosaki's) in Minoqua. Again food was good (I had the calamari steak sandwich), and the beer list was reasonable. (Although, when I asked for a Hopdinger, initially the waitress and the bartender didn't know what I was talking about. But they finally found it, and seemed surprised and pleased that it was made in Plover, just south of Stevens Point.) But the reason to go to the Boathouse is the view from the porch - picture windows looking out over the activity on Lake Minoqua.
  • Post #87 - August 2nd, 2013, 3:10 pm
    Post #87 - August 2nd, 2013, 3:10 pm Post #87 - August 2nd, 2013, 3:10 pm
    nr706 wrote:Curiously, the logo for Aqualand looks exactly like the logo for the long-gone Aqualand zoo/amusement, which wsa just east of BJ.

    Going to Aqualand was a once a summer ritual for my brother & I way back when.
    Growing up Aqualand: http://aqualandalehouse.blogspot.com/20 ... ue-of.html
    Old movie footage: http://archive.org/details/ChristopherM ... AtAqualand
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #88 - August 5th, 2013, 8:27 am
    Post #88 - August 5th, 2013, 8:27 am Post #88 - August 5th, 2013, 8:27 am
    Saturday night we headed over to the Minocqua Brewing Company for dinner. It was about a 25 minute wait for a table at 5pm so we sat at the bar and had my obligatory Wild Rice Lager. I really like that beer a lot. I followed it up with a Minocqua Pale Ale and we were seated just as I got the beer. Decided to try the Perch dinner ($15) and their Smoked Gouda and Beer Cheese Soup. The soup was very good, one of the better beer cheese soups I've had in recent years. Just a hint of smokiness and little bits of chopped vegetables made it stand out from others. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a pretzel roll in place of the baguette chunk (still good) that was served along side it.

    The perch was very good. Lightly breaded in flour and fried perfectly, all it needed was a dash of salt and a squeeze of lemon, though the remoulade served with it was better than most tartar sauce. It was served with a choice of potato (garlic mashed, sweet potato fries, or fries). Went with the regular fries and they were those beer city kind with the light batter on the outside. They were good, but had I known they were the battered kind, I would have gone with the sweets. My parents were happy to find another great spot for fish in the Minocqua area. They also recommended Heart's II on HWY 70 east in Arbor Vitae for great under-the-radar fish fry.

    Went to Trig's and they were selling their brats and a soda and chips for 3 bucks, which made a quick lunch on Friday. Picked up more brats, landjaeger, and they had a buy one get one free coupon for bacon ends and pieces so I picked up 2 of those. We also had filet mignon from Trigs on Friday night and it was really good meat. I have frisee from my CSA so looks like some frisee aux lardons is in my future. Also had to swing over to Lake Tomahawk for some jerky from the meat market.
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com
  • Post #89 - August 5th, 2013, 4:46 pm
    Post #89 - August 5th, 2013, 4:46 pm Post #89 - August 5th, 2013, 4:46 pm
    eatwisconsin wrote: They also recommended Heart's II on HWY 70 east in Arbor Vitae for great under-the-radar fish fry.

    Heart I was quite a great place for fried goods, like smelt & chicken. Heart I (which burned down, hence Heart II) and the original Heart I owner are long gone, a young couple from the area (St Germain I believe) now own/run Heart II. I have only tried to pizza which had way too much mediocre cheese on it (a common trait amongst many pizzas in the northwoods).

    We are headed up this weekend and hope to give the fish fry a shot at Heart II. Thanks.

    One of these days we'll try Minocqua Brewing Company, I just can't seem to get myself in the door, seems so corporate compared to my normal northwoods eateries. Heck I couldn't bring myself to buy gas from the first new gas station built in years in St Germain as I hate most change up north.

    Likewise when Camp's Red Owl grocery assumed the beloved St Germain bakery but the fact that the bakery still produces delicious items like plain cake donuts, apple fritters (as well as cranberry), English muffin bread (sounds strange but we love it), and kringles, I couldn't hold out for long on the bakery :D
    I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.
  • Post #90 - August 6th, 2013, 8:25 am
    Post #90 - August 6th, 2013, 8:25 am Post #90 - August 6th, 2013, 8:25 am
    I loved that St. Germain bakery and the apple fritters! Also there was a bakery on 51 in Minocqua, just north of where the Comfort Inn is that used to have great apple fritters and elephant ears. Its probably been gone 20 years but it was a must-stop back in the day.

    Minocqua Brewing Company is a family owned place. As you probably know, it was destroyed by fire about 8 years ago and was closed for a while. The previous owners had great beer and mediocre food. The new owners decided to upgrade the food and it has paid off. The burgers are awesome, the pulled beef and brie sandwich is very good, and as I mentioned, the perch was cooked perfectly. Its not northwoods fare by any stretch (aside from the perch) and it doesn't have the northwoods vibe that places like Marty's, Golden Pines, or some of the other great taverns have, but its a nice, clean, modern space in a historic building serving good beer and tasty food. I am obsessed with craft beer so I naturally gravitate to brewbups. I usually have my copy of Kevin Revolinski's Wisconsin's Best Beer Guide with me when I travel the state. Apparently there is a brewpub in Eagle River now called Tribute. I didn't go but saw growlers for sale at Trigs. Next time!
    Visit my new website at http://www.splatteredpages.com or my old one at www.eatwisconsin.com

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