Fife Lake Inn

There are only three places to eat in Fife Lake. We don't care for one of them due to cleanliness and food quality. We love the other place for breakfast, but they aren't open on Sunday evenings. The Fife Lake Inn is open every day, late into the night. They are a family friendly restaurant as well as a bar, but the environment is usually fairly quiet and easy going.
We stopped in for dinner yesterday and sat by the window so we could listen to the live band that was playing in the street for a Labor Day weekend celebration. We also had a terrific view of the beautiful lake.
Our food came out quickly and was very good. My husband ordered the potato skins, which were large potatoes, absolutely stuffed with ham, bacon, and cheese. They filled his large plate and was too much for one person to eat, even as their meal. My cod sandwich and fries were good, and I left stuffed too. Our server was friendly and helpful. We had an overall good experience.
We have eaten here many times. The food is consistent and the prices fair.

Under new ownership for some months as of the time of this writing (October 18, 2012), the Fife Lake Inn is a combination bar and restaurant that also makes and delivers its own pizzas.  Though it's a favorite local bar, the large dining area is family friendly.  It's light and airy, and the new no-smoking rule makes for a pleasant dining experience.  

The Inn has an authentic rustic feel, with its varnished wooden walls and beams, and the view from the windows that line the front wall is of Fife Lake that is right across the (narrow) street.  There is plenty of parking in the back of the building.  

The wait staff is attentive, knowledgeable,  and friendly.  The food we ordered came out in a timely fashion, was hot and very well prepared.

While the menu is traditional American fare, the preparation is more interesting than either the menu or the price would suggest.  We've ordered mainly the pizza and hamburgers, but the Inn often has specials like their shrimp dinners which they offer 3 different ways.  The burgers come with a side; one has a choice of sides; I don't recall all the choices (there were about 5) as I stopped her at the sweet potato fries.  

I ordered the mushroom-Swiss burger with sweet potato fries, and was surprised at the size of the burger and quality of the food, which was excellent.  My meal was around $8, not counting drink.      

The pizza has a medium thick crust; the outer crust is crisp but it has a tender crumb.  It's a bit buttery (which I personally like).  I've noticed a trend in some rural areas where the pizza is undercooked and doughy in the center; it seems as though the makers are afraid of over-cooking them.  Not so at the Fife Lake Inn--every pizza we've ordered from them (4 times as of this writing) has been excellently cooked, the crust golden brown and tasty.  

The salad bar is small, but their home made coleslaw is a treat; they also have several other homemade salads--a cabbage/mustard vinaigrette medley and a pasta salad.  The house dressing was interesting--it was a type of (raspberry?) vinaigrette that I enjoyed and would like to sample again.

The only negative I noted on a recent trip was that the typical mix of salad greens were obviously old, some even slightly browning.  This was unfortunate, but I believe that they probably were on the way to changing it as we ate there on the cusp between lunch and dinner service.  On previous visits, the salad bar was fine.  

Overall, our experience at the Inn has been positive and I would recommend it for a pleasant dining experience.  As a local favorite, The Fife Lake Inn is often filled to capacity on weekends, and even on some week days.  Reservations are not taken on Fridays and Saturdays.

Added in a later edit: This is a restaurant, not a hotel, and I would describe it as relatively inexpensive for a traditional American restaurant--hamburger with side at $8 or less, the same for other sandwiches up to $16 for all you can eat shrimp specials, with the shrimp fixed a choice of 3 different ways.

First off this is a restraunt and bar not a motel. Everything here is above average. The food is very good and the portions are large. The service is friendly and quick.