The Deal: Sideroads' fish fry has staggered pricing between $6.95 and $8.95 depending on whether you want one, two or three pieces of haddock. You can get your haddock deep fried or grilled. For sides, you can choose from a baked potato, fries, onion rings or garlicky rice. Meals are served with a small container of coleslaw (which, of course, I didn't touch) and a thick-cut, heavily buttered slice of bread.
There's no salad option, although the menu does have cheap cheese curds that your table can share. By the way, you can tell I'm from Wisconsin because I've somehow just managed to equate cheese curds with salad. Heh.
The Food: My deep fried haddock was perfectly cooked, tender and flaky. However, the breading was tasteless and added nothing more to the flavor. I opted for the garlicky rice, which was served on my plate in an unappetizing scooped shape. Blech. All I can say about it was that, yep, it was garlicky. My friends were nice enough to share their fries, which were dark, crispy & delicious.
I also sampled the grilled haddock and I thought it had a nice, spicy flavor. It's served with butter for dipping, but I'd skip the butter and savor that flavor.
True to our Wisconsin form, our table shared some cheese curds which were, of course, a delicious Badger treat. Yum!
The flavor: Sideroads is described as a "rustic bar and grill serving seafood, sandwiches, subs, pizza, and a full alcoholic bar." That about covers it. Although, for a rustic place, it has a lot of flair, like Paul Bunyonesque saws on the wall and more beer tchotchkes than you can imagine. The whole place kind of reminded me of a dive bar version of Madison's Ella's Deli. The kids sure loved it.
Second opinions:
None...yet
Showing posts with label Wisconsin Rapids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisconsin Rapids. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wild Horse Saloon - Kellner, WI
The deal: The Wild Horse Saloon, just past the outskirts of Wisconsin Rapids, offers a two or three-piece cod fish fry for around $7 or fancier fish like grilled rainbow trout for about $12. All entrees include rolls, a choice of fries, red potatoes or hash browns and coleslaw. For an extra $2, add a trip to the salad bar or soup.
The food: Everyone in our group was disappointed in the "home fries". Expecting thick cut or cross cut fries, instead they received what just looked like normal, somewhat greasy fries. Ho hum. The hash browns, on the other hand, had a nice and crispy crust and were buttery without being greasy.
The cod was also crispy, but the batter lacked flavor. Some in our party had flaky fish. I didn't. While my fish didn't taste bad, it was almost more chunky than crispy. The rainbow trout had decent flavor, but the filet was too thin and therefore it was overcooked.
The rolls were obviously store bought and were not served warm, which is a big no-no in my book. The salad bar was good - a wide variety of vegetables, a few prepared salads and a nice addition of crustinis with various cheese spreads. What a good idea!
The flavor: Since Wisconsin isn't yet completely smoke free, you have to navigate your way through a smoky bar to the back dining room at the Wild Horse Saloon. It's a no frills kind of place. That's not a bad thing at all, you just can't go in expecting anything fancy. What you're going to get is decent food, decent drinks (as a beer snob, I have to say that I almost cried at the terrible tap beer list - lots of Miller & Bud products) and salty, but helpful, service.
Second opinions:
None...yet
The food: Everyone in our group was disappointed in the "home fries". Expecting thick cut or cross cut fries, instead they received what just looked like normal, somewhat greasy fries. Ho hum. The hash browns, on the other hand, had a nice and crispy crust and were buttery without being greasy.
The cod was also crispy, but the batter lacked flavor. Some in our party had flaky fish. I didn't. While my fish didn't taste bad, it was almost more chunky than crispy. The rainbow trout had decent flavor, but the filet was too thin and therefore it was overcooked.
The rolls were obviously store bought and were not served warm, which is a big no-no in my book. The salad bar was good - a wide variety of vegetables, a few prepared salads and a nice addition of crustinis with various cheese spreads. What a good idea!
The flavor: Since Wisconsin isn't yet completely smoke free, you have to navigate your way through a smoky bar to the back dining room at the Wild Horse Saloon. It's a no frills kind of place. That's not a bad thing at all, you just can't go in expecting anything fancy. What you're going to get is decent food, decent drinks (as a beer snob, I have to say that I almost cried at the terrible tap beer list - lots of Miller & Bud products) and salty, but helpful, service.
Second opinions:
None...yet
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Branding Iron - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
The Deal: The Branding Iron Supper Club just south of Wisconsin Rapids offers haddock, walleye and lake perch for between $9.50 and $11.50 for its fish fry. Meals include baked beans, coleslaw and choice of potato (fries, baked potato or garlic mashed potatoes). You can add a salad bar for $3.50. A word of caution - the food is served family style, even if you don't all order the same thing. That's right - you get a plate of a mixed fish and another plate of mixed potatoes. It's weird.
The Food: Well, to put in bluntly, the Branding Iron was branded "shitty" by our party. The "fried" fish looked like frozen fish from the grocery store simply baked in the oven. The baked haddock, on the other hand, looked like something whipped up by the lunch ladies of St. Vincent de Paul grade school on a day they decided that they just didn't like children anymore. It was gross - big, fleshy squares of fish. I had the walleye and it tasted okay, but was certainly nothing special and was certainly not actually made in the Branding Iron's kitchen.
The salad bar was okay. You'd enjoy it more if you're a big fan of prepared salads, which I'm not. We suspected that the french fries came from a bag in the freezer, but the garlic mashed potatoes were pretty tasty and not at all too garlicky.
The Flavor: In theory, the Branding Iron's shitty food would probably taste better if you had a few drinks in you. In reality, this will be a big problem since the waitstaff is incredibly slow and inattentive. Perhaps they know how bad the food is and they're dreading having to deal with irate and disappointed customers.
If you do manage to score a drink, there is a nice-sized beer list, a number of cheap, boozy cocktails and traditional ice cream drinks like Brandy Alexanders and grasshoppers. You may want to double fist and order two at a time. Just sayin'...
Second Opinions
WSAW.com
The Food: Well, to put in bluntly, the Branding Iron was branded "shitty" by our party. The "fried" fish looked like frozen fish from the grocery store simply baked in the oven. The baked haddock, on the other hand, looked like something whipped up by the lunch ladies of St. Vincent de Paul grade school on a day they decided that they just didn't like children anymore. It was gross - big, fleshy squares of fish. I had the walleye and it tasted okay, but was certainly nothing special and was certainly not actually made in the Branding Iron's kitchen.
The salad bar was okay. You'd enjoy it more if you're a big fan of prepared salads, which I'm not. We suspected that the french fries came from a bag in the freezer, but the garlic mashed potatoes were pretty tasty and not at all too garlicky.
The Flavor: In theory, the Branding Iron's shitty food would probably taste better if you had a few drinks in you. In reality, this will be a big problem since the waitstaff is incredibly slow and inattentive. Perhaps they know how bad the food is and they're dreading having to deal with irate and disappointed customers.
If you do manage to score a drink, there is a nice-sized beer list, a number of cheap, boozy cocktails and traditional ice cream drinks like Brandy Alexanders and grasshoppers. You may want to double fist and order two at a time. Just sayin'...
Second Opinions
WSAW.com
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