Late May - Early June Epic, Part 1
It would appear I owe my devoted readers some major updates on recent events. (OK, no one reads this tripe with anything resembling devotion, and the events, if we must label them as such, are recent only with regard to the Pleistocene epoch.) I believe there are two trips to the Island, Pride Fest, and a stupid meeting to account for in this or subsequent posts.
The first trip to the Island was over Memorial Day weekend and is hardly news to anyone who read xenogeny's post on the subject. The drive up was reasonable by holiday weekend standards and we enjoyed a great lunch at Element in Two Rivers. I had an apricot chicken salad wrap with sauvignon blanc and John had a steak wrap with shiraz, all of which was yummy.
A bit later on, we arrived at Stone's Throw Winery, a perennial favorite destination, to engage in some tasting. We shied away from wines we know in favor of more unusual varietals, including Alicante Bouschet and Barbera, all from CA. We were feeling quite mellow afterwards as the stewardess of our wine flight comped us a couple extra pours.
After arriving on the Island, settling in the house and mixing some pomegranate martinis, we were overjoyed to find out The Washington Hotel was open and serving dinner. (Actually, overjoyed is an understatement considering our other options.) Their website said they wouldn't serve until June, but they had a "secret" opening for people who called. We both had the six-course tasting dinner with wine pairings:
- Asparagus Soup with Island Morels, served with Lois Gruner Veltliner
- Island Wheat & Ramp Ravioli, served with Cusumano Insolia (an incredibly delicious Italian white)
- Grilled Quail & Spinach Salad, served with Las Rochas Garnacha
- Death's Door Vodka Braised Country Ribs, served with Domaine d'Andezon Syrah
- Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Plate, served with Warre's Otima Port
- Strawberry Shortcake
We were quite full afterwards and spent the remainder of the night reading.
The next day we jettisoned plans to hike around Rock Island because of the weather. Unfortunately, relatives descended on us near lunch time, so we went hiking around the harbor instead, including the Jackson Harbor Ridges and Carlin's Point. We made sandwiches after that and spent the afternoon reading. In the evening, we read out on the porch and drank bellinis.
Feeling lightly effervescent, we decided to eat at the Hotel again. We went lighter, both in fare and budget, this time. John had a Hungarian sausage and roasted red pepper pizza and I had an angus cheeseburger with aged cheddar. There were some spicy red wines, but the names elude me. For dessert we were tempted into rich cakes and flaky pastries. The important factor is that they were carrying a new port that Leah wanted us to try. (She knows I have a weakness for good port.) It was so good I could've cried, and even John liked it, which is really saying something. He still had Moscato d'Asti with his dessert, though. We were tempted to have the new server, Frank from Germany, for dessert, but it wasn't to be. ;)
The next day we meandered about the Island to avoid leaving. John finally convinced me to climb some disgusting number of stairs to the observation tower on top of The Mountain. We were rewarded with great views and not a single other person around. On our way towards the ferry docks, we decided to lower our culinary standards and eat at one of the local greasy spoons. (Really, it's all deep-fried at some point in the cooking process.) It was 10:45am when we arrived, but we were in the mood for lunch before hitting the road. The waitress said it'd be fine and we sat down. Moments later she comes back because the cook said it was too early. Lunch wasn't served until 11am. We rolled our respective eyes and walked out. The food's not worth arguing for. We dug snack food out of the trunk and munched on crackers and Diet Coke at the dock. The trip down? Sheer artery-blowing hell. Enough said.
The first trip to the Island was over Memorial Day weekend and is hardly news to anyone who read xenogeny's post on the subject. The drive up was reasonable by holiday weekend standards and we enjoyed a great lunch at Element in Two Rivers. I had an apricot chicken salad wrap with sauvignon blanc and John had a steak wrap with shiraz, all of which was yummy.
A bit later on, we arrived at Stone's Throw Winery, a perennial favorite destination, to engage in some tasting. We shied away from wines we know in favor of more unusual varietals, including Alicante Bouschet and Barbera, all from CA. We were feeling quite mellow afterwards as the stewardess of our wine flight comped us a couple extra pours.
After arriving on the Island, settling in the house and mixing some pomegranate martinis, we were overjoyed to find out The Washington Hotel was open and serving dinner. (Actually, overjoyed is an understatement considering our other options.) Their website said they wouldn't serve until June, but they had a "secret" opening for people who called. We both had the six-course tasting dinner with wine pairings:
- Asparagus Soup with Island Morels, served with Lois Gruner Veltliner
- Island Wheat & Ramp Ravioli, served with Cusumano Insolia (an incredibly delicious Italian white)
- Grilled Quail & Spinach Salad, served with Las Rochas Garnacha
- Death's Door Vodka Braised Country Ribs, served with Domaine d'Andezon Syrah
- Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Plate, served with Warre's Otima Port
- Strawberry Shortcake
We were quite full afterwards and spent the remainder of the night reading.
The next day we jettisoned plans to hike around Rock Island because of the weather. Unfortunately, relatives descended on us near lunch time, so we went hiking around the harbor instead, including the Jackson Harbor Ridges and Carlin's Point. We made sandwiches after that and spent the afternoon reading. In the evening, we read out on the porch and drank bellinis.
Feeling lightly effervescent, we decided to eat at the Hotel again. We went lighter, both in fare and budget, this time. John had a Hungarian sausage and roasted red pepper pizza and I had an angus cheeseburger with aged cheddar. There were some spicy red wines, but the names elude me. For dessert we were tempted into rich cakes and flaky pastries. The important factor is that they were carrying a new port that Leah wanted us to try. (She knows I have a weakness for good port.) It was so good I could've cried, and even John liked it, which is really saying something. He still had Moscato d'Asti with his dessert, though. We were tempted to have the new server, Frank from Germany, for dessert, but it wasn't to be. ;)
The next day we meandered about the Island to avoid leaving. John finally convinced me to climb some disgusting number of stairs to the observation tower on top of The Mountain. We were rewarded with great views and not a single other person around. On our way towards the ferry docks, we decided to lower our culinary standards and eat at one of the local greasy spoons. (Really, it's all deep-fried at some point in the cooking process.) It was 10:45am when we arrived, but we were in the mood for lunch before hitting the road. The waitress said it'd be fine and we sat down. Moments later she comes back because the cook said it was too early. Lunch wasn't served until 11am. We rolled our respective eyes and walked out. The food's not worth arguing for. We dug snack food out of the trunk and munched on crackers and Diet Coke at the dock. The trip down? Sheer artery-blowing hell. Enough said.