Posts Tagged ‘American’

Hail Mary Sports Grill

Sunday, August 27th, 2017

20170824_162406It remains to be seen if Hail Mary Sports Grill, which in May took over the church that Bellini had occupied, can attract enough customers to make it.

Whereas Bellini was cozy and inviting, Hail Mary is too spacious. With mostly high tops and a few tables that are only a step above a card table, Hail Mary resembles a townie bar instead of a sports bar. Plus, the TVs aren’t positioned well for easy viewing.

At least Hail Mary doesn’t have a cookie-cutter menu. For example, among the appetizers (listed as “invocation”), you can find fried green beans ($5.99). They are deep-fried and a decent snack good because you don’t actually taste any green beans, just the onion ring-like breading. The ranch sauce helps, too.

The steak sandwich ($12.99) is unique for having bleu cheese plus blueberry compote. You end up getting some savory and sweet in every bite. The flank steak comes in big chunks and was a little underseasoned, but that didn’t matter much with all the other ingredients.

Other sandwiches (“scripture”) include a spicy burger ($7.99) and a Wisconsin grilled cheese ($8.99), which for some reason is priced higher than both burgers and the veggie wrap.

20170825_120344The menu has flatbread (“sermon”), too. The deluxe ($9.99), which was loaded with pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions, would have been more palatable had the cracker-thin crust not been incredibly dry. Other variations include Greek ($9.99) and BBQ chicken ($9.99).

Friday means fish fry (“postlude”). I probably should have ordered the perch ($15.99) baked instead of deep-fried. That’s because the fish was over-fried, making each bite too crunchy instead of crispy and sucking out all the moisture from the perch. You also can order fried and baked cod.

Hail Mary Sports Grill is open every day for lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our Hail Mary Sports Grill Flickr album.

Hail Mary Sports Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Port Restaurant, Dockside Grill

Sunday, July 16th, 2017

Other than the fact they are both on the water, the Port Restaurant & Lounge and Dockside Grill & Rum Bar are drastically different restaurants in Wisconsin Dells. Both have some good qualities, but I would only return to Dockside. (more…)

Cafe Zupas

Sunday, July 9th, 2017

20170630_124915Cafe Zupas is a chain restaurant that serves soups, sandwiches and salads. It’s a perfect spot for lunch, especially if you’re around the Greenway Station area.

The space is very bright. You’ll probably encounter a long, snaking line that may remind you of an airport, except it’s not depressing and actually fast-moving. The reason the line moves relatively quickly is because Cafe Zupas has around a dozen employees working the food prep area, and each takes a different order (e.g. a person dedicated solely to soup).

Let’s start with the soups (half $4.59, large $6.59). You can choose standard soups, like tomato bisque and New England Clam Chowder, or ones that are more unique, like red pepper & lobster. The Wisconsin cauliflower was perfectly thick and creamy. The cauliflower flavor wasn’t overpowering, which was nice, and I’m glad I added the applewood-smoked bacon pieces ($0.69) for a little saltiness.

The sandwiches ($5.99) are normal size, meaning not crazy big like other restaurants serve. I was considering the Cuban grilled pork but instead settled on the crab avocado melt. Even with the crab salad, cheese, avocado and bacon, the sandwich leaned on the bland side. In fact, I had to dip it in the chipotle ranch that came with my salad to get through it.

20170630_124720On the other hand, I didn’t need to use the chipotle ranch with my glazed chicken chipotle salad ($5.99 half, $7.99 large). The glaze itself was slightly sweet, and it enhanced the bland chicken, which was similar to packaged chicken you find in a grocery store. The salad was otherwise a well-crafted ensemble of peppers, tortilla strips, corn, black beans, red onions, tomatoes and cheese.

If you can’t make a decision, you may combine soups, sandwiches and salads into Try 2 combos.

Three quinoa protein bowls ($8.99) also are on the menu. The Mexicali Braised Pork bowl was super fresh, and the pork was tender. However, there wasn’t much quinoa included, making the bowl basically another salad.

Cafe Zupas is open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Cafe Zupas Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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