Summer Dining in Door County

June 22, 2009

I just spent a long weekend in Door County, WI, my favorite vacation destination. The vacation included lots of time by the pool enjoying some sunny weather and catching up on reading. In this post, however, I wish to highlight my dining experiences throughout the weekend.

The Shoreline Restaurant
Gills Rock, WI
Friday Lunch
I selected the Santa Barbara burger, a 1/4 lb. burger featuring guacamole, black olives, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The burger was perfectly done with just enough cheddar cheese melted on top to add a bit of cheddar flavor. No ketchup or mustard was required as the guacamole served as the only necessary condiment. The black olives added a twist from other similar burgers I've had before and the white onion (most likely some sort of sweet white onion) was not overpowering. On the side was fresh fruit, a unique and enjoyable complement to this excellent burger.

Wild Tomato Wood-Fired Pizza and Grille
Fish Creek, WI
Friday Dinner
Wild Tomato is a new restaurant in Fish Creek, replacing the previously existing Diggers along Hwy 42, north of downtown Fish Creek. The restaurant is a no-frills family focused environment with both indoor and outdoor seating. My meal featured Petite Caesar Salad and the D-Lux pizza. The Caesar salad was a simple classic, but was in need of more dressing and less cheese. The pizza featured flavorful pieces of Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper, and extra cheese. It was definitely a step above my normal Papa John's pizza fare, but it did not leave a lasting impression. The pizza contained the amount of cheese I would expect; I would not consider it to have had extra cheese. And, the crust was overly done - to a blacked crisp - on about half the pizza. Wild Tomato is a bit over priced for the calibre of its pizza. It is potentially worth a visit for those looking for a causal dinning experience.

Fish Creek Market
Fish Creek, WI
Saturday Lunch
Fish Creek Market offers made-to-order sandwiches at its deli in the rear of this small speciality foods store. Customers have a choice of multiple breads, fresh deli meats including turkey and roast beef, a variety of typical sandwich condiments, four choices of cheese, and other additional sandwich toppings. The sandwiches can be ordered with chips and a cookie, an apple and a cookie, or all three side items. I ordered turkey and pepper jack cheese on a kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, and oil and vinegar. On the side, I got chips and a cookie. The sandwich was excellent, piled high with almost a 1/4 lb of juicy turkey lunch meat. The veggies were fresh, and the oil and vinegar was a nice complement but more could have been added. The cookie was delicious but small; only about two bites. I would definitely recommend ordering a sandwich from the Fish Creek Market to enjoy at a picnic in one of the local parks.

Categories: Cooking

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