Local eatery Rachel’s Roadside Bar and Grill will be hosting a visit from America’s Best Restaurants (ABR) in late September.
ABR, a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants, will bring its roadshow to the restaurant Sept. 23. Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with owner Rachel Rasmussen about the restaurant’s special place in the community. The episode will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date.
Open since 2005, Rachel’s Roadside Bar and Grill is a popular, trendy eatery and bar that received several nominations from the community to be considered to be on an episode of the roadshow. They draw customers from all over, due to their inventive menu, eclectic atmosphere including a pet-friendly outdoor patio, and excellent customer service.
Rasmussen bought the building that her namesake eatery is in about seven years ago, doing a complete remodel to bring her vision to fruition. Much of her motivation came from people telling her she wouldn’t be successful.
“It went from a tiny little dive bar that was like a cave, (to) natural lighting,” Rasmussen said. “We’ve got lots of local decorations from barns that fell down. But really, what got me (successful) was my food. That’s what brought people here. I try not to have bar food – I try to do unique foods, not frozen. I try to do fresh (ingredients).”
The menu features burgers and other American-style items with a twist, including a full bar with craft beer and cocktails. Weekend specials include surf-and-turf and fish fries.
Popular items that may be featured on the episode include the cheese curds and the unique Christmas cheese curds, with honey and nutmeg; the shrimp tacos, filled with breaded shrimp, with sweet Thai and OMY sauces; the Smoking Wittenberger burger, topped with barbecue, mushrooms and onions, and curds; and the chicken cordon bleu croissant.
The restaurant’s finished episode premiere date will be announced on its Facebook page; follow for updates and more information about the restaurant at www.facebook.com/rachelsroadside.
Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on their customer reviews, menu items, social media presence and level of involvement with their community. They are found through customer nominations, internal vetting or by a restaurant applying to be featured at www.americasbestrestaurants.com.
