northern

Kennedy’s Cafe, Somerset, WI., 10/5/24

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
exterior – 260 Main Street, Somerset, WI., 54025

Kennedy’s Cafe was a small town cafe on the main street of Somerset.  Mike Kappers and his family bought it from the Parnell family in 2018 and renamed it for his then second-grade daughter.  The small building has been a cafe for years.  The first floor had a few stool seats at a counter, a few booths (with red-topped tables) and a couple of center wood-topped tables.  There was additional seating upstairs but I didn’t visit, nor did I visit the basement where the men’s bathroom was – the ladies was on the ground floor.  No music was in the background but the place was packed so conversation filled the air.  It had lots of lights as well as windows to the street and the walls were covered with some photos and tons of funny-saying signs.  Service was super friendly but a bit slow (probably due to the crowd).  A cozy little place that serves only breakfast and lunch.  It was fun to visit but the food was mostly bland. Continue reading →

Riverstreet Family Restaurant, Spooner, WI., 2/22/23

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
exterior – 519 River St, Spooner, WI 54801

Riverstreet Family Restaurant is a fairly large place divided into 2 rooms by a partial wall.  The good-sized tables are mostly in one room with the other having the bar facing the service area and opening to the kitchen,  Plenty of parking surrounds the building and music from the kitchen radio bleeds into the dining areas.  The interior is a combination of wood, brick, shingles, metal and windows to the outside covered with blinds.  A couple of deer head mounts and various signs complete the eclectic interior.  The large menu features breakfast all day, a lot of burger variations and is supplemented by daily specials.  The portions are large and the staff quite efficient and helpful as well as knowledgable of the names and situations of many of the regular customers.  Coffee comes as a pot on the table and overall the food was good but regular.  In other words, I would go again but not go out of my way to get there. Continue reading →

Cedar Lodge Steakhouse and Grille, Barnes, 9/14/18 and 10/14/18

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building
building

Cedar Lodge Steakhouse and Grille started in 2009 in the location that used to be called “Downtown Barnes”  Owners Collen and Scott Ruhman spent a good bit of time updating and remodeling and adding to the original location.   It is a good sized building that houses a large u-shaped bar in a room that also has room for a couple tables, games and lounge furniture in front of a fireplace.  It opens into the main dining room that is fairly bright with soft background music.  The only televisions are in the bar area.  Bare wood tables are polished to a high shine and fitted with comfortable chairs.  Flat-paint plum walls work well with the copper metallic shiny ceiling.  Walls are decorated with paintings and other objects.  The full bar is available for order in the dining room and they provided a better than average wine list.  The large menu was supplemented by a daily special offering.  All dinner plates come with a trip to the salad bar that also offers a housemade soup, as well as seasonal vegetable and a choice of side dish.  Our friendly server, Denise, turned out to be the owner’s sister and helped steer our order.   Continue reading →