You should never tell a lie, I say to my girls one day, only to explain to them the following week about the concept of little white lies that our society uses in an attempt to not hurt others' feelings.
Eating healthy is the right thing to do, I tell them both... only to count down the minutes until their bedtime so that I can sneak a few extra cookies.
Don't judge a book by its cover, I'm often telling Big Sister E.
But then my family pulls up at Cold Fusion Restaurant & Bar and I immediately get ideas in my head about what the atmosphere and food quality will be like. I apologize to all eating establishments that have "& Bar" in their name, but for me, that conjures up images of loud, smokey, greasy, beer-slinging, all-around non-kid-friendly places. This is Wisconsin, after all.
However, even though I had my doubts before we were in the door...
...once we stepped inside I realized that Cold Fusion felt friendly.
Even with the typical fixtures I expected such as the bar, pool table, neon signs and more, the warm greeting we received along with the open, airy layout, large windows, and clean, comfortable ambiance immediately began to squelch my worries.
As we had arrived for an early dinner, we had our pick of seating and the kids were thrilled with the opportunity to sit at a "high top" table overlooking the windows and within range of multiple large televisions.
As we began to peruse the menu, I was again pleasantly surprised to find a wider array of options than I had expected. This isn't a bar that only offers french fries and cheese curds, Cold Fusion has so many different salads, sandwiches, wraps, paninis, burgers, pastas, steaks, ribs and more that there is easily something for everyone!
Bonus points for having a unique and varied Kids' Menu as well!
After placing our order, my husband and I sat back to catch up on the world of horse racing on television and the girls excitedly hopped down to (pretend to) play a little table hockey.
It felt like only a few short minutes before our friendly server returned to our table with our appetizer, the largest plate of nachos I had ever seen!
Typically the nachos are served with a choice of beef chili or chicken alfredo, but the kitchen had been more than accommodating in leaving out the chicken due to Big Sister E and I not eating meat. But that didn't stop this plate from overflowing with tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa!
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| The angle of this photo doesn't accurately capture just how LARGE this plate is - it is much more than simply a dinner plate! |
As much as we tried, there were still nachos left on the plate when our server returned to clear it away in preparation for our entrees to arrive.
Considering the amount of nachos we had eaten (they were addicting!) I wasn't sure if any of us would have room to eat much more, but then we took a look at our plates and our appetites returned.
Aside from the crust on Big Sister E's Margarita Pizza bordering a little too close to being burnt, our meals were perfectly cooked and just as delectable as our amazing appetizer!
My husband was happy with his filet (and commented that it too had surprised him with the quality) and dinner sides, Big Sister E chowed down on her pizza, Little Sister B couldn't stop grinning over her Peeps Plate of ham, turkey, cheese, mandarin oranges and kettle chips...
...and my Garden Vegetable Wrap was one of the best wraps I've ever had at a restaurant.
Add in that the sweet potato fries I had as my side were rich and crisp and had a delicious brown sugar topping and I really couldn't have asked for more!
By the time we were leaving Cold Fusion, I felt overwhelmingly guilty that I had arrived with such low expectations when it was, in fact, perfectly family-friendly with a huge menu of enticing, enjoyable options. I was just as excited to dig into my leftovers the following day!
Considering the amount of food that we received, I found that the prices at Cold Fusion were very reasonable... but then using our Restaurant.com certificate made the whole meal an even bigger bargain. I have no doubt that we will be returning again and I will be making a much more concerted effort to not judge restaurants before visiting them in the future!
For more information about Cold Fusion Restaurant & Bar (as well as their sister location), visit their website and connect with them on Facebook. To find out about all of the money-saving options that Restaurant.com has to offer in your area (or in an area that you are planning to visit), head over to Restaurant.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
As a member of the Restaurant.com Review Crew, I have been provided gift cards and compensation in order to facilitate my reviews. However, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
3 comments:
It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised by a place. Looks very yummy.
slehan at juno dot com
This food just looks delicious!!! I wish I could try it!
This restaurant sounds amazing, and so many different items on the menu. I think anyone would love to try out their meals, and the nachos looked delicious!
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