New in 2013. This place has made a serious investment in Portage to become the town's first micro-brewery. Latitude 42 Brewing Co. is a first class effort by Joe Stafford and co. to offer great beers and excellent food to go with them. The atmosphere is very nice. Set up like a cross between a sports bar and a brewpub. I had the burger on the second night they were opened. I had to wait a little for it which was expected, however, I got a very good burger cooked the way I ordered with hot crispy fries. Great job handling a "quiet" opening that resulted in as much as a two hour wait for a table due to the crowds! I tried the powerline porter and the milk of amnesia stout which were both very good. I had tried the red beard before at a city of Portage outdoor concert. The red beard is a good summer beer. Nice place with good beer and good food. I noticed familiar employee faces from around the area. They also did a good job of hiring an excellent staff. Their brewer from Hawaii also knows what he is doing. I am sure more good things will come from this group! Check the guide for more details.

New in 2011. This place near Gun Lake in the former O'Neil's Restaurant has quickly become a favorite. Called Sand Bar & Grill, they have renovated this place inside and out including a very nice outdoor deck. It is both a family welcoming restaurant with a kids menu and a nice place for drinks in the comfortable bar area. They patty their own burgers including one made with Italian sausage. These are served on a pretzel bun. Try the housemade white chicken chili which has won several awards. They have a long list of appetizers including a meatball bucket, sliders or thick cut onion rings. We tried the all meat skewers in a bucket. We ordered 3 with shrimp and 3 with steak. On a second visit my wife had the shrimp and chicken. The bucket was filled with grilled veggies and the meat was quality and cooked perfectly. I highly recommend these. They have lots of other sandwiches, wraps and paninis as well as steaks and pastas. Nightly specials and a full bar with several craft beers makes this worth a trip. Nice place and nice people! The owners work there everyday. Check out the guide for more details.