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.

Today our Green Bay Packers are playing the Chicago Bears. Our gardener Jerry was picked to do the Crunch Time Catch before the game. The competition gives two players a chance to try and catch a 30 yard punt and if they catch that then a 60 yard punt with a chance to win prizes along with two free tickets to the game. Jerry gets a once in a lifetime chance to be on Lambeau Field AND be on the Jumbotron!  No word on if Jerry caught her punts or not… we hope so!

Here is my recipe for Packer Game Bloody Marys…

 Clamato juice

decent vodka-2 to 3 shots (depending on glass size)

a teaspoon of horseradish

a squeeze of lemon

a couple splashes of Worcestershire

a couple shakes of Tabasco

Use a lemon to moisten the top of a large glass.  Rim the glass with celery salt add the other ingredients garnish with a pickle or pickled asparugus and voila’ a perfect Bloody Mary.

By the way, we bought two more kayaks so our guests at Egg Harbor Lodge with be able to borrow any of our three kayaks. Two of the kayaks are two person.  We are going to leave a truck at Egg Harbor Lodge and we can either drop guests off at the beach or they can take the truck.  The village of Egg Harbor bought an adjoining piece of property next to the beach so guests can park and pull the kayak in on the boat launch.  It is really easy and a ton of fun.  I am also purchasing a new tennis ball machine so guests can hit against the machine which is also a lot of fun.