Back to Bayfield

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Whitefish Livers, Burgers, Apples, the Apostle Islands & Pie

Where to start and what words to say when trying to describe the place you believe is the best "getaway from it all" destination in the Midwest? SERENITY NOW! That's what I get every time I go to Bayfield Wisconsin which sits about 8.5 hours north of Chicago on "the grandaddy of them all" Lake Superior.

Bayfield, WI

If you cant live without your regular morning Vanilla latte than Bayfield isn't for you. But if you like having to worry about nothing than Bayfield is as peaceful a destination as we have in the Midwest. There is no Subway, no Starbucks, no Holiday Inn and no 7-11. There's no chains whatsoever. Actually there's only a few places to eat and drink. Maybe around 10 total within a few miles, this isn't a place you go for food first or to see what the late night scene there is like.

But if you want outdoor fun mixed in with the option of doing nothing, it's a great place. It might be more of tourist town than a fishing village these days but the peaceful charm remains the same. Summer isn't quite here but you need to start thinking about where you want to stay ASAP. Part of it's charm is that there isn't all sorts of commercialization so there's limited spots to stay.





Some sights from the town

So this was my third trip up to "paradise" and each time I've always left wondering why I didn't give myself more time to stay.  I'm not the biggest outdoor guy but I loved getting around the Apostle Islands by biking and kayaking. Some say there's no better places to do them. As far as food goes I got back to Morty's and it's still fun. This time around I also made it over to the historic Greunke's Inn.

One of the Originals

It was in the 1940's that Victor Greunke decided to put whitefish livers, a local delicacy loved by the fisherman in the port town of Bayfield onto the menu at his place. In the beginning he would hand out the freshly battered and fried livers to customers who were instantly won over. These days it's a specialty of the area and a few places have them. But I had to go try them at the original. If you've been to Bayfield more than once than odds are you've been to Greunke's. It doubles as a lodge and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner inside their very charming digs.

As we enter

They have a diner like set up in front with tables and waiter service in a few separate rooms housed in the old building. The central part of town can be walked thru in 10 minutes so most people who've been to Bayfield have probably smelled their nightly fish boils. It's those and the whitefish livers that they're known for. You can get the livers sauteed or fried and just like the 1st day they were served, they come with toast, a lemon wedge and tarter sauce. I got them fried and thought they weren't all that different taste and texture to fried oysters. They were good but I guess as the younger lady working the counter told me "They're better sauteed". So next time I'll have to try them like that.


Fried Whitefish Livers

There's some other nice options I didnt get to as well as spots in nearby towns. The truth of the matter is all the places that serve whitefish do it up right but that's because its so fresh and so easy to prepare. That said the best thing you can do for food on a trip to Bayfield is come prepared. Bring coolers and stock up on your favorite sipping alcohol and some of the great beer only available in state. South Shore Brewery in nearby Ashland is "Next". You have to drive (or boat) to get here. Even nearby Duluth airport is a couple hours away. So seek out a great local butcher en route and buy some eating meats and bring everything you have at home with you. It'll save you money and you'll still eat great.


Cumberland, WI

We made an impromptu stop at Louie's Finer Meats which we passed going thru the town of Cumberland. A fun part of the drive for those that can stand a roadtrip is the fact that once you get North there is no major highways. You get to go thru these cool little towns and can stop if you want. We did just that when I saw this amazing place that looked legit just fro the looks. That it was.

Small part of their selection

I got $40 worth of sausages and other pork products and loaded them up on ice in a cooler. Here's a big tip for those considering going to Bayfield. Rent a place with a kitchen and even better an outdoor grill too. There's only a few hotels and B&B's but the rest of the towns rentals tend to be condos and houses for groups of 2 to +12 (Mostly owned by same people). Having a kitchen you can store all your goodies bought en route with the supplies brought from home and take full advantage of the 4 local fish purveyors in town. Did I mention there is no Long John Silvers?

Whitefish, Lake Trout and Walleye - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

On our first day of arrival it was already 4p and I decided to go to Meyers Beach for the last of the sun and also a quick dip into Lake Superior. We had perfect weather to where it was pretty damn hot out thus making a swim in the chilly super clear water very refreshing. No salt, no sharks, this is my preferred place to swim. Meyers Beach is part of the Apostle Islands National Park system. It costs $3 (honor system) to park there. It's about a 15 minute drive from the center of town but is well worth it. It was gorgeous on this day.


Meyers Beach

Before the beach I stopped into "town" to see what was there. Corncupia is unincorporated but not totally empty. The public harbor has an Inn, gift shop, bar, restaurant and old time family fishery along with some really old fishing boats on display at their free walk up museum. I saw a few local hippies too.

Cornucopia, Wisconsin (10 miles west of Bayfield)

The "gateway to the Apostle Islands" as it's called is the home to Halvorson Fisheries. It's run by a family that's been fishing these waters for over 40 years. I ended up coming back here after my 1st trip making sure to stock up on a few things to take back home to Chicago. On the 2nd trip the evening before we left I noticed a truck loading up just caught and cleaned whitefish and lake trout. The driver noticed my Bears hat and told me he was headed that way. Boston Fish Market in Des Plaines.

Halvorson Fisheries

What's available then and there...


At work in the back


Smoked Fish at it's finest


Loading up and heading back to Chicagoland

Of the four local family fisheries (all of which are great) I liked this one the most because of their selection. It still wasn't alot but they had a freezer full of trout cheeks and pieces of burbot to take back and their fresh caught whitefish and trout was a couple bucks cheaper than the others. The smoked fish is terrific. The brown sugar trout the best I've had. I was eating it for dessert each night. Less than $5/lb to eat lake superior whitefish and trout that was unloaded an hour ago and cleaned up less than 30 minutes before it's cooked! Why pay $15+ when its so easy to prepare this fish? Crack open your favorite drink and it's anything but work getting ready to eat this.


Blackened Whitefish & Brats: Wisconsin Style Surf & Turf

One of the family fisheries sold walleye fished out of Canadian boundaries and I ate that along with Whitefish and fresh lake trout sided with fresh local produce in abundance. I ate great and it never cost so little. Trout cheeks and bacon with eggs for breakfast, Walleye Sandwich for lunch and blackened whitefish with pan fried (in butter) award winning brats with green beans and country corn with breakfast sausage mixed in for dinner (pic above). We ate what we wanted when we wanted, often after 9p and that's because theres so much to explore outdoors during the day.


ALL ABOARD! Ferry Boat to Madeline Island

One of the must do trips is taking the ferry out to Madeline Island which is located north of Bayfield. Its the largest of the 22 islands that make up the enclave and has been inhabited for over 400 years. It's seen the flags of three different nations flying. The Ojibwa made their home here 100's of years before any European settlers came strolling in. You can board the boat by foot or vehicle with the latter being $50 but I think if you're with family or not bringing your own bike it's worth it in the end.


Life on the Island

There's not much going on as far as shopping and stuff though they do have places to eat and buy souvenirs as well as a museum and a couple of bars, businesses, homes, a school etc. Even though it's an island its still big and you'll need to be on a bike (rentals available) or in a vehicle to get around. Our day there brought back alot of memories of a family vacation we went on to Abaco Island in the Bahamas back in my middle school days. Its got that island vibe.


Big Bay State Park on Madeline Island


Hidden behind the sand and water are some beautiful walking trails

If you already brought a bike with you while vacationing than I'd advise bringing that. It'll cost extra to bring it on board but they charge $10/hour for rentals on the island and if you're going to the state park (12 miles each way) and plan to relax at the beach the hours add up. Shuttles go to and from the island every half hour morning to night. If you;re an avid biker and have one you might not need a car. If you're with kids or elders, take a car. The bike ride to the beach at the state park was awesome but it would of been nice to further explore with a car.

Some sights from the bike ride on the island

After a day of bike riding and sitting in the sun, a refreshing tropical drink goes a long way. You can get a well made one for a nice price at Tom's Burned Down Cafe. This is one of the more unique bars I've been at in a state with many. It's featured in a great new book about the states tavern history and tradition called "Bottom's Up".


Tom's Burned Down Cafe on Madeline Island

There were quite a few people here most of whom seemed like regulars. People do live on the island year round and many spend their summers on it. "Tom's Burn't Down Cafe did not start out as a open air bar with and eclectic verity of chairs and tables. Tom and couple of partners moved an old bar named Leona's into the town of La point. They worked for over a year to renovate Leona's into bar and restaurant, and then unexpected happened!" So today it's a beautiful pile of junk to have a drink at. I felt like I was in the Caribbean as I drank mine.

a view from the bar

Aside from the island hopping, kayaking, and biking and boating there's also some fun stuff off shore. Such as the fruit and flower orchards. Bayfield County as some terrific apple farms and the biggest weekend of the year is their annual Applefest in early October. It gets booked up by March. The apples were just harvesting at the end of August when we were there and the first ones of the season from Bayfield Apple Company were great. I picked up some great apple butter as well as my favorite aroma scented cinnamon apple candles. My favorite, especially for the Fall.

One of the many orchards located in the county

When you have lots of fresh fruit and specifically apples that means that the baked goods arent far away. In fact you might just come across the best damn pie you ever ate. That's what happened to me. I knew when the day came it would be in Wisconsin.

Pie's all over the place

I usually find the food publications and their "best of" lists readable at best. But not necessarily trustworthy. However I just knew Judy's Gourmet Garage would be as good as Travel & Leisure Magazine said it would be when they named it as having the best pie's in the country. It's got that vibe going for it before you go and those at the magazine arent the only ones making that claim.


Judy's Gourmet Garage

Judy Faragher and her sister first sold apple pies at a hometown fest. They became such a hit that eventually she went big, turning the garage of her home into a bakery. When fruits are fresh and in season you'll find them in her pies. Her turnovers arent to be missed and neither is she. When I asked about her "paste-e's" she gave me a mean look and said "I dont make those and I'm too damn old to wear them" LOL. I forgot that they're called "pass-ty's" and got a huge crack out of that. What a sweet lady and she makes some amazing pies. No sugar whatsoever is used and she will never use canned fruit. In the winter she settles for frozen. Amazing crust. WOW.


Inside the garage turned bakery

I also got an amazing hot out of the oven apple pie from a lady selling them from her farm as we headed back to Chicago. They know how to bake up there so dont miss out on those. A couple years after my last visit I was back in Bayfield and again had Patsy's in Washburn on my mind. Lucky for me they were open this time around. Washburn is a town over from Bayfield and Patsy's is a spot to stop in at for those staying somewhere near on this patch of Lake Superior shoreline towns.

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Wisconsin

Washburn, WI

After eating fresh for a few days straight I needed some damn meat in me and Patsy's was the place. The bar itself has been around since the late 1800's when these towns were more centrally located due to their proximity to the Great Lake. Back when Superior and the other four great lakes were some of the main trade routes this area was a much busier place. The second floor used to be a longstanding brothel but a fire wiped that out. Today Patsy's is the locals watering hole. It's well kept inside with that friendly Wisconsin vibe. The burgers are said to be the best by many from around this region. They're made at the end of the bar as is customary with so many other great drinking establishments slanging great burgers in the state.

As we enter

The burgers are 6 oz of fresh ground beef from a butcher nearby. A patsy's classic comes with "Caramelized Onions, Lettuce, Tomato and Miracle Whip on a Toasted French bun" I was expecting it served on a French roll but was not mad about the bun they use. Made fresh daily by the bakery down the street. The best buns on burgers are always found in Wisconsin. Great example here. The beef was cooked to my medium rare requast and full of flavor, another trend I find common. A fantastic no frills burger made by using the best possible options for beef and bun. This is why I just kill my burgers craves when I'm in the Beer, Cheese and as I continue to prove, Burger State.


Patsy's Classic with Cheddar

 

I'd strongly advise you not miss out on this precious little town that while not unknown, remains a gem. You have to plan a vacation here for summer during the Spring. Weekends get booked quick and most of those who are there are repeat visitors for a reason. I cant wait to get back. Due stay tuned. Travel season is just getting started. Much more to come.


See ya next time...

Greunke's Inn
17 Rittenhouse Avenue
Bayfield, WI 54814
(715) 779-5480

Louie's Finer Meats
2025 Superior Avenue
Cumberland, WI 54829
(715) 822-4728

Halvorson Fisheries, LLC
22690 Siskiwit Parkway
Cornucopia, WI 54827
(715) 742-3402

Tom's Burned Down Cafe
234 Middle Road
La Pointe, WI 54850
(715) 747-6100

Bayfield Apple Company
87540 County Highway J
Bayfield, WI 54814
(715) 779-5700

Judy's Gourmet Garage
PO Box 1226
Bayfield, WI 54814
(715) 779-5365

Patsy's Bar and Grill
328 West Bayfield Street
Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-5792