 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.
0 Comments
 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.
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.
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. I used to regularly drive along the frontage road where Plank Road Pub and Grill sits alongside the highway to Appleton. For years, I’ve driven by and wondered what brought the crowd to it’s large parking lot, and yet, I never made the attempt to cross town from my old living space to give it a visit. Shortly into October, I moved to the west side of the Green Bay Metro Area, and I decided to satisfy my curiosity with my soon-to-be ex-husband. A friendly dinner after a day of moving at a location neither of us had ever visited before harkened us back to easier times. He often sat across the table from me when I dined for articles like these. Fortunately for us and the other patrons of the restaurant that night, there was little different on this night than any other. We ordered our drinks, and I did what I always do. Plank Road Pub and Grill has a menu familiar to me in any bar-restaurant setting. I would never personally call it original. Every bar-restaurant has a spinach and artichoke dip, mixed french fry platters, etc. A compact burger menu positioned beside a sandwich menu is precisely what you can expect from a place like this when you drive up. It was a friday in Wisconsin, so of course there was a fish fry menu.
When our entrees arrived, I was pleased with my choice of a perch sandwich on a fish fry evening. At nearly half the price of their perch platter, it proved to be a good way to gauge the quality of the fry and the fish itself without committing too much on my first night out at Plank Road Pub and Grill. The single plank of perch among a well toasted bun and common sandwich accoutrement such as lettuce and red onion was somewhat lost flavorwise. However, looking at the fish and tasting it separately, it was clear to me the perch is well cared for and cooked here.
I left Plank Road with a ticket of around thirty bucks despite ordering two drinks, the appetizer, and my entree. A strong tip for the attentive staff pushed me into the forty range, and despite the concerns I have of going out on my own into the world for the first time, I didn’t regret a cent. Plank Road is a comfortable location for friendly dinners, and with reasonable price, it is much more accessible than some of its restaurant genre compatriots in town. Plank Road is accessible via the Scheuring Road exit off of highway 41, and their daily specials offer an opportunity to try much of their menu at reduced costs. Their frequent live music acts are announced on their facebook page. Thank you to the staff for a delicious, comforting meal after a hard day of moving! The first true Fall morning of September, I bravely got in my car to drive down to Kaukauna to enjoy the Produce with Purpose Open House. I turned away from the Green Bay Farmer’s Market early in the morning when I had a strong sense of purpose. That sense of purpose didn’t last long. I hate driving. I have several chronic health issues that sometimes make me scared to leave town on my own.
It scared me so much I spent the entire drive to Kaukauna having a panic attack, and I pulled into the downtown area in search of a nice breakfast to help me come down. I stumbled upon Sticky Fingers Cafe, open early enough for someone like me just trying to find a comforting meal and a safe place to relax. When I found them, two other people were on their way out with coffee in hand.
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. |
Archives
October 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed