5th Quarter

I must give the cheese curds 5 stars. Excellent.

This place was just within walking distance of the hotel I was staying at. When I asked the front desk about here, they gave me a sheepish response about it being a sports bar and "just bar food." Well you wouldn't think being in Wisconsin that it would really matter that much, being a sports ball and all. But I realized after what they were talking about was both the food and the service -- the former being fair at best, and the latter being unacceptable.

I arrived on Sunday night, with your typical post-Packers football game on one of their multiple screens over the bar. (Well, one of them was showing a long infomercial.) There's a real local crowd here, but the type of crowd that didn't seem to venture outside of town much. I learned the guy working the bar and serving my food also owns the place. I overhead him mentioning that he bought it from a woman who didn't have enough dishes and had the place in disrepair.

I ordered two beers, which were the best part for them being so inexpensive. (The Oktoberfest was just 2 bucks on draft.) The glasses were well chilled, and I could always expected good bar service. I ordered the broiled haddock and a baked potato -- both tasted alright, but very plain looking on the plate. (Don't expect anything beyond margarine in a mini peel-off and sour cream in a small plastic container.)

The worst part is It took me nearly 15 minutes to receive my bill after I asked for it. Not just on the time I waited, but the dazed response from the owner who said to me, "Oh I didn't know you asked for it." (Really? Because you were so busy serving drinks to your regulars on the end of the bar and ignoring me?) I left a 12% tip, and I felt even that was too generous. No apology, and not even a working pen.

This is a sports bar that doesn't give out-of-towners anywhere near the level of service and attention that they give to the local regulars. But that being said, it's a place that is no where near the shape it should be to run smoothly. The last thing I heard while leaving was the owner saying, "Nothing around here works anymore."

My recommendation is if you really need a place to just drink beer and catch the game, this will certainly do. If you're planning on having dinner, go to the Subway, Burger King, McDonald's, or Tom's Restaurant nearby.

Great if you are going to watch a game. If you aren't going to watch a game, I'm not crazy about the place. Decor is great, prices are a little steep though, especially compared to the other bars in the area.