Al Corso - Collins

I have lived in Wisconsin since 2008. Tonight I took the most beautiful woman out for her birthday dinner which always makes a restaurant awesome. This meal however was off the charts amazing. First: the location. Al Corso is located in Collins, WI. About a 30 minute drive from Appleton towards Manitowoc. This restaurant is 100% worth every second of that drive. Once you're on Main Street USA errrr Collins, you'll find a small red building that used to be a tavern. It's now an eclectic fancy little restaurant with an awesome staff. This restaurant has a full bar, and 12 tables. Perfect for date night, special occasions, or just a nice meal. Prices are reasonable for what you get, and a reservation is recommended can be done online). The food/drinks: she had a couple glasses of wine bottles are available) and it was delicious. I had a couple old fashioned cocktails. Excellent as well. We started off with the mussels appetizer. Delicious. She ordered a seafood medley $34) which had a plethora of scallops, shrimp, and lobster. I had the bone in ribeye $42) which came with veggies, a side, and a salad. Everything was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Most entrees were $20-$42. The portions are generous. The food is outstanding. For dessert we had the baked pudding and it was insanely good. I cannot say enough about this place. You just have to go try it. Off the beaten path in the middle of nowhere is one of the gems of northeast Wisconsin.

How did It take me this long to try this place? It is practically in my backyard! This could be one of the finest restaurants north of Milwaukee and it is literally in a town that is hardly on the map! Collins is somewhat known for its Marsh but it is slowly being recognized for Al Corso! To start out I was really excited to try one of their many bourbons. This was the first time I ever had whiskey stones which are chilled cubes of stone that cool your drink without watering it down... See picture attached. Our meals were all great. My wife and I had Sea Bass and my dad the birthday boy) had salmon. Each meal was excellent. For desert we shared the creme brûlée and it may have been the best I have ever had. The only drawback on the restaurant is the size. It is very small maybe 7 or 8 small tables) and the open bar is in the same room so if there are a few people having a drink, it does get loud in the dinning area. Most, if not all customers have one drink, then sit down to their table. So this is not a big problem. Because of its size I would recommend reservations! You need to find this place! Might have to fork over a few more but it is worth it. At least in my case I can use the money I saved on gas for my trip to the bigger cities!

I had some difficulty getting reservation on line; but it all worked out. Our dear friend had never been here before. She is the person who takes care of our cats and plants when we travel. We owed her one. I once claimed that this is the best restaurant in a four county area. Nothing has changed my opinion. As it was a Friday night, we got there at 1730 hours; and we were the first customers there. There are advantages to being early eaters, as the place filled up quickly after we got there. We started out with the beet/pear appetizer. It is astoundingly delicious. Just remember that you ate beets the next morning or you may have a momentary panic. Both my wife and her friend had the walleye. I had a seafood medley with lobster, shrimp and scallops. All of our food was eye rolling great, as were the salads and the hot bread basket. Our friend admitted that she thought that we had over sold the place; and it couldn't be as good as we say. She was blown away by the service and the quality of our meals. She is now a convert; and has seen the light. Al Corso is out in the sticks as Collins is barely a town. But the drive is pleasant enough. The building itself is a handsome renovated old home ? . I love the metal ceiling. We go here about twice a year; and the owner and staff always remember us. They are nice to us and we are nice to them. So if you are up for a road adventure and some outstanding food, it would behoove you to patronize this fine restaurant. Make sure you have a reservation.

The service and food are always excellent. Highly recommend making reservations. This is clearly the best restaurant in the area. Three critiques: 1) better mark the main entrance, 2) every time I have been there the dining room has been chilly, and 3) take a few extra moments to plate the food in a more composed manner. These things are very minor, so if these are my complaints, that means I am very happy with this eatery. Last evening, I had the rack of lamb off of the features menu (pistachio saffron, I think). It tasted excellent.

We found this place listed as the Must Go To Restaurants for 2018 !!! We went at 4:15! The place was clean, quiet quaint! The soup ribeye were amazing! We haven 't been to a restaurant that we could rave about the cleanliness, the food the service, for quite sometime! The owner took the time to share the photos the history of the place, as we were departing. We really appreciated it! One last thing...they also gave us a cookie to go, for breakfast the next morning! Very nice touch! We will definitely be back!