For two weeks in a row we invaded the Lake Geneva eatery world. And for the second week in a row we were there on a significant eve. This time New Years Eve. Again we had the town to ourselves. Scuttlebutts Restaurant was indeed open for the holiday. It was a foggy and blustery last night of the year, yet it seemed warm at about 49 degrees. After the zero weather the warmer air hit me like a brick as I got out of the car. The fog was blowing around the lake shore like a scene out of an old movie.
I am not the first one to jot down some praises for Scuttlebutts. It has been on people's palate list since the mid 1980s. I know you will find it listed in a couple books hawking food establishments in Wisconsin. They are right on the lakeshore downtown with a good view of the shoreline and all the comings and goings of the consummate tourist town that come with it.
It was nice to have the restaurant pretty much to ourselves because in summer you are subject to wait behind a big crowd. My father-in-law lives in Lake Geneva in the summer and we sometimes eat breakfast there. It is a hot spot and it will be crowded.
I am rather sure the place is a re-tooled old house. There are lots of windows to the lake. Something that is central to its theme is the heavy varnished wood floors. There is a neat little bar area as you come in the door. It is actually cordoned off to the dinning area by a big class wall. The ceiling framework and vents are fashionably exposed as neo-design dictates. This night there is a neat little Christmas tree in the dinning area.
Our dinner started out with some good cole slaw. It had a thicker cut and was crunchy yet sweetish. Some homemade rye bread with butter also will kick off you meal.
They still offer an all-you-can-eat fish combo. There is also a salad bar if you desire however this night we opted just for the fish dinner.
The combo fish for our choice included fried and baked Cod. Heide asked for potato pancakes and I ordered some onion rings for a change. The pancakes were good and crispy on the outside. The baked fish of course comes with a cup of melted butter.
The tarter sauce is smooth and tasty. Even the apple sauce was above average.
You know you know you are near the Wisconsin-Illinois state line when half the large family at the table next to you is wearing Green Bay Packers accessories and the other half has on Chicago Bears jerseys.
Scuttlebutts Restaurant is cool with Cool Dadio. Find them at 831 Wrigley Drive, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Call (262) 248 - 1111 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)
Corporal Keith Alan Nurnberg, 26, McHenry, Illinois, and Genoa City, Wisconsin died Wednesday, September 5, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. Nurnberg was in the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Benning, Georgia. He died from wounds he received when insurgents attacked his unit during combat operations in Baghdad. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted Nurnberg had moved to Wisconsin before deploying to Iraq. His wife was expecting a child at the time of Keith's death. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Via information from the Northwest Herald newspaper of McHenry, Illinois, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went on to mention Nurnberg left for the second tour of duty in Iraq not long after marrying his wife, Tonya, in December of 2006. She is a third grade teacher in Round Lake, Illinois. He had moved to Genoa City from McHenry around the time of their wedding. Nurnberg was a 1999 graduate of McHenry West High School and joined the Army at age 22. He was laid to rest at Bloomfield Township Cemetery in Pell Lake, Wisconsin. The data base for military casualties iraq.pigstye.net via information from the Chicago Daily Herald notes Nurnberg was a Specialist E4 at the time of his death. He was promoted to Corporal posthumously. The Web site iraqnam.blogspot.com via information from the Northwest Herald noted Keith Nurnberg came from a family with a long history of military service. Nurnberg’s grandfathers both served in World War II and his father, Al, is a veteran of Vietnam. One of his great-grandfathers served in World War I. The family was quoted as saying Nurnberg mentioned things were different in Iraq from his first time around in the country. The iraqnam.blogspot.com also mentioned the couple's courtship had been quick, but they had known each other for 10 years before dating. Keith had run track in high school. At the time of his death Keith Nurnberg was survived by his parents, Barb and Al of McHenry; wife Tonya; and three sisters, Christi, of Colorado, Melissa, of Indiana, and Kimmi of McHenry. Keith Nurnberg was the 80th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
99,341 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,820 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,435 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1449 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
841 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
32,112 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,971 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.
