I have a confession to make. I am the thief. Here’s the back story.
On our trip to and from the Bible Conference in Minneapolis, we stopped at a mom-and-pop restaurant called the Park Oasis near Mauston, Wisconsin.
(I say “we” because I was privileged to pick up our dear sister, Pat Thomas, in Indianapolis, and bring her to the Conference.)
Since the Cracker Barrel’s upper management has been revealed as “woke” (sponsoring Gay Pride events, etc.), I am choosing to not patronize them.
On the way up, we were delighted to find this restaurant. For brunch, we both had their corned beef hash with eggs, etc. They told us they cut and shaved the beef in the kitchen so we knew it was not going to be “industrial grade” corned beef hash often found in chain eateries. My oh my, was it delicious!
On the way home, we again stopped in the Park Oasis Family Restaurant for brunch. We ate a bit lighter this time and were equally pleased. We ate lighter so we might have room to get one of their fabulous on-site-made pastries and take it to-go.
I asked our server, Sierra, if she would take my Yeti thermos and fill it with hot water. I dropped my Chai tea bag in it and stirred in some half-and-half and monk fruit sweetener. My Yeti will keep water hot for five or six hours.
As we paid the bill we were confronted with the tyranny of too many choices in the pastry display. Pat ordered the huge cinnamon roll and I chose the iced pumpkin cake. There were two pastry display cases. Here is one of them.
As it happened, both Pat and I were pleasantly full from the brunch so we kept the pastries until later. I drank my tea on the way, and it was not until I got home to Fletcher and popped the lid off my Yeti that I discovered the Park Oasis teaspoon still in the thermos.
Of course, I surmised that the restaurant would not ask me to mail the spoon back, but I called them anyhow to commend them on their wonderful establishment and make confession.
When I spoke to the General Manager, Taylor, I told her I was from North Carolina and went on to explain my inadvertent transgression. She just laughed and said “it happens all the time. Don’t worry about it.” She suggested I should look at the spoon as a souvenir to remember them.
I told her she was gracious and the least I could do would be to promote their fine establishment with my gazillions of blog readers so that any of them traveling through the area could also enjoy their “down home” cooking.
So this is my five-star recommendation for a wonderfully satisfying restaurant. The Restaurant is located just off I-94 between Wisconsin Dells and Tomah at exit 69.
If you should have the opportunity, just tell Taylor that the spoon thief from North Carolina recommended your fine restaurant. 😊
~END~
