Eating Normal
  • Home
  • Support Us
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Writing
  • Cookbook of the Month
  • Archive

Vintage Rose Brings Breakfast to Lawrence

9/4/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Summer of 2023 has given rise to a number of new restaurant concepts in the Green Bay area, and among the newest of these is Vintage Rose Bakery and Sandwich Shop in Lawrence. A short jog off the Scheuring Road exit on I-41, it’s not in the first place I’d think to find breakfast. Most of the businesses in this portion of Lawrence are corporate centers and manufacturing, less so restaurants and shopping. Vintage Rose fills a necessary role for some of the local neighborhoods, however: local coffee and housemade food.

Vintage Rose sports a large sign along Mid Valley Drive to help you find it, so if you find yourself on the hunt like I was on a chilly Monday morning, you should be fine. Trust the sign. The building looks like it ought to be more offices, but there’s food in there. I promise.

Read More
0 Comments

PhoComa Relieves A Serious Pho Craving

8/2/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Wednesday Night Farmer’s Market on Broadway has a variety of food stalls to try each week, but sometimes, one just wants to sit down inside and watch the world go by in the window while they have dinner. Pho Coma on Broadway allows you to do just that if you circle their food stall on the block and enter the building for a bowl of their delicious noodles.

I had the pleasure of hosting a friend from Kansas this past week, and he hadn’t had the opportunity for a bowl of Pho (his favorite meal) in years. Green Bay has no shortage of places to get Pho. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to eat at Pho Coma that evening as the rain threatened to drop on us during our visit to the farmer’s market. 

Pho Coma has a relatively small store front compared to some of the other restaurants along Broadway. Their stall out front diverts some of the traffic you’d likely see on a normal day at the shop, and therefore we were able to have our pick of tables after putting in our order. A bowl of pho and crab rangoons was certainly enough for us, and we ordered from their custom drink menu two pomegranate lemonades.
Picture
A good bowl of pho can be refreshing even on a warm day, and the normal bowl at Pho Coma fulfilled that role. Herbaceous, deeply flavorful broth saturated the noodles, beef, and Hmong sausage that come on the bowl as standard. A plate of thai basil, jalapenos, and bean sprouts are served on the side so that you can customize the bowl to your own liking. I recommend starting with two leaves of the thai basil before taking it any further.

The Crab Rangoon, shaped in the common triangle that most of town’s Asian adjacent restaurants serve them in, arrived hot and fresh. They gave me a fatty, creamy treat to break up the few bites of the pho that I stole from my friend over the course of our visit. ​
Service was quick inside the restaurant despite the staff also needing to support their Broadway Farmer’s Market tent. The pomegranate lemonade was tangy and served in to-go cups in order for us to take them along while we wandered through a thankfully unsoaked market. Their custom drink menu is extensive, and as a result I did not miss the customary cocktail or beer that I often order when I go out for dinner to sit down.

They also deliver via Eatstreet if you don’t feel like coming to the Broadway district during the week. I have not done my due diligence in finding the best pho in town, but Pho Coma has quickly climbed the ranks after my visit. 
Picture
0 Comments

The Cannery Reopens - And I try Honey + Cream Cafe

7/24/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Cannery recently reopened in their new test kitchen format on Broadway, and this past weekend, I visited the morning concepts after the Saturday Morning Market to get in early. Entering from the Fox River side of the building that also contains Titletown Brewery and Voyageur Sourdough can lead to an experience not unlike trying to get through a maze. The Broadway entrance is far less difficult, however, and leads right into the location.
Picture
The bar, managed by Titletown, opens at 8 am for those that like a little tipple to go with their Saturday Morning Brunch. Not all concepts are ready to start service in the am hours, however, so knowing what you’re going for before you leave will save you headaches. Honey + Cream Cafe opens at 7 am to serve the breakfast crowd while all other current tenants open at 11 am. For that reason, we only had the opportunity to try Honey + Cream on this visit, but individual reviews for each tenant will be coming over the next month.
All concepts operate out of the same kitchen, so when I arrived at about 10 am, most of the kitchen staff was already hard at work preparing for their opening or serving the breakfast crowd that came into visit. A tablet setup is available at the center of the room for you to put in your order with the kitchen tenants, key in your phone number, and when your order is ready, you receive a text message letting you know that your order is at the window.
On this particular morning, Honey + Cream cafe delivered the order to our table by hand rather than either myself or my friend having to go up to the window to pick up our matching breakfast plates– hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and sausages. These classic breakfast plates are symbolic of the other offerings coming out of Honey + Cream Cafe such as omelets, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches to play into their classic American Breakfast concept. 

​

Can you get these sorts of meals elsewhere? Sure. Denny’s exists. It isn’t a local chef creation, however, and that shows in the quality of the food that arrives at the table. I’m personally a fan of a good hard scramble, which is just what I got out of the kitchen during my stay. Warm, well seasoned hashbrowns with a little ketchup can’t be beat when they’re done well. The sausages as well satisfied.
Picture
If you’re running around Broadway earlier in the day and looking for something new to try among the many delicious breakfast and brunch options, check out Honey + Cream Cafe in the Cannery to support a growing food business.

Check back soon for more Cannery reviews!
0 Comments

Scott's Subs - a Local Alternative to Fast Food Subs

4/17/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
April 7th, a bad crash on I-41 diverted my plans for the afternoon with detour traffic that could make the most patient driver’s head spin. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I pulled about a block or two off the detour route I decided on to stop into the De Pere location of local sandwich chain, Scott’s Subs. They’ve expanded into Green Bay East and Hobart in the last few years, but despite that growth, I never made it in for a sandwich.

Turning a bad afternoon into a better one with a decent sandwich sounded like a great idea. The De Pere location was smack in the middle of an unusual area for a restaurant, but it got me out of the detour traffic taking over the Lawrence area. I was surprised to see that more of the folks caught in the slow moving traffic away from the I-41 accident that afternoon hadn’t done the same. 

The De Pere location offers sandwiches and pizzas made in house as well as ice creams from a few Wisconsin producers. I kept it simple with a Turkey Avocado sandwich and a bag of buffalo chicken wing potato chips. While I waited, however, I got a craving for the ice cream that I saw several other customers order in the meantime. I took a pint of Kemps Cake and Ice Cream home with me, and I found in that short amount of time, I was able to chart a path home through the detour traffic that didn’t take much longer than usual.

Read More
0 Comments

Enjoy Big Burgers at Brickhouse Craft Burgers and Brews

4/10/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sunday afternoon is a busy time in downtown De Pere. The city’s restaurants are all full– especially with the weather being on the warmer side compared to most of March. I arrived at the building that Brickhouse shares with Julie’s Cafe to find that there wasn’t a single parking spot available in the lot. I considered it a good sign for the meal I would have inside the doors, so I found another spot in the downtown area to walk back down to the restaurant.

During the height of the pandemic, I ordered a burger for delivery from Brickhouse, so I had some idea of what to expect. Big burgers and tasty fries were still fresh in my memory. Little did I know that they developed a rotating monthly menu that included a limited offering poutine, burger, and sandwich. On another visit, I would love to try the buffalo chicken poutine. This visit wasn’t that visit, however.
I’ve neglected downtown De Pere since moving closer in the last year. I had my eyes on trying the same burger that I enjoyed during the pandemic from inside the restaurant rather than after a delivery. I did not expect to sit down at my table and be offered a plate of their house made pickles– sweet, dill, and spicy. Both for snacking and the burgers to come, the wait staff offer them at the beginning of the meal like chips and salsa. As a pickle lover, I appreciate that.

​
​Taking home leftovers will allow you to take home cups of these pickles for future use if you’re as enthusiastic about pickles as I am. The number of sandwiches and wraps I made with the three types of pickles that Brickhouse delivers to the table first thing cannot be over exaggerated. Their spicy pickles especially became a welcome component for grilled cheese once I brought leftovers home with me. 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Sweet Willow Wellness Re-Opens in De Pere

4/3/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sweet Willow Herbal Wellness was a welcome addition to downtown De Pere– sustainability options for everything from your laundry detergent to reusable kitchen wraps. And for whatever reason, I didn’t make it down there as much as I wanted to at their old location. Little did I know that their business evolved to include vegan and vegetarian dining options for carry out and delivery over the years. Their new location just across the river has allowed them to further expand those options.

The Grand Re-Opening at the new location took place on an overcast, but pleasantly cool Wisconsin morning. I arrived to find a full house of eager diners and shoppers packed in from wall to wall. A number of free samples for visitors were available in the new cafe area, and I helped myself to several of them while I surveyed the cold cases. 


Read More
0 Comments

Eating Bay Area Burger Co's Lenten Special

3/4/2023

0 Comments

 
I have long loved the Bay Area Burger Company. It’s often been hard to get my hands on their smash burgers since their inception in the middle of the pandemic, but it is a testament to how good those burgers were that they now stand in a brick and mortar location on Broadway. I’m admittedly late to the game, paying them a visit. I rarely make my way into the Broadway district anymore now that I live in De Pere. I had to be in Green Bay’s downtown for less than savory business, but I knew exactly where I could find a savory lunch.
​

And I deserved it, didn’t i? 
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

To Your Health Juicery Joins the Revolution

2/15/2023

0 Comments

 

It’s not often anymore that I can treat myself to the local goodies I used to savor. Now, most of my shopping has to take place in the discount grocery stores I’m familiar with from my childhood like Aldi. Once a month, I allow myself a treat– and this month, I made my way down to the Revolution Market for the first time in the New Year. They’ve added a new vendor since my last visit, and this was my first chance to meet them.
​

To Your Health Juicery took up residence inside the market after the farmer’s market season ended this year. I saw them every Saturday, and I’ll be honest– I kept walking. I was never a juice woman. I’ve tried multiple times through Bona Fide to become the pinnacle of health and supplementing my diet through their juices. It didn’t stick.
Picture
To Your Health Juicery has set up in a way that is accessible to people like myself that are skeptical of the operation. You can sample anything and everything before you buy. The lovely lady at the counter that Saturday morning explained everything as I drank my way through their available juices that day.

Root Chakra – their beet based offering, combines with carrot, apple, lemon and ginger to served as my introduction to what they had for shoppers that morning. I expected an earthy, somewhat unpleasant taste when I took my first sample like a shot. Earthy? Yes. Bitter? No. The combination at work lends itself to a sweeter tasting experience.

Read More
0 Comments

Cocoon Brewing's Open for Business

2/7/2023

0 Comments

 
Cocoon Brewing has been long anticipated in the Ledgeview area, and it's finally open. Their soft opening in the first weekend of February was the first rumbling of a formal date with the following Monday opening their doors to the public. I was planning on being in the area anyway, so I diverted my afternoon to stop in and see what they have going on so early into their new business.

​
​
Firstly, it is somewhat difficult to see from the highway. If you don’t know where you’re going, it would be easy to go right past it. I suspect more signage is to come over the Brewery’s life. The building is striking when you turn off onto Kaftan Way. Google Maps will get you that far, so if you come with a mission, you’ll find it just fine.
Picture
Picture
The interior of the building is bright and vibrant in a way that the exterior, modern architecture does not betray in the slightest. It felt cozy, comfortable, and welcoming, to belly up to their short bar and order. The bartender guided me through the early modifications to their business model set to get them through the first month or so.

​As of the writing of this article, their own beers are not yet available, and their taps are loaded with guest breweries from throughout the region. The bartender on staff during my visit reported a likely early March date for their own beers to begin trickling into the line up. Until then, house cocktails are available as well. If I hadn’t started out with a beer, I would have definitely been ordering from that.


Read More
0 Comments

The Drift Inn- Budget Friendly Burgers

1/23/2023

0 Comments

 
Living on the west side affords me plenty of new experiences even with my health difficulties, and among these new experiences was the chance to visit the Drift Inn on Ashland. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the unassuming little building not far from the De Pere roundabout. Their burgers are considered some of the best in the Green Bay area. We have no shortage of delicious burgers, so I had to find out for myself.

Upon arrival, you know you’re going to get something good due to the number of cars in the parking lot. I arrived not thirty minutes after opening on Saturday afternoon for lunch to every spot in the paved parking lot in the front of the building filled. There was no Packers or Bucks game that day. This crowd was here for the food and the food only. My expectations rose immediately.

I sat myself at a small two top table in the corner when I arrived to get a good look at things. Tables are first come, first serve. I imagine that on a Friday night, it can be difficult for a group to find a spot. Only two tables were left after I sat down at noon on a Saturday. This could be a problem anywhere else, but I watched skilled waitstaff turn tables within twenty minutes start to finish.

The kitchen moves quickly here, especially if you come in for the chili advertised on their signage outside. A group beside me ordered chili and had it within minutes.  Clean bowls and empty glasses, and they were gone just as my own burger arrived. That’s a feat no matter what kind of restaurant you are. Pulling that off in a pure sit down environment is an achievement.

Unrelated– but how did spaghetti with chili make it to Green Bay? I thought that was a Cincinnati thing. Someone owes me an explanation as a born and raised FIB.

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    August 2023
    July 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020

    Categories

    All
    2021
    2022
    2023
    Bar Food
    Breakfast
    Brew Pub
    Burgers
    Cleveland
    Coffee
    De Pere
    Farmer's Market
    Food Trucks
    Green Bay
    Hmong Cuisine
    IL
    NM
    OH
    Pizza
    Pop Ups
    Restaurant Week 2021
    Seafood
    Steakhouse
    Sushi
    Sweets
    Tacos
    Titletown
    Travel
    Vendor Highlights
    WI

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Support Us
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Writing
  • Cookbook of the Month
  • Archive