In the Wisconsin Dells, amid the waterslides, miniature golf courses and souvenir shops, are a couple of really good restaurants and Wally's House of Embers is one of them.

Now, don't screw up your face like that. Wally's bears no resemblance and I mean none to a Madison chain restaurant of similar name. For one thing, Wally's chefs-who are also Wally's sons and are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. They are Michael and Mark Obois, of the classes of 1980 and 1984 and like other CIA graduates, they know their reduction sauces.

Wally, incidentally, has run the restaurant since 1959. His wife, Barbara, is also an important part of the show, as are his two daughters. Let's just say it's Short Orders a family operation.

The House of Embers is a big, sprawling place, yet maintains a sense of intimacy by the effective use of lighting, room and curtain dividers and table placement. There are hanging Tiffany-style lamps and several gas fireplaces.

The menu offers a proper salute to the Dells supper club crowd, but it also goes several steps beyond. The list of appetizers, for instance, offers the obligatory shrimp cocktail, but also escargot and Oysters Rockefeller.

Entrees run from your basic steaks, shrimp scampi, and batter-fried haddock all the way to fresh grilled salmon, Chicken Anna, and several veal specialties from Wally's native Austria. Hickory-smoked barbecued back ribs are a house specialty. And, speaking of obligatory, there is a Friday night fish fry and a prime rib special on Saturday night.

On a recent Friday night visit with two companions, I ordered a chefs special, half a roast duck with maitred'hotel dressing, served with a raspberry sauce. One of my companions had Chicken Anna, a plump, grilled breast marinated in olive oil, wine, herbs and spices. The other had what might be Wally's signature dish -Austrian Veal medallions of veal sautéed with shallots and mushrooms, flambéed with brandy and finished with a cream and cheese sauce. Everything was excellently prepared and presented. Even the Austrian Veal, which, from its description, could have ended up a gloppy mess in less talented hands, turned out to be delightfully light and flavorful.

The mark of a truly talented chef, I have learned, is not only in creating complicated dishes, but in preparing simple dishes extraordinarily well. Wally and his family certainly do both. The next time you're in the Dells, stop by and see for yourself.

Highway 12, downtown Wisconsin Dells 608-253-6411
Winter hours: Tues.-Sun. 4:30-10 p.m. (possible closing for March vacation; call ahead for reservations). Free off-street parking. Wheelchair accessible. Smoking and nonsmoking sections. Most entrees over $10. Heart-healthy selections. Full bar. MasterCard, Visa, American Express.