This week, Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne). The town of Gloucester is presenting her a lamprey pie, made from the lamprey eel (and coincidentally imported from the Great Lakes).
While lamprey pie is apparently a delicacy, I’m not sure how the Queen will take it. That begs the question: if you were going to give a member of royalty a food-related gift, what would it be? Let me know your thoughts in the informal survey:
I always consider Memorial Day weekend the unofficial start of summer. If you’re traveling to Wisconsin Dells, I’d recommend having dinner at Ishnala Supper Club, which is open each season from May-October.
This 59-year-old establishment sits on the serene Mirror Lake, and the big windows let diners enjoy the view. With all the surrounding woods, you may feel like you’re in Northern Wisconsin. In fact, the secluded feel was part of the reason a portion of “Public Enemies” was shot on location here.
When you arrive, have a drink at the Arrowhead Bar, named after its shape. (I think it would have been nice to have high-top tables on the perimeter of the bar room, but alas, the area is too narrow.) There are plenty of specialty cocktails to try, including the Chief Ishnala, which includes vodka, rum and tequila.
Surprisingly, this supper club doesn’t have Friday fish fry. If you crave seafood, you’ll have to choose among five entrees, including the North Atlantic salmon ($28), made tender and flaky but needing a bit of salt.
Prime rib ($33 for 16 oz., $28 for 10 oz.), a feature of most supper clubs’ Saturday specials, is actually available every day at Ishnala. The meat was roasted perfectly, though the flavor had to be enhanced with the au jus. I combined the prime rib with the delicious butterflied prawns for $34.
Other items on the menu include the bone-in ribeye ($38), the roast Wisconsin duck ($27) and the chicken Oscar ($29).
During the season, Ishnala is open every day for dinner. The nearest “landmark” is Tanger Outlets; from there, it’s just a short drive through some winding roads.
| Every now and then when I’m in a big city with a Chinatown, I’ll look for a dim sum restaurant. I love seeing the cart of small plates wheeled around; all you have to do is point at what you want, and the server places it on your table immediately.
We don’t have that kind of service in Madison, but Hong Kong Cafe is a good substitute. On weekends when dim sum is served, you get a picture menu to aid you in your selection process. I’ve been here enough times that I have usually have my base items, followed by whatever I’m in the mood for. Those base items include the fried turnip cake, which is my absolute favorite. There are small pieces of pork inside to add to the flavor, though newbies may want to add soy sauce until you’re used to the taste. I usually also get the shu mai (big portions here) and the steamed pork buns (not homemade, but tasty nonetheless). Items I order on a rotational basis are the fried sticks (almost like a churro without the sugar), the congee (a soupy rice with either chicken, pork or beef), the dumplings (steamed or fried), the shrimp-stuffed tofu (good, though I don’t care much for the chopped water chestnuts) and the hot and sour soup. Other items include the won ton soup, shrimp dumplings, cold noodles and fried taro. Serving sizes are meant for 2-4, though with certain dishes, like the two-portion pork buns, you’ll have to order a second plate. Depending how hungry you are, five or so plates should feed two people. Dishes are brought out the moment they’re ready, and I like that feeling of knowing another plate is coming soon. |
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