After a day of fishing or skiing in the North Woods of Wisconsin, you get hungry, and the task at hand is finding a decent restaurant.
Tourism now pumps an estimated $6.1 billion into the Wisconsin economy every year, a state tourism spokesperson says, and the best restaurants are fighting harder than the Packers for your “flatlander” dollar.
While the service may be small-town friendly almost everywhere, let’s be frank: Most establishments near this town only 19 miles from the Michigan border offer the familiar salad bars (where “Ambrosia” is a mainstay), Friday fish fries and prime rib.
Take heart. Dinner doesn’t have to be deep-fried, even when your nose is after a day on the lake. Cottage people and newcomers to the area might have their favorites, but the places below, as the L.L. Bean catalog might say, have provided this customer with years of comfortable wear.
– The Loaf & Stein, opened last December by owners Brian and Andrea Smoko, now occupies the former American Legion Post in Eagle River and is the area’s — brace yourself — first micro-brewery. It’s a fun change of pace. Brian, who started as a hobbyist brewer, has four beers on tap to complement a good menu. (At only $6.25, the Brewhouse Jambalaya is a steal.)
Former food service employees at Northwestern University, the Smokos gutted and refitted the building, and now find themselves running the hippest place in town. Glitterati during a recent visit included the entire television news team from nearby Rhinelander.
Andrea bakes bread and desserts for the lively restaurant, which offers unusual dishes such as peanut chicken curry and sauteed duck in cranberry wine sauce.
Brian grew up in a restaurant-running family in the Poconos and hopes for a long run in his new-found home. He will have six beers on-line by summer, he says.
The Loaf & Stein (715-477-BREW) is just north of downtown Eagle River at 219 N. Railroad St.
– Offering a much more traditional North Woods ambience is nearby Baertschy’s Pine Gables, run by Don and Katherine Baertschy. No place is cozier with a burning fire than this place, built of wood in 1938. Known for years under various owners for its German food, Pine Gables still offers a menu-page full of various schnitzels and feels like an Alpine lodge.
“I decided to let our chef, Lanny Studdard, do his thing here,” Don says. At $17.95, Studdard’s garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin with cognac mustard sauce is the most popular newer dish. The salmon papillote, seasoned with cilantro and dill, and a rack of lamb are other popular choices.
Baertschy’s Pine Gables (715-479-7689) is three-quarters of a mile west of Eagle River on Wisconsin Highway 70.
– Little Bohemia has a similar lodge setting, but diners also get a serving of history with their meal. It was here in April 1934 that FBI agents killed a local man and wounded two others in a shootout after learning on a tip that the resort’s guests included George “Baby Face” Nelson and “Public Enemy No. 1” John Dillinger.
The gangsters all escaped, and Nelson later killed an agent and wounded two local men. But the group left behind interesting evidence of their stay, including luggage and cans they used for target practice. It’s all on display, as are the original bullet holes in the windows and walls.
“That was definitely a time of shooting first and asking questions later,” says Little Bohemia’s owner, Fred Theisen. (The previous owner still lives nearby and unwittingly played ball with Nelson before the shootout, Theisen says.)
Little Bohemia has a nice view of Little Star Lake, and the menu includes roasted chicken tarragon, cream of wild rice soup and roast duck.
“By city standards, the prices are nominal,” says Theisen. “You easily can get away with a good meal for about $10.”
Little Bohemia (715-543-8433) is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Eagle River. Take Wisconsin 70 west to U.S. 51, just north of Minocqua, then drive north about 20 miles. Little Bohemia is on the east side of U.S. 51 about two miles south of tiny Manitowish Waters.
– A venue with entertainment as well as refreshment is The Burnt Bridge Tavern, nestled in the woods along a winding and little-used section of County Highway K.
Named after a fire that burned a nearby bridge in the early 1900s, the site became a meeting place for fishermen and moonshiners. The old tavern is similar to others in the area but for one distinction (besides the friendly owners Joe and Helen Skibbie): Behind the bar is a wall of windows facing a lighted lot where the owners feed animals that include deer, raccoons and even the occasional bear.
“This is more of a family place, even though it’s a bar,” says Joe Skibbie.
Indeed, children are especially impressed when the animals — up to 25 raccoons at a time — steal in from the dark for the free loaves of bread, oblivious to bar patrons only about 25 feet away. In the winter, the Skibbies put out two tons of corn and 100 bales of alfalfa a season for the deer’s nightly visits. (Dollars thrown at the wooden ceiling–with thumbtacks and quarters for ballast–go toward feeding the animals if they stick.)
The tavern, located along a major snowmobile trail, gets lots of winter visitors. People eat here too, in a dining room adjacent to the bar. Specials are often the best bet.
The Burnt Bridge Tavern (715-479-8530) is about 15 miles northwest of Eagle River by road. Take U.S. 45 north from Eagle River to County K in unincorporated Conover, then go west (left) on the recently paved county trunk about 4 miles.
– The Guide’s Inn, once a favorite watering hole for fishing guides, has become well-known in the area as the place for a special night out. It’s a little more expensive than many competitors, and some patrons even wear neckties.
Chef/owner Jimmy Dean Van Rossum has been building a loyal clientele for 13 years, and many people come back at least annually to try his pan-fried walleye — or, for $17.95, his surf-and-turf, which adds a filet mignon.
“It’s hard changing the menu sometimes, because people come in once a year and demand the same meal they had the year before,” Van Rossum says. His wife, Lynda, grows herbs in an on-site greenhouse for signature dishes like Shrimp St. James.
A tip: Skip the tie — you’re on vacation.
The Guide’s Inn (715-385-2233) is about a 40-mile drive northwest of Eagle River in Boulder Junction. Take Wisconsin 70 west to U.S. 51, just north of Minocqua, then drive north about 4 miles to County Highway M and follow it north about 15 miles into town.
Accessibility: All restaurants mentioned can accommodate wheelchairs, according to their managers. The only facility with a second-floor is Loaf & Stein, which has an elevator.
Information: For general information on tourism in Wisconsin, call the Wisconsin Travel Information hot line at 800-432-8747.
