Update on a few places after Labor Day weekend.

Lunch at Sisters Saloon in St Germain. Found out the chef & his wife have left Sisters Saloon, the owner has brought in a new chef. Menu is now not as extensive as before, corned beef still made in house, so rueben was good.

Dinner at Heart II in Arbor Vitae, Friday fish fry, perch & walleye still done quite well. Pizza has promise as crust is thin, sausage good as is sauce, just too much cheese. I think if one was to ask for easy cheese, this would be a very good pizza.

Dinner at Bad Bones BBQ. Looks like owner might be trying to sell, still hitting on all cylinders. They sold out of spare ribs. Brisket was best it has been.

Sweet Willie wrote:So I finally had a meal at Marty's. The roast duck w/cherry currant sauce on side was the highlight, followed by the prime rib. Both were executed well but just were not fully satisfying.

I was disappointed in the limited menu choices, especially after having such a wide variety of items at Lanny's Fireside (mentioned upstream in this thread). Probably my bad for not checking Marty's menu before going to manage my expectations.

Marty's delivers on the supper club atmosphere but I probably won't go out of my way to go again unless on a night where one of the specials catches my attention.

Very nice craft beer selection both bottles & on tap.

Marty's Place North
2721 US Hwy. 51 N
Arbor Vitae, WI 54568
715.356.4335
http://www.martysplacenorth.com
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Had dinner this past Saturday night at Marty's, they NAILED the duck this time, just outstanding.

One person in our group ordered the fried walleye, really good.

As mentioned upstream, they no longer have the all you can eat salad/relish bar but they bring a large tray full of green onion, radishes, horseradish cheese, liverwurst, ranch dressing, tuna macaroni salad.

Our group of 3 went at 7:15pm on Saturday and only had to wait <20 mins for a table.

Just returned from a weekend in Minocqua. Not a lot of eating out but a few things to add to the thread. I had heard that the new owners of the former Little Musky Bar had kind of brought back the sirloin burger to its former glory. After a day of riding the Heart of Vilas trail (with a beer stop at the Boulder Beer Bar) I decided to check it out. It's now called Preuss's Pub. The menu seems to have expanded slightly and they even had a Jucy Lucy style burger as a special (cream cheese and jalapeno stuffed). I opted for the 1/3 lb sirloin with American and fried onions. I also ordered a Keweenaw Widowmaker Black Ale (one of two Keweenaw brews on tap). The burger came out like 5 minutes and it was very good. I don't know if it was as good as before or not since it had been several years since I had one but it was perfectly cooked to medium rare and I would definitely go back and eat more of them! Served with chips and homemade French Onion Dip. Bartenders and employees are great - super friendly and happy to have your business. I am so glad this place is back to doing what they do best.

For dinner one night we went to the Minocqua Brewing Company. Usually a good bet, I now have reservations about recommending it for food. The beers are still good, but it seems the Craft Brewing scene has sort of passed them by. I understand why you want to keep with what works but as other breweries are pushing the boundaries they play it safe with the standard offering of Pale Ales, Wheats, and Porters. The standout was a Black IPA, which I would have grabbed a growler of after dinner had the bartender stopped chatting with her coworkers and noticed me standing at the bar waiting to get one.

We waited about 45 mins for a table (we were told of the wait so no biggie). The bartender (not the same one mentioned above) had zero personality and didn't seem very friendly but did get our drinks quickly so no complaints.

The food was pretty mediocre. Last time I was there I had a great Perch dinner that I raved about on here. This time they had Walleye, which I love and usually seek out up north. Too bad it was not very good. Usually the allure of walleye is the thick flaky filet. This had three very thin filets, which had me question whether it was even walleye. It was, but it wasn't very good. It was so thin that it wasn't as moist as walleye usually is and was slightly fishy tasting. The only saving grace was the remoulade served along side it. My dad's said his steak was also sort of bland. The garlic mashed potatoes were ok. The cup of beer cheese soup however was great. While our server was quite attentive and friendly it seems the kitchen was slammed as it took a very long time for everything to come out. Seemed like most tables near us had the same wait. We did notice that despite continuing to tell people it was a 30 plus minute wait, there were empty tables. I get the hunch they were understaffed.

nr706 wrote: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.

Went to Aqualand Gastropub on Saturday night. They have changed that menu since they first opened up, I seem to recall more offerings on the menu when they first opened. I'm not sure if they should be allowed to call themselves a Gastropub if all they serve is pizza and sandwiches.

Service was frazzled, I think they were thrown off by all the people up this past weekend as they were out of pizza when we arrived at 7:30pm on Saturday. Then, as a party of 3, we were seated at a 4 top, were quickly asked to move to a corner table so that a party of 4 could sit at the 4 top. We moved but of course were then forgotten about in the corner. No good deed....

Soups are homemade, we all had either the chicken noodle or the New England clam chowder. If you like potatoes, you'll love the soups as basically they were all potatoes.

The sandwiches were good but not worth the 30 minute drive for us, we'll just hit Boulder Beer Bar next time in Boulder Junction.

I will say Aqualand had a really good craft beer selection
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Stopped by Monical's for lunch on Saturday. Really good thin crust pizza, I keep forgetting to ask for more sauce as I find sauce a bit light on their pizzas. http://www.monicals.com/locations/monic ... -vitae-wi/
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Breakfast in St Germain both mornings, DJs https://www.facebook.com/DJs-Northwoods ... 808467602/ on Sunday & Wolfpack http://www.wolfpackcafe.com/ on Saturday, both very good, I really like the brat patty they both serve instead of the "usual" ham, bacon or sausage.

Bad Bones has new ownership as of a couple months ago. Stopped by this past Friday night for dinner. Pizza & BBQ are still hitting the high notes, perhaps even higher. Nice to see the quality still remains.
Bad Bones BBQ
Arbor Vitae , WI 54568
http://www.grabyourpork.com/

Breakfast on Sat morning at Wolf Pack Cafe in St Germain, brat patty delciousness for breakfast as well as homemade corned beef hash.

St Germain Bakery (inside of Camp's SuperValu St Germain) for breakfast on Sunday. EXCELLENT cake donuts, fritters (apple or cranberry) & good pastries (personal favorite is strawberry/cream cheese). Also they make English Muffin bread, if one is a fan of English Muffins, highly suggest you stop by and purchase a loaf.
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Agree with Wolfpack Café, good breakfast/lunch joint. I was up this weekend for the USA Hockey Pond Championships. Is that why you were in the area also?

Puckjam wrote:Is that why you were in the area also?

Did a bit of hiking at Bond Falls in the UP, chores at the cabin (mostly roof raking), then snowmobiling until the wee hours of Sunday morning. I'm beat ! Did you play in the pond hockey tourney?

Not this year, pulled a hammy last year. Was happy being a spectator this year. I know many people as I have been involved in the sport forever. Good time up there and super for the local business community. I stopped at Bond Falls last May for the first time in 20+ years. Still a great sound as you approach.

This past Saturday night had what was probably the finest dining experience I've had in N Wisconsin at the White Oak Grill, located at Chippewa Retreat Resort in Manitowish Waters.

The chef apparently did some time at Charlie Trotter's, wasn't explained in what capacity.

The room is beautiful, big fireplace on one end, ceiling looks like the bottom of a Viking boat with gorgeous wood beams as support.

Starters:
1/2 dozen raw oysters from near Cheasapeake Bay, fresh & shucked beautifully, just one small piece of shell. Served with both cocktail sauce and mignonette.

Korean pancake - very good, crisp, chopped shrimp but lacking scallions in the "normal" quantity I'm used to.

Scallops - cooked perfectly, they were served over blue cheese grits, delicious.

Entrees:
My friend's son had grilled filet, done perfect to his medium. Choices of sauce for steaks are bernaise, chimichurri, & others, friend's son chose chimichurri which was excellent.

Lamb chops with Moraccan spice, a little light on the spice for my taste but none the less, delicious and cooked perfectly

Osso Bucco - beef shank, very good but I'll get something else next time which there will be for sure a next time.

White Oak Grill at Chippewa Retreat Resort
13029 Deer Park Road (1/2 mile west of Hwy 51)
Manitowish Waters, WI 54545

We'll be up there late July ... White Oak Grill will be on my list to try - thanks for the writeup.

Sweet Willie wrote:Update on a few places after Labor Day weekend.

Lunch at Sisters Saloon in St Germain. Found out the chef & his wife have left Sisters Saloon, the owner has brought in a new chef. Menu is now not as extensive as before, corned beef still made in house, so rueben was good.

corned beef still quite tasty and still homemade at Sisters Saloon. Waiter stated pastrami is now also made in house, didn't get a chance to try as my dining companion wolfed their sandwich down.

Went for breakfast one morning in Eagle River as we had some errands. Stopped at Lucy's Lunchbox (east of downtown). There are about 10 tables and an 8 person stool counter.

I had what probably was the best biscuits and gravy that I've ever had, plenty of sausage in the savory gravy with some flaky yet substantial delicious biscuits under.

Mrs Willie had the corned beef hash which is also made in house.

Lucy's Lunchbox
1343 E Wall Street
Eagle River, WI
Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/LucysLunchboxER/
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Anything recent to report? We’re sending our 6 year old daughter up tomorrow for a week with her grandparents. They always do Marty’s and a few other favorites but wondering if there is anything new we can suggest...

The Guide's Inn in Boulder Junction has always been our favorite restaurant since we opened our vacation rental home in Manitowish Waters in 2001. We send all of our guests to the Guide's Inn and they've all enjoyed the experience. http://www.theguidesinn.com

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks great. They are actually staying in Manitowish Waters. Knowing my daughter she’ll skip the kids menu & go for the walleye. We’ve trained her well at L. Woods.

For something a bit more downscale, there’s always The Pea Patch, “best burger by a damn site.” (Next to the site of an old dam)

nr706 wrote:For something a bit more downscale, there’s always The Pea Patch, “best burger by a damn site.” (Next to the site of an old dam)

They make a great veggie sub!

CSD

Not in Vilas County but rather the Menominee Indian Reservation.

I had stopped on the reservation years ago and enjoyed a Indian Taco on fry bread and passing through this year I had the hankering again...



Much bigger than on my last visit but that was from a snack counter in a gas station. I was able to pick that one up and eat it.

This time it was from a bar/restaurant and it demanded a knife and fork.

War Bonnet Bar and Grill
N926 Wisconsin 47-55, Keshena, WI

The plentiful toppings were standard enough, fresh but the true star was the fry bread.

Cooked fresh (you could hear it hit the oil soon after the order went into the kitchen), a bit of chew but still plenty tender.

Also had some Cream of Potato with Chunks of Ham soup that definitely was home made with hearty namesake chunks.


Had a nice hit of pepper.

They also have an agreement with a local brewery to make a namesake beer...



All in all a great stop! Plenty of local color, great food and a nice smooth beer on tap.

Can’t ask for much more.

Better hurry as it is for sale and who knows how it will be afterwards

Hi,

I'm going to Minneapolis tomorrow. I just checked it would be a considerable diversion to get there, but I know it would be worth the effort.

If not this time, maybe soon.

Thank you!

Regards,
Cathy2