I stopped by for the first time after going to Wollersheim for their brandy event. Â Wollersheim did a great job with tasting at different tour stations, but the place was a zoo due to popularity, and the place had an over-sanitized feel, though this is necessary to provide a venue for the crowds.
So, then, Â looking for something laid-back and homey, went into Roxbury, and the Dorf Haus wasn't open yet (good reviews on Yelp). Â The Roxbury Tavern was, and although I had read the hiccuppy reviews, it looked welcoming, and it was. Â Sitting at the bar was a feast for the eye - - great hanging things and odd bar-ish things. Â The Port Huron stout was a semi-decent brew, and then noticed a sign for grilled asparagus for $3.95. Â From where I was sitting, I could watch the burgers being made on the grill (done with style and care) and then how the asparagus was grilled (vegetarians be careful - - it was done in the same spot on the same griddle as the burgers). Â Â The asparagus was super tasty on a bed of spring greens with lemon (though a touch heavy due to the old burger flavor and post-grill butter drippings), the people were really nice (especially the waittrix, who was super genuine and naturally fun, not over-the-top manic fun - - but genuinely nice), and the atmosphere was actually kind of rare and wonderful. Â I'll head up there happily from MIddleton again (under half an hour) to sit at the bar, with the really nice people, on both sides of the bar. Â Next time I'll also get a burger. Â A really fine experience.
Dingy atmosphere. Gross Food. RUDE small town staff. I made a mistake in ordering because the menu was not clear, and when we requested to exchange my food we got attitude from a bratty waitress. So we went to the cook/head figure who also said something like 'oh well, you should have known better, you need to pay for what you got'. Right. so i sat there with no dinner.
Review Source:I've passed-by the Roxbury Tavern on a number of occasions - usually while riding my bike or when visiting the Dorf Haus for their awesome fish fry. Â Folks have been telling me about the Tavern's Sunday breakfast for quite a while, but for some reason I never made the special trip to give it a try until this past weekend.
I arrived at around 11:00am and was nervous the place would be too full. Â Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised to find that only 2 tables were occupied, and the waitress invited me to "sit where you'd like."
I grabbed a corner table and took-in the ambiance, which is quite political, but light-hearted. Â There's also a wide array of items - it gave me the feeling of visiting that semi-nutty aunt who's on the brink of becoming a hoarder, but in a good way.
The waitress stopped by with a menu and offered coffee. Â I took it, along with a glass of water. Â I didn't need the menu, as I was there for one thing, and one thing alone: the Roxbury's infamous pancakes.
Yes, the pancakes that you've probably heard about - the fresh-milled organic ones that are supposed to be divine. Â
I ordered the blueberry pancakes and settled-in. Â A small group of bicyclists wandered in, grabbed a table, and received prompt service as well. Â The waitstaff was obviously on their A game this morning.
As was the kitchen, because my pancakes arrived after just five minutes of waiting. Â To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Â The three pacakes were served with a single pat of butter, a bottle of real maple syrup, and a trio of pork sausage links.
I wished there would've been more butter, but alas, I did my best to evenly distribute the pat. Â A light drizzle of syrup, and I was ready dig-in.
The pancakes were piping hot; the first bite was a bit too hot to taste, so I went for the sausage links - same story. Â So, I cooled my jets for a bit...
After a few minutes of waiting, I got my first real tastes, and.... underwhelming. Â Perhaps I had built-them-up too much beforehand, but they didn't taste any better or different than the pancakes from anywhere else... and, I think I prefer the Pancake House and Willalby's much more.
They weren't bad; they were just unimpressive... On the thin side, light on blueberry, cooked "average" and not really exciting or unique. Â The pork wasn't anything spectacular, either. Â So, the entire breakfast was a solid C.
The price was fair, the service was great, and I liked the environment.
Roxbury = MEH
Service = 4 stars
Food = 2.5 stars
Value = 3 stars
MISC = 3 stars
If you're feeling like a little road trip, drive on up to Roxbury and check out the Tavern. Â The egg breakfasts I saw looked good from afar... perhaps I'll have to give them a try in the future.
Those of us who used to enjoy the drive from Madison to the Roxbury Tavern are heartbroken by the slow downward spiral of the Roxbury Tavern. Had you visited in its heyday, you would have feasted your eyes on all sorts of iconoclastic local humor and a decor that reflected and sometimes surpassed the ambiance of a north woods tavern. However, for reasons that cannot be fathomed, the Roxbury Tavern has suffered the blight of a fern bar wannabee, a failed make-over that gutted the charm and replaced it with an unsettling color scheme reminiscent of an Amazing Journey through some section the small intestine. It does not lend itself now to good digestion. The transformation seems to have been engineered to filter out the younger and adventurous crowd and welcome the richer retired geriatrics, and the changes to the pricing and menu add to this conclusion, with downtown prices that are completely out of character for the community and other local eateries. If you can't afford a $5 beer, we don't want  you in here.
The service is russian roulette. On a good day you might be blessed with the cheerful and helpful Michelle. If the gods are not smiling upon you, there is the chance you will be cursed with the abrasive and rude Rhonda and have one of those "my pooh don't stink" experiences that the patrons complain about quietly. God help you if you arrive with 12 members of you research lab and share a table... if you need to leave early and pay your bill independently of the the others at your table... Rhonda will tell you to appoint a treasurer and work out your portion of the bill with him or her! Laziness is antithetical to good service. This is a relatively recent development. In times past we remember fondly some helpers that provided good service.
On the plus side, the tavern offers some fund raising benefits for worthy causes, provides a place for some political candidates to garner support, and there is some good free music on occasions, all welcome and a great service to the community. For that reason alone some of us return and continue to support the tavern.
However, if you goal is to eat good food at a reasonable price, this possibility is now less likely than it was in the days before the intestinal pink redecorating effort.
If you are constipated and need to quickly have your bowels loosened, consider ordering one of the items that has been fermenting in the nesco cooker all day or heated up in a microwave after being frozen after its previous incubation in the nesco. For example, the so called burrito or taco that no Central American would recognize by appearance or taste. Think hamburger helper in a limp tortilla.
If you want the authentic small town friday fish fry experience, you might be surprised at the jaw workout as you attempt to masticate the doggie chew toy texture of the chinese pollock from the discount rack of the Piggly Wiggly. Unlike the tender flakey cod or haddock samplings you might expect from your Catholic church basement fish fry, you will be wondering how the cheapest, lowest grade fish in such tiny portions could possibly be worth eight or nine bucks. But you won't know if your intestinal distress is being caused by the fish or the limp fried potatoes, which rather than being prepared in the Belgian manner, have been boiled in oil, not at the optimum temperature for crispy results, but rather at the perfect temperature for producing a dull brown limp and greasy mess that will increase your intestinal motility so rapidly that you won't be wanting any more of the fish.
To avoid any of the internal discomfort that might be confused for dysentery, stick with the deep fried selections, despite the poor preparation. The likelihood of killing off pathogens is higher with the hot oil bath. The  microbiologists of my association have suggested this plan. Avoid the lasagna (which seems to have undergone a transformation not for the better in the past 2 years). Avoid any sandwich with meatlike materials that have been incubating in the Nesco. The burgers are occasionally okay but on occasion the meat has been gamey and indicates that something was kept in the refrigerator a few days longer than was wise. Carry most towelettes or antibacterial solution in case your fingers should inadvertently brush up against the table top or chair.
The menu has been pared down over the years and some more ambitious items have been removed. The decision making has been simplified. If you eliminate the cautionary items, you have just a few choices remaining. If you arrive on a 'theme' night, where you will find spagetti or 'cajun' style offerings, apply the general principles and avoid anything that has a stewed element to it. The scallops have been known to have a rather bitter flavor, so avoid those. The 'cajun' offerings involve a rather parsimonious spoonful of spiced stew ingredients and it will probably not satisfy a normal person's appetite, even if you are brave enough to risk the squirt
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