Get ready to tempt your tastebuds at the 9th Annual “Men Who Cook for Christine Ann” to be held on Saturday, June 27th.  “Men Who Cook” is a key fundraising event for Christine Ann Center.  Christine Ann provides  domestic abuse services in Winnebago and Green Lake counties.

This award-winning event will take place at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Reeve Memorial Union, where over 60 “chefs”  from around the Fox Valley will come together to share not only their love of cooking, but also their common goal of helping victims of domestic abuse break free from the cycle of violence. Using exquisite culinary skills, the men will share samples of their favorite appetizers, entrees, side dishes and desserts to guests amidst relaxing entertainment, silent and live auctions, and more. “Men Who Cook” is a key fundraising event for Christine Ann; it is also part of the agency’s efforts to more actively engage men in the work to end violence against women.

Mandy over at aservingoflife.com will be twittering the event live if you want to follow. twitter.com/CADASI

web site - christineann.net/events/men-who-cook
Ticket order and sponsorship opportunities - pdf
Register Online - web form

Brian Event

This week we wanted to find a restaurant that was not a chain and something not as fancy as a supper club. We decided to give Beefeaters a try.   Beefeaters opened in November 2007 and is located by US 41 and Ballard Road.  It wasn’t until I started browsing through the menu that I found out that they are affiliated with Good Company, Pullmans and Nan Sorellas.  I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the Pullman’s connection because I have never been impressed with the food quality their, but lets save that for a future review.

Atmosphere: Beefeaters calls itself a British themed restaurant serving up classic pub dishes with their own twist, as well as American favorites.  My wife called classifies it as “British invasion meets modern day sports bar.”   Since this restaurant was built in recently,  the interior and exterior is both attractive and well maintained.  One of the first things that caught my eye was the  gas fire pit located on the outdoor patio.  Very nice touch and one that I have not seen before.

The British theme is a mainstay throughout Beefeaters.  Some of the specifics include a classic red phone booth filled with British police helmets,  large flags, writing on the walls and various Beatles memorabilia.  In the dining room where we sat was a nice fireplace from floor to ceiling and British artwork on the walls.  You can get the idea from the photos below.    We both appreciated the “Brits to Yanks” glossary on the back of the menu, it made for a good laugh.  We thought the high back booths were a nice compliment.  You might be wondering why we value the high back booth?  Not only are they great for privacy, but a huge bonus for dining out with small children.   The bar area is very stylish  with its wood floors, and dark wood bar accented with  copper beer taps.  The pub style table is available in the bar area if you prefer to enjoy your meal in a more bar like atmosphere.  The are a few flat screen televisions to catch important games such as the Packers or Brewers.

Food: The menu is quite large (see link below), it covers all the standards and then some.  They have a few unique things on the menu like grilled paninis and signature dishes which are their version of a few British classics.  London Broil, Shephard’s pie and of course fish ‘n’ chips to name a few. After spending some time looking over the menu I decided on one of my favorite’s, the reuben.  Reuben’s are hit or miss for me, it seems like they are either great or just dry and tasteless.  It came with a choice of waffle chips or cole slaw, that is  a no brainer.  Fries of any sort will always win out!  The large menu honestly is always a concern for me.  I have found that when a restaurant offers too many options, they do most things average at best.  I always prefer to see fewer choices.  My rationale is the jack of all trades master of none philosophy.

My wife ordered the black and blue burger which was topped with blue cheese and garnished with pickle and tomato.  We kicked the evening off with an appetizer of spicy buffalo dip and were surprised when complimentary bread and scones arrived.

One a scale of 1-10, with 10 being outstanding, I would say the spicy buffalo dip and chips was about a 5.  It was not fully blended and was laced with many hot spots from the microwave preparation.  It had a good flavor, if you are looking to cure a salt craving.  The scones and bread that was brought out with the appetizer was awesome.  Much better than the appetizer anyday!  Only problem with the scones and bread is that it is so filling, but very delicious.

On to my entree…..drum roll please…………….I am pleased to announce my reuben was very good.  As I mentioned earlier, it is either hit or miss with me in the reuben department and this one was definitely  a hit.  The waffle fries delicious, seasoned well and very tasty, they did not last long.  My wife’s black and blue burger was about a 5, similar as the appetizer.  It was Ok, just not great.  The blue cheese was sprinked in the top and I was hoping that it would have been inside the burger, not used as a garnish.  It was a bit dry, but the presentation was good, but nothing to write home about that is for sure.  She ordered the mashed potatoes and those were excellent.  You know it is a good sign when you can see about half a stick of butter melted on top! Click image below to enlarge.

Conclusion: Overall the food was good and so was the price.  Our bill was around 40.00 for the both of us and that included one soda, two beers, two entrees and an appetizer.  If you are looking for an good meal in an nice but a little quirky atmosphere, then Beefeaters is your place.  This is not the type of restaurant you want to seek out if you are in anyway attempting to watch your caloric intake.  The food was definitely prepared with lots of butter, cheese and other good stuff..I mean health hazards.

Beefeaters information:
Address - 2331 E Evergreen Dr. - Appleton, WI 54913
Phone - (920) 730-8300
Web Site - beefeaterspub.com
email - contact@beefeaters.com or web form here
Menu - pdf
Google Map

Brian $16-$22, $9-$15, Casual

Beefeaters in Appleton will be hosting a scotch tasting thanks to Tom over at foxvalleyfun.com.  We will be tasting 5 scotches (one of them is a limited release, retail $130). Glenfiddich and Balvenie will be the stars of the show.  Rather than comparing different styles, we are going to take a vertical approach.  We’ll be bouncing between Glenfiddich 12 Year, Balvenie 12 Year, Glenfiddich 15 Year, Balvenie 15 Year and then a surprise limited release. We will also be pairing the scotches with some delicious foods including bacon-wrapped scallops, chocolate cake, etc…

Cover will be $25.  The tasting will be held on the patio (weather permitting)

When:
Thursday June 18, 2009 - 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Where:
Beefeaters
2331 E Evergreen Dr
Appleton, WI 54913
(920) 730-8300

Google Map

Brian Event

This week we are are visiting Casablanca, a restaurant in Appleton that specializes in Latin cuisine. We have visited Casablanca many times in the previous years and considered them one of our favorites until early 2008.  We had a few average experiences and felt that the quality of the food was not equal to the price.   Recently we began hearing good things again so we decided to give them another chance and we were  not disappointed.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere at Casablanca is trendy and rivals most restaurants in the Fox Valley.  Dimly lit lights, beautifully set tables, a large wood bar and painted murals on the wall are some of the highlights.  The murals are created to look like open windows overlooking the ocean, beach and palm trees.  Another clever touch to the bar area is a comfortable seating area with two small leather couches and a coffee table.  We have dined in the past and had the privilege of listening to a soloist perform from this couch area.  Opposite the bar area is booth seating with the rest of the restaurant filled with tables. There are also tables available to dine outside when weather permits. You can see many more pictures at there website Here.

Food: CasaBlanca’s dinner prices start at $21.00 per plate and go up from there. When I am paying this price range for a meal, I have high expectations.  I want to leave the restaurant amazed at how great the food was and not feel like I could have had a similar experience at another restaurant for significantly less.  They claim to have latin cuisine items from 17 different countries, everything from roasted red snapper baked on a banana leaf from Columbia to filet mignon served over blue corn tortilla topped with red mole sauce and Oaxaca cheese from Mexico. You are sure to find something new and fun on this menu.  On this trip, we started out our night out with one of the restaurants specials, the mojito. The mojito you see below is actually a mango mojito.  The mango mojito is much like the traditional cocktail, however fresh mango is added during preparation and topped with a mango garnish. Not a drink I would normally order but, I was pleasantly surprised how good it was.  We started out dinner with a few appetizers, the queso azado con chile and papa rellena de queso.  The queso azado con chile is an oven baked goat cheese topped with mild tomato sauce, served with crostini and delivered to your table flaming, very cool!  The papa rellena de queso is stuffed potato with manchego cheese & spinach, served with tomatillo sauce. The second picture below is of the appetizers that we selected.  (click to enlarge).

After some amazing appetizers, our salads were served.  A nice touch the salad selection is the variety of homemade dressings to choose from.  I decided on the hot bacon and balsamic.  Excellent choice!

Since I was in a seafood mood and this menu had so many fun new options, I ordered the pescado con pimientos. A pan seared grouper topped with “escabeche sauce” (marinated bell peppers) topped with fresh basil.  It came with jalepeno mashed potatoes, broccoli and a few stalks of asparagas.  When the plate was set in front of me I was a little shocked about seeing nothing but vegetables, it was the meat I was excited about (as usual).  But once I dug in I was not disappointed, everything was fantastic. The peppers were sweet and tender, the fish was done just right and full of flavor. This is the first restaurant that I have had jalapeno mashed potatoes at.  I enjoy them so much I order them every time I dine at CasaBlanca.  I have even attempted to recreated them at home.  I advise you not to burn jalapeno’s as the air will turn toxic  : )

My wife had the tenderloin special that night with a chimichurri sauce.  The only difference with the special is that she had the choice of two sides.  She chose the jalapeno mashed potatoes and the  sautéed baby spinach with pine nuts, wild tomato sauce and roasted garlic. For desert we shared the triple chocolate cake, a treat we have had in the past and love. Our bill with 2 mojito’s, a soda, appetizer and desert was $98.00.

Conclusion: As stated earlier we were a little nervous about revisiting CasaBlanca, but we ended our night on a very happy note.  Everything from drinks to desert was excellent and we will return for another visit in the near future.  CasaBlanca give the diner a break from the traditional “chain” restaurant experience and hosts the ambiance that is so needed in the fox valley area.

Casablanca Information:
Address - 531 W. College Ave. Appleton, WI
Phone - 920-954-1010
Fax - 920-954-9979
Hours - Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 9 p.m.
web site - casablancaappleton.com
menu (web site)
Email - info@casablancaappleton.com
Google Map

Brian $23-$30, International