Egg Harbor Lodge News

We ate at Birmingham’s last week after Mark got done working.  At first glance, Birmingham’s would seem to be a dive but au contraire my friends… it is anything but- the food and company are superb.  Birmingham’s has been a family business since the 30’s. It is located on County G about 12 miles south of Egg Harbor.  Brad Birmingham (the son) is usually the bartender and can be seen playing cards with the locals who stop every day.  He is a really nice guy and was raised in Door County.  His mom is elderly (probably in her 80’s) and is still cooking lunch and dinner.  I snapped her the other day cooking with her favorite pan… a black, cast iron skillet.  

  They are well-known for their burgers which Mrs. Birmingham pan fries in her skillet.  They are served on bread as opposed to the customary bun.  Since we were ordering dinner I had the deep fried lobster.  If you have never had it, I’ll tell you this… there is no equal.  It was lightly deep fried, delicious and of course highly fattening.  We also got homemade breads before dinner and homemade cookies and biscotti after dinner. Brad knows everybody and is probably one of the most popular bartenders in the county. 

If you are lucky, you may see our friend and co-worker Mary with her family in there since it is one of their favorite haunts.  They are a wild and crazy bunch.

Check out Birmingham’s if you are looking for somewhere a little different to eat.  They are open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

We decided to head up to the Sister Bay Bowl or as locals affectionately call it “the bowl” for lunch the other day and to my surprise so did everybody else in northern Door County! It was packed like rats with tons of people we knew.  The bowl has a grill right behind the bar and the chef, Mike Daubner (whose parents are part-owners) was cooking away.

 The  lunch menu is simple… soup of the day, burgers, munchie baskets etc. but really, really good. The six lane bowling lane was not in operation… I think it is only open at night.  It’s a keep your own score kind of a bowling alley. The bowl is well know for its Prime Rib and Friday night fish frys.  It is a popular restaurant with locals and tourists alike.  I guess I had never eaten lunch there before and I know it won’t be my last time.

Get ready… get set… go!  Egg Harbor is having a Holiday Sale and party this Wednesday.  Listen up… this is 50% off all merchandise for one day only! I talked today to Erin Bosman of the Patricia Shoppe  (women’s clothes, shoes, jewelry etc.) in Egg Harbor.  She informed me that not only her store (she was the pioneer of this effort) but also Robben’s Nest Farm (fresh seasonal wreaths and swags), Maxwell’s House (super trendy glassware, rugs and furnishings) Jane’s for Women (women’s clothing) and Something Fishy (crazy jewelry and trinkets) are all in on the event.  I know I am going to check it out.  Egg Harbor is decorated for Christmas and we have a ton of snow so our little village looks really beautiful.  Door County is an excellent place to shop for the holidays.  My friend Bernadette and I are going to shop and grab a bite to eat… probably at the Bistro at Liberty Square and try to get a handle on the Christmas shopping gig. To date, I have bought 2 gifts… pretty sad.

We took our staff out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate the end of another great season at Egg Harbor Lodge.  All of our kids (Josh and his wife Carissa, Nellie, Emilie and Joe) were able to be there which was really nice.  We usually have our party at the Mill Supper Club and this year was no different… not only do they have really good food, Shelly and Don Petersilka are close friends of ours.  We ordered off the menu and everybody had a really nice meal.  I think I have said this before but Don makes the best old-fashioneds in Door County!

Mary Haen, Jeanne Henkel, Linda Shealey (in front), Mary Junion, Me and our gardener Jerry Schimmelpfennig

Patty Bley, Charlene Bader and Emily Bley (Patty’s daughter) with Nellie… they helped out in the fall when we got a bit short of help.  Once the high school kids go back to school all the businesses in Door County struggle for help.  We lucked out!  We could never run a successful business without the hard work and dedication of our staff.  They treat  EHL as if it were there own which is just amazing.  They also have a lot of fun while they work and we hear a  lot of laughing which is just great.  Everyone seems to get along and Mark and I are really thankful for such a great staff who we consider friends.

Shelly, Allison and Don Petersilka behind the bar at the Mill Supper Club.  People wonder what a “Supper Club” is.  It usually means a restaurant with a full bar that is only open in the evenings. They usually have a full menu of American style food…Prime Rib, steaks, chicken, seafood and of course the Friday night Fish Fry which is said to have originated in Wisconsin.  Many times this type of restaurant is large enough to hold weddings and parties. We have been to many fun weddings at The Mill. 

Our main housekeepers will work this morning to get everything ready for the final closing.  We hope to finish at noon and then we will head to John Henry’s in Egg Harbor for lunch.  John Henry’sis really casual and he makes excellent homemade soup.  I’ll give you the lowdown tomorrow.

We will start to spring clean in April.  I think everyone will enjoy their well-deserved break!  This winter I will keep busy working on improvements and marketing for the lodge.  I will take reservations from home and get ready for the 2009.  I will continue blogging about Door County happenings… there is still a lot going on even though some places close for the winter. 

Last night the members of the Door County Visitors Bureau got together for a casual informational meeting with drinks and hors d’oeuvres at the Gorden Lodge Events Center.  The food was excellent and the new facility looks fantastic.  People wonder if we do weddings (we don’t) but brides… check out this place- it would be perfect for a wedding. 

 Mark and I like to stop for cocktails at the Top Deck which is located on the same property.  It is one of the few restaurants on the water.  There is a big bar with windows on three sides overlooking North Bay.  It is kind of out of the way but well worth the beautiful drive. We saw a buck standing next to their sign when we pulled in.

We saw tons of people we knew at the get together and the mood was really high (no pun intended).  The new direction the DCVB is taking looks promising and everyone is pretty excited.  Most business owners talked of having a good year despite the gloom and doom in the media.  I think everyone is thankful and excited for the future of Door County.