5066. Go to a Fish Boil in Door County

 Besides walking to Cana Island lighthouse and going to Washington Island, the only other MUST do in Door County was go to a Fish Boil. The hubby kept telling me there was only one place still doing fish boils in Door County but I found several of them. 

I opted to do the Fish Boil at The Old Post Office in Ephraim because we were staying in Ephraim and my cousins also did that fish boil a few years ago. 

What is a fish boil? It is a exactly what it sounds like. Boiled whitefish, along with potatoes and onions. It is a Scandinavian tradition dating back to the late 1800s where they had to feed large number of works. Fresh caught fish, potatoes, and onions would flash boil

When you make your reservation, they tell you to show up 30 minutes beforehand so you can watch the show. The whole point, in my opinion, of going to a fish boil is the show. You watch as the fish boil master, for a lack of better term, prepares the fish boil... stoking the fire, adding the fish to the potatoes and onions already cooking, and explaining the process.

As the oils from the whitefish rise to the top of the kettle, kerosene is added to the flames creating a boil over and giant flames. This spills the fish oils over the kettle and lets everyone know the fish is ready to eat. The boil over last for only a few seconds so you need to be prepared when they add the kerosene to get good pictures.

Along with the fish, potatoes, and onion, you also get homemade bread, cole slaw, and of course cherry pie. It's Door County, of course you are getting cherry pie. When they bring you your meal, they ask if you want your fish de-boned or not. They will actually take out the bones of the fish for you. Other places, according to the boil master, do not. I am so glad they take out the bones for me.

My cousin said she doesn't like fish boils because she doesn't like mushy fish. I don't like fishy fish so I was worried I wasn't going to like the fish. However, for the most part it wasn't mushy or fishy tasting. I actually enjoyed the meal. The hubby wants to do one in October when we go to Washington Island so I guess I'm enjoying two fish boils this year.

If you like fish even just a bit, I would recommend a fish boil especially at The Old Post Office. Heck, if you don't like fish you can still see the show and have chicken or ribs for dinner. It is worth the $22 a person and is a Door County tradition. Embrace the tradition and have some fresh.

Paczkis in Phoenix

Paczkis on Fat Tuesday have become a tradition in our house the last couple of years. I would order a dozen from Smurawa's in Pulaski and the hubby would run up to get them. This year I discovered we would be in Arizona for Fat Tuesday and I wouldn't be getting my paczki fix.

On a whim, I googled Polish bakery in Phoenix and discovered Jana's bakery was a short drive from our Air B&B. Their flavor list wasn't as impressive as Smurawa's but they had custard and raspberry which was good enough for me. I placed my order a week before a little concerned when they only wanted my first name.

Jana's Bakery is a Polish bakery in the middle of a Mexican neighborhood. It was almost surreal that this Polish bakery popped up next to Mexican restaurants in a traditional southwest style building. The building and parking lot aren't that big. However, that really didn't matter because the baked good looked amazing.

For 9 AM on Fat Tuesday, there were only one or two people in line in front of us. There were several pre-orders and a case full of paczkis. And did they look good. I picked up our 6 that I ordered and asked for 3 more since my dad was like I'm not going to get one. I figured I'd surprised them when we stopped by my uncles after the game today to pick up some boxes to lug home (the joys of driving cross country)

The Paczkis were amazing. They were slightly different than the ones in Pulaski but in a good way. They had a different dough and were covered in a powdered sugar on the custard and a glaze on the raspberry . They were also heavier (and slightly more dense) than those we were used to. However, I would be back here in a heartbeat for paczkis and other treats.

No matter what state we are in next Fat Tuesday, you can guarantee I will find a way to get a paczki.