HuHot Mongolian Grill is one of my top picks for exciting dining in Appleton. It's a Mongolian barbecue with the best ingredients and sauces I've seen for this kind of restaurant. It's all you can eat for about $14 a person (dinner) - not bad for such high-quality all-you-can eat food. The decor is fresh and attractive and the service is great, including the talented cooks who manage to keep track of everybody's customized food as they grill it for it you. They just opened in mid-February 2006, but business is already brisk and I think they'll keep going strong.

I was pleased to see that salmon was one of the choices for ingredients (other meats include chicken, pork, and beef). There are also three different kinds of noodles. I like the Thai rice noodles and the Chinese lo-mein-style wheat-based noodles. A scrumptious selection of veggies is available, all remarkably fresh and attractive. I loaded up on cilantro, broccoli, and other items. One thing that really sets HuHot apart is the rich variety of sauces, about 20 in total. In addition to the basic sauces like ginger water, lime, sesame oil, etc., they have a great selection of premixed complex sauces such as Black Thai Peanut, Yellow Belly Curry (with coconut milk), and "Kung Pao...Yow!"

I was also impressed with the salad that came with my meal. Beautifully prepared with elegant dark green lettuce and a delicious oriental salad dressing.

Given how quickly the bowls of food are cooked, HuHot could almost count as fast food. But it's also an elegant and classy place for a special occasion or a treat for the family.

You can get Mongolian barbecue at several other places in the Fox Cities, such as China King in Oshkosh, and the Great Wall in Appleton, but HuHot was the most enjoyable for me. I'm anxious to go back! (Note: Mongo's used to offer Mongolian barbecue, but is now closed.)

HuHot is at 3456 West College Ave. in Appleton. Phone: (920) 257-2555.

2009 Update: In the words of Yogi Berra, "Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded." Have had many complaints about big crowds and the long lines to get food. I'd stay away during peak hours. But once everyone takes my advice, then do the just the opposite.

Took this photo on my way to work yesterday morning. The thin ice forming on the lake was being blown by the wind, crashing into the supports of the bridge and creating the strangest noises. It was beautiful and yet eerie.

I am pleased that our community now has this beautiful walkway over Little Lake Butte des Morts. (Click to enlarge.)

I just took my family to Texas Roadhouse restaurant (3910 W College Ave., Appleton, 920-738-7427). WOW! This is now my current choice for "Best Service and Best Buy for Steak" in the Fox Cities area.

After two experiences there, I have to say that I am really impressed with the food, the service, and the business model of this growing national chain. This restaurant is designed to feed people well and keep them happy. The meat was tender and delicious, and none of us felt any temptation to dump steak sauce on our food. And I don't know of a steakhouse with better prices. My wife, for example, had one of the least expensive items, a $6.99 6-ounce sirloin that included two side dishes (she chose chili and green beans) plus their rolls - and it was delightful and left her full. She got quite a bargain! Not including the tip, the bill for four of us was $42, and we carried some food home. My 16-year-old son and I shared a large 18-ounce T-bone steak for $18.99, and my other son had son enjoyed a $13.99 barbecue combo platter with steak and chicken. All tender and delicious, not overcooked. And we really enjoyed the side dishes as well. The chili, like all their side dishes, was made on site from fresh ingredients, not canned. The salad was fine, their green beans were wonderfully flavored, and the sweet potato was to die for - well maybe not die, but it's at least worth a mild stroke. The baked beans also impressed my youngest son - thick and well seasoned.

Since Texas Roadhouse is fun, delicious and inexpensive, the place is popular and often busy. If you're smart, you'll call before you get there to let them know you're coming. They'll put you on the wait list as if you had just walked in the door - you can do this for up to an hour before you arrive. On a Friday or Saturday, there might be 20 to 40 minutes wait, so it's good to call first. This worked out perfectly for us tonight. But if you do have to wait, don't worry. They have a waiting room where you can eat all the salted peanuts in shells that you want, and you can just throw the shells on the floor. I guess that's supposed to be Texas style, but we Midwestern folk seem to get the hand of that right away.

Also, while we were waiting, a girl came around with free samples of their delicious onion rings and dip for people to try. Free peanuts, a sample of food, friendly greeters at the door - I like this business model: they work hard to keep you happy. Part of their secret is having lots of energetic and friendly employees. Even though the place was packed, we received a lot of personal attention from several staff members. Amazing service. Shortly after we were seated, we were brought wonderfully delicious fresh-baked rolls. Yum! We ate them in a hurry, so they brought us more. We placed our orders and were served surprisingly quickly. Water was regularly replenished - with nice tall glasses that lasted longer than the water at most places. (One of many small details that shows their management has worked hard to optimize their system.)

My first time there, I had dinner there with a couple of patent lawyers early on a weeknight when it wasn't too busy (and still pretty new to Appleton). Perhaps it's a bit too rowdy for a business dinner, but it was mighty fun with excellent food at surprisingly low prices. My Dallas steak was outstanding and the homemade rolls were great, but my favorite part of the meal was a side dish, yes, their baked sweet potato that was covered with brown sugar and topped with half-melted marshmallows. They gave me some cinnamon at my request. It was huge, superb, and better than almost any dessert I've had - but I'm quite partial to sweet potatoes. (My years in the South may be to blame.)

Texas Roadhouse is next to Woodfield Suites on College Avenue, just east of Highway 41. 3910 W College Ave, Appleton. To get there from College Avenue, you need to go about 40 yards north on Blue Mound and turn left (west) into the parking area that leads to Woodfield Suites and also Appleby's. And be sure to call ahead to get your name on the wait list before you arrive: (920) 738-7427.

P.S. After seeing how popular they have become and learning more about this business, I looked into the stock (TXRH) as a potential investment and was impressed enough that I actually bought a few shares. Jim Cramer recommended it recently as a great investment, and their future growth prospects look bright. Plus my recent visits have shown me that management has implemented a tremendous business model that really pleases customers. If you're into stocks, check it out - or as I told my family, "stake out the stock, then stock up on steak." But in spite of my small recent financial interest in this company, I would be praising them anyway, as I was already doing on my Appleton page after my first visit there, before I had any idea that they were a publicly traded company.

Not too difficult, but it still counts. This is not a glamour shot by any means, but it's an interesting little segment behind the scenes of Appleton.

It's time for my third Appleton Mystery Photo Contest! I haven't decided on the prize yet, but at a minimum it will include an uncirculated US Silver Eagle, the beautiful one-troy ounce silver coin minted by the US Government. I guess part of my motivation is to encourage people to consider silver as a fabulous investment opportunity. Maybe some more prizes will be added, who knows? Details on this contest will follow, but basically I'll be displaying about 25 photos here over the next couple of weeks. The person who can identify the most before the deadline (April 5 is what I'm considering now) gets the prize. Simple, eh? Save up your answers and then send them by email (jeff at jefflindsay.com).

And now, here's our first mystery photo. Can you tell me what this is and identify where I was standing when I took this?

This photo was taken during the summer at the Art in the Park festival. It's a classic Appleton landmark and a favorite photo op. (Click to enlarge.)

Those of you hungering for South American cuisine will be happy to know that we now have an Argentine restaurant in town. It's Mr. Churros at 207 N. Richmond Street in Appleton, just north of College Avenue and right next to Little Ceasar's Pizza. They serve Argentine-style empanadas, with many varieties of these tasty stuffed pastries. They are less than $2 each - two or three makes a fine meal. They also serve Latino sandwiches and, of course,, a couple varieties of the delicious churro (like an extruded doughnut). It's not elegant, but it's fast and tasty. Open for lunch and dinner.

I love the 441 Bridge Over Little Lake Butte des Morts and regularly drive over it to get to work. Always has fascinating views of the lake (it's a small section between Lake Winnebago and the Fox River as it flows into Appleton). Here's a view of part of the bridge itself taken from the shore at the end of Ninth Street in Menasha last summer.

Kanonji, Japan is a sister city to Appleton. Last summer Appleton was pleased to host about 20 students and several teachers from Kanonji for a couple weeks. One of the highlights of the year for my family was hosting a teacher, Keiko Onishi, a marvelous woman who made all of us want to go to Japan as soon as we can. Here are a few scenes from our time with Keiko and a final party with the students on Aug. 7, 2005. Many thanks to all the Appleton folks that made this tremendous event of international goodwill possible.

(For most photos here, clicking will enlarge them slightly.)


This is Keiko with some of my family at High Cliff Park.

Keiko teaches us the way of the lobster. She was amazed that lobsters could be purchased for less than $100 in Appleton.

Here a Japanese student to hit a piñata at the final celebration at Peabody Park.

Other students watching the piñata event.

Keiko is on the right.

Last night I attended a tremendously delightful performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute. The quality of many of the voices caught me by surprise. There was genuine operatic talent on display and a remarkable orchestra as well. I've rarely enjoyed a musical production as much as I did this fine performance at Lawrence's Stansbury Theatre. And believe it or not, the tickets were just $10 each.

Many people look to the Performing Arts Center or Green Bay's Weidner Center for great performances, but often overlook the inexpensive gems available at Lawrence University. Lawrence is a rich source for music and drama, greatly adding to the rich quality of life we enjoy for low cost in Appleton.

The Lawrence production of The Magic Flute was expertly directed by Timothy Troy and conducted by David Becker. While most of the cast was drawn from students at Lawrence (I'm still amazed at how much talent is at that university!), one leading role, that of Tamino, was performed by a Lawrence faculty member, Steven Spears, a graduate of Juilliard and his second year of teaching at Lawrence. The Queen of the Night was played by guest artist Amy Shoremount-Obra, a student of Marlena Malas with an artist diploma from Juilliard also. Bravo!

An acquaintance of mine recently had visitors from the East Coast spend some time with her here in Appleton. The visitors were joking about what they would be able to find for dinner in a Midwest town like Appleton, thinking that Pizza Hut would the most elevated cuisine that our "flyover village" might offer. My acquaintance took them to Apollon, (207 N Appleton St., just a few yards west of the Appleton public library, as their map indicates - (920) 739-1122). Apollon offers high-quality authentic Greek food in a pleasant setting, an excellent choice for visitors used to high culinary standards.

As they were enjoying some impressive food, beautiful notes from a female voice sounded in the background. At first they thought it was recorded music being played over a sound system, but they soon noticed this was live. In fact, a fabulous singer was providing live operatic entertainment in their restaurant - and it was tremendously beautiful. It turns out that the woman was a Greek opera star whose son attends Lawrence University, and she was visiting him that week. While in town that night, she kindly offered a little operatic flare for her fellow Greeks at Apollon.

The visitors were wowed at the combination of food and entertainment they found in Appleton. My acquaintance shrugged her shoulders and said, "Yeah, just a typical night in Appleton."

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Apollon is very popular for dinner before a big event at the Performing Arts Center (they do accept reservations, and you'll need them after 6 PM when a big show is playing in town).If you're going there for carry out, check out their online coupon.

A strange alien form was spotted near a school in the Fox Valleys, apparently keeping an eye on students. Do you know where this sculpture is located?

I enjoyed the appearance of snow on some piles of sand south of Appleton, taken on a cold day in December:



We now have snow on the ground again after having an early summer in January.

High water flow through the Fox River on Saturday resulted in some interesting action just below the dam between Memorial Drive and Pierce Park.

According to a Newsweek story late last year, Appleton is one of America's 100 best communities for young people. You can also read about this at VolunteerCenter.net. This is another huge honor for Appleton. But those of us who live hear don't need external research to tell us this. It really is an incredibly good community to raise a family and a great place for both young and old.

I just got back from a major trip to New York City where I was thrilled to experience New York style pizza. On the plane back to Appleton, an attorney agreed with my new-found preference for New York pizza and told me to try Sal's pizza in Appleton to experience it again. He was right!

Sal's pizza is at 411 W. College Avenue and offers real pizza in the style of New York City. That means you look at a wide variety of fresh, partially cooked pizzas on display, and pick a large slice or two of the kind you want. It's put in an over for a couple of minutes and served to you piping hot and delicious. Beautiful and creative pizzas, along with popular classics. It's my favorite pizza in Appleton.

Sal's has been here just seven months. Sal comes from New York and now lives in Madison. His son runs the Sal's in Appleton. Welcome to town - and please stay!

Update: They don't deliver, but there is takeout. Call 955-4444. They also offer subs and other Italian food, and cheesecake.