Between Lake Onalaska and County Z, off the beaten path in
Brice Praire, sits a cozy bar and grill among the red pine trees, named, uh…well…RedPines. My out of town companions and I
put our names in and were given a 20 minute waiting estimate which we spent at
the bar watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics and some weird
Russian-themed commercials.
There was a
good mix of folks at Red Pines, families with young kids, extended families
with older kids and grandparents, 30-something couples and the ubiquitous
Wisconsin bar fly’s easily spotted by their Packer bottle cozies they brought from
home. While not a large establishment, I
liked the set-up where my group of 5 could comfortably mingle at the bar
without getting in the way of dining patrons.
The homemade cabin décor with large window views of Lake Onalaska and
outdoor seating complete with campfire made for an inviting Nort’ Woods
atmosphere. Despite it being too dark and cold to really take advantage of
those features, you could really feel the rural Wisconsin oozing from the
pine-paneled walls.
At the bar we
availed ourselves to the fish-fry staple, Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet. Their version of the BOFS is quite sweet and
strong. I may have lucked out, though,
getting two muddled cherries on the bottom of my glass and one on the
toothpick. Our bartender made sure to
really keep the “brandy” in the name, after my first sip made my nostril hair
curl a bit. However it was offset with just enough “sweet” to prevent the booze
from overpowering the drink…well done bar-keep, well done. I give it FOUR nondescript cocktail tumblers.
This Friday
Fish special has an extra twist to it since it includes three jumbo shrimp with
the two pieces of haddock. Before the
fish came a sweet, tangy “clear” coleslaw with finely cut cabbage, green pepper
and carrots. Call me a purist, but I was
raised on the thick, creamy coleslaw that comes with a bite at the end,
however, this oil based (versus mayo based) coleslaw was a refreshing
variation that would fit in well over summer. The haddock batter was crisp
and the meat flaky and fresh. Although
the fish serving size together was probably the smallest I’ve seen, a thin 5
inches, it was pretty tasty. The jumbo
shrimp were true to name (they were huge) with a nice light breading. Our choice of potato was either golden, thin,
julienned fries or the Red Pines special homemade potato chips. Both are equally crisp and tasty with a light
salting. The chips had enough thickness and crunch to differentiate them from
store bought chips and make them a worthy appetizer or side choice. Topping off the entrée was a
crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside piece of garlic flavored Texas
Toast. All in all, Red Pines puts on an
affordable fish fry with sensible portion sizes with a focus on quality over quantity. For those looking to leave the typical AUCE
fish fry scene, that invariably leaves you too full of fried fish, guilt and
shame; venture to the place between the Red Pines.
Overall the food is a FOUR Buoy given its high quality and diverse offering of seafood
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