BELOIT – On a Saturday night, we headed down to Beloit to check out The Mouse, a long-established tavern that serves up a much talked about chicken and dumpling dinner special.
I started questioning my GPS as we meandered along country roads, but eventually we came in on the far west side of Beloit. And we almost missed our destination because of the weird street angle. The front entrance of the Mouse Tavern is on the corner but there is plenty of parking in a lot in back.
When we entered, the place was bustling! After giving our name to the bartender, we waited for our table. This is a family-friendly neighborhood establishment with the owners welcoming and overseeing the comforts of all. We were enthralled with the Mickey Mouse memorabilia. From vintage Mickey, Minnie and Goofy above the bar to the lighted glass case featuring Mickey Mouse clocks, lunchboxes and a plethora of figurines, there is a lot to take in.
Drinks are reasonably priced, too. I enjoyed a Guiness ($3.50) while Helene ordered a whiskey and coke ($4) and Jennifer had a brandy old fashioned. Apparently, it is not always so packed, but the time passed quickly and we were soon seated at a diminutive (mouse-sized?) booth (Note: These were built in the 1930s.)
I love that Mouse has a history. It has been around since 1933 and is one of the oldest bars in Beloit, with only three owners; the original owner, Rus Germann, his daughter Linda Utynek and then in 1986, Tom Roehl and his wife Jacki bought it and have run it ever since. The building itself is small and crowded with booths and tables and a bar that runs along one side and a second room that houses a pool table, a few more tables and video poker machines. It’s also packed with “mouse” memorabilia. When Nikki questioned the dead Mickey Mouse in a coffin above the bar, our server pointed out the Mick E. Mouse obituary on display. In 1987 the Micky Mouse Tavern died and was reborn as Mouse Tavern due to a lawsuit by none other than Disney. It’s a great bit of history so be sure to ask about it.
We ordered the macaroni & cheese wedges ($5.95) as an appetizer. They were crispy triangles filled with soft and gooey mac n cheese. It was a little bland but helped out by a nice ranch dip. I think a tomato sauce would have been better… I also think kids would love these. Despite the crowd, we were pleased that our meals arrived fairly quickly.
I ordered the lobster cakes ($14.24). These were copy-cats of crab cakes with bites of lobster meat. They were good, but they were better dipped into the remoulade sauce. There was a hint of horseradish and paprika. Main courses are served with several sides. I had a pretty and fresh simple salad with a nice blue cheese dressing and selected mashed potatoes without gravy. I love potatoes with plenty of butter and salt.
Nikki got one of the Saturday specials, the 10-ounce sirloin dinner with grilled shrimp ($26.32). For her sides she picked french fries and broccoli. The steak was cooked medium rare, just as she requested, and it came with a skewer of five medium shrimp that were lightly seasoned and perfectly bite-sized.
Jennifer, always excited to try a new fish fry, decided on their two-piece cod dinner ($12.50) with a side salad and hash browns as her potato. When she was asked if she’d like the hashbrowns with onions and cheese, she answered with a resounding yes. The rectangular fish filets were lightly breaded with a nice flaky texture and accompanied by tartar sauce with chopped pickles. Her hashbrowns were pan-fried, super crispy with a soft middle, loaded with onions and topped with a slice of american cheese. The rich potato taste came through and she nearly polished them off.
Helene ordered the much-loved Saturday special, quarter chicken and dumpling dinner ($9.50) and had a choice between a leg and thigh or breast and wing. She chose the latter and found it to be moist and tender. Wonderfully salty too! The dumpling was bigger than both the breast and wing! Soft and almost cakey, it came with a creamy gravy that was so flavorful. This was definitely worth making a trip on a Saturday night for. In fact, all their chicken dinners are served on Saturday only.
