Restaurant Review - Ron's Place.

It's rare that there is a hometown bar that can attract people by reputation from sometimes a hundred miles away. But we, in Kenosha, have a little treasure like that.  Ron's Place has been a staple for low key gatherings and dates for well over 40 years, providing excessive alcohol and incredible food, good lighting, and a fairly social, but private table setup. I've eaten at Ron's many MANY times, and I've been carried out of there more than once because their teas are delightfully strong.  Given my experiences, I'd like to talk a little about the food, drinks and service.

Ron's Place is a bar, therefore, it's expected that they do have bar food.  And they do have a wide assortment of it.  However, the executive chef of the establishment wasn't satisfied to just have the same thing as every other college bar.  You don't get a burger and fries at Ron's, you get a massive "5x5" cooked how you want it, with limitless variations like my personal favorite, the T-Hurst special (a 1/2 lb burger smothered in ham, cheese, and onions).  The chicken can be served as a sandwich, or a knife and fork dinner, and grilled or fried. Several steak and seafood options; such as my personal favorite, the cheese stuffed shrimp dinner; along with a rarely used kid's section, make this small town bar's menu one to rival mid level dining establishments throughout the area.  You can seriously walk in and have your meal be either fancy, or comfort food, or anything in between. 

Now with a great selection of food like that, you need to have something to wash it down with, and being a bar, the first place we look is the liquor counter.  Now the liquor is well stocked, various whiskeys, scotches, vodkas, schnapps, and tequilas, and other liquors, but the real stories are the beers and the teas.  Ron's Place is best known, Chicagoland and Greater Milwaukee over, for its 44 different flavors of Long Island Iced Tea.  The majority of its patrons are going there just for the teas.  True they are a bit fruity, but they are packed full of enough liquor to warrant a strict 3 tea limit.  Grape, berry, original, lime, and even one that tastes like a heavily spiked cherry coke are just some of the offerings.  An old girlfriend asked me about the place once, from Miller Park area in Milwaukee, and if I could take her there (as much of a lightweight as she was, I regretted it later, but she enjoyed herself).  They have promotions for drinking every different type of tea (The tour of teas) along with drinking just 50 of any type of tea you want (the custom tour), doing either will win you a T-shirt.  Along with this, they have a Tour of beers promotion, encouraging patrons to come back again and again and try all of the 28 types of beer they have available. 

Now, to top off the teas and all the great food, the service is absolutely second-to-none.  The Olive Garden may treat you like family, but Ron's Place treats you like their best friend.  On slower nights, the bartenders and cooks come out and talk to you, get to know your name, even come up with nicknames for you (one cook always calls me "Ed, Edd and Eddy").  There is always enough staff to ensure that you will never be waiting very long to get anything.  They tend to overstaff rather than understaff, but I would do that too if I knew how busy that place has the possibility of being, even on a Monday night.  Ask them anything, they will gladly bring it to you, even a big to go cup of pickles. 

All in all, this is one of the better establishments I've ever eaten in.  I would go there over and over again. If I moved away, I'd keep coming back just to go there again.  It is a wonderful cornerstone to the fair city of Kenosha, and I hope it continues to be in business for years and years to come.