On our last trip to northern Wisconsin, we had literally stumbled upon a resort and restaurant called the Chanticleer Inn. There we had enjoyed an excellent fish fry dinner.
Why Take a Chance?
Although there were numerous other dining possibilities suggested by various blogs, we decided to return to Chanticleer. And “oh fer cri“, we were familiar with the restaurant and figured, “why take a chance on something new”?
It had been several years since we had been in Eagle River, and I was looking forward to the few days that we were going to be there. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, but at least I could look forward to a Friday night fish fry — and a nice view of part of the Eagle Chain of lakes. After all, if I couldn’t find a decent fish fry in Wisconsin, I would be almost ready to give up looking.
A Giant Red Flag
This visit however, was different. Aside from some delicious cheese dip and crackers in the bar, a congenial bartender, decent pours and prices on the cocktails, the rest of the experience was a rather large disappointment. My first clue should have been a dining room that was barely one-third full at 6:30 pm on a Friday night. That’s generally a giant red flag, and it rang especially true in this case.
The fish fry was supposed to consist of Haddock which, for Wisconsin, seemed strangely out of place. Stranger still was the fact of what happened when Lauren ordered the Assorted Fish Platter for her dinner. According to the menu, it was supposed to consist of “deep fried assortment of one piece of cod, two pieces haddock, two scallops and one shrimp.” $16. Make special note of “two pieces of haddock” supposedly included. Except she was told they were out of Haddock, but also told “an extra piece of cod would be added.” At 6:30, with an almost empty dining room? Out of haddock? Really?
Dinners Not as Described and Way Over Priced
It was straight downhill from there. The extra piece of cod was forgotten and we had to ask. The round and overdone “crabby-thingys” (as they were called by our uncaring waitress) were supposedly crab balls (who would have guessed?) that were not even in the description. They were miniscule. The cod was over-breaded and overdone. The deep-fried shrimp (we got extra in lieu of the missing haddock) were heavily breaded and mushy on the inside. The pair of scallops was also over-breaded and overdone. At $16, the dinner was over-priced.
I ordered the Perch Fry. it was fairly good and at least not over-breaded, but the portion consisted of six tiny fillets, barely four inches long by about an inch wide. A major disappointment was the potato pancakes, which were really not potato pancakes at all. They were deep-fried “nuggets” like those served at the fast food chains. Also priced at $16, this dinner was also way over-priced.
The Truth About Our Evening
The waitress, by the way, was about as attentive and congenial as a rock. I was particularly impressed – no, I wasn’t – by the way she deftly piled our dinner plates and other items from the table onto her arm like a hash-house waitress (does anyone ever use a tray anymore?) and then dropped our check onto the table like a food-drop to survivors on a deserted island.
The only bright spot of the evening was a truly friendly and smiling host. He was busy chatting with other customers as we left, and I just didn’t have it in me to interrupt and embarrass him with the truth about our evening. Unfortunately, we won’t be recommending the Chanticleer Inn restaurant to anyone for any reason. The rating of 3 Zins is likely a bit high.
Your Table is Waiting…
Ralph Pancetta
The Chanticleer Inn is located at 1458 E Dollar Lake Road in Eagle River, WI.
Lauren’s Links
- Learn more about Eagle River, WI at OntheLake.net
