Door County, WI (long with mutiple reviews)

[Pete]

Got back, last night, from a very enjoyable trip up to Door County, WI. Wanda and I stayed there for 2 nights at one of our favorite B&B's, The Barbican, in Sturgeon Bay. Our suite, The Pines, was a beautiful 2 level suite. The upper floor was the bedroom and bathroom, done in a Victorian style with a beautiful brass, queen sized bed topped with the fluffiest pillows and down comforters. The bathroom was squeezed under the eaves of the house so the shower, at one end was normal height, but at the other it was only 3 feet tall. A third of way down the stairs, on the landing was a 2 person whirlpool tub overlooking the living room. This room was done up in a Northwoods cabin decor mets the Victorian era. Bristlecone lambs and coffee table, floor to ceiling bookshelves and a nice gas fireplace, on the opposite end of the room, giving you a great view of it while soaking the in the whirlpool.

But this is a food site so I will continue on to the food in Door County. First off, breakfast at The Barbican. Each morning your breakfast is delivered to your door, at the time you state. It is a continental breakfast and comes to you in a beautiful wicker basket. You specify the time you would like to recieve breakfast and they leave it at your door. In the basket is a large pot of coffee (tea and hot chocolate are also available), wonderful whole wheat muffins filled with fruits (a different filling each day) and topped with sugar so the tops are extra crunchy . There is also fresh squeezed OJ and a really good stewed fruit dish. The stewed fruit is pretty good, lots of spices, but it was dissappointing to see that, for the most part, they use canned fruit. Pears, peaches and pinapple were all canned, and only the apples were put in fresh. Despite that the stewed fruits tasted pretty darn good and breakfast gave us enough fuel to start exploring Door County.

Door county is beautiful this time of year, with all the trees turning and rugged coastlines. We visited numerous lighthouses (our favorite on this visit was the lighthouse on Cana Island). The island is connected to shore by a rock and dirt causeway that is usable sometimes. We eventually made our way to Fish Creek in time for lunch. We ate at The White Gull Inn. I couldn't believe how packed it was for a Wednesday during the fall. We ended up waiting for about 15 minutes to be seated but once seated, the kitchen did their job well and our food came quickly. Wanda and I both started off with soup (to warm us up after traipsing around lighthouses in the light mist that continually fell all day long). She had a wonderful Chicken noodle soup with thick, homemade noodles and lots of fresh herbs while I went with the French Onion soup. Good soup, but a good depth of flavor, but they skimped when it came to the top. Just a few rye croutons and a sprinkling of grated parm. Where was the nice gooy cheese topping?? For our entrees Wanda and I went with two of their signature dishes. She had the "Open Doorwich", an open faced sandwich consisting of dark rye, ham, slices of apples and topped with melted brie. It came with a side of honey mustard sauce and choice of chips (not housemade), potato salad, or special side of the day. I had the "Closed Doorwich", a grilled sandwich of smoked turkey breast, swiss cheese, and caramelized apples all between dark rye and served with a side of "cider mayo" though I could barely taste the cider in it. It did go well with the sandwich though. We both really enjoyed our meals, and though I thought the price was a little high, I had to remind myself that the pricing here is geared more towards Chicagoans than people from the cheap Fox Valley. God, I hope I am not becoming one of them!!!!!!!

Dinner the night before was at one of our favorite places, the Inn at Cedar Crossing. We seem to diner here at least once every trip to Door County. Once again they did not dissappoint. The rolls are fresh from their bakery every day, and not served warm, thank god. Bread does not need to be served warm if it is baked fresh daily!! Wanda started with an artichoke and blue cheesedip, served hot with perfectly toasted slices of baguette. Glad to see properly toasted bread. So often it is either barely toasted or it is overtoasted and shatters at the first bite. This was perfectly done, crispy on the outside and still soft on the inside. The dip itself was wonderful. NIce and creamy with a variety of cheeses lending their flavor along with the artichoke. I had the chicken satay. Four small skewers of grilled chicken set on a bed of warmed vegetables tossed in a peanut dressing. The way they presented it was a new one to me, but it was really good and the peanut sauce was firey, which made me very happy. For our entrees Wanda had the Butternut Squash Ravioli tossed in a light cheese sauce along with sauteed zuchinni and walnuts. I had one of the nightly specials. A pan-roasted halibut with mushroom ravioli, marsala sauce and sweet and sour crisped onions. It was all right. The flavors were a wonderful combination but the onions were slightly too salty and the fish was slighly overcooked so it was dry. With a little attention to the details of this dish it would have been a great dish but as is it was only all right.

On Wednesday night we visited Door Off Broadway, a dinner theatre. We saw "Don't Hug Me - a Minnesotan love story with singing and stuff". It was very funny. Think "Fargo meets The Music Man without the blood and trombones". We really enjoyed the show. The food itself was what you would expect from a place like that. Wanda and I started with Shrimp coctail. A really good deal considering they served 6 large shrimp for only $6.95. There was a choice of 4-5 entrees. Wanda and I both chose the Prime rib. Good but not great. Very little seasoning to it, but what you would expect from a place that basically serves banquet style to a variety of different types of guests. Desserts were of the frozen variety, though they were higher end and not bad. Dessert and coffee was served during intermission. Overally it was a fun evening. The food wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.

Once again, we had another wonderful trip to Door County. There is so much to do and see, lots of shopping, and art galleries, and, of course, lots of great places to eat.

[blue_wolf]

Thanks for the review. I was considering taking my other half up to Door County this weekend. Now we know some good places to possibly stop in for lunch/dinner.

[Mezzaluna]

Thanks for the great writeup, Pete. The B&B sounds lovely!

My husband and I enjoyed dinner at the Inn at Cedar Crossing in 1991. It was our first trip to Door County as a couple. I don't remember the details of the meal, but I do remember the warm ambience and that we both enjoyed our meals. Come to think of it, I do remember excellent bread.

Maybe it's time to plan a trip there again.

[Pete]

Wanda and I try to hit Door County at least once a year.

[Lifter 69]

Thanks Pete! I'll have to make a trip up shortly when I go to a Packer game.

[mamac]

Hi Pete. I'm kind of new to this forum but I caught the words "Door County" and just had to read the posts. My guy and I were up there at the end of Sept. as it was the only time I could get off of work. The leaves hadn't changed yet, but there were some trees that had a branch or two that were bright orange and the rest of it was green. At least we got to see some color.

He and I have been to Door County twice together. Once in 2001 and again this year and we love it. We stay in Ephraim and can pretty much either go up or down the peninsula and find something. This year we went to a place call the Mission Grille right off Hwy 42. What's really cool about this place is that it was converted from an old church. The pews and pulpit were beautifully restored and used at the entrance. We didn't have dinner but we had lunch there. In the summer they grill outside and have nice little cafe tables to sit and watch, but at this time of year the grill is closed. Even with that we were not disappointed. The food was excellent. I wish I could remember the sandwich I had, but I wasn't expecting to rate it, I just absolutely injoyed it along with a small cup of soup. As we were out sightseeing we didn't want a heavy lunch, just something warm before our walk around Peninsula State Park.

We have not stayed at the place you did but have gone by it. It sounds wonderful. Maybe our next trip.

[Ma Facon]

I really enjoy the Door, I have been going there pretty much all of my life, 4-6 times a year, It is only a 6 hr. ride, Truly Gods Country.