The Red Ox Seafood and Steakhouse — Restaurant in Appleton

TLDR – Place smells like pee, service is bad, food is even worse (inedible). I would not feed this “food” to my dogs, but I’ll be sure to send my enemies here. I am completely boggled as to why a restaurant with the word "Seafood" in the name repeatedly serves imitation crab, how everyone was happily shoveling this garbage down their gullets (copious amounts of alcohol were involved, I presume), how this establishment remains in business, and why the average rating is 4.4 stars. Don’t eat here if you have taste buds. Upon walking in, you are greeted by a strange odor (urine but I could be wrong). The dining area looked a little dingy but hey, atmosphere lighting, right?

My husband and I ordered 2 appetizers; the stuffed mushroom caps and the Louisiana crab cakes. The crab cakes were abysmal, to say the least. They are mostly breading. The sauce that was served with them was lumpy and had separated, with grease was sitting on top of the sauce. I was sooooo confused while eating the crab cakes and sat there chewing them when it suddenly hit me: fake, imitation crab! The stuffed mushroom caps were pretty good; except (again) the fake imitation crab gave them a weird chewy texture.

The server comes by with our salads and no bread. They were out of bread, apparently. I only found out because I asked. The salads were okay minus the drenched lettuce and the fact that I had to cut the lettuce into edible pieces since it was literally a half head of lettuce cut into 2 pieces with the toppings on top.

Our entrees arrived and once again, fake imitation crab was used for my chicken Oscar. I also had to ask the server to bring the mashed potatoes that came with my dinner, as she forgot them. I should have not bothered as they were clearly instant potatoes and cold. My meal was lukewarm, soggy, and frankly, disgusting. My husband ordered seafood Au Gratin and was also disappointment with his meal. The shrimp in his au gratin were rubbery and tasted of dish detergent. The scallops were also rubbery. The same gross sauce that was served with the crab cakes was used on my chicken Oscar and my husband’s seafood Au Gratin.

Our server arrived with to-go boxes and we politely declined them. She held them out once again, as if we were obligated to take these pathetic “meals” back to our garbage.

The service left much to be desired: 1) my water glass was empty most of the duration, with me having to ask for a refill 2) at one point the server admitted she had forgotten about us 3) I had to ask for the rest of my meal 4) I had to ask for bread, then was informed they had run out 5) being a server myself, I was left wondering why she never asked if everything was okay with our meals seeing as how they were left mostly untouched and we did not want to take...

I went looking for an upscale steak experience. What drew me to Red Ox was the offering of Dry Aged Prime Ribeyes and Prime Rib. I expected a refined dining experience.

Soup (5/5): We had an appetizer of french onion soup. The base stock is likely made with au jus from the prime rib. It was extremely flavorful and robust. I would recommend the french onion soup.

Steak (4/5): The ribeye was wonderfully dry aged and cooked rare to spec with a wonderful crust. The filet could have been broiled longer to provide a better crust, but was cooked rare to spec. Both steaks were a little bland, but we're very high quality.

Sides (1/5): With our steaks we ordered mashed potatoes, which turned out to be instant potato mash with the artificial flavoring that reminds me of Idohoan Roasted Garlic from the bag. I had the "Oscar" with my ribeye, a topping of hollandaise and crab. Jar hollandaise and imitation crab were not what I was expecting. My partner had the filet stuffed with garlic. I was expecting a lightly roasted minced garlic, but instead it was akin to breaded turkey stuffing. I would not recommend any of the steak add-ons and maybe the baked potato. They can't possibly mess up a baked potato right?

Ambiance(2/5): Walking in, Red Ox is a bona fide old-school steakhouse and taproom setup. Some time in the '70s, Red Ox must have been a bustling fine-dining experience. In 2021 however, the Red Ox is more like a peasant tavern than an upscale eatery. The patrons are older and have brought their myriad of grandchildren making a racket. Everyone was there looking to get the Sunday special $15 turkey and gravy plate. The nice ambiance was completely destroyed by the vulgar presence of crying children and adults trying to shout over them to maintain conversation. I felt like I was trying to eat a $150 meal in a golden corral.

Notes to the restaurant: I can see that your target demographic in 2021 is much lower end than the pretentious vibe that your main menu gives off. I think it would be better for the restaurant to downscale the menu from the prestigious meals and extensive wine collection. I won't be returning, not for the lack of quality of the main courses, but because of the introduction of low quality ambiance and side dishes to accompany the main course. I don't believe any customers would be happy eating a $60 steak with instant mashed potatoes...

My father was coming to the Appleton area for a visit and asked if Red Ox was still around. I had never heard of it, but he was telling me he and my mother used to dine here when they were in college (some 35+ years ago).

I checked out the menu online and was like "sure, that's quite the menu!" We went on a Friday night. The place was busy. We had a little over an hour wait. But, don't let that scare you! The drinks in the bar were awesome and the conversation we struck up with other patrons and the bartenders were great!

Our table was called and we asked our server for some recommendations. I asked about the prime rib - she said it was one of the best in the area. I asked about the ribs - her face lit up when she said "oh, those are my favorite! You have the get the peach and cherry bbq sauces!!" I ordered the prime rib with a half rack of ribs. I ordered them plain so I could try both BBQ sauces. My father got the New York Strip. Both came with soup and a potato.

First, the French onion soup was spectacular! Rich and oniony, and the cheese was perfectly melted! Totally could have had another bowl! Then the entrees came out. WOAH!!! The New York Strip was like a side of beef and incredibly charred (per request) on the outside. My prime rib was so tender and juicy, the au jus was some of the best I've ever had. AND THEN THE RIBS....they were fall-off-the-bone tender and even plain - DELICIOUS!! The Door County Cherry BBQ sauce was tangy and had cherries in it! The Bourbon Peach BBQ sauce had a good kick of bourbon and incredible peach flavor. The sauces were perfectly blended and you didn't miss any of the flavors!!

Of course, we were too full for dessert but that just means we'll have to go back for more!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place!!! Put it on your shirt list of dining options for a fantastic meal and...