Visited here with friends and to try the fish fry; must say, I was impressed! Â McFarland knows how to do a good fish fry, what with Toby's just down the road and now 5100.
We arrived at 7:30pm on Friday night and discovered a parking lot that was packed. Â Once inside, we discovered 5100 has a ton of seating available, so much in fact that we were immediately seated in the small banquet room just behind the bar area.
Server arrived quickly and recommended the cheese curds and clam chowder for starters. Â We obliged the recommendation and also ordered a round of brews; 5100 has at least 20 different beers on tap.
Curds arrived and they were impressive. Â Clearly hand-made in-house; they were lightly battered and perfectly fried. Â Batter featured a slightly peppery taste which went well with the yellow curds. Â They were so good that we ordered a second round. Â I'd highly recommend the curds.
I'm told the chowder was "excellent" as well, so we were batting .1000 right off the bat. Â Our server returned to take our dinner orders. Â 4 orders of deep fried cod, 1 order of baked cod, and 1 order of chicken fingers. Â
Here's my only gripe with 5100 - their friday specials are limited to cod (fried or baked) and smelt. Â That's it. Â No walleye, no lake perch, no bluegill...
After a 30-minute wait, our fish arrived and it was superb. Â Four nicely sized portions of cod that were perfectly battered. Â The batter reminded me a bit of the Vande Kemps batter - nicely browned, perfectly applied, clingy, crunchy, and non-greasy. Â It won praise from everyone at the table. Â The cod itself was absolutely pristine - perfectly white, super mild flavor, flaky, firm - just the way you'd like to see it.
The baked cod was perfectly prepared as well; not dry, not overly buttery. Â
Fries were excellent - thicker than matchsticks but not as thick as a steak fry. Â
The chicken tenders were a hit because you could tell they were hand-made in house. Â No freezer-bag specials here - just high quality, pure breast meat tenders with that awesome batter applied and fried.
After we paid our tab, we adjourned to the large bar area where we enjoyed a final beverage while watching the numerous flat screen televisions, all of which were clear, bright, and perfectly placed.
A stellar evening. Â I'll definitely be back.
5100 = WIN
Food = 4.5 stars
Service = 4 stars
Value = 4 stars
MISC = 4 stars
I just realized that I've eaten here at least 16 times...wonder why I'm getting a little chubby? I've got to say that the service, especially at the bar, is awesome. In the interest of fairness, I do notice some differences in food quality of certain items- I think it depends on who's cooking-but they've been really open to constructive feedback, which I do appreciate.
Review Source:Good food, good service, fun atmosphere. The brisket Cheddar sandwich is vary good, I had it with mashed potatoes witch are also good. I tried some of the french fries my wife had, they were just so so. A down fall is that the burgers only come on a pretzel roll, so if you don't like pretzel rolls your out of luck when it comes to the burgers, but there are other bun choices for the other sandwiches. The prices are a little on the high side.
Review Source:This place, which started with so much potential and so much local goodwill, is slowly squandering it. Having been here three times, I've noticed a marked decline in service and attentiveness.
The servers seem untrained and just unfamiliar with how friendly, attentive and efficient service should go. While the menu has always been interesting (for a bar/restaurant, anyway), the execution has been very inconsistent. I agree with a previous reviewer about portion sizes...never the same twice. Sometimes quality is excellent, sometimes it's just not very good.
I would love this place to be a thriving destination for the whole Madison area, but I fear it'll end up being McFarland Townie Bar #4.
Ate here twice for breakfast. Ordered the same thing (Avocado Scramble) each time. The second time, the serving size was half of what I received the first time. The service is inattentive. On the second visit, the server didn't offer cream or sugar for my coffee, and when I requested a refill, she just brought another full mug, so I had one and half mugs of coffee sitting there. Hopefully the service will get better, as it seems like a nice addition to McFarland.
Review Source:I went as part of a large group and the service was excellent. I grew up in southern Wisconsin, but living out of state, I had to try the walleye - it was excellent! My wife and daughter both had the salmon sandwich, and it was so good it ALMOST made me wish I had ordered it too! My son-in-law was just as pleased with his bacon cheeseburger. This place has 52 widescreen TV's - from any vantage point you can see several (there's even one in the men's room!). If you're in the McFarland area, you HAVE to try this place!
Review Source:Tried this place based on prior reviews and their presence in Mad City Cocktail book..This is the old Ponderosa. Remodeling that has been done is remarkable! I counted a minimum of 25 HD flat screens..Bar and dining area comfortable and nicely appointed..Good beer selection.Happy hour until 6PM.It was a Thurs evening and place was busy.Server advised that there was all ready a waitng list for Friday fish fry[which includes all you can eat smelt]. Had smoked pastrami rueben which was excellent and comes with tasty fries.Companion had beef brisket sandwich which was good albeit on the "dry" side.Service was very attentive and friendly[Jenny],Definitely will return to what has now become my favorite tavern grill in McFarland.
Review Source:Very impressive! Â Classic American sports bar-type atmosphere, tons of TVs, decent tap beer lineup and really solid food overall. Â My family and I popped in here last night as they just opened and last night was the first night they were serving food. Â We opted for a few apps, our wings were fantastic, the beef wontons were outstanding and the cheese curds were unreal, like none I've ever had before. Â To quote my wife when referring to 5100 as the new kid on the block, "Green Lantern and Beach House better step up their game." Â Welcome to McFarland 5100, very glad to have you!
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