We found
Fib's Restaurant back in 2009 while in search of another place to have a pizza. A co-worker friend of mine was talking up a pizza joint down near Rockton, Illinois. We never found it, but while turning around in the village proper, we noticed a crowd at a place called
fibs restaurant. And yes the signage and menu use the non-caps format.
Straight off, the acronym "fibs" has a nefarious meaning in Wisconsin. But on their Web site the good folks at the restaurant note "fibs (friends in business)." I am guessing it is a clever play on words, especially being on the State Line area.
We were pleasantly surprised back then by the whole presentation. I had gotten their famous hot beef plate with mashed potatoes and Texas toast at that first visit. It was back when I took a hiatus from writing for about half a year so I never documented the visit. So, they got the fish fry nod the other day to make up for lost time.
For me, the place and town is easy to write about. There is a lot of activity going on their so there is no shortage of observations to jot down. The night we were there, they were lighting the Christmas lights in the park so the downtown area was bustling with bundled up people.
Rockton is a neat and tidy little town; the downtown has a village demeanor. It is put together like a mini Lake Geneva. The store fronts look prosperous and inviting. The Great Recession takes a break here at least at first blush.
Fib's was crowded with families and groups. We did get right in however as the staff seems to manage the crowd flow quite well.
The building is in a line of attached buildings like any number of American small down towns. Inside there is some nooks and crannies you may find yourself seated in. The decor is a bit neo-1970s but with a 2000s signature. The bar area looks like it was tuned up and moderned up not too long ago. The whole place is warm and inviting. The staff is friendly and on top of their tasks.
The first thing I just love about the meal is the basket of hot corn bread with a cup of good whipped butter that will come to your table. Having lived in Texas for 10 years we know our corn bread and these guys know how to make it right.
Of course we went for the all-you-can-eat fish options. Heide started with the fried Perch and I tried the fried Walleye. They also offered fried Cod, fried Crappie, baked Cod, and baked Walleye. I ordered a side of farmer's potatoes. They are a cross between hash browns and Au Gratins and very good. Heide ordered her consummate baked potato.
We both went for the salad bar which was one of our two side options. A lot of places do not offer salad bars any more. It was so popular here the salad bar girl was constantly running to keep it filled up.
If I ever get this fish fry book finished it will probably contain about 100 establishments in the South-central Wisconsin area.
Fib's Restaurant will certainly be in the fray. In fact for total presentation they would probably be in my top ten if I had such a category. I don't rate my reviews in that manner with numbering systems et cetera. You either make the cut or not. But if I did have such a system,
Fib's would be right up high on the list.
Fib's Restaurant is cool with Cool Dadio. Find them at 105 West Main Street, Rockton, Illinois. Visit their Web site at:
http://www.mrfibs.net . Call (815) 624 - 6018 for more information.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Navy Chief Petty Officer Patrick Lee Wade, 38, Oak Harbor, Washington (originally of Manawa, Wisconsin), was one of two sailors killed while participating in combat operations in Samarra, Salah Ad Din province Iraq, on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted Wade was an explosives technician and 20-year Navy veteran, a job which took him all over the world, including Iraq. Wade was attempting to disarm a roadside bomb that had partially exploded; a subsequent explosion killed the two sailors. The two men served with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington State. The Journal Sentinel went on to mention Wade had helped clear debris from the second space shuttle explosion; he also at one point trained with German Navy divers recovering munitions from World War II. Patrick Wade was born in Appleton, Wisconsin and grew up in Manawa, a central Wisconsin community of about 1,350 people. He was said to enjoy fishing and canoeing Bear Lake and the Wolf River, and hunting deer and turkey with his older brothers. He joined the Navy after graduating from Little Wolf High School in Manawa in 1987. Patrick wrestled, ran track and played football in his high school days. He married his wife Keri in 2003. She had also been in the Navy when they met. Wade had been in Iraq about two months. The data base for war casualties iraq.pigstye.net noted via information from the Lacrosse Tribune that Wade was the second son from his family to die in the military. An older brother, Bob Wade, was killed in a helicopter accident in 1993 in Japan while serving in the Air Force.
Like so many military members, Wade was claimed by more than one state. The Web site heraldnet.com out of Everett, Washington notes Wade and his family lived in Oak Harbor, Washington, a Navy community. The site went on to note the two sailors killed were working with a battalion of U.S. Army Rangers. They were killed despite being in a special explosive ordinance disposal vehicle.
Another data base iraqnam.blogspot noted the Oshkosh Northwestern as saying Wade went into the Navy with a best friend who was quoted as saying Wade had a great sense of humor, was a pretty small guy and got into body building in his last year of high school. Both friends played the trombone together in the high school band. Wade comes from a family that had several generations serve in the military. At the time of his death Patrick Wade was survived by his mother Shirley Wade; brother Gary; sister-in-law Ann Wade; wife Kari and daughters Noel and Esme. Chief Petty Officer Patrick Wade was the 77th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
99,052 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,811 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,433 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1436 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
830 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
32,000 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,771 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
103 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
27 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
145 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.
