Hisses & Boos! Oohs & Ahhs!

Mini Reviews

(without much flare)

Hisses
To Perry’s Cherry Diner in Green Bay for intimidating the help. When my husband asked for no olives on his made to order gyros salad, the young girl working said the olives had to be on the side. He was puzzled and asked her if she could just serve the salad without any olives. She leaned in and told us the two men cooking in back yelled at her if she let the customer make changes, so could we please just let her “serve the olives on the side?” An older more experienced waitress might have handled the situation with a little more ease, but this girl was clearly intimidated by the very loud cooks/managers who could be heard arguing with one another about a procedure. Who could blame her?

Boos
To the Black & Tan Grille in De Pere for not allowing my mother in-law to make a substitution on a side dish. Not because they weren’t serving the side dish she wanted, but because the chef did not want the “integrity of his dish compromised” by an incompatible side. We dined there three times in one month after discovering the place because it was such an enjoyable experience, thought it is pricey. Dinner for two people was approximately $90.00 each time and we're not heavy drinkers. We thought it would be a nice anniversary dinner for my in-laws and brought them along on our fourth visit. We were stunned by the server’s insistence that what the chef says goes. My mother in-law simply wanted the onion haystack instead of potatos. Integrity of his dish? Unacceptable. This is De Pere folks. Upscale restaurants in large cities make accommodations, even if the chef thinks you’re a rube for asking. Too bad we have an extended family and friend boycott of the place because the food was very good.

Oohs
To Cy’s Asian Bistro in Neenah. Great service, fresh authentic food and quality ingredients. This is what I refer to as “Big City Thai Food” because for some reason all the Thai restaurants in small towns drown the noodles and meat in sauce and overcook the vegetables. Whereas, in larger cities (and at Cy’s) the emphasis is on fresh flavor, synergy of ingredients and wonderful presentation. It’s a family run business and is consistently the best Thai food I’ve had. Try the fresh spring rolls, the Pad Thai and the sticky rice with coconut ice cream! My friend Janice (the only true cook/foodie I’ve ever known besides myself) and I went for lunch and we felt like queens as we split two appetizers, soup, three entrees and desserts. So good! The iced coffee is perfectly prepared. It’s a regular stop for us on Friday afternoons. They don’t have fresh spring rolls on the lunch menu, but be sure to ask for an order. They’re happy to oblige.

Cy’s Asian Bistro
208 W Wisconsin Ave Neenah, WI 54956
920-969-9549

Ahhs
To School House Gems in De Pere. Shockingly low prices on gemstone beads. I bough a length of mid-quality kyanite for $11.00!!! Full service jewelry repairs and custom designs. My friend Kim found some neon yellow apatite and had earrings and a necklace made…beautiful. They’re down to earth and while the selection isn’t huge, it’s a great start. Natural rock and crystal lovers will be pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices. I found a beautiful crystal chunk for $30.00. At other stores it would have cost at least three times that amount. My only criticism is that not all of the pieces on the floor are priced and pieces not for sale are mixed in the for sale merchandise. It’s disappointing to bond immediately with a crystal only to find out it'll never go home with you! However, this is the place to stop for unusual pieces at nice prices.

School House Gems
309 Reid
De Pere 54115
920-336-4885

Double Hisses & Boos!
To Chef Chu’s in Green Bay for one of the most uncomfortable experiences we’ve ever had in a restaurant. We walked in and were seated next to the only other diners in the place. They looked very unhappy. All of the sudden it became clear why. We realized we had walked in during a brief lull of what was a full blown “rage-athon” by the middle aged male manager who was screaming at the top of his lungs at a young female bartender about how her mistakes cost him money. He was relentless in his high octave abuse. The line cooks and the hostess were clearly as uncomfortable as we (and the other couple) were. The bartender was crying (sobbing) and the manager yelled so loud and with so much force that spit actually flew from his mouth! She finally ran to the bathroom and he followed her and continued to yell through the door!!!!!!!!!!! It was abusive and sickening. The other couple got their check and left. Finally the guy stopped yelling and the red and puffy faced bartender came out of the bathroom. I pulled the hostess over and told her that what we just witnessed was beyond the pale. That losing money because of a bartender’s mistakes was the least of that manager’s issues. The energy in the place felt tight and stagnant and for us the experience was ruined. However, the service is usually right on and the food is always good.

My $30.00 crystal point from Schoolhouse Gems.