food & drink
Moose Creek Bar & Grille has Northwoods charm

By Norm Starks
Special to the Gazette

ELKHORN-Moose Creek Bar & Grille sounds like a place you might find in the north woods. But this one's on County H, just a few miles south of Elkhorn, smack dab in the middle of a cornfield. In fact, unless you're looking closely, you might miss it this time of year because it's well-hidden.

This charming place with a woodsy atmosphere is owned by Keith and Kelli Garrett, who also own the Sugar Creek Inn, another nice supper club in the area. It has quickly become a favorite with local residents, especially Friday nights, and because the dining room is not that large, you can easily have a wait if you come then. There is an outdoor patio that's nice if the weather cooperates.

Though this place is called a bar, the atmosphere is much more that of a nice supper club. There is a fine bar here, but most people come for the food, and rightfully so.

The menu is not extensive, but it's adequate. With choices from sandwiches to steaks, chops, ribs, seafood, chicken and pasta, there ought to be something for everyone.

Our daughter and son-in-law joined us for this visit. It didn't take me long to settle on a special for the evening, a crappie fish fry ($11.95). I think this is the first time I've seen one of my favorite panfish on the menu.

My wife chose a chopped Black Angus sirloin dinner ($9.95), with a crock of French onion soup added for $1 more. Our daughter went for the New York strip steak ($16.95), while our son-in-law opted for the standard cod fish fry ($8.95).

The French onion soup arrived in just a few minutes. It was a hearty crock with plenty of mozzarella cheese melted on top. The stock was mild and delicious, and we thought it was a fine specimen.

Our entrees weren't far behind. My plate was filled to overflowing with eight crappie filets, lightly battered and fried, homemade potato pancakes, applesauce and coleslaw.

If you've not eaten crappie, you don't know how sweet and succulent these filets can be. And this offering was tops. The serving was far more than I could consume in one sitting, but my son-in-law helped me polish it off.

My wife's chopped sirloin was very good, too. Cooked to her order of well done without charring, it was lean and very good. It came smothered in grilled onions and mushrooms and a little side dish of au jus, which really set it off.

Our daughter's steak was good, too. Tender and nicely done to her medium order, I loved its flavor.

And the cod? Well, it was as good as cod can be. I think I've gotten a little immune to the allure of cod here in southern Wisconsin, but there certainly was nothing wrong with it, and plenty of people in the restaurant were eating platters of it.

We finished off our meal with the homemade chocolate "moose" and found it to be creamy, rich and smooth.

Our server for the evening was friendly, efficient and helpful.

My wife's and my bill was $40.24, including tip, well worth the price.

Norm Starks is a free-lance writer who reviews area restaurants for the Gazette.

Location: N4403 County H, jus south of I-43 and County NN near Elkhorn.

Telephone: (262) 723-8844
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays -Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays - Saturdays.

Reservations: Accepted only for parties of six or more.

Credit cards: Accepted.

Non-smoking area: Not really, though you can choose to eat on the patio.

Handicapped accessible: Yes.

Vegeterian entrees on menu: Yes.

Heart-healthy items on menu: Yes.

Menu: For lunch, enjoy some of the homemade soups at $1.75 for a cup or $2.25 for a bowl. Eight salad choices, ranging from $5.95
to $7.25 are available, and a host of sandwiches priced from $3.95 to $8.50 and served with homemade coleslaw and a dill pickle. At dinner, choose from seven appetizers priced from $3.75 for onion rings to $6.50 for chicken quesadillas. Six steaks and chops dinners range from $9.95 for the 8-ounce Black Angus chopped steak to $16.95 for a 14-ounce New York strip or rib-eye. BBQ ribs are $15.95 for a slab, and honey chicken is $10.95.