Food over Experience

October 10th, East Lansing, MI; sunny 39 degrees (when started)

Note - you should probably read the posting below this one first.. I wish could be more brief, but i can't

After our "experience over food" evening in Escanaba, we started out for Boyne Highlands, our next destination. Turns out that (so far) it was probably the best day of the trip. The route took us through the lower part of “da UP’ along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. While cloudy, the colors were gorgeous, and the lake beautiful. We stopped a couple of times along the way at little parks for views leaves and the water,





and evidence of other visitors:



The road is a survivor for a long time and was used by tourists forever, so there were lots of roadfood signs. One of the unique local foods of the “UPers” arrived long ago from the mine workers in the copper and iron mines in western UP. Called the “Pasty” it is a sort of Stromboli affair of meat (pork and/or ground beef), rutabegas (or turnips) required, onions, and potatoes, all encased in dough, and baked. Supposedly kept warm in lunch box.. Of course by now, they are “tourist” food, and I haven’t tried one since my boyhood days. Another staple is smoked fish.







Some survive, some don’t





Eventually we crossed “big Mac”




to the lower peninsula and took some back roads to through the “tunnel of trees” from Cross Village to Harbor Springs. Memories started to flood back now as we drove into “Harbor” although much has changed since I was there. It’s now definitely a playground for the rich, as large sailboats bob at the piers; large homes are all over (with about half of them labeled “available”). It still remains a charming little city. MFO, through some research found that Boyne Highlands, a winter resort has some attractive rates so we decided to stay there..






we saw some lovely leaves




Since this was to be our last night for “real” food, we had a couple of places to choose from, including the restaurant at the lodge, and a couple of places in town. Remembering the “don’t sleep where you eat, don’t eat where you sleep”, we finally settled on Staffords, because we knew they had a pretty good heritage in Petosky and the Perry Hotel. The other possibility looked good, “The New York Restaurant”, but Staffords featured the planked whitefish (since 1961) and perch that we were anxious to re-sample. So a call secured a reservation, and this day we had a chance to walk the grounds a bit and observed some of the other guests at the lodge.



We arrived at the restaurant to find a nice table by the window overlooking the little harbor and some of those nice boats that reminded us of Maryland. Our server arrived, and zapped us back to Wisconsin with the dialect, unfortunately in the higher registers. The place was nicely decorated with ceilings of fabric drapery, visually and aurally softening, with a very nice canoe mounted on the ceiling, which sounds funny but it was nice. We decided to order a bottle of wine for the table which MFO would start with, and then I would cycle to after the dry manhatten. This time without admonishment it was correctly delivered, however again, there was more ice than drink. We ordered a Stag’s Leap Chardonnay (no vintages given) and eventually “you betcha” came to the table saying they weren’t sure they had any, but the manager was checking. Eventually they uncovered an ’07, which at first seemed a bit musky, but finally blew off and turned into a nice selection. At $49 per bottle, it was a pretty good (restaurant) bargain as it retails around $33. They had fairly nice glasses, with different ones for reds and whites (as it should be). The menu offered some interesting combinations, and turning at last to the menu after a couple of “are you ready to order” nudges followed by the disappearing act, we settled on appetizers of the Shrimp “Cargot” and the Michigan Morel bisque. After an inquiry as to the difference between the featured planked whitefish and the planked whitefish with flash fired perch revealed that the only difference was the white fish was half portioned, I opted for that and MFO took the parmesan encrusted version.

People began to trickle in filling the tables with plenty of regulars “how are ya today?”
The appetizers arrived and MFO’s shrimp prepared as escargots with garlic, prosciutto, spinach and feta were hot and tasty, and although my Bisque did contain morels, it is, after all, October, not May. Not a bad attempt. The fish on the other hand was everything we were hoping for. The parmesan crusted whitfish was lightly crusted, even daintily, and let the flavor of the fish shine through. My fish was a nice portion, served on a blackened plank, with a few perch, which were eaten by hand, no bones to worry about. Both were fresh and tasty. Service remained inconsistent, although I would say the person responsible for water did a good job. I did notice that quite a quantity of Perch were delivered to other tables. They were featuring an “Octoberfest” menu with items I couldn’t pronounce, but the dessert was an Apple Fritter which we were informed was available with two forks. After a too long wait, the “captain” lady delivered it saying the first attempt was not suitable for serving the table. Good idea! Ours was crunchy and probably with fresh apples as they were very good. An order of coffee to accompany was delivered with a pleasant surprise. A little tray with four square cups of lump sugar, candied lemon peel, and two other items which escape the mushy brain at the moment. That little twist provided a nice variation from just coffee.

So that so far was the meal of the trip (sorry butter burger), based on the food, and would merit a return anytime. And besides ourselves, at least all we saw were

DFD

Experience over Food -

October 10th, East Lansing, MI; foggy, 37 degrees

The feeder is learning that gathering material for consideration takes time away from actually reporting on the material that is gathered, so we’re a bit behind, but we’ll plug on..

Our two nights away from La Crosse provided distinctly different dining opportunities. As it turned out, the first was a unique experience with food as a sidelight, and the second was the reverse, i.e., the food was the show and the experience the background. Both had their highlights. Our first was in the town of



Having done a little research, Escanaba offered three possibilities - one was a steak house which offered the opportunity cook your own steak. MFO: “you got to be kidding me!” One down. The other was “Stonehouse”, featuring steaks and chops and also the Whitefish and Walleye we were seeking. The other was House of Ludington, a venerable old hotel in the downtown area. Perusing their menu we decided that it would be first choice, especially after we viewed “stonehouse” in person.



After discovering that we lost that precious hour upon entering Michigan, we found that the leisure time had evaporated, and we were now pressed. We hoped to dine in their “King George Room” the “Finest in Elegant Dining”. We called to reserve only to find out that they were only serving in the Pub, and no, we wouldn’t need a reservation just come on down. So we quickly DFD’d, and struck out.

Have you ever used one of those internet dating services? What looks good on the web sometimes doesn’t quite match reality. So it was with the “Historic House of Ludington”, although it still had the bones, the flesh was a bit in need of paint, and some tuckpointing here and there--





Undeterred we went in, found an empty pub but were welcomed and ushered to a booth. It too had that dark paneling zapping you back in time, there were those little foot tall mannequins on the wall, and various memorabilia posted around. Our booth had the Music Master of the Coast guard for example, along with fading photos of stodgy men in suits at tables. We were approached by the (what turned out to be) the owner, offered menus, and no, there wasn’t a wine list, but would we like a drink. You bet. MFO asked about a chardonnay and was informed he had a “decent” one. I, of course did the drink test, and not wanting to delay getting alcohol, called after him “That’s Dry Vermouth you know”.

Upon returning with a perfectly prepared drink he informed me (in a nice way) that he was insulted that I said that. Turns out that dry manhattens are quite common in the North, although probably brandy more than whiskey. He said that “perfect” manhattens were next, followed by “regular (sweet vermouth) ones. I also discovered a little trend that has been followed so far. The sizeable glass was filled with ice cubes so much so that maybe three sips pretty much completed the drink. Anyway, getting down to food we discovered that indeed Whitefish and Walleye were on the menu along with other staples, most with some flourish. We were informed that the soup of the day was Chowder, and the vegetable was stewed cabbage (!). For starters we ordered “deep fried pickles” and MFO took the broiled whitefish, with side salad, French fries, and I did the chowder with the “lightly breaded sautéed Walleye with feta and fresh tomato, and although not maybe appropriate, the “Cheesy Crocked Potatoes”.

Meanwhile, with neither of us having anything to do, we chatted with the owner guy. It used to be that we would be very uncomfortable being the only patrons in a dining establishment, but now we relish it (and it remained empty the entire meal). Anyway during the course of the evening, we found out that his daughter had attended MSU, and did work with the CIA (doing “something”), and how he came by the Hotel. The “newer places” up the road “do what they do” and “we are what we are”, and he seemed happy. I was not enthusiastic about his future (along with Escanaba's)

Eventually the pickles, salad, and soup arrived simultaneously with an apology because he said he talked too much – which was fine, because now the “experience” was taking the upper hand. The pickles were coated in tempura and really were quite good with the crunch of the batter offset by the acidity of the pickle. The soup and salad sat a bit as there were no tools at all on the table which was corrected by another visit and chat with Edward. Both were okay, the chowder was a bit on the starchy side but did have some pretty good taste (the other option was taco soup). The mains arrived, nicely done, with about four smallish filets of whitefish, with probably sysco fries, and my walleye the same although the “lightly breaded” was a bit understated. My "cheesy crocked potatoes" were just that, one of those little brown on top crocks, with a crust of (what else?) cheddar over mashed potatoes). an odd pairing, but hey, we were now in it for the experience.

Someplace along the way, a young man wandered in and had a glass of beer, and more conversation revealed he was from UofM so we informed him we were from down the road. Cheerful banter regarding football ensued. So it was good evening with a great combination of food and better conversation. The booths had a little slot where people left their business cards so we did the same. Archivists and retirees!!

Escanaba is sort of dying I think, the main road is not through town, and many business are shuttered and those that are there are not looking good.



Due to length of this half, we’ll bust it up into two posts. The Food over Experience edition to follow. In fact, there we did

DFD

Road Trippin'...

October 8, 2009 Escanaba, MI, 43 degrees, cloudy

LaCrosse is still one of the largest cities on the western side of the state of Wisconsin. Important in the mid 19th century, and yes, it was named primarily for a game the Indians played here. Like many “old” small cities, there are really two cities. There is the “modern” side with K-Marts, Home Depots, Barnes and Nobles, and all the formula places of the modern day malls, with Caribou Coffees, and other attributes of current society. But there is also a historical side, where once fashionable, stately homes adorned quiet streets. With the move for MFO’s mom to a “facility” which, although recently constructed, is located in the older part of town. During recent visits, MFO discovered a little motel still surviving from the mid-fifties.. So, since most of our reason for visiting WI (besides the pretty drive) was centered on “Mom”, MFO reserved us for three nights. At first, I had apprehensions, but in the end, everything was “just right”







Built in the 50’s, nothing has changed much except the owners. Instead of uniformed hirelings, you deal with the actual owners. They turned out to be very considerate and helpful (I’m back on the internet, see). In our room not many walls were parallel reflecting the 50’s, but as the sign says it was very clean, had a nice TV (with the golf channel) and had all the amenities (remember having one handle for cold and another for hot in the shower instead of that balky un-adjustable lever so prevalent these days). The price was inviting, and by golly the room was clean, serviceable, and comfortable. It was “just right” for the old town LaCrosse.

Not far from the hotel was another find from MFO’s previous visits, the Hungry Peddler





It was just up the street from the Motel. Once inside the doors you time travel back to earlier times in Wisconsin. There are hooks for your coats, and you can either turn left into the bar, or right into the dining room. What a great bar. One of those that has a shelf over the bar with a million bottles and cans, a back bar equally stocked, all dark wood. There was a prominent poster for Korbel Brandy extolling the fans of; “Old Fashioneds and Fish Fries”. The dining room is all dark paneled, with fading pictures of faded people and times, some newspaper articles, old sports teams, and other memorabilia. The ceiling was at first glance leaded glass, but at second is plastic laminate in that form. Suspended from the ceiling there were spinning devices that at first appeared to be tires, but were in fact a fan. Tables were set with (unwrapped) silver business end down in mugs with a picture of the restaurant. You are seated (in order to maintain control) by a lady that hands you the breakfast menu. Yup, it’s a single sheet with selections on the front and back. All the items you could want including their “famous eggs benedict”, corned beef or prime rib hash, omelets, pancakes, steaks. On the back is the menu for “KOS” which turns out to be Kids Over Sixty, i.e., smaller portions. Next time, that’s us.

But what was really great was the clientele. Most were eligible for the KOS menu, although it wasn’t uniformly selected. Every morning there were tables of “ladies who breakfast”, along with gentlemen in various forms of working or hunting garb (which, in this case WAS DF(B)). But, everybody knew everybody. In that wonderful Wisconsin accent: “How are ya taday, Ralph?”, “oh fine fer sure”. If I had a nickel for every “yeah” I heard we could have eaten for free. “Did ya hear we might be gettin’ snow Sunday? Oh gosh, yeah”. If you’ve ever heard Prairie Home Companion, you’ve pretty much heard it. Everyone was so friendly, and I suspect the same crowd does this pretty much every morning.

The food was not memorable, but portions were huge and on the three occasions we were there, our food hit the table an average of five minutes after ordering. Scrambled eggs were in strips, sort of like sliced up omelets, the hash served with a healthy crust, the eggs just not runny, and I was even asked how I wanted my bacon cooked! How “right” is that? The serving ladies seemed to have a third arm with a coffee pot attached at all times. Water re-filled continuously without asking. After our three visits, we were invited to “Stop by, won’cha” when we return at Christmas. Oh, the “specials” for breakfast on one of those multi colored black neon boards were “mid-western or Brat Omelet”. At another table I overheard the description for the brat omelet as “cheese, sauerkraut, and brats, ya know”. Holy cow.

La Crosse is really a nice town. Go into Qullins (a local grocery) or the A-1 Hardware (multiple trips for Grammas mods to the apartment), or any store and you find helpful, friendly help. Everybody seems, well, just “nice”. We’ve enjoyed every one of our visits over the years.

what a town





After leaving La Crosse yesterday (Wednesday) we finally were able to shun the interstates and drove across mid Wisconsin from La Crosse to Marinette on “back roads”. What a treat. The color was spectacular, the roads empty (except for that little red mustang which I will omit in interest of your reading time), with small towns here and there, but mostly national forest. We took route 64 from Merrill to Marinette and found it was “cranberry country”. We saw several bogs and also the “harvest”








Besides the cranberries (there was an Ocean Spray facility), there were also trucks and trucks of potatoes..wisconsin, not idaho!!


After hitting Marinette and Lake Michigan, we traveled north to the current location of Escanaba, Michigan, where last night we had our first “dining” experience as we were

DFD

Catching up is hard to do....

October 6, 2009 – LaCrosse, WI; 47 degrees and rain

So you have this vision that you’ll start the a lovely journey, seeing wonderful things, take some creative photos, and provide insightful comments on the passing scene. Then, out of the blue the demons in the computer want to know “what’s the device code?” before it will open the portals of the internet so you can connect to the place where you can share your experiences. What works fine on Saturday night in Indiana is inoperative on Monday morning in Wisconsin, and a day was lost in (thanks to several helping hands) getting back on the air.. Also thanks to my Southern Maryland Blog Support backup for the heads up..

The Journey Begins:

After attending a social event on Friday evening, getting going early Saturday was not in the cards. And, with all those little “Did you get the….”; “Where’s the damn…..”; “how about ….”; and all that stuff, it was mid-morning when we were finally what we considered “ready”. So, with Lattes in the cups, gas in the tank, and bags in the back, the Momster pointed north to begin the first day. Our objective was Richmond, Indiana, the usual layover on the way to Wisconsin. The beltway was negotiated with relatively little issues (thank you Wilson Bridge Construction) and after a while we exited the cities and began enjoying the landscape instead of cement. A great time of year to travel as you can see the changing hues from summer green to gentle beiges, soft browns, muted colors, with the occasional punctuation of a golden or red maple. Of course this was tempered by also watching the back end of 18 wheelers (How’s My Driving?....), the tailgaters, right passers, and all those endearing traits of “other” drivers. I must admit there was a paucity of North Caroliners this time. Whoa – hold it there, we’re out here for esthetics, not traffic aggravations. And so, turning back to the countryside we enjoyed the barns of different construction styles and adornments (we did see an original Mail Pouch). That being said, somewhere along the way, the “are we there yet?” syndrome starts to creep in as white line fever starts to take its toll. So, after a rather grueling 580 miles, we arrived at our spacious lodgings for the evening:




Along with it’s five star dining opportunities




Due to the late hour of arrival, courtesy of the late hour of departure, we didn’t DF or even consider Dining. Crackers and a bottle of Pine Ridge Viognier/Chenin Blanc sufficed to accompany various football games. The next morning, a little better start but still a long road ahead. Plying across Indiana through a bustling Indianapolis preparing for the Colt’s game and up toward the windy city on I65. It’s an interesting thing about travel; there are always stretches of road that seem to be endless. I65 between Indy and Chicago is one of them. Drive two hours. Not a third of the way. Two more – on and on. Not much to see except flat land, trucks, and cars. And for relief there is flat land, trucks, and cars.

Finally, you start the arduous task of negotiating yourself through Chicago. Fortunately we had a Navigation System on board:



To help us through the maze of “XXXX expressway”, heaven forbid you should use numbers, and pausing along the way to keep the economy going.



We must have gone through at least 10(?) of those toll booths, and not one gave us any eye contact or a “thank you”. With a little sign that says “Customer service is our goal!” right over their sullen heads.

Eventually the city of big shoulders is left behind and you approach the northern end of the state



And eventually the objective is in hand –



Gradually the fields of soy and corn give way to rolling countryside with little lakes, more conifers and (surprisingly) a surfeit of fall color but still a more interesting pallet. The route north of Madison to Portage to Tomah is another one of those “it never ends” stretches, although there are some interesting signs extolling the selections of cheeses and sausages at various roadside stops. By this time we were deep into the “are we there yet” mode and the trusty Canon remained bagged. Finally, after 9 hours and 540 miles we arrived at La Crosse to see MFO’s sister and their mother.

At that point and hour, anything but “eating” was not considered, so I sort of steered us into getting take out from Culvers, home of the Butterburger. Somehow, I had missed one of these and this was a good opportunity. So, off we went to one of the nearby outlets. The general concept turns out to be: go to the counter and order, receive a number tag and either go sit down for delivery or wait for the “to go” bag. Over the counter hangs a huge menu board with a (to me) confusing amount of things to choose. You can “assemble your own basket”, get pre-chosen meals, order anything individually, choose your regular or “premium” sides (onion rings are premium), with anything from fries to slaw to green beans to “Cheese Curds” – we’re in Wisconsin, remember?. And, you’re not limited to ground beef and chicken either. There’s roast beef, pork, chili, and hot dogs as well. That bewildering amount of decisions to me made resulted in a crowd of folks standing around (including us) trying to devise an order. Oh, did I mention there is also a selection of drinks from soda to soft ice cream to malts and shakes. It was interesting to note the word “concrete” was floating around. So finally we put together an order, relayed it to the nice young man and eventually left with a bag. Naturally I had to have a single (doubles are available) butterburger, and accompanied it with premium onion rings and a shake.



Does Ted Drewe’s know this is going on?

Pictures 14 and 15 of food..


Other selections taken were a pork loin (fried) and a pulled roast beef. All had to be encased in rolls, apparently. I have not done extensive research (as is my norm) but I never saw any indication what makes it a “butterburger”. I would have to say, that although they do have a wider array of food available, it doesn’t stand above its competitors. Close my eyes, and a butterburger would be indistinguishable from a quarter pounder (well, maybe different condiments) Oh, I don’t know (or maybe don’t want to) know how that little piece of cheese got on top of the bun. It is left for clarity, and wonderment.

Okay, that’s a catch-up, there’s much more to tell about time tripping in LaCrosse, but that will wait till tomorrow..Due to the necessity of visiting “Mom”, who doesn’t get out much anymore, we’re eating in more than out.. so we’re not having to

DFD

Travel is ALWAYS an Adventure.

Greetings my fellow "Bottom Feeders",
This is Southern Maryland Blog Support here, I've been asked to pass along a quick message from THE Feeder. He is busy amassing quite a bit of research on the "Pax/Wisconsin/Michigan Corridor" but unfortunately is having minor computer technical issues at the moment and unable to post. (unfortunately I'm currently unable to provide assistance due to my temporary overseas location). I'm sure that these minor computer problems will be resolved shortly and your beloved feeder will be back to regale you with stories of the road. Thanks for your understand and patience!
Cheers,
SoMd-BS

{and while he's gone if you don't "DFD" I'll never tell ;-> }