Lake Geneva is, naturally, full of eateries. We visited several, and I narrowed it down to three, each wonderful in its own unique way, to share with you. I have LOTS of great photos, too, so this post will be full of those, along with a description of the food and what's special about each place.
I'm going to go in order of where we went first - seems as good a way as any since I'm not picking a favorite. They are all too different. So, I'll start with Simple Cafe'. We breakfasted there on our first morning with Tom's parents, Ma & Pa Kalb as they are (still!) affectionately known around town. This place is just awesome. It's a farm to table cafe' a bit away from the downtown area, with great decor for indoor and outdoor seating.
Their menu is remarkable, with unique breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes served until 3pm daily. We actually ate there on two occasions -
I LOVED my mashed potato omelet, served with bacon/garlic brussels sprouts and Creole hollandaise sauce, AND my Carnitas Breakfast Burrito, with all kinds of fresh stuff in it, topped with chipotle cream sauce. Y-U-M. Tom equally loved his traditional eggs benny and his Corned Beef Hash, topped with eggs and melted gruyere. A favorite detail of mine - obviously fresh, homemade jellies. The strawberry was insanely good.
They also support local art, which of course I love and we do at Wenwood, as well. I was captivated by the art of Refined Rustic. Simple Cafe' had several of their repurposed lamps up around the cafe'.
The decor alone was enough for me to enjoy this restaurant - the FABULOUS food was enough to make it a favorite, and I can't wait to go back.
Now, on to our next place - a perennial favorite in town, Popeye's on Lake Geneva. This story starts with Tom's boyhood friend, Dimitri Anagnos. The Anagnos family has operated Popeye's since 1972 and Dimitri (or, as Tom calls him, "The Greek") is now general manager. He has a passion for cooking, as I learned on our boat outing on Lake Geneva on our first evening in town. For those of you who have been following my Lake Geneva quest - you guessed it, this is the handsome Greek who was serving me wine and brie on the lake at sunset. I'll tell you more about that adventure in my next segment, The Lake.
So, after boating, we went with Dimitri to Popeye's and he ordered us some seafood bisque and the Nick's Pulled Rotisserie lamb plate. So. So. Good. Doesn't hurt that the owner/manager is sitting next to you, telling you avidly about the cooking process. Ahhhh. We went back a day or two later, and I once again had the
shrimp and lobster bisque, which was so delicious with big chunks of seafood, and a Greek Salad with Gyro meat. Also great, as was Tom's Rotisserie Sampler (because really, how do you choose??)
To sum up, this is a great tourist attraction that avoids the tourist "trap" feel by serving delicious food with friendly, efficient service. Here are a few more photos to help you find it on your visit - or, just ask anyone!
And then, last but certainly not least, was our dinner at The Baker House 1885 Restaurant. This place is a step back in time, in a wonderful way. Many of the beautiful mansions of yesteryear in historic Lake Geneva have been destroyed, but somehow, this gem managed to survive until someone could give her new life, and the Baker House is once again magnificent. It is a boutique hotel and restaurant, and they have started great traditions for the 21st century that harken back to an earlier time. I have about a zillion photos of this place, so I'll take you through our evening in pictures.
First of all, everyone is given their choice of vintage hat to wear (cleaned daily!) to further the yesteryear mood.
This Wine Chic with her vintage hat, and the beautiful veranda in the background. We had a lovely view of the lake out our window as well.
Tom gets a vintage hat, too! Plus a glass of hearty Cabernet.
There are many different rooms for your dining pleasure. We were in the game room, which did have board games available (fun!) and boasted this elegant light fixture.
Even the bathrooms are lovely.
The best part of the evening - the sunset champagne toast. Everyone is called out to the lawn at sunset for complimentary bubbly as the day fades over the sparkling lake.
Anniversaries are congratulated and happy birthday is sung, and everyone mills about the lawn with a smile as big as mine.
The menu leaned to small, sharable plates like their Towers for Two (this is the Cocktail Party Tower, with bacon scallops, kabobs and yummy Signature Fried Green Beans.) They have a good by-the-glass wine list, so I had a different wine with each course we ordered. A Rose' Champagne with fondue; Pinot Noir with this Tower; and Washington State Reisling with spicy crab cakes and creme brulee for dessert. It's a great menu for leisurely dining, and the food was very good. Plus, I loved the vintage, mismatched tableware, shown in the photo at the top of this post.
Next time, I'm staying for at least a night in the hotel, too! A signature offering at the bar - 5 specialty cocktails for 2, one night's stay in the hotel, breakfast and aspirin, $500 - "cheaper than a lawyer and a lot more fun!" Perfect....
The Baker House was our big night out, and we spent a lot of time over dinner. For the quality and atmosphere, I found the prices quite reasonable. I feared they'd be higher, but we were on vacation so we'd have gone anyway, so the prices were a pleasant surprise.
Thanks so much for following along on our culinary quest to Lake Geneva. Next time: The Lake. How can you quest to Lake Geneva without talking about the lake???
Until then,
Happy Trills,
Laura
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