Up in Green Bay during an early spring day where winter was still trying to hang on, I set my sights on a place that came up on my GPS when I was pulling into town. The name - Graystone Ale House - was intriguing enough for me to give it a try.
The Graystone Ale House is part of a consortium of sports bars around the Green Bay/Appleton area owned by Jess Miller, Ryan Chernick and other partners. These places include The Bar with locations in both Green Bay and Appleton, as well as the Hagemeister Park sports bar in downtown Green Bay that is named after the first field the Green Bay Packers played on when they became a football team in the late 1910's. The modern day Hagemeister Park features a Packer motif and a large outdoor patio deck with a heated canopy. It's a popular place for Packer game days, both when the Packers play at Lambeau Field or on the road.
Graystone Ale House opened in late 2010 and is situated in a newer area of Green Bay in what is actually De Pere, WI just past the roundabout where Monroe and Dickinson Roads meet. (see map) There's ample parking beside and behind the building.
Walking into Graystone Ale House you'll find a large square bar with a larger dining area off to the right and a smaller one in the bar area. The place was very nice and very welcoming. There were dozens of flatscreen televisions scattered throughout the building. As I entered, one of the servers told me that I could sit anywhere I liked and I asked if I could just sit at the bar and get food. She said it was no problem.
My server, Jessie, came over to great me and dropped off a menu. I got a Lagunitas IPA that they had on draft from one of the about two dozen spigots behind the bar. It was served to me in a Mason jar.
The food selection on the menu was extensive but it included some upscale items in addition to the normal burgers, salads, soups and appetizers you find at similar sports bars. They had steaks and seafood on the menu including a 12 ounce New York strip steak and grilled Mahi Mahi. Graystone Ale House also featured fettuccine Alfredo and a pot roast entree, as well.
I looked over their pizza page for a moment before settling on either sandwich or a burger. About the only sandwich that remotely appealed to me that day was their Black Forest sandwich - sliced turkey and ham topped with Swiss and cheddar cheese and served on marble rye bread. I decided to concentrate on the burgers.
All the burgers at Graystone Ale House feature 1/2 lb. Black Angus beef patties. There are some signature burgers such as the Graystone that is topped with Swiss, mozzarella and cheddar cheese; or the Bacon and Rings that is topped with, of course, bacon and onion rings. You can also build your own burgers at Graystone Ale House starting with your choice of a white or wheat bun (or a pretzel or ciabatta bun for an upcharge), six different types of cheese, twelve different sauces or dressings, and toppings that include blue cheese crumbles, sautéed mushrooms, sliced pickles and Canadian bacon.
I went with building my own burger topped with the sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and slices of bacon. I went with the basic white bun - I'd been having bad experiences with pretzel buns lately. It was lightly toasted and big enough to hold the large burger patty.
And the burger was pretty good. Actually, better than I thought it would be. The Swiss cheese slathered over the top of the burger with a bed of sliced sautéed mushrooms under the cheese. The thick cut bacon was criss-crossed on top of the burger and had a great complementary flavor along with everything else. The bun held together well and was a great companion with the thick burger.
The fries were average, but I didn't really care about that. The big burger was filling and I didn't eat many of the fries. In fact, I don't think I had dinner that evening because I was still full from the burger I had for lunch.
Graystone Ale House - nice place, above average burger, great beer selection, tons of televisions and a good menu for a sports bar. I couldn't complain about much during my visit there. The service was good and I was in and out in less than 30 minutes. It was one of the better sports bars I've visited in the upper Midwest.
Yup. Going to find a burger tonight. Thanks for the inspiration:)
Posted by: Jennifer F. | July 17, 2015 at 07:10 AM