Rodeside Grill in Windsor has big portions, great service

A community gathering place where everything is big: The space, the menu and the portions.

Rodeside Grill in Windsor is big in every way.

It's a sprawling space with five dining rooms, including the bar area. Its extensive menu goes on and on, and the portions are huge.

Rodeside Grill's outdoor patio sits under a big white tent.

As a restaurant, it's a cross between a supper club and a bar and grill. Classic rock radio WOLX/94.9 FM played loudly over the sound system in the outdoor patio that sits under a big white tent. During our visit, it was heavy on commercials, which created a jarring, abrasive vibe for me. My friend and daughter were more tolerant.

Much of the food was good, and the service was unbeatable after a confusing start. We walked in at an off-time, 7:30 p.m. on a Monday night, and no one was at the host station, so we didn't know if we were supposed to wait to be seated or seat ourselves.

We wandered around and finally made contact with the busy bartender, who said if we took a seat on the patio, our server would be right out. She was, and proved to be friendly, quick and helpful.

The Monday all-you-can-eat beef tips over pasta is so large it would be hard to ask for seconds.

The Monday special was all-you-can-eat beef tips over pasta ($14.99), and my friend who ordered it was amazed by the huge bowl it came in. Our server said she'd never witnessed anyone asking for seconds.

The dish tasted a lot like beef stroganoff with plenty of tender meat, onions and mushrooms. Owner Pete Beeber said the beef comes from Neesvig's across the street. He agreed that people are unlikely to ask for a second helping.

The flavor of the beef tips was rather timid, as was the seasoning on the Louisiana Creole pasta ($13.99, plus $3.49 for grilled chicken), an equally big bowl filled with bowtie, or farfalle, pasta in a light Creole cream sauce with a hint of diced tomatoes, green onions and Parmesan cheese.

The creamy chicken rice soup has lots of chicken.

The entrées included soup or a side salad that had fresh ingredients and plenty of croutons. But it was the day's soup, creamy chicken rice, with tons of chicken, that my friend and I went crazy over. “It's thick, like a meal,” he said.

He also appreciated the oval rolls that came with both meals.

My 18-year-old daughter enjoyed her Reuben ($12.49) on thick, buttery marble rye, with plenty of salty corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing. She called it rich, and it was.

Sandwiches come with fries, hash browns or garlic mashed potatoes. The flat, krinkle-cut sweet potato fries were 99 cents extra and just OK.

The popular sweet chili shrimp appetizer goes a little heavy on the sauce.

The appetizers we had were both great. When we ordered the sweet chili shrimp ($10.99), our server said everyone seemed to be getting it that night. The small, lightly battered shrimp were bathed in a fantastic sauce, but there was too much of it. Still, the shrimp were addictive.

Pot stickers ($9.99) seemed a strange choice in this environment, but my friend was undeterred, and it paid off. The dumplings, filled with chicken and vegetables, were excellent, sautéed and served with a sesame teriyaki sauce.

Monday night also featured 80-cent chicken wings at the bar, but that special didn't extend to the dining room or patio.

My friend's bottle of Modelo ($4.25) was served with lime, which was a nice touch.

The apple crisp comes with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

For dessert, the apple crisp ($4.99) came with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce in a burning hot skillet, with a slim pot holder over the handle. My hand grazed the pan, so it's a good thing I have quick reflexes. The apple crisp was filling and reasonably priced, but not a standout.

Pete Beeber, 48, who had been Rodeside's general manager since 2008, bought the business with his wife, Doreen Beeber, in 2016.

Beeber said he keeps Rodeside's prices in line with other restaurants. "Other restaurants, they'll charge $13, $14 for a burger, but you don't get the fries with it. We're mom and pop. We're doing well for ourselves. We don't need to nickel and dime everybody. We want to give people what they paid for and what their expectations are."

He said they're getting ready for a gradual remodel. "We're really excited about the area growing. It's pretty exciting what's happening around here."

Pete Beeber had been Rodeside's general manager since 2008, and bought the business in 2016.

Beeber didn't know the origin of Rodeside's strange spelling, but guessed that the original owners wanted it to be "a little off." He said when he and his wife took it over, they considered renaming it, but decided it's a well-known name and would've been a lot of work to change. They also wanted people to know it was the same Rodeside Grill.

The name comes from the fact that the business is close to the highway, which is visible from the patio.

Beeber said he grew up in the restaurant business in small-town Tomahawk, 180 miles north of Madison. "And if you're not given the best service and have a place where everybody can come to, you fail."

He said he's fortunate to have the staff he does. "We were joking the other day that our worst employee is other restaurants' best."

Rodeside Grill's bar area is one of five dining rooms in the sprawling building.

Beeber said his employees can support their families on what they earn at the restaurant. Four of them have been able to buy homes and one more is about to buy one, he said.

He said when he seats a family on a Friday night, they'll stop at three tables to say hi to their friends and neighbors.

"It's really just this neighborhood gathering place that just happens to sell food and beverages," he said.

Restaurant: Rodeside Grill

Location: 6317 Rostad Circle, Windsor

Phone: 608-846-1874

Website: rodesidegrill.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

Prices: Appetizers $8.99 to $13.99, burgers $12.49, sandwiches $10.99 to $12.99, taco plates $10.99 to $13.49, salads $8.99 to $12.99, entrées $10.99 to $34.99, Friday fish $13.99 to $15.99

Noise level: Loud music on patio

Credit cards: Yes

Accessibility: Yes

Outdoor dining: Yes

Delivery: No

Online ordering: Through Grubhub

Drinks: Full bar

Gluten-free: GF buns, rolls and pasta

Vegetarian offerings: Can accommodate

Kids menu: Yes

Parking: Large lot

Service: Exceptional

Bottom line: A community gathering place where everything is big: The space, the menu and the portions.

The Louisiana Creole pasta with grilled chicken.

Rodeside's Reuben comes on thick, buttery marble rye.

Read restaurant news at go.madison.com/restaurantnews

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

A community gathering place where everything is big: The space, the menu and the portions.

The wildfire smoke will move into Wisconsin from the northwest Thursday morning and travel south/southeast throughout the day, the DNR said.

No foul play is suspected in the 49-foot fall along the West Bluff near the north shore of the park, authorities said.

The owner of Nick's Restaurant has the property listed for rent, but said it's just to see what kind of interest there is, not because the bus…