The Pad

I was fortunate, while pedaling across the USA on a bicycle last summer, to stop here. The burger and fries were fantastic, and I enjoyed talking to Mackenzie, the barmaid, who said she wanted to study to be a doctor. Chris, the cook, told me he had just lost his wife - but when he heard I was raising money for juvenile diabetes research, he donated $10. Great gesture. I was touched.

The Pad is known for its burgers and for good reason. The burgers are big and beefy (1/2 pound) with a soft, fresh baked, bun. My burger was a bit over done, however. They don't ask how you want it cooked, but next time I'll be sure to ask for medium rare anyway, to avoid another medium well one. It's a homemade tasting burger without a hard sear or much seasoning. So, bear that in mind. It did come with nice crispy fries. The appetizer basket of onion rings was big and they tasted great. The cheese curds were also excellent and the portion again was good. The curds stayed hot and melted in your mouth until they were gone. That didn't take too long since we weren't playing. Anyway, get the ranch dipping sauce because it was thick and flavorful. It was Friday so, jeepers, I was "eyeing up" what looked like a big walleye filet going by. That had me twitching like I was still in the boat. That's right, "I got my eye on you, Wally! Next time, you'll be in MY belly..." Come get some.

The best bar burger I have had in a long time. Service was great.

Fast service, knowledgeable bartender - made great recommendations about the food. The food itself was fresh, we watched it get dropped in the fryer, but nothing special - maybe its what we ordered. We had wings, fries, onion rings were good, philly steak got cold as we ate everything else, chilli cheese dog was massive and really good. Lunch atmosphere was great - no loud crouds, no on bugging us.

I had the hand breaded walleye. Large fillets w/choice of Fries , hash browns or potato salad. Rye bread and coleslaw. They try to go a notch above the traditional bar food. Very courteous employees.