Rookery Pub Fine Dining

Really a 2.5 for me. Obviously given the great reviews here, I had high expectations that just weren't met. I visited with a party of 5 midweek so they weren't especially busy,Drinks - a well chosen, decently priced selection of beer and wine as well as a full bar.Apps - here's where it started to go downhill. The first two items (from a choice of maybe 8) were unavailable. Not really acceptable given that they update their menu regularly. We settled on a chipotle goat cheese terrine which was good, when it arrived....about 30 minutes later.First - two people ordered the chicken wild rice soup which was never delivered. Hubs agreed to take his because he was still hungry (see entrees below) and they kindly comped it for the error. However, the soup was delivered just warm and kind of had a funny taste (to me, it was almost an iodine shellfish undertone).Entrees - two of us ordered risotto, 2 had pasta and one person had pork loin. The pork loin was the best of the lot. The pasta was ehhhhh....just ok. My risotto was actually very good but hubs was irritated that his contained just 2 small scallops on his - a ripoff at $24.Service - pleasant but absent. Even though there were just a few other tables and other servers present our server was MIA most of the meal. We had long empty glasses, long delays and missed courses. Not acceptable in a place of this caliber.Bottom line - when I'm paying a premium price I expect service and quality to match and it didn't happen for my group. Meh.

I usually do not post super negative reviews however I feel I need to warn people that this place is NOT what you expect. The menu sounds wonderful; duck dishes, bison burgers and filets...sounds great, right? Well, it is not. Beware, do not waste your time.In remote locations like Cable, Wisconsin, one must look at the "review dates" on yelp and trip advisor, etc. as wait staff, cooks and owners frequently change hands so unless it is a super recent review, it probably does not match the current state of affairs.I called at 7pm on a Thursday, I asked for an 8pm reservation and was told I need to be there by 7:45, I said OK and my husband and I hustled to get ready and be there by 7:45pm. We walked in at 7:41pm and were seated.We ordered drinks and food, our drinks came and then all we did is WAIT. Bread came out and it was terrible, seemed it was 3 days old and just not good so we did not eat but one small piece each.The place is not large so we could hear other tables complaining to the waitresses about the timing of the food coming out of the kitchen. The waitress for one table compensated all their drinks as the wait was so long and the food did not come out together.The waitresses were talking about their "chef", well he was not a chef but a very low level cook at best.Since the restaurant is in a basement like atmosphere (the art work is very nice) there aren't any windows to see outdoors.At one point our waitress brought us a large salad and soup, which we did not order. She was amazed we did not order it. She may have had 3 tables total so to not know we did not order this and to seem so surprised was odd. My husband ordered another beer which took 20 minutes for her to bring to him.Then, our waitress brought us 2 more salads, which we did NOT order. hahaha. It seems so funny now but at the time I thought she must be off her rocker to not have a clue on who ordered what, I mean she only had 3 tables!by 8:45pm my husband asked how much longer and we were told 5 minutes. Then, at 9:15 she brought out some food for us. I ordered bison, and it was supposed to come with carrots and potatoes. Well, something red and runny was on my plate, I have no idea what it was and the yellow glob was not potatoes but something else, I do not recall what she called it, looked like smashed macaroni and cheese. The waitress said they were out of potatoes and carrots. My husband's duck drowned! haha It was a large brown mess of gravy and sauce.Oh, and another couple that were seated after us did get their food after an hour wait and said it tasted terrible. You could also hear the cook and the waitresses yelling in the kitchen area, then the cook came charging out into the dining area and sat at the bar talking to some woman. The few tables that were not being used still had all the dirty dishes on them and no one cleaned them up.So the story ends, we walked out....WArning, do not even attempt to eat here, nothing good to say about it. nothing....Visited August 2016

I am giving The Rookery two stars as I reflect on the dinner we just returned home from this evening. Four of us ordered three different entrees and mine was the only one worth mentioning. My husband and father ordered the featured fresh fish, the Hawaiian Opah, "grilled and finished with a pineapple cilantro sauce with saffron rice," as stated in their newsletter which we receive. It sounded delectable, but was flavorless and dry. My husband asked for a wedge of lemon to help moisten it as well as to add some flavor. Sorry, but this flown-in-from-Hawaii fish doesn't hold a candle to the fresh walleye my dad catches right here in the north woods. The rice too, lacked flavor and had a gummy texture. The guys aren't ones to complain, so rather than bring attention to our table, they ate food that they didn't enjoy. We were told that the seafood risotto was so popular as a special that it was recently added to the regular menu, so my mother thought she'd try it. Unfortunately, the flavors of the dish were overpowered by the chef's overuse of salt. My mother only ate the shrimp and left most of the risotto as it was entirely too salty. It, too, was very gummy and not creamy as described in the menu and as risotto should be. When our waitress came to our table we mentioned the problem. The chef did offer to make a fresh dish for her, but by then, everyone would have been finished eating and she mainly wanted to bring it to his attention so he could correct it. I had the seafood coconut curry which was delicious. I requested to have shrimp only as I'm not a fan of scallops. I've never had a curry dish before and was pleasantly surprised. However, $31 for 5 shrimp and rice seems a bit overpriced to me. (soup/salad is a la carte.) What The Rookery has going for it is its beautiful setting and exceptional waitstaff. Our waitress, Lydia was wonderful, friendly, and very attentive. However, after a few visits here, we're finding that inconsistency and overpriced meals seem to be the norm and not the exception. Our bill with no alcohol or desserts was $160. We have no problem paying for a good meal. But that's just it. One of the four of us had a good meal. As we were leaving we overheard another customer tell our waitress to be sure to let the chef know that she enjoyed the service, but not her meal. So it wasn't just us. Hopefully The Rookery can turn this trend around so it's not just a scenic view or good music on Sundays that they're known to have going for them as people like us are always looking for good restaurants in the area.

Too expensive for the quality and area in my opinion. Never a good sign when there are no other patrons in the place!

This hidden gem nestled in the woods 6 miles outside Cable, Wis. is a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. The folksy demeanor of the owner was calming to us. Meeting the very qualified chef was a hoot. He's was entertaining. Watching the Vikings game in the bar was so fun. The appetizers were unique and tasty. Behind the resort, there are short trails to walk and our two little dogs enjoyed. I hated to leave. I highly recommend this getaway if you want a low key sojourn to the forest and fine dinning as well.

Organic, local ingredients...creative menu....Bells Two Hearted...and a friendly black lab roaming the restaurant, all in a remote location east of Cable, WI, i.e., not far from the end of the earth but you can see it., spits out a 5 star rating.If you vacation in the Hayward/Cable area, check this place out. You won't be disappointed. In an area where the deep fat fryer is the primary cooking method, The Rookery defies convention and brings a whole new way of thinking to the restaurant biz in northern WI.

Overall, we had a good experience. We weren't super hungry and we had seen from other yelp reviews that they tended to be quite pricey, so we just ordered a salad and two appetizers. We started out with the rainbow salad which was very good with a sweet and fruity flavor. Next, we had the Thai barbecue tostadas which were excellent and had a ton of flavor. Following that, we had the walleye tacos which were also very good, but did not have near the amount of flavor that the Thai barbecue tostadas had.We sat in one of the booths which was a nice and intimate place to dine. A few other notes: We did NOT have a reservation (it was a Wednesday night) and it was very awkward initially when we showed up. In fact, we almost initially felt unwelcome even though the place was not very busy when we showed up as it was still quite early in the evening. The other thing was there was a black lab laying in the entryway when we got there. Now, my husband and I love dogs (and have two big ones of our own), but felt that it was inappropriate to have a dog in a restaurant, especially one that is trying to come off as "fine dining" and that it could be a tripping hazard when laying directly in the entry way.

A delightful surprise in the northwoods. I went during the off season, when it seems all of the dinner choices in the area are frozen pizzas or bar burgers (not that there is anything wrong with a good bar burger ;), and had a great meal. Not only was the food excellent, but actual vegetables were used in the production of that food, and they weren't dipped in batter and fried.While I am being light hearted with the above, when I went to the Rookery, I had a very nice meal in a lovely environment. I will be stopping back when I am in the area and looking for a nicer meal.

I was so excited to dine at this restaurant based on all the hype and reviews. We were disappointed. We made reservations and arrived about 45 min early. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a drink. I got the Moscow mule which was excellent! We were offered to order an appetizer, so we did. The Bluegills. Apparently the cook had forgot or didn't see our order and we had waited a bit. The bartender brought us a bread basket. Within minutes our bluegills did arrive. It was supposed to be pan seared. One side was ever so slightly seared while the top was pale. It seemed more poached than anything. The soba noodles were ok but I didn't see were these along with a shredded green pile of something we're supposed to complement the fish. But we will move on. We sat in the dining room in a booth and were next to two very drunk, loud and mouthy women. Made for some good laughter. What else could we do?! They brought us more bread. We decided on the bison burger done medium, and the Alfredo chicken. My burger came and it was very rare. The bun had been grilled but also must've been frozen because the top was still ice cold. So it was a weird feeling when I tried to eat the more done sides of my burger. I let the waitress know that my burger was too rare, she offered to take it back. I wasn't sure if it was to cook the already divided in half sandwich or to get a new one. I said that was ok. I ate the steamed vegetables and nibbled on the lumpy mash potatoes. With all the bread and other items we had, I was content. The waitress returned with the dessert menu and told me that if I don't tell her boss, she'd offer me a free dessert (vs a reduced bill). I politely turned down her offer as 1. I was full and at this point wanted to leave, and 2. I don't care for when waitresses or business are conducted in this secretive manner. We paid our full bill, plus left a 15% tip as indicated with the nice little 15, 20 and 25% suggested tip list on the bottom of our bill. Bottom line....the service is slow. The food was less than par, the Alfredo my husband ordered was good but the sauce was very runny, watery. Not creamy and sticking to the noodles. The drinks from the bar were good and those were prompt. If only the food service and the food could match.

Cozy, quaint, excellent food and service. Not overpriced. Loved it! Will absolutely go back again.