Browsing: Grand Beach Area Restaurants

Ty’s Cafe and Bakery at the Sandbar Motor Hotel in Grand Marais

September3

When you holiday in a tiny cottage in one of the vicinities’ beach areas, you need to plan your meals to correspond with the heat of the day. Often times we prepare an entire dinner on our outside grill but sometimes we treat ourselves to supper at a neighbouring beach.

We have been long-standing fans of Chef Tyler Gray of Ty’s Cafe and Bakery at the Sandbar Motor Hotel in Grand Marais. Ty is a clever businessman providing food-service on Grand Beach’s famous boardwalk and impossibly tall burgers at his main locale. We love his Breakfast Poutine (hash browns topped with cheese curds, bacon, two eggs and hollandaise sauce), Big Kahuna Burger (the works AND grilled pineapple), Coconut Shrimp and Maple Pecan Danish. He also maintains permanent daily specials so that cottagers know that it is Pickerel and Chips or Roast Beef night.

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On this Thursday evening the feature was a Chicken and Rib combo for 15 smackers. We were pleasantly surprised when a half rack of fall-off-the-bone ribs arrived with not one, but two pieces of fried chicken. My husband was gaga for his baked potato (we hadn’t turned on the oven for days) and I was equally impressed with the hand-cut fries. Even the cole slaw was fresh and tasty!

The portion for this and all of Ty’s creations was more than generous. I had to take half of my ribs and a piece of chicken back to the cottage with me for a future beach picnic. I did somehow manage to eat all of my fries… Had we not been quite so stuffed, we may have purchased a blueberry pie on our way out. Everyone who dined that evening left with a loaf of dark rye from the bakery counter. Ty’s baking is as excellent as his meals.

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Kath’s quote: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

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Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

 

Celebrate the September Long Weekend

August25

When you have access to a summer place on the prairies, your season is pretty brief.  As we sit here on the first official day of our summer vacation, we have a small fire in the stove as there is a chilly dampness from the morning rain.  D has the hood from his tennis jacket up and alas for him, the game that he loves is not going to happen this morning.  I am still in my fuzzy bathrobe and if this weather continues, I may not get out of it any time soon.  The time since we opened our beach house for the season on May Long seems impossibly short.  Of course, there may be beautiful September days ahead but we will be away and then our city routine takes hold in earnest.  And so, as reticent as I am, here’s an amazing way to celebrate the September Long Weekend.

In our neck of the woods (literally as we are in the Belair Provincial Forest) a local food and music aficionado has planned a Sunset Dinner on Sunday, August 31st at Lester Beach.  There will be a couple of musical acts with fireworks after sunset.  Plates are by donation to the artists.  I don’t have many more details than this but I will tell you that if we were still at our Beach House on this date, we would absolutely attend.  Not only will the food be delectable but the people of our small beach community are always warm and hospitable.

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If you are anywhere in the Grand Beach, Lester Beach, Hillside Beach or Traverse Bay area this weekend, I am sure that there will be posters with more details.  If you want to know more before you leave Winnipeg, leave me a comment and I’ll give you the email I have for the event.

Kath’s quote:  “Youth is like a long weekend on Friday night. Middle age is like a long weekend on Monday afternoon.” –unknown

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Love-that is all.

 

 

Idle Thyme

November13

Whenever D and I get the yearning to leave the city and set up a little business in the lake, I stop myself with two thoughts: 1) the busiest time of year is also the time that we would like to be doing what everybody else is out there doing: enjoying the long and warm days with the family, reading in a hammock, walking the beach, riding bikes in the forest and (for D) playing tennis every morning and 2) the off-season must be such a challenge to pare back staff and supplies and keep a close eye on expenses to make it to the next lucrative summer season.

We know the restaurant business and understand these challenges, so we were non-pulsed with the reaction from the owner and our server at Idle Thyme at the Traverse Bay corner of Highway 59, when we asked if she served decaff coffee (I am trying to cut back and I had already had my two cup limit of half caff that morning).  She hesitantly admitted that she did have decaff but that she would have to put on a fresh pot and “that we had better drink the whole thing”.  We also could not help but notice that there was no peanut butter, jams or jellies served with their delicious brown and rye toast.  When we requested some, she scooped it out of a “home use” jar behind the counter.  It happened to be our favourite variety so this too, was not an issue.

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I ordered a “Build Your Own Omelet” of cheddar, mushrooms and red pepper.  The concoction was delicious and perfectly prepared and was enhanced by both the toast made of bakery whole wheat bread and little half moons of fresh potato that were browned up on the grill.

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D thought that he was back in the States when he spied Corned Beef Hash, a combination of pan fried potato, corned beef, onion and horseradish which came with two (also perfectly cooked) easy over eggs and rye toast.

We both thought that our selections were first rate, affordably priced and we left satisfied by our late fall breakfast at the lake.  Our only concern would be for those guests, especially visitors to the province, who might not know what a struggle it is to keep the doors open once the off-season arrives.  Would they be as understanding of the humphing and sarcasm?

Idle Thyme on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote:  “Canned soups can be magnificent, the lowly meatball wildly exciting, and old-fashioned corned beef hash an emotional experience.”-Cosmopolitan (1952)

Love-that is all.

 

 

 

The Birchwood Porch

August28

My month at our beach house is winding down.  My time has been exciting and hectic and relaxing and mellow, in turn.  We got to entertain the Frenchman’s family and spend lots of snuggly time with our new grandbaby.  We have also enjoyed wonderful visits with our extended family, a circumstance that I cherish in particular.  Sometimes it is an impromptu coffee, other times an invited dinner and my favourite of all-happy hour when we all assemble, (sometimes by invitation and other times, not) on someone’s deck around a plate of munchies that the host cottage has typically provided.

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We also love to go out for lunches and suppers together.  Le Gouter at Albert Beach has exceptional food.  We love their hand-made burgers, hand-cut fries (especially when topped with real curds  for their authentic poutine) and their ham and Swiss crepes with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce.

Le Gouter on Urbanspoon

The Grand Beach Diner is supposed to be good but every time I try to go there, they are closed.  So I have yet to sample their fare.

I understand that the South Beach Casino serves a wonderful seafood buffet on Thursday evenings.  Family have gone but I have yet to give it a try.  And now that my time is running out, it is unlikely that I will.

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One place that we have been going to for years and enjoyed a couple of times again this summer is the Birchwood Motor Hotel.  We like to sit on the screen in porch which overlooks the sand volleyball courts.  This place is designated for smokers which is not terribly pleasant for us but, you sometimes have to take the bad with the good.  A big outdoor grill is placed in one corner of the porch.  On Wednesday nights they feature a Barbequed steak with grilled onions and mushrooms, Cole slaw, roll, baked potato AND a beer or glass of wine!  On Thursday evenings there are the same accompaniments but the feature is big meaty barbequed beef ribs.  The value of both is exceptional.  When we were leaving last week, the live entertainment was just warming up.

Birhwood Motor Inn on Urbanspoon

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Suppers out while at the lake give us an excuse to gather but also to avoid turning the oven on when days are hot and best yet, not doing any dishes which means we can head to the beach for sunset, get back into our books or catch another TV episode on Netflix.  Ahh, lake life!

Kath’s quote: “The smell of roasting meat together with that of burning fruit wood and dried herbs, as voluptuous as incense in a church, is enough to turn anyone into a budding gastronome.”-Claudia Roden

Love-that is all.

Happy New Year

December31

On Sundays at Mandatory Dinner for our family, we often go around the table and share three things: 1) the best thing that happened that week 2) the big disappointment of the week and 3) the thing that you are most looking forward to in the week to come.  Last evening over an early New Year’s fondue we changed the framework to be the year.  The reflections were varied from landing a job, seeing Ireland, spending time in Montreal to starting a Fantasy football league, going to a Bruce Springsteen concert and starting new studies and businesses.  The anticipations are equally thrilling like an upcoming family wedding, a baby’s birth, starting grad school and possible travel.  We decided not to share disappointments.

It occured to me that the same could be true as far as food and dining is concerned, so here are my highlights:

  • Our year started on Isla Mujeres where the food literally sparkles in your mouth and is expertly prepared (and so affordable) such as pork chops and beans at Fredy’s, breakfast at Rooster’s, fruita de mare pizza and pasta at Angelo’s & Brisas Caribe, chiles relleno at La Lomita, Tino’s weekend ribs, and literally everything at Basto’s Grill.
  • Teaching in Thompson Manitoba.  I shared my knowledge of food and beverage service with them and learned a couple of things of my own like the beauty of the north and that good food is not only found in major cities, discovering Nanny’s Diner and Santa Maria Pizza.
  • Travelling to Ireland, noshing on mussels and pork belly at an ancient pub in Galway, walking to a five star restaurant in a thatched cottage in Adare, lunching at The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon (near the cliffs of Moher),  trying bangers & mash and shredded duck salad in Limerick and purchasing cider, scones and black and white pudding to eat at our gorgeous villa.
  • Writing for the community newspapers and my first time visits to Sonya’s, Luda’s and Magic Sushi 2. The food was amazing but the people who run these little places even better.
  • Winning the opportunity to attend a Foodie Conference in Washington, DC.  I met fascinating people that helped me improve my blog, toured a gorgeous city and got to eat at The Old Ebbitt Grill and my first time at a “raw” restaurant..
  • Spending the summer at the lake and loving the crepes, poutine and burgers at Le Gouter in Albert Beach in addition to our own family brunches and barbeques.
  • Loving our garden share and roasting beets and carrots and Jerusalem artichokes into the fall.
  • Travelling to western Manitoba with the Canola ladies to meet farmers and producers and feasting on the amazing local specialties at our field lunches and dinners.
  • Heading to another food bloggers conference in Toronto and walking the board walk at the beach with delicious wraps in hand, even though it was late October.
  • Loving the incredible restaurants within walking distance of our house: Inferno’s and Pizzeria Gusto on Academy and Bonfire Bistro on Corydon.
  • Celebrating birthdays and holidays at Deseo’s, Rudy’s and Hermanoes.
  • Trying other places for my first time like the Modern Taco Company, Saigon Jon’s Kitchen, Corrientes Argentian Pizza and the new fish house at Terrace in the Park.
  • Food-styling for a number of top Canadian chefs and especially working alongside Chef Michael Allemeier.
  • Cheering on the Manitoba Culinary Team that won silver in Germany this fall and celebrating Chef Osten Rice’s win at the gold plates.  Osten is the son of a good friend and I have watched his culinary rise to success over the years. 

I am off to Isla Mujeres and Thompson again in the next couple of months.  I have already booked D’s birthday dinner at The Promenade and I was thinking that it was high time that we walked to Fusion for an upcoming dinner (perhaps Valentine’s). I will be travelling to the Hockley Valley Resort in rural Ontario (where Top Chef Canada was filmed) for another food bloggers event and then look forward to time again at our beach house.  There are no plans as of yet for the fall but we are always on the watch for deals to Europe and hope to get to Spain soon.  AND most of all continuing to cook for my family and friends to demonstrate to them how very much I love them.

Happy New Year…I wish all my readers good health, happy hearts and joy in food.

Muah-Kath.

Love-that is all.

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