Loose Moose takes new direction

By Danielle Strenke
Carol Carroll has brought her Italian influence to the kitchen of the Loose Moose Cafe in Harris.
Carroll ñ or just Carol as her friends call her ñ took over management of the Loose Moose Cafe on March 10.
She has been in the restaurant business for several years and now plans to share her culinary expertise at the restaurant and coffee bar in the Waltonís Wildlife Studio building on Ginger Avenue.
Carroll specializes in Italian food, and added items to the deli-style menu already in place at the Loose Moose. Some items she added are hot Italian sausage and Dago subs, chicken alfredo fettuccini and several other pasta dishes.
The restaurant still serves cold sandwiches and hot breakfasts, but Carroll added her own touch to those as well.
ìI wanted to expand the menu to include different items; something they canít get anywhere else,î Carroll said.
The Loose Moose offers daily specials, which include a main dish and soup.
It also has chili as a one of the daily specials and a variety of salads on the menu.
ìI like the chicken caesar salad,î Carroll said.
She said the restaurant uses the freshest meats, cheeses and vegetables for the sandwiches because she is particular about using only ingredients that look and taste the best.
Carroll also added a unique breakfast sandwich to the menu. It is made with Italian sausage, eggs, three kinds of cheese, green and red peppers, onions and tomatoes on a hoagie bun.
The Loose Moose Cafeís slogan, ìThe place to be when youíre not in the woods,î matches with its decor or the North Woods accented by a variety of wildlife on the walls in the form of prints and preserved animals finished by owner Dan Walton.
Walton said he made the decision to lease the restaurant to Carroll so he could concentrate on his taxidermy business full-time.
Another draw to the Loose Moose Cafe is its coffee bar. Patrons can choose from a variety of flavored coffees, lattes, cappucinos and coffee specialty drinks.
Those drinks still are available, and Carroll said she hopes the people who stop for a coffee on their way up north to their cabins will take a sandwich for the road as well.
She said she also wants to add ice cream to the summer menu, so people can stop and enjoy a cone.
Hours at the Loose Moose Cafe are 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday.
For the summer, the restaurant will be open until 7:00 p.m. on Fridays, and Carroll said she wants to increase the hours to include Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m.
That way ìwe can catch them on the way back from the cabin, too,î she said.

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