Ever heard of the Guide’s Inn? How about Boulder Junction? Both are in Wisconsin… The parents of a very good friend of mine decided that they wanted to escape the noise and hustle of a big city, so they packed up their belongings and moved to Boulder Junction, a small town in northern Wisconsin. That was over 40 years ago…
A Dining Experience I shall Not Soon Forget
I did make one sortie to that area shortly after the relocation to see my friend, but I remember little about it except that is seemed to be in the middle of a huge and dark forest in way-northern Wisconsin. On the recommendation of another friend who said that I needed “some time away to renew my spirit”, I recently paid another visit to northern Wisconsin to fish, relax, water ski and share some time with that friend. It was a trip — and a dining experience — I shall not soon forget.
Recently, Lauren and I joined Danny (Cabretta, of “Danny On The Money”) and his wife for dinner at the Guides Inn, in… Boulder Junction. In my wildest imagination, I would have never thought a fine dining experience would exist 1) so far from, well, anything and (2) in a small town that I had visited nearly forty years ago! In all fairness, Danny did introduce me — I have no idea why — as a Chicago area food critic (after all, I was from California… So, if that has any affect on what you may think, I’ll understand. But from what Danny and many others have told me, our treatment that evening was not unusual. This venue has been given some pretty high marks and I was about to find out why.
Owner-Chef Offers Sampler Platters
Entering what looked to be a house rather than a restaurant, the first things I noticed were the trophy muskies and other game that adorned the walls. Not at all offensive, but seemingly very Wisconsin-ish… We had a seat at the bar and gave our name to the hostess. No reservation had been made that evening — a Monday — although they are definitely recommended for weekends. Nevertheless, the dining room (I estimated it to have a capacity of perhaps 50-60 diners) appeared to be fairly busy.
The hostess seated us at a four-top that was adorned simply: green place mats on the wooden table, silverware and water glasses. A waitress soon arrived, followed closely by the owner-chef whom we had met briefly at the bar area upon entering the restaurant. Asking if we would be willing to forego the standard appetizer tray and salads, he offered instead to create some sampler platters that would allow us to taste a number of different entrees. Danny said it was my call… With a menu that includes numerous veal selections, hand-cut steaks, pasta, house specialties and more, how could we refuse?
Soon our first delight was delivered: large diver sea scallops, sautéed and kissed with a bit of tasty sauce. This was followed by a piece of tender Mahi Mahi — a strange item (at least to me) on a northern Wisconsin restaurant menu — and another plate covered with various selections of pate. Each course seemed as if the chef had decided to outdo his previous concoction, and each was as good or better than the last. I wondered aloud how long he could continue on such a path…
Kitchen was Remarkable for Several Reasons
Round three — naturally — was to be some of Wisconsin’s finest deep-fried cheese curds. Kind of like a martini before dinner, good curds usually bode well for a good dinner. I missed most of the curds because, given an invitation to view a kitchen at work is something I’ll never turn down. And I quickly accepted when Chef Jimmy offered. Small by most standards, this kitchen was remarkable for several reasons, not the least of which was because only the Chef and Sous-Chef manned it on that evening — not an easy task when every single item is made to order and cooked from scratch as the tickets come in.
Steaks are hand-cut, veal is hand-cut and pounded just before cooking, base sauces are made from scratch and veggies are fresh and bright. The kitchen was all business and it was difficult to stay out of the way, even though I would have gladly grabbed a sauté pan and joined in. But it was all elbows and… well, you know… and there were many dinners to be prepared, so I headed back to our table and rejoined the party.
Variations on a Theme
We had voted to forgo the normal soup and salad courses — so as not to dampen our hunger — that were normally delivered with dinners, and waited for the Chef’s next choice. The tray of food we were to be regaled with consisted solely of Chef Jimmy’s specialty: veal. Here I must stop briefly to apologize, since both cocktails and wine had been flowing fairly freely up to this point. And since I had not planned to write about the evening, my ability to recall further details had begun to wane. In any case, the Chef had prepared four different variations on the veal theme: one was called Black Forest Veal, another titled Veal Bolognaise, a third was Veal Florentine and the fourth… I have forgotten (I am sorry that I can only deliver three of the four). The accompanying sauces were excellent, the veal fork tender and the flavors divine.
Favorite Place for a Tremendous Northwoods Dinner
Dessert was another quadruplet: four different homemade ices. A Very Berry, Butter Pecan, Strawberry Jalapeno and Raspberry Champagne. All flavors were the exclamation point to an excellent meal, but each of us had a personal favorite; mine was the Strawberry Jalapeno. I was amazed that such an odd companionship could have led to such an incredibly great flavor.
Danny had told me that Guides Inn was his favorite place for a tremendous Northwoods dinner, and although he normally preferred a steak, he had truly enjoyed the different approach to a food experience that evening. I can certainly add my kudos to the others out there that place this venue at the top of dining destinations in that area of Wisconsin. Thanks to the wait-staff for great service and special thanks to Chef Jimmy and Sous-Chef Tommy for a marvelous and flavor-filled evening. I would highly recommend Guides Inn and suggest that you put it on your list of places not to miss next time you are looking for a place to dine anywhere in the Minocqua vicinity — it is definitely a Four-Zin experience!
Your Table is Ready!
Ralph Pancetta
The Guide’s Inn is located at 5427 Park St. in Boulder Junction, WI.
