 Fifteen time Best of the Bay Breakfast recipient, The Pancake Place, has been on my list for a long time. It is, however, just far enough from my apartment that I often don’t choose to make the trip. On a crisp October morning, I finally stepped out of my comfort zone and drove past Mason Street for once to check it out before the sun had even risen. It’s lucky I left that early. By the time I was finished, the restaurant was nearly full.
Despite being named The Pancake Place, they offer some incredible house specials that go beyond special flavors of pancakes. I was fascinated by the stuffed hashbrowns concept on the menu. I saw pictures on their facebook page and thought myself prepared. When the plate landed on my table, I realized that even a half order was too big for me. A mountain of hashbrowns were delivered piled over sausage and scrambled eggs. Country gravy buried that too. I couldn’t get through it, but I do consider the stuffed hashbrowns to be the most unique item on their menu and a good way to find out what The Pancake Place is all about. Biscuits and Gravy fans like myself can decide from this plate if the gravy is for them. Hashbrown connoisseurs like myself can decide in the hashbrowns are for them. The possibilities are endless from there with a variety of different stuffed hashbrown combinations on the menu such as chili cheese and gyro.
It helps that the waitstaff are wonderful, accommodating people. They’re happy to see you when you walk in the door. They take care of you when you sit. It seems to me that they remember every customer. Sitting by the door, I saw more than one exchange with new customers involving friendly ‘welcome backs’ and small reminders that they were remembered and valued in that little diner. That’s part of what makes a good American Diner Breakfast. The Pancake Place remembers that. If you’re a coffee drinker like myself, they bring a carafe and a bowl of assorted creamers and sweeteners to the table to keep you going for your whole visit. No need to stop in to refill when things get busy– not that the ladies weren’t visiting often enough to refill a coffee if necessary. It’s the perfect way to sit down for a long overdue coffee chat with an old friend or family member you haven’t seen in a long time with zero expectations. Simple coffee. Simple environment. Great food. The Pancake Place has won Best of the Bay fifteen times for a reason. You don’t need me to tell you that, but if you haven’t stopped in yet yourself, consider this article a reminder to plan your visit soon. Beat the rush by getting in as early as you can! Tell them Eating Normal sent you.
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Cheesesteak Rebellion is built into the bones of a neighborhood dive bar. If it weren’t for the Star Wars memorabilia on every available surface, you’d have a hard time convincing me to think of it as anything but another Wisco dive. Our dive bars are special, sure, but every neighborhood has one. Not every neighborhood has a Cheesesteak Rebellion.
 Yeah, you read that right. Bao and More at Koi Poke and Ramen-- there is no shortage of noodle joints in Green Bay. The vast majority of these focus on the phenomenon that is Pho. Koi Ramen has appeared on the scene to provide classic styles of japanese ramen and udon (as well as poke and dumplings) in an area of town that sorely needs the variety. They brought their business to Oneida street and opened their doors in June, and it took me this long to get there.
Upon walking in, I was met with welcoming and helpful staff willing to walk us through the process of ordering their poke and ramen at the bar. I came in focused on their dumpling menu specifically. I have never had the pleasure of enjoying bao buns made by professionals, only those that I made myself and struggled on the pleating. While Ramen is in the name of the restaurant, these smaller offerings were most important to me from the onset.  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.
 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.
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.
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!
No one was ignorant of what they were about to eat. McKayla Marie Sweets attended several events in town, spreading the anticipation over the summer– and it worked. I’ve attended many openings like this since I started writing for this blog, but I can’t recall this level of anticipation in a crowd. It spoke highly of the mind behind the product.
As early as I arrived at the event, the line was not long. The staff moved through those that did stop in immediately for their meal quickly, which is a good sign for their setup on the interior of the truck. For the hour and some that I stayed at the block party, it appeared that the quick service I got continued. Every frybread taco that I saw go by looked as good as mine. There’s something special going on in there. Don’t let the unassuming exterior of the truck fool you. You can follow Taco Tones on facebook to keep track of their schedule, or you can check our own facebook page off and on as well. We do our best to repost when we see many of our area food trucks announcing their openings outside of regular events in town. Tell them Eating Normal sent you. I’m so glad to see them out on the streets again to share a unique food truck experience with the city. The Packers first playoff game of the year is coming, and it reminded me that I forgot to post a review I wrote for a downtown classic back in November. Please enjoy this backlogged post and consider Saint Brendan's Inn for your playoff needs-- food and lodging! My husband and I wandered into Downtown Green Bay on a chilly November evening looking for something to eat. Something was going on at the Meyer, so many of the places we scouted out before we got into the car were already full. Vintage Cantina had long been on the radar, and I swear that every single seat in there was full. We parked just outside of Saint Brendan’s Inn, so we walked back down toward the car, found ourselves guided to the door of the Irish Restaurant/Hotel by the delightful smell in the air, and walked inside. This wasn’t the first time we visited. Back when we first moved here, one of my husband’s new coworkers invited us out to lunch here. It is still one of my fondest memories of town. We ate and drank very well, and yet my husband and I hadn’t been back since. This Friday night provided the opportunity to return without a wait at the door, and we sat down in the dining area with the Bucks game on at the bar behind us.
My husband and I’s first meal out to eat in Green Bay after returning from Cleveland was at Vintage Cantina downtown, a little taqueria and bar combo that I’ve watched from afar with lust. Their weekly taco features, AKA WTF’s, are a delight to see every week on their social media, and more than once I’ve found myself swearing I’d go for them when it just never happened. Christmas shopping left my husband and I hungry, so we drove into downtown during a business lul at our local restaurants to make sure we got in.
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