Zastrow's Lynx Lake Lodge

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  I think Zastrow's is a great place with a lot of potential.  I went on a Friday for the fish fry, and the food was all very good.  You can tell its real "home cooking".  The salad bar has a number of good selections.  In addition to salad mix, there is fresh pickles, a cranberry relish (A+), multi bean salad, tuna pasta salad, cottage cheese, apple sauce and coleslaw (among other options).  
      As other have said dinner is served buffet style. For the fish fry it included green beans, seasoned fingerling potatoes, baked white fish, breaded shrimp, fried chicken, breaded walleye, baked beans, warm German potato salad and dinner rolls.  Everything I tried was delicious.   I would skip the shrimp, while they were okay, they seemed to be pre-made (from frozen) nothing to special.  Definitely have the walleye though, lightly breaded and not greasy. Where else can you get all you can eat walleye for $10.95?
      For dessert they have chocolate pudding (might be out of a can, but still good), and homemade donuts.  Now I am not normally a donut fan, but these were really good.  Again not greasy, very moist and flavorful.  
     Again, all of this for $10.95, in a nice north woods lodge with beautiful wood work, over looking Lynx Lake.  Its an excellent deal.
  
  Now on to the improvements, there aren't a ton, and I think that a few small changes, would make a world of difference.  
   *First the table and chairs (and the vinyl green table cloths), they need to go.  It was not that they were dirty or broken (all were clean, and in good working order) but they look super dated, and don't fit in with the beautiful wood work on the inside of the lodge.  
   *Second is the hot table where they main dinner is served, it functions just fine (all of my food was plenty hot), but again its a stainless steel sided device that looks like it  belongs in an institution some place, not here.  Maybe it could be dressed up a little, cover the sides with some nice wood work?  
   *Third, how they add food to the hot table, they come out of the kitchen with pots and add food to the existing pan, by dumping it in.  It would be much more appetizing to see them bring out fresh pans of food, and remove the old pan and replace it with a fresh pan (again, is it minor? yes, but some minor improvements would go a *long* way)          *Fourth the service while not horribly slow, wasn't the fastest.  It took a while for dirty plates to be cleared off our table, and for us to pay out bill.  It was understandable as it seemed to be only one waitress working the restaurant.  Since she is just bringing drinks, clearing plates, and settling bills, its doable, but adding either a second waitress or a dedicated bus boy would make the service much more fluid.
   So in conclusion, if you're looking for an excellent home cooked meal for a very reasonable price ($10.95?!?), come to Lynx Lake Lodge.  I honestly wouldn't let the negatives prevent me from returning.  My hope is that the owners will take some of these recommendations to heart.  A few small changes, and this place would be a 5 start home run.
  
  I will return.

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  Posted on 09.30.11 Nick W.

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