Archive for the ‘Door County Restaurants’ Category

Mike’s Port Pub in Door County

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

Mark had a game last night, so Joe, his friend Betsy and I headed over to Mike’s Port Pub in Jacksonport to grab something to eat.  Mark’s sister Barbie and her husband Mike Lautenbach own and operate the pub.  All four of their kids have worked at the restaurant over the years so like Egg Harbor Lodge it is truly a family operation.  For a smaller restaurant, they have a relatively large menu with everything from chicken tenders to steak.  I had the small sirloin steak with broasted potatoes and it rivaled any steak I have eaten at a steak house.  Joe of course favors the burgers, and we all had the chicken dumpling soup.  My entree was a special and the soup was included.  Barbie’s chicken dumpling soup is the best I have ever eaten… including my own which is really good.  Mike’s has a huge local following so it is a pretty bustling place on Friday nights.  Had Mark been with us he would have certainly had the perch which is always good.  Barbie and Mike have recently added outdoor seating with picnic tables and a covered area.

Here we are after our dinner… I always have my camera!

Mike’s dad and uncle owned Casey’s Inn in Egg Harbor for years… Mike’s grandfather was Casey and Barbie and Mike named their eldest Casey as well.  Mark and Barbie’s parents owned what is now Mojo Rosa’s in Egg Harbor which was called Jean and Bob’s Midtown Tap and they lived above the tavern.  So both Barbie and Mike come from families “in the business”.  When I started dating Mark, his parents had the bar and on Sundays in the summer after the Egg Harbor baseball games (which Mark played and coached) EVERYONE went to the Midtown Tap.  Now those were the days… we just had a blast.  After the Egg Harbor New Year’s Day Parade, Mark’s mom would make a venison stew and homemade bread for the crowd… no charge of course.

Mark’s Legion Baseball team won one game and lost the other.  Joe is too old to play this year but Mark has a great group of guys playing.  They boys are between the ages of  16-19.  Best of luck Northern Door Chiefs!

Door County weather for Saturday, June 19… Sunny and 75 degrees!  I am heading up to Ellison Bay to spend the night with my BFF Nancy at her cabin.  We are going to one of my favorite restaurants tonight to eat too… JJ’s!  What a perfect way to spend a weekend.  Lucky me!

Vote today for the White Gull Inn

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

Co-anchor, Bill  Weir of Good Morning America’s Weekend Edition, called Door County the “Riviera of the Midwest”… not bad.  If you haven’t heard, The White Gull Inn was voted one of the top four “Best Breakfasts”  in America on Good Morning America this morning.  Voting is today only so click here to place your vote!  Results will be aired on Good Morning America on Sunday with a correspondant live at the winning restaurant.  GO WHITE GULL!

Door County in the News…

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

I thought I would share some interesting info about Door County that I received in a newsletter from the Door County Visitor Bureau

A Door County restaurant, the White Gull Inn, is one of four national finalists in a Good Morning America Weekend (ABC) contest for the Best Breakfast in America.  According to correspondent Marysol Castro, each restaurant will be featured in a video segment during Good Morning America Weekend’s Saturday May 15th show, with on-line voting for the best breakfast that same day until late afternoon on ABC’s web site. The winner will be announced on Sunday morning May 16th along with a live interview from the winning restaurant. Let’s all vote for the White Gull Inn on Saturday May 15th and help get Door County some fabulous national media exposure!

Speaking of contests, Egg Harbor is in the running for BudgetTravel.com’s Coolest Small Town contest. Voting is open until this Sunday May 9, so visit BudgetTravel.com and vote for Egg Harbor today!

Pretty cool stuff!  Let’s all take time and vote!


What’s new…

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

The Sawyer Family

I haven’t blogged in awhile… we were in Florida with our family.  All four of our kids and our two grandkids were able to come as well as the “significant others”  so we really had a special vacation.  Nellie and I drove down and spent a day with her friend Chris Saladin who was in Clearwater, Florida at the time.  He works for comedian Craig Ferguson’s stand up show so we got to meet Craig and see the show.  Chris was in the show as well so it was really a treat to watch it.  We then headed to our friend Ruth’s house in Lakeland for a couple days where she treated us like royalty.  After that we drove down to the gulf coast were we had rented a house and the rest of the family flew in.  Our friends Paula and Lou Osadjan who have a beautiful summer home in Egg Harbor and own a condo on Longboat Key had us over for cocktails and took us out for dinner which was fun.   The weather was great and the we all had fun in the pool.  It was relaxing to get away but it is always nice to get home.

Adi and Jaden

There have been a few new doings in Door County over the fall and winter… For instance,  when you go down the Fish Creek hill there are those cedars that line the road on the right.  Well, they cut a big chunk of those out which left a beautiful view going down the hill.  Our Egg Harbor Marina has had some setbacks (like a tug sunk!) but is progressing nicely.  The ice is out so when we begin our spring cleaning we won’t have a cold breeze blowing up the bluff at us.  On a controversial note, a developer has plans to build a Subway restaurant in Sister Bay and it is leaving a very bitter taste with many who live there.  There really isn’t an ordinance that says “no chains” as many of us always believed. We’ll see what happens.  Chef Andrew Mueller who was the head chef at Glidden Lodge for many years then bought The Nautical Inn Restaurant in Sturgeon Bay, has purchased the Hillside Inn in Ellison Bay which can only mean good things for Ellison Bay.  I love the Nautical’s food so I am sure the Hillside will be equally as popular.  Our friend and neighbor Bob Erickson of Door County Realty was named Realtor of the Year… congrats Bob!

Egg Harbor will host the YMCA’s Blossom Run May 8 and Egg Harbor will have its Girlfriends Great Eggscape weekend May 13- 15.  My friend Jeff Larsen from the Landmark Resort has tons of chick activities planned for the weekend.  Most of the festivities will be a the Landmark Resort although the boutiques in Egg Harbor will be having sales and there should be some restaurant specials as well as kayaking and a pub crawl.   Last year at Egg Harbor Lodge, we had Mexican food and drink at cocktail hour for our guests that Friday night so I am sure we will be doing something like that this year as well.  My margaritas were a hit and we have guys that also come that weekend so of course we had Mexican beer and snacks.

If you didn’t catch us on Living with Amy in the fall we posted the video on our video page… check it out.  Amy emailed me while I was in Florida to come cook on her show again, but obviously I couldn’t.  Hopefully a different time.

I am going to be blogging about some of Egg Harbor’s different boutiques and restaurants this spring so check back and see what’s new in the village.

Ring in the New Year… Door County style!

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Yes, it is that time of year again… New Year’s Eve. Of course we love a parade and that is one of the best reasons to come to Door County… to ring in the New Year!  We have snow and the park trails are open for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The snowmobile trails are also open. The weather is supposed to be pretty cold, so dress warm.

The Landmark in Egg Harbor is offering specials for the weekend (including Karaoke!) as are other lodging places and restaurants.  Mike’s Port Pub and Innlet Motel in Jacksonport is offering a nice special which includes lodging, dinner and drinks on New Years Eve for $175.00 (and no driving!).  Jacksonsport is also serving up a New Years Day breakfast at the fire station before the famous Polar Bear Plunge at noon.  Our friend, JR Jarosh of Jacksonport is the founder and along with his family, has turned the “plunge”  into an annual event that attracts thousands of people each year either as participants or spectators.  It really is a fun Door County event that shouldn’t be missed.  Trust me… we have done the plunge as well as witnessed it and there really is no equal. If you have never done the plunge, it is an invigorating way to start the year… especially after the crazy year we had this past year.

At 1:00 in Egg Harbor, is the Annual New Year’s Day Parade.  I  believe it is the only parade in Wisconsin on New Year’s Day.  It is a fun, quirky parade that is pretty much thrown together in the morning.  We (meaning my family) are in it every year… usually with the same float.  We aren’t original, but we are consistent. Here we are last year in our hot tub float…yes, there is really water in the cherry pallet we are riding in.

Sawyer chicks

Sawyer chicks

Almost all the boutiques and restaurants are open in Egg Harbor for post-holiday sales.  After the parade,  we head to Mojo Rosa’s where Kimmy has complementary hors d’ oeuvres and music.  Our friend and neighbor, Bob Erickson (Door County Realty) celebrates his birthday on January 1 and we help him celebrate at Mojo’s each year.  The day isn’t complete without checking out Egg Harbor’s other haunts, John Henry’s, Casey’s and Shipwrecked.  PS… the new C & C in Fish Creek has reopened under the new name Cooper’s Corner (same owners as Shipwrecked and Peninsula Winery).  More on that later after I scope it out.

My niece Jennifer will turn 21 on New Year’s Day as well. Happy Birthday Jen!

Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone and we look forward to a fantastic 2010 in  beautiful Door County!