Welcome Home Saloon

I have a guilty little pleasure (besides cranking Def Leppard): it is stopping at the Welcome Home Saloon/Good Stuff Grill (WHSGSG) in Stiles, Wisconsin on return trips home to visit family.

My in-laws live just a tad bit further North than the WHSGSG. We typically are heading up to visit them after a day of work in Milwaukee. So by the time we get to Stiles, it's late, we're hungry and we haven't yet had a taste of Friday night ... if you know what I mean. ;)

The WHSGSG welcomes us home at just the right time. My wife and I grab a seat at the bar and have the bartender set us up with a couple of cold Old Mil's. We then peruse the menu which is mostly an exercise in futility because we already KNOW what we are going to order: the fish sandwich.

It's hard not to order the fish sandwich. It comes stacked with lightly breaded fish filets piled high within a fresh bakery roll. If you want, you can get a slab of tomato, lettuce, onions and pickles alongside your sandwich too. Which, of course, I do want. It also comes with a potato side of your choice. I opt for the fries; they're good, while my wife is a fan of the potato salad.

The price of this tasty sandwich? Only $4.99!! I think it would be a good deal at nearly twice the price!

You may be wondering about the name "Welcome Home Saloon/Good Stuff Grill." The place, appearing as one business, is actually two. The Good Stuff Grill operates independently within the saloon. The owner of the grill honed her cooking skills at the Waubee Lodge farther north in Lakewood. So if you live in southern Oconto County or northern Brown county and are longing for the taste of the northwoods, but don't feel like making the long drive, save some gas and head to Stiles instead.

When we last visited (two nights prior to this review), the saloon had live entertainment: Schmidt Happens. After my initial chuckle over the entertainment's moniker, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this father/son duo is. The son is a multi-instrumentalist with a voice that makes me wonder what he's doing playing guitar in a bar in Stiles, Wisconsin on a Friday night. This kid's got some chops! I became endeared to him when he intro'd a song by saying "Here's one from a guy you've probably never heard of: John Hiatt." Before note one I said "Yes!" (John Hiatt's my Elvis; I've been a HUGE fan of his for over 20 years.) The younger Schmidt than nailed a pitch perfect "Have a Little Faith in Me" that my eyes watering at song's end. It was that good.

Maybe Schmidt Happens won't be playing the next time we drive up north on a Friday night, but one thing's for certain: the Old Mil's will still be cold, the fish sandwich will still be hot and I'll still be looking to kick-off a good weekend at the Welcome Home Saloon/Good Stuff Grill!