Epicurean Expedition

Photo by David J. Turner

(page 2 of 5)

Bloedow Bakery

451 E. Broadway St., Winona, 507-452-3682
Their doughnuts are so popular that Krispy Kreme abandoned the local market less than two years after trying to make inroads. And their Long Johns inspire the kind of online reveries usually reserved for celebrity sightings. Arrive early to satisfy your inner Homer Simpson. Family-owned for 80 years, this enterprise isn’t about to disappear, but the best stuff is usually gone by early afternoon.

Trempealeau Hotel

150 Main St., Trempealeau, Wisconsin, 608-534-6898
Kick back in an Adirondack on the porch of this 1871 saloon, a Wild West–looking joint on the Mississippi riverbank, and dig into the hotel’s famous walnut burger. A meatless mix of nuts, cheeses, onions, and bread crumbs, it’s fattier—and, therefore, tastier—than most veggie burgers.

Harbor View Café

314 First St., Pepin, Wisconsin, 715-442-3893
This perennial summer favorite can be harder to get into than the pope’s private dining room, and it doesn’t take reservations. Still, go now, before the new townhouses open nearby, or you’ll be dining at the Third Base Bar up the street—which is to say, you’re out.

The Nortons’

W7171 135th Ave., Bay City, Wisconsin, 715-792-2464
Given the breadth of the wine list and the richness of the meat-heavy menu, well, it’s a good thing there are bed-and-breakfasts nearby. So settle into the lodge-like patio, dig the live jazz, and figure on staying awhile.

Best Ice Cream

PortLand Malt Shoppe

716 E. Superior St., Duluth
The PortLand Malt Shoppe, named after an historic neighborhood in Duluth, is the best place in Minnesota to get your licks—even if it serves Wisconsin-made Schoeps ice cream. The small brick box overlooking Lake Superior was built to be a gas station in the 1920s; today, visitors fuel up on cones, sundaes, shakes, and floats, served with a side of nostalgia.

Northeast ››››

Photo by David J. Turner

Nokomis Restaurant & Bar

5593 North Shore Dr., Duluth, 218-525-2286
With some things in life—flossing, writing thank-you notes, climbing stairs—a little extra effort pays off. The same is true for North Shore dining: There are plenty of decent restaurants in Duluth, but heading 15 miles farther north on Scenic 61 will lead you to two dining rooms that are worth the extra 20 minutes of “are we there yets?”

In 2005, the New Scenic Café, long a favorite for its comfortable, cabin-like digs and creative fare, was joined by Nokomis Restaurant & Bar, located just a mile up the road. At Nokomis, chef and co-owner Sean Lewis offers equally ambitious food in an upscale dining room that matches the dramatic lake views.

Lewis has a delicate touch with such dishes as the halibut-cheek starter; he boldy pairs sour and bitter flavors—pink grapefruit, sliced fennel, and endive—with the rich taste of the lobster-like fish. A scoop of cardamom ice cream adds an unexpected dimension to the ginger-carrot soup, a dish that most chefs would be content to present solo. This multiplicity of elements is even more prominent in the entrées. Elk, for example, is offered with fig, black truffle, porcini mushrooms, golden raisins, hazelnuts, and lingonberries—a combination that certainly requires a bit more effort from the kitchen to pull off, but one that makes all the difference.

Cassidy’s Restaurant

327 Fire Monument Rd., Hinckley, 320-384-6129
Next time you contemplate stopping at Tobies, do yourself a favor: Head west across the freeway overpass—few Tobies fanatics know there is another side—and hit Cassidy’s at the Hinckley Travelodge, for first-rate caramel rolls without the crushing crowds. Cassidy’s buns may be more modest than Tobies’, but what they lack in volume they make up for in rich, honey-sweet flavor.

Green Pastures Dairy

2353 Bromfield Rd., Carlton, 218-384-4513
Here’s some trivia sure to impress guests at your next dinner party: In Minnesota, it’s legal to buy unpasteurized milk as long as you pick it up at a farm and bring your own container. Who knew? Green Pastures Dairy sells straight-from-the-cow milk from late spring to fall, and aged raw-milk cheeses year-round. Go for the smoked Gouda and English-Cheddar-style Bromfield.

Canal Park, Duluth

Crabby Bill’s, 218-310-5918
Northern Waters Smokehaus, 218-724-7307
Lake Avenue Café, 218-722-2355
Bellisio’s, 218-727-4921
While waiting for a cargo ship to slide under Duluth’s aerial lift bridge, bullhorn bellowing, stop for a quick snack at Crabby Bill’s, a dry-docked fishing boat that serves herring, cisco, and trout. Or pick up picnic fare at the Northern Waters Smokehaus, which serves sandwiches piled high with bison pastrami or house-smoked pork loin. If you fear the park’s aggressive seagulls—and you should—eat inside at the Lake Avenue Café, a sunny space with exposed ductwork and local art that serves everything from eggplant pizza to steak Diane. Or try Bellisio’s, where lobster bisque, caprese salad, chicken Marsala, and plates of pasta are served in a cellar-like space packed with wine racks.

Pickwick

508 E. Superior St., Duluth, 218-727-8901
A lot has changed since 1914 (like, say, the map of Europe). The Pickwick hasn’t, and it’s one of the reasons this oak-laden dining room was recently dubbed one of “America’s Classics” by the James Beard Foundation. Stained-glass windows, an enormous fireplace, and a long wooden bar make it feel like a Bavarian hunting lodge, complete with stuffed lynx and mounted deer antlers. Try the steak, the walleye, or the cheese-stuffed, deep-fried hamburger to go along with the superior lake views.

At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe

1902 E. Eighth St., Duluth, 218-723-8569
The confusion caused by the name may be equal to the confusion that goes with trying to find this off-the-beaten-path café, but Sara’s is worth the trouble. Crazy with knotty-pine booths and endless rows of bookshelves (the contents of which are for sale), the café serves breakfast and lunch (tofu scramble, falafel sandwich) geared toward college students, and dinner (seared halibut with roasted pears and red lentils) aimed at their more discriminating parents and professors.

Fitger’s Brewhouse

600 E. Superior St., Duluth, 218-279-2739
Buy a Fitger’s growler and take home one of the microbrewery’s dozen or so specialty ales.

The Boathouse

14 Marina Dr., Barker’s Island, Superior, Wisconsin, 715-399-0076
As you might expect, the Boathouse is located on the shore of Lake Superior, where executive chef Kirk Bratrud (former owner of the Bayport Cookery) cooks rustic gourmet, pairing elk cuts, for example, with apples, black currants, and juniper berries.

Lockport Marketplace & Grill

5362 W. Highway 61, Lutsen, 218-663-7548
Tucked in the back of this gas station/convenience store is a cozy four-table café where the sourdough pancakes are all-you-can-eat, the pasty recipe came from the Old Country, and the regulars store their coffee mugs on the wall.