I recently had a chance to take some great friends and my grandkids to dinner in the Fox Valley. Wanted someplace memorable, family friendly, and picturesque. I wisely chose Pullmans in the Oneida Flats area along the Fox River in Appleton. This is one of the prettiest settings of any restaurant in the Valley and has delicious food. I'll share some of the photos I took shortly.

Had my favorite lobster bisque and also a crab cake sandwich. Others enjoyed salads, fish, pizza (my granddaughter), and, of course, the view of the river. Thanks for a lovely evening, Pullmans!

Labels: food, restaurants

I took some relatives to dinner last night at Confucius Chinese, where the Taiwanese owners and chef really understand the joys of Chinese food, in my opinion. In addition to some great items on the menu, I asked for some extra authentic dishes they might be able to provide. One of my tips for good Chinese food in Appleton is that the best places can provide outstanding authentic specialties that are not on the menu. In some cases, it's best to give a day's notice, but tonight I just asked for their recommended specialties on the spot. We had an outstanding beef hotpot dish and salmon as non-menu specialties, which were great, but I was also delighted with the menu items we ordered such as Kung Pao chicken. Very good flavors and even the grandkids loved it.