When you dine out as much as I do, you learn pretty quickly that, if you are going into an unknown restaurant, your safest choice is the steak. After all, all you have to do is cook it to a person’s preference and the meat will provide its own flavor. And, that theory has held true for years, until I ate at the Green Acres Restaurant in Sauk City, WI.
I was actually surprised at my bad dining experience when we stopped at the Green Acres Restaurant (located on State Highway 78). Normally, if you go to a restaurant that is some distance from town, the food is usually pretty good because there has to be something to make people want to drive out of their way to go there. But, considering it advertises itself as a steakhouse, I really was disappointed.
First, there was the atmosphere. When we pulled in to the parking lot, my wife and I both commented that the restaurant looked a lot like someone’s house and I’m still not certain if people lived in the upstairs portion of the building or if it was used for something else. The inside of the restaurant wasn’t bad, but we ended up being seated next to a pillar in the middle of the room and, for some reason, that made us feel a bit crowded.
I almost gagged on my water when they brought us the menu and I saw the prices. A steak and shrimp dinner (something I normally order) cost $25.95 and, from what I saw from other people who had ordered it, didn’t have all that much on it, just a small steak and three pieces of shrimp. Even if you include the salad bar, that’s way too much. And, before someone comments that upscale restaurants tend to cost more, I counted at least four spelling errors in their menu. That’s maybe not a big deal to some but it inspires as much confidence in me as having the menu hand-written in crayon.
My wife and I each ordered the cheapest item in their steak section, the 8 ounce sirloin for $13.95. And, even though I had previously thought it was impossible to ruin a steak, I have to say, it wasn’t very good. I ordered it medium well and it was extremely dry. I rarely use steak sauce but I think I went through about half a bottle with that one.
I’m actually hoping the Green Acres Restaurant was just having an off night when I was there. There were quite a few people in the restaurant, including several who were obviously repeat customers. So, either they really don’t have good taste or there is something that draws them back that just happened to be missing that night.
Maybe one day, I’ll be brave enough to go back there to see if my first impression was wrong. Of course, at those prices, it’s going to take a lot to convince me to try again.
