The building: A lovely old Victorian-era structure with turrets, stained glass, and gorgeous "gingerbread" woodwork. Unfortunately, the charm stops there. Instead of staying with the Victorian theme, the new owners destroyed the ambiance by paneling (UGH!) the walls, and hanging some dark, printed heavy-looking God-awful window treatments, rather than using tasteful Victorian lace valances. The wooden shutters don't fit the windows and are hung at different levels. None of the tables and chairs match. Try not to focus on the dead flies that adorn the windowsills. If you delight in an epicurean adventure that includes listening to the constant pounding of bar dice ringing in your ears while dining, check out this place!
The welcome: People skills non-existent. Unless you have "son" at the end of your name or plan to belly up to the bar for the evening and suck 2 cases of beer, you definitely are not made to feel as if you are welcome. Once we went there on a Sunday and for some reason the kitchen was closed. Instead of saying, "Oh, I'm very sorry. We are not serving today, but I hope you will come back and visit us again soon," we were rudely told, "Well, it was in the paper!" Yup, that kind of attitude will drum up business.
The service: Mediocre at best. The wait staff did not seem trained. When ordering coffee, spoons were not given and had to be asked for. The menu said free dessert on Wednesday nights with the purchase of an entree. We were not offered dessert and when we asked why, the waitress said she never offers dessert unless people ask for it, so we did. The soggy chocolate eclair torte had obviously been sitting for a couple/few days...not good. Another time an ad in the paper read: Buy One Entree, Get One Free. We were charged for BOTH meals.
The food: We've eaten there on several occasions because we heard that the chef really could bring it. He did an outstanding job, in spite of all the other things working against him. The food WAS awesome and the amount you got for your money was generous, however, I heard that their chef, who previously worked at Al Corso in Collins and in Elkhart Lake, WI., has gone on to bigger and better things. It is my understanding that he had quite a following and it is unfortunate that we will no longer be able to enjoy his culinary talents.
The bathrooms: Unless you are invisible when you turn sideways, forget using them. They are the size of a cracker box and will only be able to accommodate one cheek at a time. It's true! The men's room does not have a TP holder. I don't think there's room to install one.
The name of the restaurant: The owners' last name is Schuh, hence The Schuh Factory. There USED to be a shoe factory in Valders many years ago. The name was a rather clever play on words and is reflected in some of their menu choices. The bottom line, unfortunately, is: Any poor "soles" who eat there will be extremely disappointed. read more
