Our first time at the Phoenix Bar & Grill and we are very pleased and will definitely return to try other selections. Â Tonight I had the special which was Corvina "a sea bass type" fish. Â It was delicious! Â My husband had the fish fry. Â Four huge pieces of fish! Â Crispy and tasty. Â The cole slaw had a good flavor but seemed tired instead of fresh. Â I thought the prices were very good for the quantity and quality. Â The service was fine and the parking lot was packed! Â Definitely try it if you are near by.
Review Source:I was very pleasantly surprised by The Phoenix, having heard nothing about it prior to going. The menu choices are typical of a bar and grill, but with a very modern twist in terms of both flavor and presentation. I went with a party of six and we had everything from sandwiches to dinners and everyone's meals were prepared to perfection. We all really enjoyed the atmosphere--warm, inviting and clean. My one criticism would be the service. It wasn't busy at all, but the server we had, while friendly, was in no particular hurry to serve us. Poor service is something that would keep me from going back, no matter how good the food is. So, I hope it was just a fluke. Because of the quality of the food, I am definitely willing to give them another try.
Review Source:Upon entering this restaurant, it was a bit of a wait time to be seated though the restaurant itself was pretty empty at 345pm.
31 minutes for appetizers to come out after placing the order. Did not see the waitress within that time. That meant no water refills either.
My brother had asked for a drop of each sauce they offered for tasting.. When we had placed our food order, the waitress said she would ask the kitchen didn't hear back about it until the appetizers finally came  31minutes later.
No sauce samples,  my brother asked what the kitchen response was and  she said that they said they would send it only if he pays for it.
I demonstrated what a drop was with my water and a straw and let a drop fall to a plate, They want to charge for a finger dip of sauce to see which ones we would like?
I am sorry but other restaurants seem to have no problem understanding a taste tester or drop of sauce to finger tip taste on a plate. Even Buffalo Wild Wings who offers a variety of sauces has no problem or attitude about a finger dip taste test to ensure the customer will love what they serve as far as sauce goes. It wasn't like we were asking to taste half a sandwich.
I was shocked. i couldn't believe this response, I let the server know, most restaurants who make all their own sauces would jump at the chance to let customers finger tip taste with the possibility they would find a sauce they love and have a reason to keep coming back!!!! And they don't sound so snooty about it. It was as if the cooks were lazy and did not want to put extra effort into anything.
So the server was not happy about my remark, (sorry) but what I said is true. Â
She said if its going to be such a problem i will go get a sample plate, I said its not such a problem its just rude.
So we get the sample plate, my mother and brother both fell in love with a sauce and wanted to order a bigger size to bring home. Not really sure why this business would not want this.
We get our food, I ordered the Chuck Norris burger, it looks awesome however I ordered cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack cheese, it comes out with pepper jack... have to send that back... yikes! it is just complicated and not very comfortable after the sauce debacle.
But the burger is good, the fries were good.
The cheese curds tasted like they were deep fried in fish oil. So not worth the 40 minute drive from St. Paul.
I could go to Fireside on robert in west st.paul get a good burger, better bacon, same quality fries for less money and no attitude.
Its pretty sad.
They need some work on service. It might be a completely different review and experience if the service was pleasant and customers were not made to feel like an inconvenience.
I have to agree with everyone else, the Phoenix knows their cheese curds. We also liked all the different choices on the menu. We decided on a French Dip Sandwich and a Chicken Sandwich with 3 different sauces. Both were very good and the buffalo sauce came with some heat. I will definitely be coming back.
Review Source:Great place for lunch or dinner!
Wood fired pizzas with a crispy crust are great, and their cheese bread is to die for.
Feel like a bit more on the entree side? Â They have that too! Â I highly advise you try the spicy shrimp appitizer (the name of it escapes me currently). Â It is a spin off of Bone-Fish grill's Bang Bang Shrimp. Â Seriously, they are like crack. Â They use Gulf shrimp (not that import crap) which are huge, and taste delicious, then lightly battered, and tossed in the spizy sauce, topped with green onions.
The burgers are pretty bang'n, and tons of various sauces to top your sandwiches with, pretty much anything for any palet. Â They have really expanded the place, and have a nice salt water tank in the middle of the dining room.
Pretty much every time I have been there, the owner has been making the rounds to ensure everything is up to standards. Â Staff are friendly and informative of nightly specials. Â If anything, the only change I would make would be to offer regular onions, not just red onions with the dish's, as not everyone is a fan of the red onion flavor. Â (Found out the hard way when ordering a burger with grilled onions).
This is one of my favorite roadside stops, on the way to see my family in Wisconsin. The service is always friendly and reliable, and the food! Oh, the food...
I was raised in Wisconsin. I have strong feelings about cheese curds. THESE... are good cheese curds. Ermahgerd. Heavenly. Sublime. Perfect.
One of the greatest things I've ever had at Phoenix, besides the epic cheese curds (did I mention those?) was the meatloaf sandwich. Tons of meatloaf, cheese, and this amazing sauce.. and it's huge. There's no way you're going to finish it (especially if you fill up on cheese curds first).
Prices are pretty reasonable, and the atmosphere is comfy. Next time you're on a roadtrip on I-94, skip the McDonald's or Hardee's and go for some real food at Phoenix.
The staff and food at The Phoenix are top notch. There is nothing average about this place. There is a personal twist to almost every item on the menu that separates it from other restaurants. Â The fire shrimp appetizer would be my favorite appetizer. Their burgers, pizzas, and salads are delicious.
Review Source:As first timers in Baldwin for the weekend this place was recommended by our host and we really enjoyed it!!! Â So much so, that we stopped back in for lunch before we left town 2 days later.
The fried cheese curds are insanely delicious- like funnel cake batter stuffed with ooey gooey cheese goodness! Â My boyfriend got the 1/2 rack of ribs with the raspberry bbq sauce. Â They were so tender, they fell right off the bone and the sauce was delicious. Â I had the chicken sammich with a side of buffalo sauce that delivered with the heat and backed it up with great flavor. Â I thought the cole slaw was tasty and the french fries were average.
On our second trip I had the Phoenix Alfredo and it was creamy and delicious. Â However the bread stick was the stand out of the meal. Â It was crispy fried or something and tasted like a doughnut! Â More please. Â My boyfriend's chicken wrap was huge and even tasted great 3 hours later at the airport.
We sat at the bar the first time and the bartender was sweet but not very knowledgeable about the beer. Â Our server when we sat at a booth was funny and attentive! Â We loved the Phoenix!
The physical enivronment in the restaurant is a little cramped, granted I was in the restaurant and not the bar area.
I have eaten here a few times and got sick once from the Ahi Tuna. The service is very slow, I usually joke with my friends before we decide to go here, saying that it will be a two hour adventure - but seriously, plan on slow service. It commonly takes me 1.5-2 hours to get through lunch, despite being seated immediately.
All that being said, I did give it three stars because of their cheese curds. If you stop at the Phoenix, you must order their cheese curds. They are lightly battered in a beer batter then served with your choice of sauce. I have found the best pairing to be with wither the seasoned sour cream, or the raspeberry chipotle bbq.
The burgers are average and have routinely been served less done than how I ordered them. The portobello burger is worth trying. Bar far, the best "sammich" on the menu is the chicken sammich.
Overall, not bad, especially given the limited choices to eat in Baldwin.
Written 3-9-2011
On a whim we drove to Baldwin last week with friends -- a good chance to talk in the car on the way over, in the restaurant while there, and in the car on the way back.
The Fire Shrimp were as outstanding as the first time I had them in October. Â This time we were on a specific mission to try the ribs. Â We split a rack and brought half a rack home for next day enjoyment. Â Quinn Johnson's raspberry chipotle sauce for the ribs is excellent! Â Really good. Â The "regular" sauce is--meh! Â Sweet. Â Too sweet. Â Quinn, what the hell are you thinking? Â The ribs were meaty and fall-off-the-bone tender and I was assured that they are not boiled before saucing.
Can't wait to go back for the same - Fire Shrimp and ribs. Â It'll be a good place to meet friends who live in Chippewa Falls.
Met our parents back in Baldwin and figured we would try this out since they spoke so highly of it. Â I have to say had Quinn been there tonight he would have been embarrassed with just how poor the service was. Â The food was good once it arrived at the table 90 minutes after sitting down. Â The exception was the awful cole slaw which seems like they are trying too hard to be different.
Back to the service, after waiting for 45 minutes for our cheese curds and onion ring appetizers to arrive we were finally told they were never put down but would be rushed right out. Â 20 minutes later we got them. Â We asked them to cancel our food and we would just eat elsewhere. Â We were informed that it was already done and waiting to be brought out. Â I believe them because when the food was brought out it looked like it spent a bit of time under the heat lamp or in the microwave.
The biggest problem was the tab. Â $111 with no offers of anything for our trouble except the option to sign up for their rewards card.