English Inn - Fish Creek WI.
The English Inn is an upscale supper club, in the traditional sense of the term. Inside you'll be swathed in Olde Worlde English charm, burgundy leather seating, dark mahogany paneling and crested red velvet carpeting. It oozes tradition, in the British sense of the word. Even before you enter the building, you'll be greeted by two horse-mounted knights in shining armor (statues of course, but quite impressive nevertheless).
Inside you'll want to take pause and enjoy a cocktail at the bar, at which point, you might start to see the chink in their proverbial "English" armor. The English is cosmetic only. Fancy a good English ale? - they have something in a can with a widget. How about a fine single malt?...hmm, the stock Johnny Walker might be as esoteric as you'll find. What about a good scrumpy cider? "A what Cider?", was the bartenders retort.
OK, so we're not here for the English tradition in bar form, what about the food?
I've had among the best and worst dining experiences at the English Inn. Let's get the worst out of the way, since I don't think it's typical of what you'll find. Thanksgiving 2009 we decided to book for the buffet at the English Inn, and arrived around an hour before the end of the buffet serving, at 5.30 ish. The place was obviously recovering from a busy peak period. We were ushered into the rear of the dining room into what seemed to be a function room, with makeshift tabling. The buffet was right in front of us and it was a mess. I won't dwell on it, suffice to say that the staff were not keeping the buffet area clean and pristine looking. It was like a school kitchen line at the end of the lunch shift. It didn't smell too good in the function room either, a homogenized odor of baked vegetables and gravy and turkey stuffing.
We picked up and moved out, actually a block away to Alexander's, where we had a fine Thanksgiving dinner.
At other times, the food at the English Inn has been excellent. My favorite, and it's not on the menu, but a permanent 'featured special', is the Beef Wellington. I believe it's around $35.00 so it should be good, and I've never been disappointed with it. A succulent pan-seared tenderloin wrapped in filo pastry, with a pate/stilton base. Excellent, always.
At other times I've eaten more modestly at the English Inn and the food has always been good. Their fish fry on Friday is one of the best in Door County, and great value at the $16-$17 range for all-you-can-eat lake perch.
The wine list is quite reasonable. They have a working relationship with a Napa Valley winery, and these seem to be pushed forward ahead of more International wines, which would be fine if they were good - they're fair, not great. But if you take the time to browse the wine list, and not jump on a staff recommendation, then there are some quite respectable wines to be found, and at a good variety of price points.
Desserts are fine, appetizers good and service is good too.
One thing I encountered on a quiet off-season evening which always leaves me cold - the bar staff congregating at the bar, chatting and one of them eating dinner at the bar. I'm old fashioned about this and believe the staff are there to wait on customers and not use the facility as a common room area.
So it's a mixed bag at the English Inn in some ways. Some excellent food and ambiance mixed perhaps with some weaknesses that could only be categorized as management lapses. The fact that the place always seems to be busy suggests that the positives far outweigh the negatives, and that the handful of below par experiences are not indicative of the norm.
Overall, recommended.
My rating -
Food 7/10
Service 7/10
Overall Experience 7/10
Score - 21/30
The English Inn
3713 State Highway 42
Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Telephone: 920.868.3076