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.

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.

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

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

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