Door County Fish Boil

In an upcoming trip to Door County, the Mr. and I would like to hit one of those dazzling fish boils. But, which one? Are they all pretty much the same? Is there one where the food lives up to the spectacle?

I've already checked out the other two Door County threads and plan to take a lot of those recommendations for the rest of our dining adventures, but, any help picking a spot for the main event would be most appreciated.

Culinarily speaking there's nothing mind blowing about a fish boil but they are a whole lot of fun.

I grew up vacationing on Washington Island and there are a few places there that do a good one. Be sure to be there for the boil over. Some places do fish boils and take to food out afetr to boil over and keep it in warmers.. Fish boils are always better when you get the fish just out of the kettle.

Also, if you do make it to Washington Island be sure to have breakfast at the Sunset Resort (only on weekends during the fall I think). The Icelandic pancakes are the greatest!

I've been going to Door County for more than 35 years now. I have vivid memories (nightmares, really) of the fish boils of my youth. Not to be overly negative, but the actual food always was a little scary -- culinarily speaking, there's not much to get excited about, unless you like skin-on whitefish full of bones. However, the "boil over" part is cool, and since they are a Door County tradition I suppose it's worthwhile to check one out, at least once. Pelletier's right in downtown Fish Creek has nightly fish boils, and I believe that they do a nice job. I found this website (see link below) that you may find interesting.

http://www.doorcountyfishboil.com/frame ... l~topFrame

I did the fish boil at the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek this summer. Jane and Michael Stern wrote about them for Gourmet - and we shot the fish boil for next season's Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. The food was good - fish and potatoes - really quite heartwarmingly memorable with copious amounts of butter, homemade fruit breads, and the ever lovely Door County sour cherry pie a la mode. They have such a beautiful setting that I'm hoping to get back for one of their progressive dinners during the holidays.

I highly recommend stopping by the Whistling Swan just up the street for dinner or at least drinks. It's a hip and swanky inn, with a nice seasonal menu and cool little bar in the dining room. It's owned by Hinterland in Green Bay.

http://www.whitegullinn.com/
http://www.whistlingswan.com/

my White Gull Inn photoset
http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisachu/ ... 413857516/

I'll second the White Gull Inn. I've done it twice, both times there, and enjoyed it quite a bit both times. No, there's nothing culinarily extraordinary about it, but the food is fresh, good, and comforting. Even the Lovely Dining Companion--LA girl, born and bred and fish-disliker-par excellence--had to concede that it was both fun and delicious. What more can you ask?

I've always been a fan of the White Gull Inn fish boil. They offer a nice breakfast menu. Their Door County cherry stuffed French toast gets my tail wagging.

hey is White Gulf in Fish "Crick" the place where they have the shops in the back? and yes, there's not much culinary speaking to be said about a fish boil; its more of an experience sort of thing.

My family's had a home in Door County for 20 years (and was going up there well before that) so I've had my share of fish boils. The White Gull is great (DISCLOSURE: I know one of the owners' daughters) and you won't get a bad fish boil there. The setting is great and the pie is too (as you can see from the above picture).

Having said that, it's expensive and really, a fish boil is just the same 3 ingredients (whitefish, potatoes, onions) dumped into a boiling pot of water. There's little-to-no variation among the quality of taste of the actual "hot stuff" of most fish boils (although the accouterments--cherry pie, bread, options like chicken instead of or in addition to the fish--might vary in quality), so unless you really want to pay for atmosphere, I'd suggest that you'll be just as satisfied with the quality of the food someplace less expensive. It's certainly worth the experience, at least once, but don't expect to be bowled over.

In addition to the White Gull, the four others I'd recommend:

Old Post Office (Ephraim)
Sandpiper (Bailey's Harbor)
The Viking (Ellison Bay)
Northern Grill (Sister Bay)

Check beforehand to see if they're serving--after Labor Day, a lot of these places cut back.

Ron A. wrote:However, the "boil over" part is cool

So...what does this entail?
(Got it...Google is my friend.)

Hi,

For those who may not get to Door County in the near term, there is a fish boil in Genoa City, WI just above Richmond, IL. I reported about it in this post. For architecture buffs, this restaurant is located in a rare octagon house.

Fitzgeralds Genoa Junction Octagon House
727 Main St
Genoa City, WI 53128
(262) 279-5200
Wed & Thurs: 5 PM - 8:30 PM
Fri & Sat: 5 PM - 9 PM
Sunday: 3 PM - 8 PM

Regards,