The Blind Tiger

• Date Visited: February 16, 2o18
• Location: Main St., Colfax
• Restaurant Type: bar
• Fish Sizes Offered: all-you-can-eat fried pollack or baked fish and 3-jumbo fish
• Sides Offered: salad bar, choice of potato, and fresh baked bread
• Cost: more than $10

The Blind Tiger easy to find and a direct shot from the west side of Eau Claire. Rather busy on a Friday night, the Tiger has high-top tables in the bar area and low-top tables in the dining room. We started with a couple of old fashioneds (that were strong!) and a try to the salad bar. The salad bar had a good variety, and things appeared to be fresh. We also enjoyed the coleslaw; it was a little tangy and peppery. With our salads, we enjoyed the fresh baked bread. It was hot and
soft!

Next our appetizers arrived. We enjoyed the jalapeño poppers. Cheesy and crunchy onto outside, they had a

great ratio of cheese to pepper. The cheese curds were squeaky and coated with a medium batter. They were a little undercooked but tasted wonderful. The mac ‘n cheese bites had full macaroni on the inside and good flavor, though were a bit unoriginal. The cheese fries, however, were really great. Garlicky and greasy, the fries were delicious.

Soon after we enjoyed the apps, the fish appeared. Similar to smelt, the fish was greasy and flavorful with a dry aftertaste. We didn’t need additional helpings, but the fish was good enough that we’re sure someone would. Our sides of waffle fries and hash browns were also winners. The hash browns were greasy and flavorful, and the fries were battered and crispy but also soft.

 

 

 

The Blind Tiger, overall, was a great recommendation from my friend at River Bend Winery. We greatly enjoyed all the deep fried goodness, and the fish was worth repeating!

 

1/2 out of 5

Pine Drive Bar & Grill

• Date Visited: January 19, 2o18
• Location: 250th St., Holcombe
• Restaurant Type: bar
• Fish Types Offered: beer battered, dry seasoned, or broiled
• Sides Offered: salad and choice of potato or vegetable
• Cost: less than $10

Right on the water, Pine Drive Bar had quite the crowd of snowmobilers when we arrived on Friday night. We picked our own table, and a server quickly arrived to take our drink order. We ordered some delicious old fashioneds and chose our food a minute later.

We started the meal with a side salad. The unique aspect of this dish was the little piece of garlic toast that accompanied it. Next our appetizers showed up: we had ordered the jalapeño popper dip as well as the yellow cheese curds. The dip was a hot dip with great flavor; however, the presentation wasn’t spectacular. The dip came with great seasoned chips. The curds were also pretty good. With a very chunky, though a bit bland, batter, they had a good balance of batter to cheese. We also tried the pizza fries. They were thin, flaky, and obviously homemade, though they didn’t have a lot of seasoning. Overall, though, we enjoyed these yummy appetizers.

For fish, we decided to try all three types of fish:the dry seasoned fish, the broiled, as well as the deep fried. The dry seasoned fish was well cooked and flaky. Though it was a little fishy tasting, it was overall pretty good. The deep fried fish had more batter than the dry-seasoned, though the two fish types were relatively similar looking and tasting. The deep fried fish seemed to have more flavor but also more grease. As for the broiled fish, it tasted as if it had been grilled, which was pleasant; however, the fish did taste a bit fishy. For a side, we tried the sweet potato fries, which were salty, had lots of potato, and were excellent. The tartar was likely homemade but really sweet.

Overall, Pine Drive would be a lovely stop on a summer day. We would love to sit outside and enjoy some good food. The service was great, and the place was clearly a local favorite.

out of 5