Chef Rene’s was high end food in a small town. Waitstaff was pleasant and friendly. The food was amazing. I had the chicken piccata which had a wonderful butter lemon wine sauce. My husband had a cordon bleu which was made with veal instead of...chicken in a mushroom sauce. Delicious! Would highly recommend this restaurant!More
True Northwoods decor. One of the best brandy Old Fashions I've ever had. We were a group of 15 and they made taking care of us look effortless. Needless to say we ordered a large variety of meals and everyone raved about their choice. I...had the Pepper Steak and the filet medallions melted in my mouth, plus the wine sauce was spectacular. Will eat there again next time we come to Eagle River. Bravo Chef Rene!More
My husband and I traveled to this area because he went to this part of Wisconsin to fish with his dad and brother when he was a child. We stayed at a cottage about 3 miles away, and our first night in town, we tried...to get into this restaurant because the owner at the property we were staying at recommended it. Sadly, the wait was more than an hour and they recommended we make reservations. We did for the next night because their menu looked incredible. The first night we ate here, my husband ordered the blackened fish entree and I had the lamb chop special. Both dishes were amazing! Hubs also enjoyed the Pinot Noir there. We are not dessert people, but we were so certain the desserts would be equally delicious, so we ordered the caramel flan. It was my choice, and my husband does not ordinarily like puddings and custards, but this was above and beyond any flan I've ever tasted. SO DARN GOOD! So good, in fact, that we risked going there a second time (late) without a reservation because IT WAS THAT GOOD THE FIRST TIME. They squeezed us in. We requested the same server, Sonia, who was a true professional and very personable and warm. This time around, we ordered Scallops Pernod. Since it was late, we split the dish. Didn't think it would be possible, but this was even better than the first night! It's hard to get scallops cooked well at a restaurant, but these were perfect. Nice sear and color on top, but not over-cooked and dry, nor were they undercooked. Even splitting the meal, we were too full for a dessert, but we were talking about trying the key lime pie if we hadn't been so full with the delicious scallops meal. Extra bonus on the first night was that the chef's father (I believe his name is Homer) was in town, and he entertained the crowd with finger puppets. He added so much to our experience, that the only photo we took was of the puppets he shared with us. (He'd already gone back to his home in Arizona the 2nd time we visited.)More
From hot crispy onion rings to entrees of duck confit, Korean ribs with three dipping sauces, beef stroganoff, chicken Alfredo, brandy old fashioned sweets and brandy Alexanders for dessert, everything was so delicious! Fresh hot bread brought to the table. Beef stroganoff must have had...homemade stock..Nice porch seating, watched the sunset. Bartender Dave rocked. Wine selection advice was spot on. Service was great too.More
Awesome Halibut this evening, served with a Saffron, Sweet Pepper cream sauce. Scallops Pernod to die for and our annual favorite - Fiddlehead Ferns. Cassie was excellent and after all these years, we were invited to the kitchen to meet Chef Rene...it was a real...treat and honor to extend our sincerest gratitude for his amazing culinary skills. The Northwoods is truly blessed to have him and his exceptional team providing the highest quality epicurean experience in the Northwoods. Delicious, thank you for making our visit exceptionalMore
The tenderloin was cooked perfectly, not overdone. The zoodles were excellent along with the cocktails and service. Had a great night!
The food was good but expensive. For that price better customer service is expected. It was clear that cleanliness, health and safety of customers was not a priority. Will stick to Pine Gables for a better experience.
Saw an ad for this place and we took a chance. Glad we did! The food was sensational. Grilled walleye with scallops were perfectly cooked - so much flavor. My dining partner had the beef stroganoff and he said it was delicious. Desserts were different...and delicious. Sat out on the screened porch with a great view of the bright, cheerful garden and water feature. Very relaxing atmosphere. Would love dining options outdoors there but the porch was very nice. This is definitely a place to try and revisit. The menu had many options.More
Available seating on the sign drew us in. Fish fry is what we wanted. Didn't want the temptation of all you can eat so we ordered from the sandwich menu (dinner entrees are $$$). Overhead the staff talking about how bread is not available to...those ordering sandwiches. Got upset but held in there Wow! Burger. Hot beef sandwich. Amazing. We will return.More
We had a christening here and Chef Rene catered. It was awesome. The chicken Alfredo was incredible (and I am not a fan of chicken Alfredo usually). The salad was tasty with a variety of fresh veggies. The homemade salad dressings were fresh and good....The cheesecake topped with fresh blueberries was a great choice.More
We went here on a Wednesday night during the Fall Foliage season. The restaurant was about half full. The menu is varied (something for everyone) and includes typical Wisconsin Supper Club fare. Each of us ordered something different and every meal was good. The service...was also good and we enjoyed the atmosphere. I thought it was pricey for this area (especially the wine and cocktails).More
If you’re in the area definitely give it a try. Perch dinner was excellent. Schaum torte was was good as my grandmothers.
The bartenders were great. We were told a 30 minute wait. Ended up 90 min plus. I inquired once, finely didn't get seated until the bartender inquired. Honestly I think the hostess forgot about us. No problem really. The steak was a perfect medium rare....so thumbs up for that. We ordered one for each of us (2 total) and was surprised when they were loaded with mushrooms and onions. I inquired with the waitress. She explained the Cowboy Steak always comes with mushrooms and onions." it says so in the menu" 'and offered to prove it by getting a menu. By that point we had waited so long for dinner. I declined the offer as I felt it would ruin the dinner for us. After the dinner, and paying the bill in cash with full tip no problem, I checked the menu, no mention of onions. I brought it to our servers attention on the way out. She became extremely defensive.Pointing out that we were the only people since the restaurant open that even noticed that. She rudely pointed out that the Cowboy Steak always comes with onions as if I should know that. Stupid me I guess? I wasn't expecting any credit or adjustment. If so, I would have addressed it well before paying the bill or placing the tip. I guess I was just expecting, "sorry, I'll make a note of that. I'll have to mention it to the chef" The steak was cooked properly so not all was lost, just not a great over all experience.More
Don't let the bad reviews fool you! Check the dates. Yes there are a few recent bad reviews, but it seems that most of them are old. As in old enough to be from the previous restaurant that was in that location. Those really should...be taken down as this should only have reviews for Chef Rene's at the Inn and NOT the old Nicolet Grill! We went for a Friday night fish fry. After having heard mixed reviews, I was honestly expecting an average fish fry. The price on the fish fry was average at $13.95 for all you can eat. It came with cole slaw, bread and choice of side. I kept it traditional and went with french fries. My husband had the smoked salmon with a salad and the wild rice as the side. We thought the salmon was a little pricey at $28.95, but both dishes were REALLY good! I could smell the smokiness of the salmon and it had a really good flavor (this coming from me, that doesn't much care for salmon). We did think that both the salad and the salmon portions were a tad on the small side for the price however. The wild rice had a good flavor, but was too overdone for my tastes, it lacked texture. The fish for the fish fry was pollack, and I am used to either cod or haddock. It was breaded and had a good flavor, but the pieces were small. Now, the piece size does not really matter for an all you can eat portion, but it did matter in that the fish was drier than it should have been. It wasn't bad, but the pieces were thin, and therefore were not the nice, moist and flakey fish I am accustomed to. The fries were good, though my personal preference is for a slightly thicker cut. I really liked the cole slaw. It was the creamy cole slaw that I prefer, but it had a distinct flavor. I couldn't place what the flavor was, but it was different than any other cole slaw I've had and I thought it was really good! The service was very good. The young man that was our waiter was polite, but I thought he may have been new to the trade. His timing was pretty good, but service staff these days (almost anywhere) never seem to ask if their customer would like another drink. Do they know how much money they are missing out on by not asking? Also when he brought us our bill he said that since we did not get any dessert, he gave us a couple of extra mints. That was great, except that he hadn't even asked us if we would like any dessert. Another potential loss for the business. I also have to mention the brandy old fashioned. Kudos to the bartender as this is the only place that I have heard my husband say how good it was, aside from our favorite place to go. It was both tasty and potent, while being affordably priced at $6.50. I have read complaints about the ambiance and/or decor. Personally, I would prefer not to see all the taxidermy in a setting where the ceilings are not vaulted, but I am not going to let that stop me from enjoying good food! No it is not the same as his previous location, maybe not as upscale, but are you really going to let that stop you from enjoying a good meal? Would not hesitate to go back again!More
Just amazing dining spot located on the water with lovely views of gardens and lake. Menu is varied and goes out of its way to tempt all palates with unusual preparations of dining favorites. Our server, Jeff, was a delight!! So many delicious entrees to...choose from...we started with the Wild Mushroom Medley in a luscious cream sauce served along with hot crusty bread. It was all I could do not to lick the plate. My son had scallops with pasta and I had Korean ribs. The homemade dumpling soup was a rich broth with light, fluffy dumplings. We had no room for any dessert, though our choices were many. Visit this culinary gem, you wont be disappointed.More
