Category: Travel

A reason to celebrate

Good morning from Boulder, Colorado. With all due respect, Wisconsin, it was time to get out of Dodge. After a fairly uneventful* car ride across Iowa and Nebraska, Dan and I arrived in sunny Boulder Saturday afternoon and let the Spring Break revelry begin. And since then we’ve been eating and drinking like it’s 1999. Yesterday there were crepes and mojitos, Avery pale ales and grilled kale salads. And there was pizza. Oh, was there pizza. I’m now convinced that you if haven’t had pizza at Pizzeria Locale, then you haven’t had pizza. I spotted this place the second we landed on Pearl Street. As we drove past in our Interstate 80-induced haze, I took note of the happy-looking locals sitting at the open-air bar. We would go back. And we did. Yesterday. For lunch. Oh. My.

There was fizzy water.

There was a bloody mary made with 14 ingredients, 12 of which were made from scratch in their kitchen.  “I’m a vegetarian,” announced our waiter. “So I order the drink without the prosciutto-infused salt on the rim.” Damn it. “I’m a vegetarian too,” I replied. If there was ever a reason to un-quit the meat, this might be it. But the cocktail, made with San Marzano tomatoes, was delicious all the same.

And there was this salad. This salad. Snap peas, rainbow carrots and greens dressed in a combination of shallots, whole grain mustard and citrus. Whoa. Hoo ha.

A margherita pizza followed. Unsliced. Hot out of the 1000-degree oven. Magical.

We were full-on splurging at this point, so why not have dessert? And dessert we had- Saltimbocca con Nutella. Basically a calzone filled with Canadian Nutella (it’s made without corn syrup, our waiter informed us) and topped with powdered sugar. Served with a cup of drip coffee. Now that’s lunch.

And, it turns out, we had a reason to retroactively celebrate. When we returned to our friends’ home and I checked my email, I found out that I had been accepted for the this. So a new writing adventure begins.

*There was the incident with the state trooper in Nebraska who pulled us over and placed Dan in his vehicle and then questioned me about a suspicious-looking item he had spotted in my car. “What is this?” He questioned me. “It’s a pen?” I responded quizzically. “It’s an environmentally-friendly pen,” I sputtered. “I got it a film festival for rivers.” Apparently he thought I was going to smoke something with the pen made from recycled brown paper. After questioning Dan about his shiny belt buckle and chuckling when I responded that Dan was my domestic partner after being asked about how we were related, he joyfully sent us on our way with a warning, wishing us happy travels.

Pizzeria Locale on Urbanspoon

36 Hours in Two Rivers

Winter comes early to Two Rivers and lasts long. Famous for being the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, Two Rivers is nestled along Lake Michigan and the banks of the East Twin and West Twin Rivers. In Two Rivers the wind is biting, the skies are gray, the beer is cold and the accents are charming. Taking a morning stroll along the wooden bridge toward 22nd Street, you find yourself easily slipping into the Northeast Wisconsin dialect when you declare: “The ice. She’s tin.” Possibly not the most obvious tourist destination in late December, here’s what you need to know, if you go.*

Thursday

5 p.m. 1) HOMEMADE BOOZE

En route to Two Rivers, somewhere in the outer limits of Chilton, Wisconsin, there is a farmhouse where, if you are lucky, you can sample some homeade blackberry elixir out of a quart-sized mason jar. The blackberry-infused vodka is a perfect apertif for a night out on the town in Two Rivers.

7  p.m. 2) CROOKED BARN AT THE  HISTORIC WAVERLY

If you are looking to mingle with the locals, try the Waverly Inn in Two Rivers (1402 16th Street). Go for the cheap beer, stay for the live music. On this particular evening said music was provided by hometown heroes Derek Pritzl and Dan Walkner, the duo that makes up Crooked Barn.

Their anthemic song, “Old Fashioned” is Wisconsin’s (and the Waverly’s) unofficial theme song; sing along as Pritzl and Walkner croon about sipping on the popular Wisconsin cocktail while spinning on stools at this popular tavern.

Friday

10:30 a.m. 3) COFFEE (NOW, PLEASE)

After a brisk walk along the river, make your way toward Schroeder’s Department Store (1623 Washington Street), home of the Red Bank Coffeehouse. Grab that vegan blueberry muffin that you picked up at the Willy Street Co-op before leaving Madison out of the van (conveniently parked near Schroeder’s in the Waverly parking lot from the previous evening) and head into Schroeder’s for a hot cup of coffee.

11:30 a.m. 4) HOT OFF THE PRESS

After coffee, make a trip around the corner to the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum (1619 Jefferson Street).

Dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type, the museum features 1.5 million pieces of wood type.

Hamilton Manufacturing Company, founded in 1880, was the largest wood type producer in the country, when virtually everything was letterpress printed.

A working museum, every year thousands of people make a voyage to Hamilton’s for workshops and to use the collection to make works of art.

The museum is also the topic of a documentary, Typeface, that was featured at the 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival.

The staff members at the museum are friendly and knowledgeable, adding to the appeal of this must-stop in ‘Trivers.’

1:30 p.m 5) SECOND (OR THIRD)-HAND TREASURES

No trip to the lakeshore area would be complete without a visit to the Lutheran St. Vinny’s, Repeat Performance (4341 Enterprise Court), just down the road from Two Rivers in Manitowoc.

It can be hit-or-miss, but this visit was a success. Dan walked away with a vintage Green Bay Packer Super Bowl 1996 t-shirt and I am now the lucky owner of a chunky, plastic magenta bangle bracelet. If you can handle listening to the sound of the slowly-dying musical doorbell that blasts every time the door is opened (which is a lot), your patience will be rewarded with some awesome stuff.

 2:30 p.m. 6) I LIKE TO RIDE MY BICYCLE

One of the greatest new businesses to open in Manitowoc is the Broken Spoke Bike Studio located at 1010 Washington Street.

At Broken Spoke you can rent bikes, buy new bikes and supplies (I ordered a detachable basket!) and drool over their collection of refurbished vintage Schwinns. The Two Rivers branch of Broken Spoke will be opening in March and will also serve coffee and gelato. Yum.

Just be on alert for the latest addition to Broken Spoke, the vicious watch dog, 14-week-old Iver.

3:30 p.m. 7) MAKE MINE HOT FUDGE PLEASE, AGNES

Although residents of Ithica, New York may argue differently, Two Rivers is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. First served at Berners’ Soda Fountain in the 1880s, today you can visit the historic Washington House located at 1622 Jefferson Street and order one of these delicious ice cream treats.

5:00 p.m. 8) LET THE BAR CRAWL BEGIN

When it comes to nightlife, Two Rivers has lots to offer.

After a couple of pints and perch fish fry at Remedy (1513 Washington Street), head over to German-themed Kurtz’s (1410 Washington Street) for some German-themed beers and a pretzel with spicy mustard.

Next up is Lee’s Never Inn (1001 17th St), where you can buy a round for the bar for $5.50. The curtains are Packer-themed and the hours are iffy (as the name suggests), so if you see the light on, go in. It’s a Wisconsin tavern experience not to be missed.

After Lee’s, take a short walk down the road to Tippy’s (1713 East Street), the bar where Dan set pins for mini-bowling as an 11-year-old.

Much like Brett Favre did (the first time), Tippy retired too soon and sold his bar. After a year or so, Tippy bought his bar back and returned it to greatness.

Saturday

9 a.m. 9) IT’S TOO EARLY FOR BREAKFAST

If you are looking for a traditional breakfast, head on over to M & M Lunch (1210 Washington Street). They can accomodate large groups and will bring you lots and lots of hot coffee. An added bonus, the mounted fish wear Santa hats, giving the place a festive atmosphere.

10:30 a.m. 10) IT’S ALWAYS COOLER BY THE LAKE

After breakfast be sure to make a stop to yell at the waves at Neshotah Beach, located along Zlatnik Drive on the shores of Lake Michigan.

11:00 a.m. 11) LONESOME TOWN

Our final stop in Two Rivers was in Willie’s shop, located in Dan’s parent’s driveway. A genuine Wisconsin renaissance man, Willie is a talented singer/ songwriter, carpenter and accordian player (and father to Dan).

His song, “Lonesome Town,” is Wisconsin’s other unofficial theme song. There is no better way to conclude a trip to T.R. than in Willie’s garage listening to Whad’Ya Know? on NPR and watching Willie spit Leinie’s on his woodstove (in a couple of minutes it fills the shop with a sweet aroma of malt). It was a magnificient way to say farewell to Trivers. Until next time, T.R.

*Thanks to the New York Times travel feature, 36 Hours, for the inspiration for this post.

 

Hey, Clothesline

I feel like a bad correspondent and a broken record all rolled into one big ball of suntanned and bug-bitten guilt (‘I promise this time I’ll write!’). I still need to tell you about eating pizza at Delancey in Seattle, riding a police-confiscated, too-big-for-me bike in Jackson, paella in Cheyenne… the list goes on and on. But if I want to live in the present, be in the moment, focus on the here and now, then…

Greetings from the Scandinavian Riviera.

Poplar Lake, photo by Sena

As I type this, I am lucky enough to find myself with my family in the north woods of Minnesota. Even better, I find myself next to a deep, quiet lake and a sauna ten feet from its shores. The last two mornings I have started my day in the best possible way- with a 20-minute swim in the cool water (following a minute of apprehensive shivering in the shallows), a quick and furious dash to the sauna, 10 steamy-minutes of pouring ladles of lake water onto the rocks, a quick dash back to the lake, then a sigh-inducing and body-tingling five-minute swim. Yesterday this was followed by a breakfast of coffee and pancakes with lingonberries. Really, all mornings should start like this.

Afternoon splashing, photo by Sena

The last time I was able to start days this way was the last time that I was in northern Minnesota and my name wasn’t Erica, it was Clothilde. I was a camper at Lac du Bois. French camp. I spent five summers at this camp and all week I have been reminiscing about the magical time that I spent in the woods eating bon bons and listening to Salifou, a counselor from the Ivory Coast, tell us stories by the bonfire next to the beach. When I first started attending the camp, there were no showers. After getting awoken at a too-early hour (one summer I was in a cabin where my counselor would bang open the screen door and shout, ‘Bonjour Brussels!’- the name of our cabin- to rise us), we were marched down a path to an area where we bathed in the freezing cold lake, ran screaming up the slippery, steep wooden stairs to the sauna, and then back down to the lake. Breakfast in the lodge followed: Yogurt and mueslix, baguettes with butter and jam, and the best part- hot chocolate that we sipped out of bowls. Heaven.

A lot of what went on at the camp was conducted in French, and although I had studied it a little in school, I spent a lot of time at the camp not sure what was going on around me. It was wonderful. Every afternoon we gathered in a different spot for a new installment of what sounded like ‘plazeer da more,’ which was an on-going improv soap opera presented by the staff. I watched as my underwater basket-weaving instructor, wrapped in a bed sheet, moaned and cried to the tennis pro, Pascal. At the end of the ‘episode,’ I would clap and sing along to the theme song, as best I could, wondering all along what it was that I had just witnessed. Dinner followed. Fat jars of Dijon mustard with cork lids sat at each table and we would mix our own vinagrette every evening for our green salad, served family style. Campfires lit up the night and the singing of ‘Bon swa le loo’ (which, while I certainly can’t spell it, translates to ‘Good night, wolf’) meant bedtime.

While I fumbled and bumbled and spent a lot of time feeling somewhat confused, I learned the important things. I knew the sounds to make to withdraw enough francs out of my bank account to take to the store where I would say, ‘Shoov-oo-dray, ash-a-tay milk chocolate toblerone y coca-cola see-vou-play’ and walk away happily with my afternoon snack. One of my favorite counselors was a guy from France called Willie who would mimic my Wisconsin accent and had nicknamed me ‘Clothesline.’ One afternoon as I sat atop my blue and gray sleeping bag on the top bunk eating my toblerone, I looked out the screen door and saw Willie walking by my cabin. ‘Hey Willie,’ I yelled. ‘Hey, Clothesline,’ Willie responded. Fueled by an extreme sugar high, this exchange made my day and apparently, my long-term memory.

Back to the present. This excursion to the north woods has been marked by an abundance of seafood (including an out-of-this world meal at the Angry Trout in Grand Marais) and a lack of toblerones. The lake/ sauna/ lake routine seems better to me now then it ever did when I was known as Clothilde. Much like a youth may discover drugs, my mom has discovered headlamps. Last night as we lead her around in the woods she was euphoric as she declared that everything was sparkly and that there were bugs everywhere. Tonight we intend to have a campfire by the lake. I only wish that Salifou were here to tell us one of his stories.

Ashley’s sayonara breakfast

Happy heat wave.

This afternoon as I sat idling in sweltering contruction traffic on Willy Street my eyes were drawn to the sign posted outside the gas station that stated: “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” Pondering this, I decided no truer words have ever been spoken. At least not today.

It’s been a week since Dan and I rolled up in my dusty car after 23 1/2 hours on the road from our trip to Wyoming. I’ve got loads of stories and even more photos, I’m not even sure where to start. So I’ve decided to begin at the end, with Ashley’s breakfast.

Ashley was one of our two lovely hosts when we were in Jackson and she made us a delicious breakfast of egg sandwiches with truffle aioli and arugula the morning that we had to skip town. The truffle aioli made the sandwich and I intend to pick up a bottle of black truffle olive oil as soon as I win the lottery this week (maybe from the aforementioned gas station).

Forgive me for not having the exact recipe, but all great recipes are meant to be experimented with and modified (for example, I asked Ashley to hold the bacon on my sandwich.) Any way you slice it, it’s going to be delicious…

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Ashley’s sayonara egg sandwiches with truffle aioli

Ingredients:

English muffin

egg

arugula

black traffle infused olive oil

mayo

cheese (optional)

Directions:

Fry an egg over medium. Mix together a small amount of truffle olive oil (maybe a tablespoon) and a couple of tablespoons of mayo (to taste). Toast an english muffin. Spread the truffle aioli on both sides of the english muffin. If you feel so inclined, slice a piece of white cheese and place on one side of the muffin. Place the egg and a layer of arugula (the spicer the better, says Ashley) on the muffins. Make into a sandwich and eat. Enjoy.

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I’ve got to run (into a lake), but stay tuned for more stories, recipes and photos from Wyoming… Until then, stay cool.

Wyoming or bust

Greetings from the equality state, where Dan and I have been visiting our dear friends in Cheyenne and letting them spoil us with meals like salmon burgers and spinach naan pizzas (recipes and photos to follow). We celebrated the fourth of July with a traditional meal of paella, lobster tails and sangria (isn’t that what everyone has on America’s birthday?) When we haven’t been watching this fascinating program that Derek introduced us to about looking for sasquatch (‘squatch’ as it’s called in the industry), we have been enjoying our meals and evenings in their lovely backyard.

Backyard Cheyenne

If you are looking for a special way to celebrate something this weekend whip up a batch of Sangria and play the Wisconsin game, which Dan and I invented on I-80 (minus the drinking part) and played last night with our Wisconsin ex-pat hosts: Sit in a circle and name off as many cities/ towns in Wisconsin until you can’t think of anymore, take a drink if you repeat one that has been said. Cheers the person who comes up with Trego, Chicag or Rio. Wisconsin fun this exit.

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Fourth of July Sangria

This recipe comes from the PBS site for Everyday Food

Ingredients:

2 juiced oranges

2 oranges sliced

2 lemons thinly sliced

2 limes thinly sliced

1/3 cup super fine sugar

1/4 cup brandy

1 bottle red wine (we used a Yellow Tail shiraz/ grenache blend)

2 cups club soda

Directions:

In a large pitcher stir together orange juice, sugar and brandy. Stir well. Add wine, fruit slices and club soda. Stir. Fill glasses with ice. Pour, serve, yum.

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Our Wyoming adventures continue to Casper and then my old stomping grounds, Jackson, where I can’t wait to sit outside at Teton Thai and order the chocolate bread pudding at Rendezvous Bistro… Stay tuned.