Day of rain, food, galleries and wine

Friday dawned gray and cold; and the rains soon came that followed us around the FrenchToastbfLOpeninsula.

We started our day with coffee in our room, then met Norma downstairs to begin our travels. First stop; the White Gull Inn  in Fish Creek for Breakfast. Rich had his favorite stuffed cherry French Toast, Norma Eggs Benedict, and I kept it light with fruit, poached eggs and Swedish bread.

02VinegarPeppersbfLOAfter breakfast, Norma suggested we check out The Oilerie, also in Fish Creek, where you can sample different olive, nut and flavored oils, as well as Balsamic vinegars. We bought a nice, spicy Italian Extra Virgin Oil, an incredible 25 year old Balsamic vinegar, and a jar of Cherry Balsamic Grilling glaze. Can’t wait to get home and try them all out!

We then headed up Route 42 to check out a few galleries, starting with the Linden Gallery, owned by some friends of Norma. The gallery was JUST open for the season, the Lindens not yet back from China, and some art work still not hung; so we hung around ourselves and helped sort and organize some paintings, moved a few more, and rummaged in the back room for just the right pieces to hang in a focal gallery. After the Lindens, it was a SURPRISINGLY short hop up the road to Gills Rock Stoneware, my favorite place to get tablecloths – tho’ the pottery is also quite nice. No purchases, but we met the owner’s new, and very loving, Border Collie – a black and white bundle of love and belly scratches.

Seaquist Orchards farm store wasn’t open for the season yet, so no Cherry Bomb or Cherry StonesThrowTastingVertbfLOButter this trip.

Farm shop unavailable; we had no choice but to go a-wine tasting in Bailey’s Harbor at Stone’s Throw Winery. We had thought to try the chocolate and wine pairing tasting, but opted for the regular version so we could sample more of the wines we prefer.We ended up buying two ‘Big Mouth Reds’ and an ‘80/20’ (not to be confused with Madd Dog 20/20).

Wine warming our bellies, we headed over to Edgewood Orchard Galleries back in Fish Creek to see what was new. Beautiful pieces and a beautiful setting – we were wondering if they purposely planted the stand of white pines in front of a dense, dark conifer forest to provide contrast and subtle interest – even on a cold, rainy day – in the parking area.

Our last gallery visit before heading over for dinner was Woodwalk Gallery in Egg Harbor, 5 miles South of Egg Harbor proper; where we met the owner/artist Margaret Lockwood. She does some incredible work, and has assembled, as she GasconMalbecbfLOput it, ‘a nice assortment’ of other artists’ work. Great variety, beautiful pieces, and a charming setting. She’s planning on have music evenings in the main barn this summer as well – so if you’re in the area, pick up Norma, grab a bottle of wine and check it out.

Finally. On to dinner! The Mission Grille has a wonderful menu and an extensive wine list. I was just sort of cold and chilled to the bone when we got there, so Norma and I had AlamosTorrontesbfLOa glass each of Gascón Malbec,her first sampling of Argentinian wine. I had been telling her about the Gascón while we were at Stone’s Throw, so when I asked if Mission Grille had a Malbec by the glass and they mentioned the Gascón, it was an easy choice. Rich had a Mission Bellini – champagne and pear liqueur, I think.

We shared appetizers; Norma going for the Mussels, me the Tuna Tataki, and Rich the Chickpea Cakes. We have pics, but they’re in the other camera, so I will add them once we’re home.

Dinner brought different choices, and a different wine. We opted to share a bottle of Alamos Torrontes – another Argentinian, but a white that we quite like to go with our Fettucini Carbornara (me), Mushroom Ravioili with Spinach (Norma), and Halibut with Pistachio Beurre Blanc (Rich). Norma’s not a huge white wine fan, and was, I think, pleasantly surprised. Rich finished dinner off with a warm Mission Berry Cobbler.

After a blustery night (no snow, at least), we’re having breakfast (strawberries and cream and cinnamon pecan bread pudding) by the fire in our room and planning our day. Order number One? MORE coffee…

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