Horse Thief Hollow — Restaurant in Lake Township

I was there for Oktoberfest celebration so I can't speak to a "normal" evening there, but here's my experience. The wait staff was EXCELLENT. It was super packed with people, the music was VERY loud, we had a big group of people, but our waitress was consistently very attentive, somehow could understand us over the loud music, never screwed up or missed an order, was basically running, and remained super friendly for the 3+ hours we were there. Booyah! I tried the Oktoberfest beer called Wasserwolf. It was a really smooth lager, and no one characteristic overpowered another. If I could drink another stein, I would have had more. LOL. I liked its smooth taste and medium body. And since I do not like IPAs I was extra pleased that they had several non-IPA choices. We also had shots of apfel schnapps that tasted like apple cider. Soooo good. I got to try several food items. There was a special Oktoberfest menu. Everything was really good. I ordered two sides - trio of sausages and potato pancakes. The meats were beautifully flavored and there was an enjoyable difference between each one, with a brown mustard on the side for dipping. Although the potato pancakes had a nice crème fraîche and purple cabbage, the potato itself (good flavor) was too thin, so you didn't get the crisp on the outside and the nice soft potato on the inside. It was so thin and crispy it was even a little hard to cut. I tasted the battered cod that was gorgeously plated. Nice flavors, but too subtle. Needed some pep - there was sauce on the plate that I didn't get to try, so that might have made the difference. Those who ordered it though really seemed to enjoy it. And finally, the schnitzel! Oooh, man, that right there was the star of the evening at our table. The best schnitzel I've ever had. Super great flavors, tender yummy meat. Wonderful mushroom sauce on the side. Yaaas! Thankfully, the portion was SUPER generous and my friend let me eat as much of her plate as I wanted. (Yay!) The cabbage and German potatoes on the plate were really good too. The German band was talented, fun, and interactive. Created a really festive atmosphere. As previously mentioned they were extremely loud, so we couldn't converse much at all, so we danced. I was invited to Horse Thief's Oktoberfest party and was previously unfamiliar with them (I live 40 minutes away.) After looking at the website, I realized that their regular menu is totally different from the German food we ate, and that they do these special menu/celebrations several times a year. That's crazy for a restaurant to be able to switch up its menu to that extent and have it taste good. Kudos to the chefs and owner. (I'm sad to have missed the Wizarding Weekend menu. Hopefully they'll do it next year.) I'm looking forward to trying the regular menu, the mixed drinks and the good...

Put in an order for pickup. At best, I can say the staff at the door was friendly and the order was ready on time. At worst I am extremely upset that I blew $80 bucks on this.

Let's start with the two orders of burgers. both were asked to be the same. Well done, plain, with cheese/extra cheese. They were not plain, nor did they have extra cheese. They were both burnt. Really burnt. All I tasted was salty char. Which brings me to my next point. You put a heavy emphasis on the quality of your beef. If it's so good, why did you put a pound of salt on it? Both orders came with a side of mac & cheese. I found the macaroni to be dry and the cheese to be too peppery. Not natural tasting at all.

Let's move on to the order of poutine. This was ordered sans rib meat. While I was fortunate to receive this item as asked, I must say that this isn't poutine. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a different take on a classic, but this traveled too far out of the box for me. Basic poutine is Gravy, Cheese Sauce, well cooked french fries. They used curds, thin gravy, and undercooked fries. Considering the curds seemed like they have seen better days (They were old), and not melted, I would have just used a basic queso for this one. Which leads me to my next point...

We ordered nachos that were supposed to come with queso, they didn't.

The salad came with dressing that ran like thin water. Quick tip, if you store dressing in bulk that is supposed to be creamy, don't let it sit on a warm/hot station for very long. It will get super thin.

After hearing so many positive reviews from friends/family in the neighborhood, I am supremely disappointed that this is the experience me and...

I don't leave reviews. I felt compelled to leave one here because I did not experience the same atmosphere as when this place first opened.

I took my family to celebrate my mother's birthday yesterday.

The amount of kids (10 and younger) allowed to freely roam, run while screaming, play catch, and do legitimately whatever they wanted because their dads had Mount Carmel hats on was absurd. At one point a Rubix cube was being used as a baseball. I guess if you can't solve it you can just throw it around instead. This isn't the fault of the owners or staff but it's obviously OK as none of them were corrected.

The appetizers were great - we had the nachos and the Reuben egg rolls. The desert was great - we had the deep fries oreo sunday and the beignets.

Dinner - salmon was great; pulled pork sliders were awful; burger was OK; flat iron steak had more fat on it than meat. When the most expensive thing on your menu is the worst thing on your menu....I'd rethink the menu.

Be prepared for a 3% fee added regardless of you paying cash or credit card. I confirmed this with the waitress.

Beer - this is why you go here, yeah? Pink Pom Pom was so flat it tasted like the pepsi bottle was open for 3 days. The others were fine. If a beer has gone bad, and you're known for your brews...take it off the menu boys.

Service - non existent on the server side. Bus boys and the gentlemen that bring out the food, terrific service. Waitress? Suggest to find a new career.

The bathrooms are clean.

I don't like torching local businesses but boys it's just not up to par anymore. I'm sorry. I should've taken the family to Baraccos or somewhere that's consistent for my...