The Longhouse at North Star Mohican Casino - Bowler, WI

My friend Jamie went up North and re-reviewed the new fish fry at The Longhouse, now featuring a buffett!

In summer, the far-flung members of my family usually spend some time in their native Shawano County and this almost always includes a meal or two (or three+ in the case of my Auntie & Grandma) at The Longhouse. I made it there in time for Friday Fish Fry! The Friday Fish Fry at the Longhouse is a bit different than when I reviewed it last summer.

It is now a buffet, featuring both beer-battered and baked haddock. This also includes a salad bar with a non-iceberg lettuce mix and assortment of toppings and dressing. Looked great but I passed right on by the salad and started my meal both a corn muffin & a piece of marble rye bread. I always love the option to have both baked and fried fish. The side was perfectly crispy wedges of red potatoes. The fish was perfectly battered and flavorful (I also had the good fortune of arriving just as they were refilling the tray with a fresh batch). Should one be so inclined (as I am not) there is a Lemon & Dill Remoulade sauce & coleslaw to accompany your fish.

Rainbow Grille - Nekoosa, WI

The Deal: The Rainbow Grille at the Ho-Chunk Casino in Nekoosa offers a cod, shrimp or perch fish fry for between $7.95 - $10.95. Your fish comes with tartar sauce, a mustard sauce, dinner rolls and a choice of potato. While I was disappointed that it didn't come with salad, I was pleasantly surprised with the potato choices: fries, sweet potato fries, baked potato, rice pilaf and a delicious-sounding mixture of hash browns and cheese.

The Food: I opted for the perch and sweet potato fries. I got three nice sized pieces served with a lemon wedge (bonus points!). The breading was nice, thin & crispy and the fish was perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, the fish didn't really have a lot of flavor minus the lemon. I enjoyed the texture, but just a little bit of seasoning might have added a lot to the meal. The fries, on the other hand, were delightful. I adore the creaminess of good sweet potato fries and these delivered. The dinner rolls were okay. My dining companion got some cranberry butter with her meal. I borrowed some for my dinner roll and it made the roll a nice sweet, but light, contrast to the rest of the meal. I don't think it's typically served with the dinner rolls, so be sure to ask for it.

The beer list was pretty weak - Miller and some Leinies on tap with Blue Moon and Spotted Cow (although they ran out of it) in bottles. I think with better than decent food, the Rainbow Grille could certainly stand to upgrade the beers. C'mon, it's Wisconsin. I don't even think they had Point Beer?!?

The Flavor: The Rainbow Grille is an oasis of calm within the madness of the casino. I guess it's a good place to take a break from losing money or to celebrate big wins. I actually think it's one of the better places to eat in central Wisconsin. It's certainly one of the most interesting, what with the cross-section of Wisconsin just outside the entrance.

Second Opinions:

Uptake

The Longhouse at North Star Mohican Casino - Bowler, WI

More thanks to Jamie for yet another review. Someone has to pick up my slack!

Wow, this is the best fish fry I’ve had in some time. To my delight the server told us that The Longhouse’s fish fry included four pieces of fish: one walleye, two cod and one tilapia. I love that you don’t have to choose one variety – you get them all! While my family and I hungrily awaited the arrival of our entrées we received baskets of frybread (yum!) and a lovely cornbread that was made with pieces wild rice as well. It was hard to save room for fish!

My Aunt ordered the dandelion green salad with acorn squash, pomegranate and acorn seeds. Yep, dandelion. It was delish but then again when I’m not eating fish fries, I’m a pretty healthy eater so I realize this won’t be to everyone’s taste. I love the cultural touches in the menu, definitely a huge step up from North Star’s previous fast-food style offerings. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. Excellent graphic design too, as seen on the signage and menus which were made of some sort of natural fiber exterior.

Now, back to the main course: the walleye was by far my favorite, with a flavor of its own while the cod and tilapia were more of a neutral base to the flavor of the batter. All the fish had great texture, not at all chewy. The batter was perfectly crisp with flecks of cornmeal throughout it, another traditional touch! The fries were crisp and delicious as well. And again with the rye bread, two pieces this time! I have heard that rye was traditionally included I can’t recall ever receiving it in my recent history. Not that I needed it, what with the fry bread and all, but I still ate it! All this for $9.99!