Three Coins (Holiday Acres Resort)

We've eaten at Holiday Acres in the past and not been overly happy, so it's been awhile since we've been there. I ran across their website last week by accident, and saw that their menu looked different, and their chef had won an award. (See their website here: http://holidayacres.com/3coins.html). So I thought we better give them another shot!

I am really happy we tried again, as we had a very good experience. The service wasn't fantastic, but it was good enough. The food though was GREAT! Their new menu is much improved and offers more interesting options. I had "Chef Tom's Pork Athena" which was amazing! Also I had a most delicious Sweet Red Pepper soup, and the salads everybody else had looked very fresh and crisp. I'd like to try a few other things on the menu, and their desserts looked mighty tasty.

Give this place a shot if you haven't been in awhile, or never tried it. We'll be going back! You can call for reservations as well: 715-369-1500.

Shady Sue's, Rhinelander

We've eaten at Shady Sue's several times in the past. People from out of town seem to enjoy it for some reason. It is very quaint...

(715) 369-5252
3220 Boyce Dr
Rhinelander, WI 54501
Here's a map

It's kinda in the middle of nowhere, and only has about 10 tables, and a large bar. Our guests were most impressed by the assortment of wild birds eating outside of one of the windows, along with a variety of squirrels.

What I hear the most about Shady Sue's from other people is they LOVE the ribs. 3 out of 4 of us got the ribs, and everybody RAVED about them. They were nice & meaty, not fatty. Cooked perfectly. Sauce wonderful! I got the pecan walleye dish, which was quite good! My favorite part of Shady Sue's is the carrots. They are ROUND and very sweet - I think they are doused in honey or something. We also got salad, which was good, and bread, which was HOT and tasty. Somebody got a Prime Rib soup which they said was fantastic.

Prices are a little high, as it is a "supper club" that is normal around here.

All in all, its a cute little place to take folks now & then. And if you are a rib fan, this is the place to go!

Circle K - Pasta Night, Rhinelander

The other week some friends & myself went to "Pasta Night" at the Circle K, which is just outside Rhinelander. Here's Google Maps to it

It is your typical bar with a seating area for dining. However it was pleasantly larger than I expected and bright. Also it seemed well ventilated and I didnt notice any smoke from the bar.

Wed is "Pasta Night" here - they have a regular menu too, and I am told everything is good. They have a Friday Fish Fry, and Prime Rib on Saturday. We stuck with the Pasta! You get to choose what type of pasta, what type of sauce, and any extras like chicken, shrimp, spinach, mushrooms, etc. I chose the Bowtie pasta with alfredo, and chicken & spinach. Turns out they were out of spinach, but that was okay. Mine was absolutely wonderful and yummy! The chicken was tasty, and the sauce just perfect. Plus it came with these two FABULOUS breadsticks I could just die for. Others had marinara, or meat sauce. A couple people had the shrimp, which sounded as though was surprisingly good.

I would definately go here again for pasta, and might try it some nigh for burgers, etc. Give it a try!

Cookies at Kid's Corner

I most often grab lunch at Kid's Corner on Fridays. I get a #9 6" whole wheat, no onions, house dressing. I also get a cup of soup if they have something good.

Today a basket of cookies caught my eye near the cashier. It's usually there, but it was quite full today and I was scanning it while waiting to pay my bill. I saw one labeled "Carmel Apple"...and just had to try it. I have never seen a carmal apple cookie!

I just have to say, this cookie was outstanding. YUM! It sorta reminded me of apple cinnamon oatmeal, but with LOTS of apple, and then the added bonus of yummy chunks of goopy carmel. It was very tasty!

There were bunches of different kinds of cookies, so now I think I am in trouble, given how much I enjoyed these cookies!

Bucketheads, Rhinelander

They always have good food, burgers & chicken sandwiches, you know, the normal bar food. But it is very tasty, and they have some good combinations. Their "Cowboy Killer" is always a very popular burger to order, and I almost always order the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich. Also they have sweet potato fries you can get instead of regular fries which I adore! They have some good appetizers as well.

However, I don’t recommend getting a Cosmo there! I asked for a Cosmo, with Kettle One, figuring well, they can’t screw it up too bad. Unfortunately, it was like pure vodka, which I guess some people might like, but I like to ENJOY my drink, not cringe with every sip. I got a glass of cranberry juice with ice and was mixing it. The good part of this is that our waitress noticed, and actually asked me if I liked my drink! I told her well, no, it is the worst Cosmo ever. She took it off our bill! I am totally impressed with this, and although I would not ever order a Cosmo again, I would order some other "safer" drink like wine. :-)

For dinner I tried a different sandwich - the spicy chicken sandwich. It was really yummy, though I got the blue cheese dressing on the side so I could put on the portion I wanted as I don’t tend to like much of this. Kevin got the bacon cheddar ranch burger I think, which he ate all of and enjoyed as well. For an appetizer we got their chips & salsa. Supposedly the chips are homemade, but they weren’t warm or anything which I expected. They did have some good spices put on them and we liked them and ate all of them.

So in the end, enjoyed as usual!

Fireside, Rhinelander

Last night we ate dinner at the Fireside:
http://www.firesidesupperclub.com/

We have not gone here in over a year, due to being unhappy with the service & food. It was a culmination of a couple years bad service & food, including a "bad tail" (lobster), that put Kevin off lobster entirely for almost 2 years (his favorite food!). Anyway, the Fireside has a habit of seating you at the bar first, then offering you a menu at the bar, and continuing to keep you at the bar until you've ordered, and they've placed your salad at your table. This really bugs me. I go out to eat to sit at a TABLE and eat a nice meal, not sit uncomfortably at the bar, eyeing all the empty tables wondering why I have to order from the bar.

Anyway...So we gave it another shot last night. 1st of all, they did seat us at the bar while a table became available, which is perfect accepetable. 10 minutes later the hostess came to us letting us know our table was ready, but handing us menus asking if we'd like to take a look. We were quite adamant that no, we'll go sit down. Weird.

We ordered as an appetizer the "Brewhouse Combo" which is basically a little bit of all the deepfried appetizers they have (that is ALL they have..deepfried appetizes...) It was okay.

I ordered the southwest tilapia, which was tilapia encrusted with tortilla chips and served with salsa. It was alright. You also get a nice salad, AND soup, along with a starch side. I got the twice baked potato, which was yummy. My friend Jennifer got a filet with scallops. She said the scallops were good. The filet was okay, but she was just happy to have not had to make dinner herself! Kevin also got the filet and it was dreadful. He asked for medium to medium rare...and it came practically well done. I tried a bite, and almost spit it out it tased so horrible. He ate "some" of it. His fries were good.

Our server was good, but the wait in between our salad & soup was about a half hour, and then again for our entree. I am all for a leisurly meal, but this was out of control. I think we were there over 2 hours.

We wont be going back, and I do not recommend this at all. Ever.

Bugsy's Bar, Rhinelander

A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I met at Bugsy's for Pizza on a Thursday night. Bugsy's has recently undergone a bit of a change - they've moved out most of the pool tables, and opened up most of that previous pool area for actual seated dining. Menus, waitress and all! They have also extensively changed up their menu, and added all kinds of new things. I really suggest anybody who hasnt been there in awhile go check it out. It was a nice change, and fun to be able to watch people walking by out the window as we ate. The pizza was good, as usual!

http://www.bugsyssportsbar.com/Bugsy_s_Menu.html (website not current)

Holiday Acres, Rhinelander

We ate at Holiday Acres this past Saturday night. We havent been there in over a year I think. Here's a link:

http://holidayacres.com/3coins.html

It is sorta way out in the boonies of Rhinelander, and is a resort, so there are large groups usually eating there, also it is on the snowmobile trail and popular with them.

The service we got was very good, and we really enjoyed the cute little crispy breadsticks with cheese spread. Our bread & salad were both very good as well - we really liked the cranberry vinegrette and the bread was YUMMY with some sort of garlic butter on top! Plus it was warm.

Then it happened. The wait. We waited, and waited...and waited. We looked around, and the other 5 or so tables were ALSO waiting, or eating a salad...We were concerned. It took MUCH too long to get our entree. When it finally did arrive, we were very impressed with the presentation of our meals. Everything was very tasty as well. I had the smoked pork chop (not normal for me, but I dont care for much on their menu) and really enjoyed it. It came with this chipotle sauce that was great. Kevin got the filet with shrimp. He figured the shrimp were microwaved, but tasted okay. The filet however was very good, well cooked and flavorful.

However, the wait, and limited menu for me, makes this a place we wont visit again soon.

Crimson Cafe, Rhinelander

I got a salad from the "Crimson Cafe" yesterday for lunch. It was VERY good. They also have a variety of intersting Panini sandwiches, and feature soups as well.

This is a tiny little place that is somewhere across from like the bridal store, and Arby's area, in those little businesses that are also houses, etc. ? If you are heading out of town towards Kohl's, this would be on the right. You have to take a quick right, then another right to head down an alley, and park behind the house. Sorta strange, but I recommend it! There were about 8 small tables inside, and almost half of them were full.

It is also a coffee shop...and the sign said lunch is served 11-2 Mon-Sat.

Kid's Corner Soup!

Yesterday was at Kid's Corner in Rhinelander again for what has become my Friday lunch....Today they had a Tomato Bisque soup, which sounded good so I got it. WOW! Talk about delicious! I am now very excited to try some of their other soup. I wonder if it is homemade. It was very very very delicious. Highly recommended!

Added: Lasagna Soup - TO DIE FOR!

Kid's Corner Subs

I used to eat at Subway about once a week, but got irritated by little things here and there, and the prices just seemed to go up & up & up. So, I decided to scope out one of the local sub shops in Rhinelander - Kid's Corner.

I am EXTREMELY happy with the subs I get there. Generally I get a 6" whole wheat Packer sub. It has 3 kinds of meat, and whatever else I want. I LOVE their bread. It is super soft and just overall yummy. On top of that, they have a very tasty "house dressing" I get on my sub that I love as well. The BEST PART is that this sub is like, $3.50!!!!! It's so cheap I can hardly stand it. I could get a 12" for the same price as a Subway 6"!!!

Kid's Corner also has pizza, and various other items. I get some fancy cheese from here as well when I make mac 'n cheese...it's reasonalbly priced and you can get just a small amount.

I highly recommend Kid's Corner!

The BOOTH List at the Pub

We went to the Rhinelander Cafe & Pub Friday night like we have every Friday for nearly the past 2 years. We were told the wait was 30 minutes, which was a bit long, but we didnt want to go anywhere else so we sat at the bar and drank and waited. Finally we got our table and as the hostess was directing us to it, I saw somebody clearing out a nicely positioned booth, away from all the traffic, etc. So I said, "Oh, could we sit over there?" and pointed at the booth. The hostess informed me that she would have to see who was on the "Booth list" first, and if there were people ahead of us then no we could not sit there.

Let me tell you - there were very few people left in this restaraunt who had been there longer than us!!! I complained a bit, noting how were we supposed to know about the "Booth List" and that we had been here as long as anybody else, why cant we sit where a table is cleared! It was to no avail, so I accepted the moderate table. But I was annoyed the whole time we were there.

So, if you go to the Pub, you better as to get on the Booth List!

Friendship House for Breakfast

This past weekend we decided to have a late breakfast, and opted for the "Friendship House" which is over by Shopko. This same restaraunt started as a Wendy's which didnt make it, and then a Mexian place, which also didnt make it. Friendship House seems to be doing okay and might stick.

We had eaten a lunch here awhile back, and were NOT impressed, although they have an extensive menu. The meal just wanst memorable. The place reminds me of your normal sorta "family" type restraunt like Bob Evans, etc.

A few months ago we decided to have breakfast here, because we were sick of all the other places and decided to risk it. We enjoyed it very much. The service was good enough, and meal was quick. I had "Blueberry Fritter French Toast" which I loved very much. Kevin had some sort of breakfast sandwich. They refill your coffee & water constantly.

This time, I had the same thing, and Kevin had some general eggs, toast, meat, pancake type deal. He did not enjoy his at all - it was just kinda bland & eggs not cooked well. I got the same french toast I did the last time, and still loved it.

Overall, I guess it works in a pinch. It's nothing special, that is for sure. Good for families, as we saw lots of those, and older people as well. The food is middle-of-the-road, but there are certainly an abundance of choices.

Wolff's Log Cabin

Wolff's is over across the street from the AmericInn and Holiday Inn Express(now a comfort inn). Nice location for people staying at the motels. I havent eaten here in awhile, so my dad & I went the other night when he was in town. I enjoyed my meal entirely! As did my dad! He had some juicy pork chops, and I had a pecan chicken dish. They seem to have re-done their menu and had some new choices. The salad bar wasnt half bad either. Our waitress did a pretty good job; in the past I have boycotted Wolff's due to poor service. Sometimes it just depends what waitress you get. I think I might start going here again.

Chinese Buffet near Walmart

I called China Wok for take-out tonight, only to be dismayed to hear they are under construction for another week! Drat. I took a risk and figured I'd head to the China Buffet over by Wal-Mart since I was out already. You can go in & fill up your to-go container with whatever you want from the buffet for a pretty cheap rate. My total was like $6.99 which was super cheap for a huge box full.

However...food was iffy. There is a reason I dont typically go to this place. The crab rangoon was DREADFUL. It was mostly cream cheese....really awful. There was some tasty, but way overcooked General Tsao's Chicken. The Garlic Chicken was good, but some of the chicken scared me as it was just a little to rubbery. I had a teryaki stick of chicken that started out good, but one bit was all fatty & gross & that was the end of that. The rice was good. The sweet & sour sauce left much to be desired. Overall...next time China Wok is closed I'll just eat a bowl of cereal.

Rhinelander Pub & Cafe

Friday night we generally make a rule of eating dinner out, and for the past year we have done so almost exclusively at the Rhinelander Pup & Cafe. It is located on main stree in downtown Rhinelander, and has been there since the beginning of time. It is always a hit with visitors and has a nice atmosphere. There is a decent bar, and LOTS of seating. However be warned, they are not in any hurry here - it is a take your time kind of place. Do not go here if you are on a tight schedule.

We arrived later than usual at about 8pm and the place was PACKED. Must have been all out-of-towners visiting. We sat at the bar for a good 30 minutes waiting for a table. I had my usual, and highly recommended, Chocolate Martini. Kevin had his usual Crown & Coke.

Happily we were seated at a booth right in the middle of the main area. Sometimes they try to seat you right next to the kitchen door, or too close to the bar or entrance of the place - stay away from those tables at all costs.

Waitress: left much to be desired. Often in this place, its all about who you get, not necessarily what you eat! Our waitress was not very pleasant, never smiled, and hardly even made eye contact. She dropped 2 half-full waters at our table & said she'd be right back - and didnt come back for a good 10 minutes. I asked what the specials were & she muttered something about what was in the menu and then in a monotone voice told us the rest. We just gave up & placed our order.

Food here is most often always good - regardless of waitress received. There is one waitress here we adore inparticular so are always hopeful to get her and it keeps us going back. Kevin had the "Pup Special" which is a French Dip. It was good as usual, though the dip was very very salty. I had the Raspberry Walnut Salad with Chicken which I highly recommend and love. I suggest asking for a side of the raspberry dressing as sometimes it's a little light for my taste.

Overall it was an okay experience. We have had better at this restraunt. Maybe next week!