The shape, the size, and the handle on the vessel, do nothing to enhance or add to the taste of a Bloody Mary! But, depending on where you go, there is a marked difference between establishments and taste. And so it goes as I spent this past week on my quest to find the perfect Bloody Mary.
Traveling far up north into the wilderness of Northern Wisconsin, I landed at the Chantecleer Resort in Eagle River. In some ways I fully expected to see Jack Nicholson come out from around a corner, as we quickly nicknamed this place the "Shining Hotel". But how were we to know that we would be the only registered guests in the place for our wintery stay? And although they do put out a very attractive website, it's probably better to ask around and read reviews before committing to a stay.
Our host (Jake) was very quick to grab our deposit, prior to our arrival, and just as quick to charge off the rest as soon as we arrived. This stopped us in our tracks from checking out due to NO possibility of a refund. It would appear that the first week of March is NOT a good time to travel up "North" as it is in between seasons.
The suite we had was accomodating, and certainly well worth the price, but due to the lack of customers, there was no maid service for the entire ten days we were here, the restaurant was closed down the Monday after we arrived, and we had to call the office for additional toilet paper, along with being expected to empty our own room garbage cans. This certainly is not the Marriott or Hilton, but it did serve as our base of operations for the time we were here. The Snomobiling in the area was terrific though.
The local restaurants we visited were also very accomodating. We went to places like the White Tail Inn, Lumpy's, Sayner Pub, DJs Family Restaurant, Brayward Resort, 3c's, Pitliks Resort, Chi's Red Steer, and The Granery, just to name a few. And we did spend some time at Trigs, the local grocery store chain.
A lot of our time was spent traveling between Eagle River, St. Germain, and Minocqua, checking out everything there was to offer. We just wanted to get familiar with the area. And you know what? It's pretty nice up here. The people were so exceptionally friendly that there could be a move up here in the very near future, but we'll have to wait and see.
Now as long as you are up in the North Woods, you have to partake in some of the local traditions, and this is what started us on our quest for the perfect Bloody Mary. We had snowmobiled from St. Germain through the North Woods to our first stop, which was Pitlik's Resort. It was while sitting at the bar, that I noticed a woman at the end, with a huge glass, filled with a red mystery juice. I asked the bartender what it was, and low and behold it was the biggest Bloody Mary I had ever seen. SO____I just had to have one, and with the typical line from the Billy Crystal movie, I said, "I'll have what she's having". It was delicious. A huge goblet with a spicy mix of juices that went down to pallette ever so smoothly. When it was presented, there was another tiny mug filled with beer. THIS, was the "Chaser". But the bloody mary had a whole host of additives to compliment the experience. A jumbo shrimp resting on the rim of the glass, along with a pickled mushroom, large olive, spiced asparagus speer, pickle, and a celery stalk. The rim had been salted with celery salt, deeeelicious! I also got a punch card. For each one I ordered, they would punch the card. Ten punches and the next drink was free.
And so it started, the quest was on.
My next encounter was at the Sayner Pub, in where else but Sayner WI. Our waiter was quick to state, "Our Bloddy Mary's were voted the sixth best in the state. And they too were very good. A huge 22 once stove pipe glass with a mug handle filled with the magical elixir, along with an olive, pickled mushroom, pickle, spiced stringbean, whole celery stalk, a beef stick and also the celery salt. And don't forget the Beer Chaser in the little mug. Excellent and it did live up to the quality the waiter preached. Four stars!
Next on our stop was the Brayward Resort. Here the Bloody Mary is served in a Mason Jar with a handle. I am only going to give this one a one star rating. Although the owner was the most gracious and friendly of hosts, the elixir was complemented with the usual array of salad fixings, but I thought it was kind of tacky to be served a chaser in a three once plastic cup. Taste was ok, but not up to my high standards of pleasure. Also, the salad fixins seemed not to be the freshest.
Lumpy's in Eagle River was also not on a par with some of the others. No attempt here was made to enhance their Bloody Mary presentation, nor was any chaser even offered. Taste also was just OK, nothing to write about, so we'll give it two stars.
And then there is always the unexpected. The little surprise that comes along every once in a while, and that was the Minocqua restaurant called Chy's Red Steer. www.chysredsteer.com
Our host, Tom, (one of the owners) was very friendly, talkative and gracious. There was nothing fancy in his choice of recepticle or presentation, but he did have all of the accompaniments of pickled mushroom, spiced bean spear, beef stick, huge olive, and pickle. But what made Tom's Bloody Mary stand out was the taste. It was made with a top shelf vodka, and it also was made with his OWN mixture of tomato juice and selected spices. It was so good, I couldn't help but have a second one. I wanted a third, but I was driving and did not want to drink and drive. It would be a couple of hours for dinner, and I would be ok by then, coke with the meal followed by the best coffee I had tasted on my trip. Kudos to you Tom and I am giving you five stars. Your Bloody Mary proves, it is not the glass it is served in, it is not the fancyness of the restaurant, but it is the taste that really counts!
So if your ever in the North Woods area of Wisconsin, and especially in the Minocqua area, you have to check out Chy's Red Steer Supper Club. Old world charm, and great food too! I also should mention for a moment about their food. We had their "all you can eat" fish fry, which is only served on Friday night. You get your choice of perch or white fish. They also supply an assortment of crackers and a cheese spread, rolls and butter, and water without asking. We chose the white fish, and there was no need for any second helpings as the three pieces that were placed in front of us were huge in size and certainly filled our palates. The chefs are right there in front of you preparing your meal on a huge butcher block table, so you can see all of your food being prepared. And the desert is to die for. We ordered the seven layer chocolate cake. But better than cake, each layer was a desert on it's own. The bottom layer was a moist devils food, followed by a dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and other layers that were simply delicious. I can't wait to go back and try one of their aged steaks, which I will certainly do in the near future......hmmmm, maybe today!
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