By Lesley Sauls
For all the years I've lived in Wisconsin I've heard about the state's answer to Cape Cod, where cozy cottages nestle up to the wild shores of Lake Michigan and Green Bay. The peninsula is called Door County, and I finally had an opportunity to take a long weekend and explore its small villages, shops and restaurants as a way to unwind from a very busy life.
Highway 57 is the primary artery onto the peninsula. It leaves Green Bay to the north and provides a gradual separation from busy city life to rural relaxation as it winds along the bay's shoreline. In need of lunch, I stopped at the first place I could find, a cheese shop and cafe, where welcoming locals spoiled me with a mixed green salad adorned with balsamic vinegar and the county's famous dried cherries. I could feel the knots in my neck start to loosen.
As I drove on toward Sturgeon Bay I saw small farms where gentle cows grazed in the warm sunlight. A flock of wild turkeys stopped traffic as they meandered across the road, and a pair of horses swatted their tails in lazy sweeps. I took a deep breath of the fresh, sweet air and felt another knot unwind.
I'd overheard a woman at the cafe tell her companion that the best way to experience Door County was to eat one's way up the peninsula. Once I'd checked into my hotel, I thought that would be an excellent organizing principle for me, too. I decided to start with wine and more cheese-tasting.
As I roamed the few roads in the area, it was easy to find several opportunities for both. I was able to actually watch cheese being made through large glass windows at one shop. The cheesemakers there explained to visitors the process of cheese-making. It takes 10 gallons of milk to make 1 pound of cheese, and the byproduct — whey — is sold as powdered protein for myriad uses. I tasted squeaky fresh cheese curds like those we could see in production. These small lumps of cheese are usually squeezed into hoops, pressed and eventually sliced into chunks to be sold to hungry consumers, but the plain curds are a local treat.
What better to pair with cheeses than wines? I found three wineries that celebrated local apples and cherries in some of their products. One vintner talked to a group from a bus tour about the sweeter fruit wines they produce as well as the full-bodied traditional wines they make to meet the palates of all visitors. I snuggled up with the group and blended in for that tasting before stopping at a cider company, where I learned that the French art of cider-making began when grapes wouldn't grow in northern regions of France. Creative vintners there used a method similar to that used for making Champagne and came up with ciders that are balanced and dry. In Door County, where similar climate issues exist, local ciders incorporate cherry, apple and lavender into their mix. At least three more knots evaporated as I chatted with strangers at various tastings.
As the day waned, I turned to a resort in Rowley's Bay, where I'd heard I would find an authentic Door County fish boil for dinner. It was like stepping through time into an idealized north woods resort from the 1950s. Heavy timbers decorate the lodge, and a custom stone fireplace sits at its heart.
Outside, I joined a crowd of visitors who listened to a 91-year-old character actor relate the story of Peter Rowley and the colorful history of his bay. As he entertained us, a chef boiled our dinner with potatoes, onions and local whitefish in an iron cauldron over a wood fire in the traditional way. He finished the preparation by stoking the fire to force a boil that spilled brine over the cauldron's lip into hissing, roaring flames.
The result was deliciously Scandinavian-simple and was part of a buffet that offered an assortment of entrees and salads. The ultimate treats were the divine baked rolls and Swedish desserts that the owner of the resort makes from her mother's original recipes. I learned that the property has been in her family for 47 years, and her goal is to make guests feel at home with her relaxed hospitality.
"People just want you to take good care of them," she said with a smile.
And just like that, the last of my knots dissolved. I had found total relaxation in Door County. Blissful.
WHEN YOU GO
Cheeses: Renard's Cheese, Sturgeon Bay: 920-825-7272 or www.renardscheese.com; Door Artisan Cheese Co., Egg Harbor: 920-868-1444 or www.doorartisancheese.com
Libations: Harbor Ridge Winery, Egg Harbor: 920-868-4321 or www.harborridgewinery.com; Island Orchard Cider, Ellison Bay: 920-854-3344 or www.islandorchardcider.com; Orchard County Winery and Market, Fish Creek: 920-868-3479 or www.orchardcountry.com; Door County Distillery and Door Peninsula Winery, Carlsville: 920-743-7431 or www.dcwine.com
Lodging and fish boil: Rowley's Bay Resort and Restaurant, Ellison Bay: 920-854-2385 or www.rowleysbayresort.com
Another good lodging option is Ridges Inn and Suites, Baileys Harbor: 920-839-2127 or www.ridgesinn.com.
Lesley Sauls is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
View Comments