One of the many changes I noticed when in Appleton in December was that the Old Country Buffer on the north side of the Fox River Mall was becoming The Great Buffet, or more specifically, The Great Grill & Sushi Buffet. Just a few days ago it officially opened, as reported by Maureen Wallenfang in her popular column, "The Buzz" in the Post-Crescent.  Haven't tried it yet, but my expectations are high. 

Labels: restaurants, sushi

Jet Sushi is no more and has been replaced by Island Sushi, so you can still get good sushi at the same location, 62 Eisenhower Drive, Appleton, Wisconsin. Phone: (920) 993-2222. It may not be the best sushi you've tasted (according to one sushi critic I respect, but the reviews at Yelp are highly positive), but they have one important secret advantage: they deliver. A family in east Appleton reported to me that they had an OK (good but not great) sushi meal recently that was actually delivered by Island Sushi. Delivery may not be available for all locations nor at all times, so don't have unreasonable expectations, but when there's a polar vortex or something sweeping across Appleton, it's nice to stay home and let someone else bring the sushi to you. Sweet.

 Island Sushi is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Islandsushibuffet. Keep those sushi boats sailing!

Pizza places come and go, but my favorites seem to stick. Glass Nickel is one of those. I took family there recently for a pizza feast, where we ordered 4 pizzas: The Cardiac Arrest, the vegetarian, Sacre Bleu, and a Mediterranean. Cardia Arrest was my favorite, in spite of its unhealthy name. The meat level wasn't abnormally high but the flavor was terrific. Remarkably good crust and sauce, too. Sacre Bleu with the unusual zip of blue cheese was also a favorite with my group. Delightful. I was also pleased to see that Glass Nickel still uses my photos for decoration along its walls. Check them out!

Labels: pizza, restaurants

I have long been curious about a relatively recent addition to Appleton, the Osaka Japanese Grill and Steakhouse, so I took my wife there for lunch recently. We tried a mix of sushi and sashimi. Flavors and preentation were good, though the texture of the tuna was a bit off, making me fear it had been frozen. I am not sure. Service was good and prices were reasonable. The employees there at the time were speaking Mandarin Chinese. I chatted with the manager and learned she was from Hong Kong. Very friendly, like the others I met there. I am not yet sure how the steak side of things are at Osaka. 

Labels: restaurants, sushi