The Blue Sky Tavern/Red Mill Ribs & Whiskey — Restaurant in Newberry Township

Update Jun 2022: We heard about a new head Chef and a new menu so the family wanted to give this place another try. We had the Half Harvest moon appetizer, which reminded me of an onion ring donut with a spicy sweet and sour sauce, I all found this very good. I think they added just a sprinkle of the ghost pepper seasoning, so they are a tad spicy, so fair warning. We were going to order the loaded nacho's, but it was a bit confusing as the menu says to pick 3 and $1 extra for topping, but our waiter said it's easier to just say what you do not want on them, seemed like that could get very expensive. They ended up no having the pulled pork so my wife went with a Reuben. I had the Nashville Hot Chicken and my daughter had the Straight Up Mac. My Nashville Hot was good and so were the upgraded fries. My wife spent most of her meal picking off fat form the corn beef and my daughter was about half way through the mac & cheese when it tasted funny. I investigated the mac & cheese and it tasted like metal, the cast iron it comes it was rusted, this is the second time we've noticed rusted cast iron here. We let the waiter know and asked for some mac & cheese in a to go container. I may come in with some buddies for happy hour, but I doubt my family will be suggesting BlueSky anytime soon.

I will say they have one of the best happy hours around with half off drafts and $3 wells, but with a heavy heart I need to update my original 5 star review for Blue Sky Tavern. I checked my google timeline and I've visited this restaurant over 30 times since November of 2020. I really want this place to be the best it can since it's in an area starved for great restaurants, and I've heard this so many times from others. There has been times I would try something new and it would be out right amazing. I would try those same things, sometimes even within the same week, and they were completely different. Things like the meat is prepared in a completely different way, toppings are missing, and the portions aren't the same. Everyone has an off night, but as I mentioned above, I come frequently enough to see a pattern in the inconsistencies. The place looks amazing throughout and I love the beer garden that was added. There is great events throughout the whole week, which is awesome, as well as the vendors coming in with free gifts to promote their products. The fundraiser nights are a great way to support the community as well. The main point of a restaurant is the food though, and it's becoming harder for me to talk friends and family in to going here because of the meals being drastically different every time. I personally will continue to support the Blue Sky tavern when I can, but probably...

This place has gone downhill from when they first opened. I don't know if they have a new cook or what. We went on a Thursday mid-afternoon in January 2022. The cracker breaded shrimp was so overcooked it was inedible. It was like chewing glue. It was dark brown and dried out from over cooking. The Philly cheese steak was room temp and tasted awful with no flavor, liquidy slimy peppers and some type of congealed cheese spread on top that looked as unappetizing as it was. It wasn't even real cheese it seems. The steak was chared, overcooked and dry, even after ordering it to be medium it was overly well done and burnt on the outside. The hamburger was also chared, burnt on the outside, dry and without flavor. The fries on everyone's plates were barely warm to room temp, dry and most of them hard and inedible. The tomato soup was lukewarm and "interesting" but not in a good way. The only good thing one of us got was the chili, though it was barely warm, it was nice and thick with a good flavor. Since we were provided no spoons it was fortunate that it was thick enough to eat with a fork. We have decided this is NOT a place to eat at anymore. So disappointing it went downhill so fast. It wasn't the server's fault, so we left her a decent tip, but I was sorely tempted to leave no tip as the food was so bad. Be warned..... Your mileage may vary depending on who is cooking at the time you are there, but then again, you will probably find the same issues as we did. I wonder if things were cooked to order or precooked and "warmed up". Though again NOTHING was hot and nothing...

:: Updated Review :: I've been a consistent customer for over a year... I'm going to start with - the "new" tots are awesome!! (See pic). Let's hope they stay awesome...

I REALLY want this place to be successful, however it's becoming harder and harder to suggest this restaurant to friends and clients due to the lack of consistency from the kitchen. I've ordered the same item 3 weeks in a row and had it served 3 different ways. Tried the brisket special one week and it was exactly how you picture brisket- moist, flavorful and delicious ... the following week, ordered it again and it looked like roast beef- thin cut and lacking flavor. Disappointing is an understatement. (And it's not just my dish that has issues.) As stated, I want this place to succeed, so I've mentioned these issues to the staff as they happen. I've been told numerous times that the kitchen/owner have been informed... it just doesn't change. They have added events, (trivia, speciality nights, karaoke, and plenty of live entertainment) which are nice add-ons, but when it comes to the kitchen and food - keep your expectations low and you won't be disappointed.

Oh yeah...Don't forget your reading glasses and be prepared to use you phone's flashlight if you want to be able to read the "new" menu. (One of the worst menus I've seen- dark background, tiny font - it isn't "easy" to read in bright lighting, so expect it to be difficult to read in restaurant lighting)

I will continue to update my review if my...