I ate at Casey's a couple of years ago. It was kind of late and it was th only place open. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

Looking for any new info--headed up for the long weekend. No kids. Nothing too precious Any thoughts on the best supper club in the area? We're staying in Ephraim so we'll be very centrally located.

Year after year, we return to the Greenwood Supper Club, at Hwys A and F. Giant cocktails, friendly servers and handsome portions of better-than-average Wisconsin fare keep us coming back. For something a little, just a little, more upscale, we drive down toward Sturgeon Bay to Donny's Glidden Lodge. Similar menu, beautiful view of the lake just feet from the windows.

Paul SL wrote:Year after year, we return to the Greenwood Supper Club, at Hwys A and F. Giant cocktails, friendly servers and handsome portions of better-than-average Wisconsin fare keep us coming back.

Although it's been several years since we've been in Door County, I have fond memories of Greenwood (I think I had a very good prime rib there) and am happy to hear they're hanging in there. When we were there, I was astonished and delighted that they had an old-fashioned cigarette machine in the bar. I don't smoke, but I've never cared if other people do, plus cigarette machines are cool.

Thanks for the updates--anyone else?

boudreaulicious wrote:Thanks for the updates--anyone else?

I hope this isn't too late.

My favorite place in Door County is Sister Bay Bowl, which is a combination supper club, bar, and bowling alley. It doesn't have the log cabin feel of the Greenwood Supper Club, but has it's own unique feel. They make excellent Wisconsin-style brandy old fashioneds. We always get the fish fry, which is very good.

I went to Greenwood once and, though I liked it in a kitchy sort-of-way, I couldn't help thinking it was a bit overpriced.

Wild Tomato Pizza is very, very good.

There is a bar/restaurant in Baileys Harbor that I really like (also for fried fish, among other things). I believe it is Weisgerber's Cornerstone Pub.

The Door County Bakery has very good bread and other baked goods. They also have a nice wine, beer, spirits, and gourmet shop. It's on 57, east of Ephraim. In general, I found most of the other canned goods/gourmet shops to be avoided.

If you like pottery, there are a lot of great potters in DC. Especially check out the Potters Wheel Gallery in Fish Creek.

Have fun!

dicksond wrote:And the choice of butchers is always wonderful. Did not make it to Salmon's in Luxembourg this time (go for the twice-cured bacon, and fresh sausages), wandering up to the new Marchant's in Sturgeon Bay, an outpost of the original in Brussels, and yes there is a Belgian flavor to their specialties. Trippe is always good (no, not tripe, Trippe is a belgian sausage), fresh brats were great, as is the ring bologna which I am working my through - EC, it makes a great fried bologna sandwich, thanks for the inspiration. Still have to get to the potato sausage which I bought frozen. They also make Belgian Pies, a weird looking concoction I have not tried, but I could picture Chef Cantu doing an amusing riff on them (wish I did pictures in my posts.

Thanks for pointing us, so many years ago, to Marchant's, dicksond. On our way home from Door County earlier this week, we stopped at the original Marchant's in Brussels. We bought some trippe--pronounced trip and one of the self-proclaimed "famous" Belgian pies. The trippe is excellent if, as the very helpful young woman at the meat counter told us, you like cabbage--the sausage is made from pork and cabbage. No problem, my son and I said. We love cabbage. We grilled the trippe the other day, along with the championship brats from Miesfeld's, bought later that afternoon. Trippe is tasty: mildly spiced, flecked with green, and slightly reminiscent of pierogi stuffing according to my son. We also bought some terrific bacon, cut to order and very reasonably priced at $3.69/lb. Lightly cured and with just the right balance of fat to meat, this is great stuff, so I'm glad we bought some "bacon ends" from the deli case in addition to what we had cut at the meat counter. We also bought a package of their wieners. Their fresh meats looked excellent, but I knew we only had so much room in the cooler and were hours from home yet. Our friendly young woman told us that their "side pork" was very popular for grilling; this is (for those, like me, unfamiliar with this usage) pork belly sliced like thick bacon, and it looked terrific. I later saw Miesfeld's side pork (pricier) as well.

While Cabbagehead had a pleasant conversation with an older woman at Marchant's, perhaps the owner, about the different grocery chains they have been over the years (Wisconsin chain Red Owl for many years, now Supervalu, changing soon perhaps), our son and I checked out the famous Belgian pies. Our meat counter helper told us they are made fresh every Thursday and those that are left are then frozen. Her favorite is rice pudding. Since it was Tuesday, we headed for the freezer case. The pies are really more like a German kuchen, I think. They have a thin yeast dough topped with fruit in thick syrup (or rice pudding) and then with a layer of lightly sweetened cheese (farmer's cheese). They are baked in aluminum pie tins. We would have liked cherry, but there were none, so we got an apple pie. There were rice pudding ones, but those just didn't appeal that day. The apple was more like diced apples in sweet and heavy syrup than apple slices of the sort you would find in a traditional American pie. Interesting, but not something I have to hurry back north for.

It seems as if our trips home from Wisconsin take longer and longer as we have to shop at more and more favorite places for our Wisconsin food fix. Several farm stands, Marchant's, Miesfeld's for brats and summer sausage, and finally Woodman's in Kenosha for New Glarus beer were all stops. We didn't stop at Salmon's meats in Luxembourg but did pick up some of their double-smoked bacon and wieners at the grocery in Egg Harbor. Their bacon was quite good, but I like the mild Marchant's better. We've tried the Miesfeld's bacon before, and it's pricier and not as good, in my opinion, as Marchant's. We need to have a wiener fest soon and compare Salmon's (isn't that a great name for a butcher?), Marchant's, and current champion, Miesfeld's.

Marchant's Foods
1367 County Trunk DK
P.O. Box 7
Brussels, WI 54204
(920) 825-1244
http://www.marchantsfoods.com/

Miesfeld's Meat Market
4811 Venture Drive
Sheboygan, WI 53083
(920) 565-6328
http://www.miesfelds.com/

Had dinner at the Inn at Kristlfer's in Sister Bay. This is an upscale restaurant that very recently changed ownership. My thoughts:
1. The location is great. The room is on a second floor with a harbor view. Go at sunset and get a window table. We watched a beautiful sunset all through dinner.
2. The menu is fairly generic and you could probably guess the dishes: steak, duck, whitefish, etc.
3. The food was all very well prepared. I had a duck with cherries that was not to sweet with crispy skin and juicy meant.

So I recommend this for an upscale evening (about $50 per person with wine and dessert) with very well prepared, if not terribly creative, food.

Jonah

I'd also recommend Island Orchard Cider in Ellison Bay. They make several Normandy style ciders. What's nice is you get to taste four kinds for no charge. We tasted a brut style, an oak-aged brut style, a cherry apple cider (in which both fruits are put through the cider process) and pear cider. I quite liked all four. They run about $13 a bottle and they also sell nice glasses for cider drinking.

Jonah

Just came back from a weekend in Door County and I have two recommendations:

Husby's in Sister Bay

I had the "Lawyer" fish for the fish fry. Apparently this is an ugly fish that is not often eaten but it is locally caught and popular in this area. It tasted like monkfish. I loved the mild taste and texture along with the breading. Fish came with two slices of pumpernickel and a good baked potato, and unremarkable coleslaw, excellent fish fry. Also had those pickled apples which was a blast from the past. My friend had the chili cheese burger and she also loved that. Stay away from the ribs special (no flavor) and the Burger with the egg was a little too greasy for the toast that it was placed upon. Brandy old fashioned was pretty tasty and service was very friendly. They have an outdoor seating bar next door called the garage that we enjoyed afterward. Appetizer cheese curds were also great, fresh and tasty.

http://www.husbysdoorcounty.com/

S & K Food and Spirits - Algoma

Talk about off the beaten path... We were looking for breakfast on the way home and my husband wanted biscuits and gravy. I found a stray mention on trip advisor so we gave it a try. Its somewhat hard to find as its not in town. Apparently they only do brunch in the summer/fall so definitely make sure they are serving, but if so RUN THERE. Its an outdated looking supper club/locals bar that has a buffet for Sunday Brunch. For $8.95 we had some of the best biscuits and gray ever, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, homemade mashed potatoes, delicious chicken gravy, fried chicken that was surprisingly moist and crisp on the outside. They had fresh fruit and a red velvet cake on the buffet as well. Its not fancy, (note the misspellings on the menu) but what a great meal for the way home. Lots of locals had bloody maries with a big chunk of celery but I did not try that given the drive. I would really love to try their dinners because I have a feeling everything is homemade.

http://www.skfoodandspirits.com/

I know its summer and most of us aren't thinking about a hot bowl of soup, but a couple weeks ago we were in Door County and checked out Czarnuszka Soupbar in Ephriam. Its located in these small cabin shops behind Leroy's Coffee and next door to the Eagle Harbor Inn, where we usually stay when we visit without kids.

Anyhow the soup is awesome. I had Blackeye Pea and Pork and it was very good, nice tender chunks of pork and very flavorful. My wife had the Irish Root, which was a pureed soup with sweet potatoes, turnups (I think) and some other root veggies. Had a some curry for the spice and it had a nice kick to it. The sandwiches are nothing to write home about (they are pre-made in the morning) but the soups are worth the stop. They also sell a bunch of frozen quarts. My friend says the Rythym Chili is the best of the bunch.

https://www.facebook.com/czarnuszka.soupbar

eatwisconsin wrote:I know its summer and most of us aren't thinking about a hot bowl of soup, but a couple weeks ago we were in Door County and checked out Czarnuszka Soupbar in Ephriam. Its located in these small cabin shops behind Leroy's Coffee and next door to the Eagle Harbor Inn, where we usually stay when we visit without kids.

Anyhow the soup is awesome. I had Blackeye Pea and Pork and it was very good, nice tender chunks of pork and very flavorful. My wife had the Irish Root, which was a pureed soup with sweet potatoes, turnups (I think) and some other root veggies. Had a some curry for the spice and it had a nice kick to it. The sandwiches are nothing to write home about (they are pre-made in the morning) but the soups are worth the stop. They also sell a bunch of frozen quarts. My friend says the Rythym Chili is the best of the bunch.

https://www.facebook.com/czarnuszka.soupbar

We ate at Czarnuska last summer and really enjoyed it. We didn't eat enough to warrant a post, but I support the endorsement of the place. Makes me start thinking of a fall trip up to Ephraim....

Though I've never been much interested in Door County (is there a less multicultural place on earth?), I had not provided a family vacation in several years and knew enough to shut up and deal when the wife requested it.
Random thoughts:
I enjoyed the Cherry Train on Washington Island affiliated with the main ferry. There is a new French crafts shop and confectionery that my wife loved. The chocolates were expensive but of good quality. They grow their own lavender. http://fragrantisle.com/
Fish Boil at Old Post Office Restaurant was quite good despite the boil master's awful jokes. Freshest possible whitefish skillfully deboned by a roving blademaster. Like melted butter poured over everything? Why yes, I believe I would.

dicksond wrote:I do recommend smoked fish at Bearcats in Algoma.

This was a home run; thanks for the heads-up. Quality nearly on a par with the great Calumet Fisheries but at a lower price.
Another home run: Wild Tomato pizza in Fish Creek. Terrific Neapolitan style. Recommend eating in for maximum enjoyment of the great crust.
Minor irritations on the way up: In Sheboygan, City Bakery was out of hard rolls by 9:30 a.m. Get there early on a Saturday. Google Maps ($*$&@ them in general) puts Miesfelds Meats on the wrong side of I-43.
Al Johnson's in Sister Bay is great for kids, especially when goats are on the roof. Swedish pancakes with cherries and a big mound of whipped cream put a big smile on my kid's face. I was happy to share his well-executed strawberry shake.
I enjoyed the hiking trails in the two big state parks, but next vacation I think I can talk the better half into the Michigan side of the lake.

Hmmm...

Having spent time on both sides of the lake this year (Door County the last couple of days and many times before that and the Traverse City area about 6 weeks ago), I can't really understand the multicultural comment--things looked pretty much the same to me in that department.

Anyway, after a brief but action packed 36 hours in Door County, a few notes:

Cherries cherries everywhere. Early season for both tart and sweet. Got a ton from both Seaquist and Koeppel's. Bourbon, balsamic, brandied cherries--here I come!

Waseda Farms--we were in town to go to the Outstanding in the Field dinner there and couldn't resist a stop in to the store there today to pick up the gorgeous Tri Tip we had last night, as well as some Trippe Brats (pork, cabbage & onions)and ground chuck. That Tri Tip was the highlight of the dinner for me and I can't wait to see if I can recreate that deliciousness!

In Sister Bay:
Door County Creamery is doing gangbuster business--and great to see. Picked up a Ramp Chevre--delicious!
Drink Coffee (yup, that's the name), next door to DC Creamery, had a fantastic oatmeal with balsamic tart cherries and brown sugar on today's menu and still uses Anodyne Coffee's products (out of Milwaukee) which I love.
Piggly Wiggly still carries the packages of Nueske's bacon pieces for $5.99/lb (v. the 9.99/lb for the prettier stuff).

In Gill's Rock:
Not sure I've ever posted on Charlie's Smokehouse--they also carry house smoked fish (chubs and spreads)--picked up one of my faves--the salmon and whitefish spread. Very low key, small selection but good stuff. Hope to check out the spot in Algoma once of these days since I keep hearing about it.

Other than OITF, my oatmeal and store samples, I didn't eat anything else in DC so more restaurant info will have to wait til next summer! We did stop in spots in Sheboygan for lunch both on the way up and back. More on those later.

boudreaulicious wrote:Hmmm...

Having spent time on both sides of the lake this year (Door County the last couple of days and many times before that and the Traverse City area about 6 weeks ago), I can't really understand the multicultural comment--things looked pretty much the same to me in that department.

Sigh. Good point. Will have to rethink that one. Fewer Lexuses trying to pass on back roads at inopportune moments?

Nope. Sorry

We went to Door County a few weekends ago and stayed in Sister Bay. Here are foodie spots we hit up:

Door County Creamery - great (small) selection of cheeses, specializing in goat cheeses and goat milk gelato
10653 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.doorcountycreamery.com/

Husby's - Solid bar/pub fare. Their cheese curds are fantastic.
10641 N Bay shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.husbysdoorcounty.com/

Sister Bay Bowl - Old school 'supper club' with a small bowling alley in the back of bar. Friday and Saturdays are prime rib dinners... so come early and get your name on their list. Reservations not accepted.
10640 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.sisterbaybowl.com/

Al Johnson's - went for breakfast & had good Swedish pancakes, lingonberry jam and swedish meatballs. Goats on the roof is a novelty but not always out. Stop in the small shop
10698 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.aljohnsons.com/

White Gull Inn - Enjoyed breakfast here and had their popular cherry stuffed french toast, which also is available as a half order. It's pretty sweet so balance it out with sausage and eggs!
4225 Main St, Fish Creek, WI 54212
http://www.whitegullinn.com/

Wild Tomato - really solid wood fired oven pizza and great cheese curds
4023 Wisconsin 42, Fish Creek, WI 54212
http://www.wildtomatopizza.com/

Chop - excellent dinner here; reservations recommended. Had the special tomahawk ribeye and meal comes with fresh popovers, a nice change from typical dinner rolls.
10571 Country Walk Lane #13, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://thechopsisterbay.com/

Seaquist Orchards & Farm Market - had quite a selection of cherry products, if not the best in the area. Definitely take the opportunity to sample products.
11482 Wisconsin 42, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.seaquistorchards.com/

Orchard County Winery - smaller store with cherry and wine items. Went cherry picking here, which was $10 for a large bucket. Also based here is the Door County Trolley Tour, which is great to get a lay of the land and pick up on some fun facts and info.
9197 Wisconsin 42, Fish Creek, WI 54212
http://www.orchardcountry.com/

Door County Bakery - Be sure to pick up some of their popular Corsica bread, baked covered in olive oil. The bread is sold by weight and sliced for you.
10048 Wisconsin 57, Sister Bay, WI 54234
http://www.doorcountybakery.com/

From my extremely abbreviated (less than 24 hours' long) recent visit:

Discovered a truly excellent new-ish bakery in Sturgeon Bay: Sunflour Artisan Bakery. Located in an old house on the way out of town, I got there early (he opens around 6 and I was there shortly thereafter). Everything I bought was still warm from the oven. I tried a wide variety of items from muffins to scones to cookies to other items and not a clinker in the bunch. Enjoyed it so much that I made it a point to drive by again on the way back home so I could stock up all over again.

The joy and thrill of this discovery was tempered by the dismaying, far less than enjoyable, breakfast at Door County Coffee & Tea Co. in Carlsville. I shoulda known as soon as I saw the neo-Victorian megalith promising everything to everyone. But nope. I perservered, went in, and should gotten up when the food was delivered. But nope. I was hungry, I ate, and I regretted it every minute I was in Door County. So many places to choose from and this was just depressing. Not actively bad, just actively not good. Avoid the hash brown "bake" at all costs.

On the other hand, Nightingale Supper Club was everything that was promised. Stepping back in time, I had the pike fish fry (it was Friday night; deep-fried versus the alternative pan-frying version; also on offer, perch) preceded by house-smoked whitefish cakes with a red pepper remoulade and accompanied by onion rings (again excellent though not quite to the immensely high new standard of Charcoal Grill North in Sheboygan) and cole slaw. Excellent all around. Friendly folks, great food, great time.

Finally, I will echo the enthusiasm on the board for the Door County Bakery. Bought far too much because everything looked great. And it was. (Only exception: I don't particularly "get" the Corsica bread. Nothing special to my taste. I understand the attraction of the crust, but otherwise completely ordinary bread, not something on our list to repeat. Oh, fwiw, they now sell miniature Corsica loaves.)

Wish I could have squeezed our more time, but that why it's there: for repeat visits!

Sunflour Artisan Bakery
600 Jefferson Street
Sturgeon Bay, WI
920/818-0130
http://sunflourartisanbakery.com/

Door County Coffee & Tea Co.
5773 Hwy 42
Carlsville/Sturgeon Bay, WI
920/743-8930
http://www.doorcountycoffee.com/

Nightingale Supper Club
1541 Egg Harbor Road
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
920/743-5593
http://nightingalesupperclub.com/

Door County Bakery
10048 Wisconsin 57
Sister Bay, WI 54234
920/854-1137
http://www.doorcountybakery.com/

Just back from an off-season weekend in Door County--very enjoyable with fewer people! We had a family crew with some significant others who had never been to DC, so we stayed with favorite places to eat and were glad we did. First stop was Bearcats on the Algoma Bridge for three nice pieces of smoked fish (lake trout, whitefish, and salmon) at about half the price I'd pay in Chicago. They provided a good light lunch and a luxurious addition to scrambled eggs and Nueske's bacon ends from the Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay for Sunday breakfast.

Fish fry at Sister Bay Bowl was excellent. I had the real lake perch, and it was crispy and delicious. Other fish fry options are cod, walleye, and shrimp. They make a very good Wisconsin brandy old fashioned sour, if you like that sort of thing, and I do.

Swedish pancakes and meatballs at Al Johnson's were delightful without the usual weekend crowds. No goats on display, but our friendly waitress gave my daughter directions to a goat dairy farm in Ellison Bay for our goat-viewing pleasure. They were pretty darn cute too!

Wood-fired pizza and an interesting beer menu at Wild Tomato in Fish Creek pleasantly surprised us with its quality. The pizza is very, very good, although we did not try the popular "green and gold pizza," topped with "roasted chicken, bacon, grilled broccoli, spinach, and topped with REAL Wisconsin cheese curds." The menu suggests we "Ask for some ranch for dipping to be a true fan." No thanks, but the "fun guy" pizza with 5 types of sauteed mushrooms, spinach, caramelized onions, and garlic cream cheese was fantastic!

We made a quick stop on our way home at Marchant's in Belgium for some of their bacon, wieners, and other goodies. We were not the only ones loading up on meat there shortly before they closed on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Nice place and nice people.

We visit up there every few years, and we always enjoy it.

Another quick visit to Door County last weekend yielded one new food find: Lola's Bakery and Restaurant in Sturgeon Bay is a bakery and breakfast/lunch place worth seeking out.

We had terrific corned beef hash made up of chunks of tender homemade corned beef and well-fried potatoes and onions. If you like your hash ground to nearly a paste, this was not for you. But if, like us, you like a meaty, good-sized bite hash, you would love this stuff. Their own cinnamon raisin bread, toasted, was a good accompaniment--not too sweet with a tender crumb and a very light hand with the cinnamon.

The space is essentially a small bakery shop with tables placed throughout, right up to the bakery case. Service was casual but very friendly and efficient. We were seated next to the case and so had to take some goodies home after looking at them throughout our breakfast. We took a loaf of their specialty, a round spicy cheese loaf, and, because it was two loaves for one, a cinnamon raisin bread. We also bought a cherry turnover. All were good examples of their kind, but the cooked breakfast was better.

Lola's owner is Dominican and the shop has been in Sturgeon Bay for two years. Our breakfast there was the best meal we had all weekend.

I will reiterate that stopping at Marchant's for their cut-to-order bacon is vital for any trip to Door County. They now have a store in Sturgeon Bay in addition to their original in Brussels. We hit the original on our way home.

One of these days we will check out another Brussels food landmark: Brussels Countryside Diner, "Home of the Original Hash Brown Sandwich." Has any LTHer tried it?

Lola's Bakery and Restaurant
306 S. 3rd Ave.
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
920-473-5055
https://www.facebook.com/Lolas-Bakery-a ... 621785664/

Just came back from Door County friday. Marchants meats has rib eyes to die for.They are located on 43 just south of Sturgeon.
Next door is a hidden gem for sandwiches and bakery goods.Scaduros cafe has been there for years and probably has the best pies I have ever eaten.I bought a 12" cherry pie for $17.00 that had to weigh at least 2.5 #. The BLT is without a doubt a winner.
I don't think i've ever been anywhere there was so many good places to eat.
Another good stop for smoked whitefish and salmon is Hicks Bros. fish market just north of Baileys harbor.


















17.oo

jerryg wrote:Next door is a hidden gem for sandwiches and bakery goods. Scaduros cafe has been there for years and probably has the best pies I have ever eaten.I bought a 12" cherry pie for $17.00 that had to weigh at least 2.5 #. The BLT is without a doubt a winner.

We ate at Scaturo's for breakfast as well. It's very popular--a long wait on a Saturday morning--with some awkwardly placed tables to fit more diners in. We liked our breakfast but thought Lola's better across the board. We did not try any of the bakery goods at Scaturo's, however.