This week we are visiting Plae Bistro in Green Bay. A casual atmosphere serving contemporary American cuisine.  Owner Jill Bassett refers to Plae as “a place  to laugh and eat”, definitely two of my favorite things in life.  Plae came highly recommended from a friend who lives in Green Bay, we gladly took the short road trip to see what they have to offer.

Atmosphere: Entering the front doors of Plae Bistro you are greeted by a beautiful, dimly lit, rich colored interior.  There is one main room filled with tables and a bar at the far end.  The room reminded me a bit of Wild Truffle, although Truffle did put more emphasis on interior design.  I tried to get some pictures but there was not enough light to shoot anything decent. The pictures below are terrible , but give you an idea of the interior.

Food: Plae’s menu offers a little something for everyone.  From gourmet pizzas, sandwiches to entrees, you are sure to find something that pleases you.    There is an extensive wine list and several specialty items such as martinis and mojitos.  Make sure to hit the menu link below to check it out.  Since we were with friends tonight we decided to sample two appetizers, you know… for the blogs sake.  We started with bruschetta and spinach & artichoke dip.  Appetizers were a tough choice tonight, lots of good selections here. The dip was definitely the better of the two.  The pita points that came with the dip were ok, but the bread bowl and the dip were excellent.  We all enjoyed them.   The bruschetta was average, nice presentation, but lacking in flavor.

Time to order entrees and once again everything sounded great.  My wife and her best friend chose the apple brie stuffed chicken breast with risotto and sweet potato as their sides. They both seemed to like the chicken, but said without the cherry sauce topping it would have been a little on the plain side.  The one thing that was missing was the true flavor of the brie in the dish.  The risotto was amazing though.  Prepared to perfection.  One of our friends ordered the pan seared salmon.  He talked very highly on how the salmon was prepared and was very happy with his selection.  I decided on cajun shrimp & andouille sausage pasta. The menu describes it as sautéed in a spicy oil & herb sauce tossed with penne pasta & topped with tomatoes and fresh basil. My dinner was excellent. It was rich, flavorful and everything was done just right. My only complaint was that I wanted more! lol.  Bread with olive oil and some chopped black olives were also served with dinner.

We tried three different deserts, as you can see below each one looked beautiful and tasted great.  From left to right they are pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate lava cake and orange creamsicle cake.  If I had to choose a favorite I would choose the cheesecake.

Our bill tonight with an appetizer, 3 drinks 2 entrees and 2 deserts was $62.00 + tip.

Conclusion: Overall we had a great time, and good food.  The atmosphere was nice and our service was excellent.  What a refreshing change of pace to have excellent service!  If your looking for a good place for “date night”  this is one to visit.

Plae Bistros information:
address - 2615 Decuria Lane, Suite 10 | Green Bay WI
phone - 920.632.7065
email - jill@plaebistro.com
google map
menu (pdf) - lunch and dinner - drink -wine

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

I would like to start this review by saying thank you to a few of our readers who have given us feedback on our reviews.  I am thankful to say all of the comments were excellent and will help us make this a better site.   Starting this week we are going to add the price of our meals at the bottom of the review. Even though we have categories with specific price ranges it can still be tough because of the large swing in price on most menus.  If you would like to give us your comments,  suggestions or complete a guest review, please contact us at info@tasteofthefoxvalley.com.  Moving right along to this weeks review!

This week we decided to focus on one of the Supple restaurants, Fratello’s Riverfront in Appleton.  I wanted to focus specifically on this location as we just had dinner on the patio the other night.  In addition, this location is very close to my place of employment, so I have visited the restaurant numerous times for lunch, dinner as well as company Christmas gatherings and happy hours.  For those of you not familiar with the Supple name, Fratellos has other locations at the Fox River Mall, Oshkosh, Green Bay and Milwaukee.  The one new element to this trip was dining on the outside patio which happened to be on a cool summer night.

Atmosphere: One of the draws for me with Fratellos Riverfront is the view. I am a big fan of being able to sit at the bar or at the table and have the ability to look out over the water while enjoying conversation, beverages and food.   The Riverfront location is situated on the Fox River and gives you a good view of the river from just about any seat in the place.  As you can see from the pictures below, the outside seating  is a large brick patio with black metal tables and chairs. Just below the seating area is a short walkway with a black metal railing. Quite often you can get a good shot of bald eagles flying around the river hunting for fish, way cool!

Since we dined outside this visit I do not have any of my own pictures of the interior, only pictures take from the website.  Fratellos Riverfront boasts a  warm and  inviting atmosphere. The dining room consists of a two tiered room with large windows overlooking the Fox River.  The picture below is from the bottom tier overlooking the river.  At the back of the top tier is a large wall of wine behind a glass wall and behind that the kitchen. If you have visited any of the other locations you will know what I mean by a large wall of wine. I would love to have that same wall in my wine cellar, well if I had a wine cellar!

The main dining room is a separate room from the bar area.  Between the two rooms are a coat room, the main entrance as well as the reception desk.  The bar room is attractive, but has some design flaws.  It is a long narrow room with windows on both sides, a large granite bar, pub style seating opposite the bar and long glass shelves showing off the spirits.  The downside to the bar is that the walkway between the bar and seating is very narrow. On a busy night or if you are there for a party it can be cramped.

Food: We started this this meal with “The Big Dip,” which is  a selection of hummus, spinach and artichoke dip.  The various spreads are served with bruschetta, corstini and flatbread.  Everything tasted good and was delivered in a timely fashion. My wife ordered the Strawberry Spinach Salad consisting of baby spinach, fresh sliced strawberries, gorgonzola cheese, pecans and red onions drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette.  She added blackened chicken for a nominal charge.  According to my wife, the salad was amazing!  A great combination of tastes to enjoy on a summer evening.

I was in the mood for seafood so I ordered the Thai Shrimp Noodle Bowl. This dish came with shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms and udon noodles in a thai peanut sauce. When I was served my meal, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of shrimp!  You know how it is when you in the mood for seafood, your entree comes and there are 4 small shrimp and a boat load of noodles. Well that was not this dish, it was loaded with shrimp and the other ingredients were fresh and cooked to the point where the vegetables were still a little crunchy and flavorful, just how I like it.

Make sure you take a look at the menu link below.  One of the great things about the Fratellos locations is the wide variety of choices on the menu.

Conclusion: Overall its hard to go wrong with any of the Fratellos Waterfront locations. The menu has plenty to offer, the food is fairly priced and the views are great. The only negatives to this visit was service was only ok and the mix drinks were way to weak, seems to be an ongoing trend with us.  Our waitress had to take multiple visits to the kitchen to find a cheese grader that worked, she brought the wrong drinks and they were out of half of the beers that they make at their own brewery. How does that happen?

With our two meals, appetizer, a beer, a mix drink and a few glasses of wine out bill was $60.00.  Should note we were over the 75.00 price range and were able to use the Entertainment coupon.  Bring it along if you plan to dine,  save yourselves a few dollars.

Fratellos Information:
Web Site - Appleton
Address - 501 West Water Street, Appleton, WI 54911 - (920) 993-9087
Menu - download pdf
Email- info@supplerestaurantgroup.com
Google Map

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

Becket’s is located downtown Oshkosh in the City Center overlooking the Fox River. This location offers customers easy access either by boat or car.  Not many restaurants can say that!  For this dinner out, we were celebrating my wife’s birthday and wanted to try something new.   This review is from a one time only visit.

Atmosphere: When you drive into the parking lot of Becket’s,  nothing  spectacular catches your eye.  Becket’s is nothing more than a small corner of a  large concrete building.  At this point I was not too excited, I snapped a few photos and we made our way to the front door.  As we stepped into the front of the restaurant we both looked at each other and said WOW, this is really nice. It looks modern, casual and a bit hip.  A nice wooden bar with glass shelves on the wall to hold a large selection of spirits, I always thought glass shelves add a unique touch.  In the middle of the bar area is a gas fireplace with what looks like crushed colored glass topped with a stainless steel hood. I really wanted to see this when it was lit,  but we were not so lucky.  As you walked down past the bar there is a contemporary room with a large glass wall overlooking the outdoor seating area and river, every table has a great view.  Teak  booths line the other side of the hallway so you get a little height above the tables on the floor.  The layout of the dining area is very conducive to enjoy the waterfront view.    The ceiling is open so you can see all the large black painted duct work, this really adds to the atmosphere.  We noticed all the references to architecture like a drafting board for a hostess table and random types of art work on the walls.  At this point we were really enjoying our visit.

Food: Before we planned our trip to Becket’s the friend that we were dining with us warned us that she had a bad lunch there a few weeks ago.  Since the atmosphere was so great we blew that off and continued looking at the menu.  My wife had gotten another tip from a friend who lives in Oshkosh who said that the burgers and appetizers are good, but that anything from the dinner menu is completely hit or miss.  Keeping that in mind, the 4 of us each ordered different meals as well as two appetizers so that we could get a good feel for what Becket’s has to offer.   The menu has a good assortment of food but nothing really grabs your attention.  The menu said all entrees were served with a side and a starch,  but  I was unable to locate those choices on the menu.  Salads are an additional nominal charge.  We started our meal with an appetizer, shrimp & crab quesadilla and artichoke & spinach dip.  Both were delivered in a timely fashion and were good.

Then we waited for what seemed like an eternity to place our dinner order.  Not sure if the waitress forgot about us, but when she came back to check to see if we were enjoying our appetizers, we had to ask if we could place our order.  Just a little odd.  When it was entree time , I ordered the mahi-mahi en papiotte and my wife ordered the five cheese lasagna. The friends we were with ordered the lemon chive tilapia and slow roasted ribs. When our food was delivered everything looked great, it was when we started eating that everything went down hill rather rapidly.  My fish was baked and delivered in a paper bag, an interesting presentation, the problem was that there was little to no taste. Luckily I had french fries, asparagus and plenty of wine left for dinner:)  My wife enjoyed her lasagna but said it was nothing more than a prego lasagna that one could purchase in the freezer section as any local Walmart.

Our friends tilapia was the topic of conversation. Although it looked good we could not place what the strange taste was. Was it the seasoning in the breading or a problem with the fish?  We all took a bite and came to the same conclusion, not edible. It tasted as if it was stored in a refrigerator that badly needed to be cleaned.  We mentioned the issue to the waitress who was very nice about asking if we wanted another piece of tilapia or a different entree.  The fourth dish, the ribs were ok.  The ribs had a nice flavor and were very tender but were so fatty that you had to work through every bite to strip out the tendons and fat. They eventually became to much work and he left half of the rack on his plate.

After being thoroughly disappointed with dinner, we saw a glimmer of hope in dessert.  We ordered the key lime pie, which the waitress informed us would be served parfait style.  Again, huge disappointment unless you happen to enjoy key lime instant pudding served over a smashed graham cracker.  Not the dinner we were hoping for on my wife’s 35th, but we can’t say we were not warned.

Conclusion: Because of the great bar atmosphere and the fact that you can sit outside along the river I would definitely go back with friends for happy hour, but I cant imagine us going back for dinner again.  After talking with friends about our bad dining experience we quickly learned that many people have been disappointed in the service and food at Becket’s.  This was so disappointing because the atmosphere was exactly what we like.

Becket’s Restaurant:
address - Jackson and the fox
1 city center, Oshkosh, WI 54901
Phone - 920-233-3333
Fax - 920-233-3334
Web Site - becketsrestaurant.com
Email - welton@becketsrestaurant.com
Menu - pdf
Google Map

Brian $0-$8, $16-$22, Casual

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

This week we are taking a look at Simpons Red Ox Lounge and Supper Club in Appleton. This business  originally opened in 1971 on American Drive and was eventually reopened at its current location on Oneida Street after being destroyed by fire in 1995.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere is what I would consider your traditional Wisconsin old school supper club.  I mean that in the most flattering of ways.  The ambiance of the bar area includes the theme of the “red” ox.  It is dimly lit and boasts  red in many ways.  Just to highlight a few, the red bar,  vinyl chairs and red textured walls behind the bar.  One element that is unlike the traditional supper club is the presence of televisions in the bar area, a few small tv’s behind the bar and plasma’s in the seating area.  The only negative comment that I would have is  there were several gambling machines located in the bar area.  I personally feel that the presence of the machines in a supper club somewhat cheapens the atmosphere.  Although I am not a fan of the gambling machines, I have family members who do enjoy them and they can be a big draw for customers.

Food: Before visiting the Red Ox, I talked to friends and read other online reviews to get a feel of what others were saying. I was surprised to not find even one negative review about the place, this sparked my interest even more. On top of that they are recipients of Fox Cities Magazine’s Golden Fork Award for “Best Supper Club”.   To begin, let’s examine the beverages, most peoples favorite opening act. I had my normal Jim Beam and Coke and was happy with it, nothing worse then starting a dining experience then a weak drink. One thing I learned after our visit is that the Red Ox has a tradition of great home made old fashioned’s and pickled mushrooms, looks like I have a good excuse to go back now:)  They also claim to have the largest spirit choices north of Milwaukee. Spirit list - Wine list

The menu is huge, there is no way you can’t find something you will like.  All the traditional supper club menu items are available as well as a large selection of specials and lighter fare options.  The friends we were with recommended that I try the garlic tenderloin, so I had the surf and turf, garlic tenderloin and scallops.  My wife had the tenderloin and haddock. Our meal started with the traditional bread and a salad before getting our meal. I like my steak medium rare and it came perfectly cooked. The steak was butterflied open with minced garlic inside and a good amount of seasoning on the outside. The steak was a little bit salty but overall a good cut of meat.  My scallops were broiled in english butter and were very rich.  I could have eaten dozens of these jems. Click picture below for a larger view of my meal. Our dinner for 2 with a few drinks and desert was about $70 with a tip.

Conclusion: I was glad that our friends suggested it, because it was a good experience.  We did not have a lot of  time for dinner as we were heading to the comedy club, and the Red Ox did a nice job of seating us and providing quick friendly service.  We will definitely go back again, especially if we are looking for a supper club type meal and atmosphere.  The one thing  I do dislike is that I always see employees smoking in their whites just outside the door on the Oneida street side and that is just not appealing.

Red Ox Information:
website - www.redoxsupperclub.com
Address - 2318 S Oneida Street Appleton, WI 54914
Google Map
Contact - Online Form
Phone Number - 920-830-4121
Menu - From Website

Brian $16-$22, Supper Club

My wife and I have frequented The Village Hearthstone the past few years.  It is a bit out of the way (19 miles from Menasha), but the experience is well worth the trip.  You could say it is off the beaten bath as it is located in Hilbert, WI.  Since it is not well known in the valley, Village Hearthstone is a bit of a gem.

Atmosphere: The exterior of the establishment consists of an attractive brick and green awning decor.  The east side of  the building features a large outdoor seating area.  This is a particular draw during the summertime.  There is nothing quite like having dinner and drinks while enjoying the warm weather.  Village Hearthstone is a charming addition to the quiet town of Hilbert.

As quoted from the Hearthstone website, ”the Village Hearthstone is  built to reflect an era gone by, the beautiful décor takes us back in time, when people were less hurried and willing to take a moment to catch up.”  We would have to agree!    The atmosphere is very relaxing and draws a wide variety of people such as couples, families, and groups celebrating occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries.  Upon entering,  you are greeted with the dining room with accents as wood floors, a black metal ceiling and pictures of  historic Hilbert.  There are large windows along the wall facing the outdoor seating area, which brings in a great deal of natural light.   On the opposite side of the room has booth style seating and  tables of varying sizes are located throughout the center of the dining room area.  There is a small and inviting bar area located in the back of the dining room which boasts a wood fired pizza oven.  We enjoy the bar as the bartender is always friendly and knows how to make a cocktail.  My wife enjoys the spicy mix to munch on while we wait for our table.  As I mentioned previously, behind the bar is a brick wall and built in wood fire pizza oven.  It is entertaining to watch the chef’ come out from the kitchen and make the pizza’s.  The ambiance is enhanced with the smell of pizza baking throughout the dining area.

Food: I have been lucky enough to sample and enjoy several of the menu options.  Their menu offers the traditional supper club food, steaks, chicken, ribs a few seafood options as well as a large selection of sandwiches.  One thing that Village Hearthstone offers that most supper clubs do not is stone fire pizzas.  Pizza and supper club foods do generally not go together, but Village Hearthstone is able to pull it off.  If you are interested in ordering the wood fired pizza,  be aware they are only made during the weekends;  however, you can order pizza any time of the week if you do not mind it prepared in the traditional oven.

This past Friday, I ordered the shrimp gumbo and my wife had the lemon pepper chicken. While awaiting our entree’s, we were served ciabatta bread accompanied by olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a whole garlic clove.  The garlic is a nice touch, as it is baked and soft and you are able to spread it just as you would butter.   The next course is a traditional salad topped with a homemade dressing of your choice.  The shrimp gumbo was very tasty with a good amount of shrimp and a nice sweet sauce over a bed of wild rice.  The leftovers were good for breakfast the next morning. My wife had the lemon pepper chicken with a side of garlic mashed potato’s and green beans. Other then there being very little chicken on the plate she enjoyed the meal. Click the pictures below to enlarge them.

Conclusion: Even though we enjoyed ourselves, this trip was definitely not one of our best visits.  We were laughing with each other because the time we are going to write a review it was probably our least favorite trip to Village Hearthstone.  This is exactly why you really need to try a restaurant more than once.  Generally we have great service, excellent food and walk out very satisfied .  This past Friday, we experienced a few hiccups.  Before dinner we had a few drinks at the bar, both of which were on the weak side. The first time I mentioned it to the bartender, the second time was my last drink.  As we were getting started with our bread I saw a waitress dump a entire platter of water onto a customers lap, luckily the customer had no hard feelings. When we got our food my wife was wondering where the chicken was in her lemon pepper chicken, only a few small bites were to be found.   Our joke was the she ordered the lemon pepper chicken, hold the chicken  : )

Normally you are never dissapointed with the Village Hearthstone.  With its great atmosphere, reasonable prices and great food its another must try.  It is an excellent choice when you want a nice atmosphere but do not feel like paying 100.00 for dinner for two.

Village Hearthstone information:
Address - 326 West Main Street, Hilbert, Wisconsin
Phone Number - 920.853.3013
Hours - Tues-Sat 11-9 / Sun 9-12 Breakfast / Sunday 11-8 entire menu
Menu - menu
Website - villagehearthstone.com
Map - google map

Brian $16-$22, $9-$15, Supper Club

About: Chuck E Cheese is a chain pizza restaurant that puts kids first. Chuck E. Cheese’s consists of over 500 entertainment centers in 48 states and 5 countries. You can find all there current locations from their website here.

Parents…..if you are looking for a pizzeria where a kid can be a kid, Chuck E Cheese is the place for you.  We have been taking our kids to Chuck E Cheese for a few years.  This March, we decided to celebrate our daughter’s 2 year old birthday with Chuck E and were quite impressed.

Atmosphere: Games, slides, pizza, soda, chaos and beer are just a few of the items you will find at Chuck E Cheese.  The main dining area contains both booth and table seating.  This area is utilized mostly for birthday parties and for the kids to dance on “tv” and watch the Chuck E Cheese show.  There is  a separate game area with many video games for kids of all ages.  We have seen kids as young  as 2 on the games up to teenagers and adults on the more difficult gaming machines.  Younger children are just as content to climb the slides and tunnel system which costs nothing. One of the great elements of this restaurant is that they check each adult and child in together and the children can only leave with the adult they checked in with.  This increases parents level of security.

Food: Pizza is the main focus of Chuck E Cheese.  They offer a large salad bar as well as some typical “bar” favorites such as buffalo wings and other appetizers.  Kids can have pizza or choose to order off the kids menu.

Conclusion: The kids LOVE Chuck E Cheese.  It can be hectic, but seeing the smiles on the little people’s faces, makes it worthwhile.  Bring you wallet as each game costs 25 cents. Go to the website to look for money saving coupons.  Chuck E Cheese is a great place to celebrate your kids birthday.  They have a special showing of Chuck E Cheese and the kids follow him around the restaurant in a parade fashion. Overall good experience, restrooms could be cleaner. Below you will find a few pictures from out last visit as well as information on how to contact Chuck E Cheese.

Chuck E Cheese information:
Hours - Sun-Thur 9am-9pm / Fri-Sat 9am-10pm
Website - www.chuckecheese.com
Phone Number - (920) 832-8323
Email - Web Form
Address - 4671 Michales Dr. Grand Chute, WI 54915
Menu from web site - Menu
Google Map

Brian $16-$22, Casual