Most resort cities are full of casual restaurants, but you’ll usually find at least a few nice places when you want to take the dining experience up a notch. Here are some recommendations for Door County.
I was impressed by JJ’s Waterfront Restaurant in Sister Bay. Both hostesses were extremely friendly, and our waiter was attentive and easy going. I ordered the ribeye special that evening, which was supremely tender and packed with flavor. It was topped with ravioli filled with egg yolk–good, but odd as a companion with the steak, in my opinion.
My dining companion had the special Thursday pasta menu, in which you can pick three courses among nine choices. The braised short rib and potato gnocchi dish was our favorite. Worth noting was that a gentleman at the adjacent table who was from California raved about the halibut, saying it was the best he’s ever eaten.
JJ’s Waterfront also has a nice big bar with ample wine and cocktail selection.
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On the other side of the peninsula is Harbor Fish Market & Grille in Bailey’s Harbor. The Friday-only perch was indeed lightly breaded as described and worth ordering if you’re there on the right day. It comes with fries and coleslaw.
I came for the famed New England Style Lobster Boil. Fifty-five dollars gets you a 1.5-2-lb lobster, baby red potatoes, corn on the cob, mussels and clams, in addition to lobster bisque and Door County cherry bread pudding. I happily devoured every part of the entree. The lobster was sweet enough that I hardly had to use any melted butter.
Meanwhile, the bisque was bland, unfortunately, so I had to add a lot of salt and pepper. I thought the cherry bread pudding would be more tart, but I was disappointed. The sweet and tasty Scooby Snack martini made up for it, though.
A somewhat annoying presence in the restaurant is the creaky floor, which also gently shakes your table every time people walk on it.
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Back in Sister Bay on the corner of Hwys 42 and 57 is Mission Grille Restaurant. While the full menu looked tempting–I had my eye of the Terra Aqua, an 8 oz. filet with chipotle prawns and blue cheese-scallion potato cake–we sat in the bar to order from the tapas menu.
The lobster bisque here had the wonderful flavor that was missing in Harbor Fish Market’s version. I also enjoyed the toasted mushroom ravioli, the cocoa spiced pork ribs and the chipotle prawns.
The chocolate brownie with raspberry ice cream was a decadent and indulgent way to end the meal (loved the melt-in-your-mouth brownie!). The bar has a pretty good martini and wine selection as well.
Tags: Door County, fine dining
