Because of the many things in which I am involved, trips between Illinois and Minnesota are necessarily somewhat frequent. Thankfully, I have a halfway point – and a good restaurant – at which I can stop: Rice Lake, WI and the Country Inn restaurant there.
What the Heck Has Happened?
At least that was the name of the place when Lauren and I stopped there for dinner back in 2017. We had been there on several previous occasions. All of those were pleasant experiences, and the food and service first-rate. You can check out what I thought back then just by reading my review of that 2017 dinner. Pretty much excellent.
Some things have obviously changed, and I had to wonder “what the heck has happened”? For starters, I had heard rumors that ownership had changed. Of a sudden, that is very clear, as the sign out front now shows the name as “Kincaid’s Country Inn.” Back in 2017, not enough good things could be said about the Country Inn. “nuff said – please read my previous review…
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Dilapidated Condition
When we arrived recently for an anticipated great dinner and evening, a red flag was immediately tossed into the air. At 5:45 on a Friday evening, the parking lot was virtually empty. Not a good sign. Things went quickly downhill from there. In addition to its emptiness, the parking lot had numerous unfilled potholes. Walking up to the front door, we noticed that the front entrance / porch to the restaurant was in a rather dilapidated condition – certainly not well taken care of.
Entering the restaurant, our first “greeting” was the sight of four servers – seated – at a table next to the bar. The bartender (and owner, we later determined) – was seated at the bar, attired in a T-shirt and soiled baseball cap. If this was the owner, his “uniform” was not very impressive at all. Attire of other employees was not professional nor worth describing.
A Second Red Flag
Also, T-shirts imprinted with “Kincaid’s Country Inn – Fine Dining” hung from the ceiling in the bar. And that same “Fine Dining” phrase is brandished in a logo on the home page of their website. Red flag number 2 went flying. The restaurant was as empty of diners as the parking lot was void of cars. More red flags were to come as the evening came and went…
Taking a quick scan inside the restaurant, it was becoming clearer by the minute that 1) Kincaid’s Country Inn was as close to fine dining as the Chicago Cubs were to a World Series in 1959 and 1966. Both seasons saw records of 59 wins and 103 losses. And 2) Ditto holds true for advertising themselves as a supper club – it was not. Tables were topped with vinyl cloths, paper placemats, and paper-wrapped knife & fork. No, there was no spoon. There were salt and pepper containers, along with a plastic bottle of ketchup. No candle, no flower (not even a plastic one). The paper placemats advertised local businesses. On the wall hung a whiteboard, handwritten with the “market price” of certain items gracing the menus we were handed. On the table was a placard showing names of wines, too small to read without difficulty.
The Menu
A waitress approached our table and, if she introduced herself, I could not hear what she said. As she handed us menus, I did catch an apology that told us she had “laryngitis”… But unlike a waitress at the table next to ours, our server never did share with us the evening specials or other pertinent information. Throughout the evening, she was, however, fairly attentive and polite.
Once we had started to peruse the menus, something else became clear. Prices since our last visit had rocketed skyward – in most cases, almost double compared to our previous visit. The prices were, in some cases, more than – or at least equal to – those we encountered on a recent trip to Carmel (as an example, check out my review of Sea Harvest Fish Market). California. Now we understood a bit more about why the place was so empty.
Our Dinners
Lauren ordered Cod – broiled – and selected sweet potato fries as her potato choice ($18.99 for a supposed 8-ounce portion). I selected the Blue Gills special from the hand-written board attached to the hostess stand at the front of the restaurant ($24.99) and homemade French fries.
Lauren’ Broiled Cod was way overcooked and tough. (I guess there is still a general and decided lack of knowledge about how to properly cook fish.) The accompanying plastic cup of “butter” on the plate was not butter at all, but an oily substitute. Her sweet potato fries were mushy.
My Blue Gills were done well. My French fries were in fact homemade… but were quite chewy. Pretty easy to tell that both Lauren’s and my fries were in and out the fryer much earlier. Having spent many years working in restaurant kitchens, I can easily say I have seen that before.
Plating
Monochromaticity, period. No attempt at plating at all – just throw on some fish and some fries and get it out of the kitchen. The only color on either plate came from a very miniature piece of a lemon wedge – about enough to add to a single bluegill filet. No green or other color whatsoever.
Cannot Recommend
So, what has happened? Wish I knew… The only thing for sure is that the Country Inn of today is definitely not the Country Inn of 2017. A new owner can do that. Yep, eight years is a long time. Lots of things can happen to a restaurant in that time – and apparently, they did. It’s certainly long enough to ruin a fine memory, as well as a previous, excellent dining experience with great food and service.
And, oh, yeah, lest I forget to mention… the salad bar. Actually, no, it is not worth mentioning, except to say that there is now a sign posted next to it that states: please, only one (1) trip to the salad bar. Really? And you tout this is a supper club? I am truly sorry I will not be returning, and this is one of the few times I cannot recommend a restaurant to anyone else, either. Your 2 Zin rating is well-earned. Best of luck in the coming months.
Your Table is waiting…
Ralph Pancetta
Kincaid’s Country Inn is located at 2499 County Road SS in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. It’s situated just south of where the Wild Rivers and Ice Age/Tuscobia Trails intersect.
Lauren’s Links
- VisitRiceLake.com – Find restaurants, shops and things to do in and around Rice Lake, WI
- The Supper Club Book: A Celebration of a Midwest Tradition by Dave Hoekstra (Author), Garrison Keillor (Foreword)
- Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip by Heather Kerrigan (Author)
