Vacation in Sheboygan Falls & Kohler

Recently, my family and I felt the need for a small out of town break from Chicago, so I started looking for great spots to go closeby.  A small bit of research led me to Sheboygan Falls- a small town about an hour north of Milwaukee near the Lake Michigan coast.  I read nothing but very good things about this spot and we decided to go for it.

The ride up there was pleasant as usual as we passed farms, forest, Mars Cheese Castle and we stopped in Milwaukee for lunch.  The Milwaukee Public Market is a no brainer- they have local vendors who have everything from fresh seafood, sausages, artisan cheese and sandwiches, sushi and tacos.  And free parking!  After that we started on the last leg up to Sheboygan Falls.

We had reservations at The Rochester Inn, a cozy Bed & Breakfast near downtown and the rapids of the Sheboygan River.  The rooms are all uniquely designed and named- we stayed in The Charles Cole named for a pioneer merchant from 19th century Wisconsin.  Most of the rooms are bi-level and, though they're meant for romantic couples, accomodated our family perfectly.  The first floor has a couch, fridge and kitchen sink and the upstairs has a comfy bed and bathroom.  Both floors have flatscreen TVs with DVD.  Lily was able to to sleep in a Pack n' Play on the 1st floor while we had some wine and watched a movie.  Your morning starts off on the right foot with a room-service breakfast of fresh fruit, french toast and omelete.  A great place to stay!

Our first day we took a walk around downtown which was a short walk over the bridge and headed to River Park, which I highly recommend.  It's a great spot to walk, fish, BBQ, watch baseball or play on the swings and slides.  There's quite a few shops but they're closed on Sunday and some are closed Monday as well.  A couple of local places to eat are Falls Firehouse Pizza, The Other Place Pub (known for their Friday Fish Fry) and the Bread & Bean Eatery, known for making great homemade sandwiches and dishes- the Chi-Town Stir Fry is awesome.  We were also able to shop for some wine at Save Way Liquor- they have a decent selection and I purchased Santa Rita 120 Carmenere (a good under $10 red) and a mixed 12 pack of New Glarus beers, a must buy whenever you go to Wisconsin!

For dinner we headed to Sheboygan, which is right on the coast, and ate at the Duke of Devon which has an amazing outdoor patio, fish & chips and local beer selections.  The rest of the menu is comprised of English Pub fare like Bangers & Mash and Curry Chips.  This town is much larger and great for boating and fishing.

The following day after breakfast we headed to Kohler, a small town located just east of the Falls and home to Kohler Co.  There's a lot to do here: two golf courses (Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits), the Kohler Waters Spa, The American Club Resort, the Shops at Woodlake (all unique specialty shops, boutiques and restaurants) and Kohler itself which has a showroom and museum.  Driving, walking, shopping, eating- I recommend spending a day or two here!

This is a great trip anyone living in the Midwest can take with partners, friends and family.  Contact me if you have any questions and please comment if you've already made this trip.

Perfect Wine Deal & Gift Idea

Yesterday I was checking the deal site apps on my phone and immediately noticed an amazing wine deal on Living Social: $40 for $80 to spend on wine & gifts at Wine.com!  I nabbed that deal right away and it takes about 24 hours for it to become available.  I wanted to combine it with a Wine.com free shipping order but you can only use one promotion at a time, and half price is pretty good anyway. 

I started shopping right away and found four bottles that'll either make good gifts or home cellar additions: Stoller JV Pinot Noir, L'Ecole 41 Semillon, Ch. Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon and Argiano Non Confunditur (SuperTuscan blend).  The best thing was I only had to kick in an extra $4 for shipping/tax- that's 4 great bottles for $44!

Check it out and see what combo you can come up with- happy hunting!

Keefer's Restaurant Chicago 10th Anniversary

I was recently notified about one of Chicago's great restaurants, Keefer's, enjoying their 10th Anniversary. Named for brothers/partners Glen & Rich Keefer, the restaurant is located on the bottom floor of the Amalfi Hotel and is one of the great steakhouses of River North. To celebrate the anniversary, they'll be offering free valet, Sunday three-course prixe fix supper for $25, and $10 weekday lunch specials.

I was also invited to come and try out the menu & wine list, which turned out to be an overall good experience. I had been to Keefer's in the past, but had only been in the bar area. This time I went in the dining room, which had cozy seating, but seemed airy and almost too open- I think it had to do with the extremely high ceilings.  Our server came promptly and we started off with Dampierre Grand Cuvee Brut NV Champagne, a great wine to begin your meal with and an excellent choice to have by the glass on any wine list, especially for $14. We started off with a couple of appetizer recommendations from our excellent server which went very well with the Champagne: grilled calamari & Nantucket Bay scallops. The great thing about the calamari was that they were cooked perfectly and still had a fresh sea taste to them, along with the char. The scallops are a seasonal item, and were small, sweet and rich- look for them at the beginning of November through to year's end.

I really enjoyed perusing the Wine List- they have many interesting picks though they could be a bit more worldly, especially with Chardonnay (14 out of 15 selections from California). There is some redundancy with styles & prices for varietals as well, but overall I liked the selections for a steakhouse. I spotted what I wanted right away- the 2005 Woodward Canyon Estate Red Reserve. A great wine at without a high markup. I didn't even have to ask for a decanter before the server was on it. One more small problem is we found out Keefer's does not have temperature controlled storage for it's wines, which is disappointing for two reasons: red wines should be served around 65 degrees plus most of the selections should be stored properly.

For dinner I chose the lamb chops which were crusted in dijon, herbs and garlic, which added great flavor to a perfectly cooked medium rare. There was a sauce served underneath the chops which I did not recognize and didn't add much to the dish. With meat dishes you should order sides, which are large enough for two. I ordered the mushrooms (shitake & cremini) and Hogan's peas, which were fresh, sweet and creamy, though I would've preferred the bacon to be cooked fresh with a bit of soft fat- it came hard and overcooked. Overall, delicious, especially with the wine.

Dessert was an easy pick- apple tart a la mode & warm chocolate cake. If the other desserts are as good as these then you can't go wrong! They contrasted eachother with vanilla & cinnamon apple fruit flavor against dark full-on chocolate. Plus they make a perfect espresso.

Overall: impeccable service, high quality menu from Executive Chef John Hogan, a wine list with good picks and affordable prices, and dessert which'll make you want to go do it all again. I would!

Bachelorette Wine Tasting Events with WCWG

This post goes out to all the ladies: if you have a girlfriend who's planning a Bachelorette Party and wants to kick it off right, suggest a wine tasting hosted by the Windy City Wine Guy!  You can start the evening in a private venue tasting select wines paired with corresponding cheese and appetizers, all selected by a certified professional sommelier.  All wine and pairings will be explained in a social atmosphere, allowing you to enjoy eachother's company, exchange gifts and gain more knowledge on one of your favorite beverages. 

Every event is different and tailored to your needs.  You can try a variety of different wines based on country (US, Italy, New Zealand, etc.), region (Tuscany, Sonoma, Rhone, etc.), varietal (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec, etc.), style (sparkling, red, dessert, etc.) and price (value, exceptional, collectible, etc.).  Tastings normally last from 1 1/2 to 3 hours in length and pricing can be as low as $20 per lady!

Contact me for pricing and availability for the special day- and as an added bonus ask me about getting a discount on a stretch limo from Exen Limousine!

Masciarelli Abruzzi Wine at Pane Caldo

Masciarelli WinesI recently had the pleasure of tasting Masciarelli wines paired with the Italian cuisine of Pane Caldo Restaurant and it was both a tasty and enlightening experience.  Pane Caldo has a longPane Caldo standing on East Walton Street in Chicago's Gold Coast.  It's a quaint but classy establishment with great northern Italian dishes and an amazing wine list.  I (fortunately) found parking in front and was directed to a private dining room a couple of doors down.  The space seemed perfect for private events with a large banquet table, open space, ample lighting, a restroom and coatroom.  I was greeted by Angela Acquaviva of Masciarelli and Betsy & Pete of Vintage Wine.  Let's get to the tasting!

We started off with an explanation of Azienda Agricola Masciarelli.  Gianni Masciarelli began a journey over 30 years ago to become a great winemaker in his home of Abruzzo.  He traveled through France to learn of advanced techniques which greatly influenced him and his wines.  When he returned home he was ready to take his family's vineyards and increase the quality level of their output.  He wanted to do this by putting indigenous varietals like Montepulciano and Trebbiano of Abruzzo on the world map.  Gianni did this by lowering production, adding a good mix of new French oak and aging.  Today Masciarelli has 13 vineyards throughout Abruzzo.  Unfortunately for most of America, the only wines we've seen from Abruzzo are extremely light reds of Montepulciano grapes and whites of Trebbiano (except for Orvieto DOC wines which can be much higher quality), until now.  The family dealt with the unfortunate recent passing of Gianni in 2008, and continues to produce great wines in his honor.

While we were learning about Masciarelli, we tasted through a 'vertical tasting' (a tasting consisting of multiple vintages (years or harvests) of the same wine) of Gianni's famed Villa Gemma Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  Vintages started with recent selections and went as far back as 1999.  The youngest were very full of fresh dark fruit, big gritty tannins and high acidity- both indications that the wine still needs aging.  The further we went back in vintage, the more wild gamey notes came through, along with herbal scents, with the tannins gradually softening.  This wine was truly amazing compared to other Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines I've tried- it's aged in both barrel and bottle for over 5 years!  Gianni started this label in 1984 and it is only produced in high quality years and will be available in wine shops for about $90.

It was then time to enjoy some cuisine with the wines and we started with Castello di SemivicoliCastello di Semivicoli Trebbiano Trebbiano d'Abruzzo paired with seafood in white wine and saffron.  This worked well as the fresh seafood and lively sauce mixed with the wine's young fruit and zippiness.  Next we went on to Marina Cvetic (a label named after Gianni's Serbo-Croatian wife who works with the winery) oak aged Trebbiano paired with Marina Cvetic Trebbianomushroom risotto.  I normally would recommend Pinot Noir, Barbera or Nebbiolo with this dish, but the rich Trebbiano was very unique.  It's weight and sour creaminess stood up to the risotto and the rich mushrooms.  For a final course we had filet mignon with a red wine sauce matched up with the Marina Cvetic Montepulciano which was an excellent pairing- the slight game and tannins that the grape brings with it wasMarina Cvetic Montepulciano excellent with the beef.  And there was more Villa Gemma left to tackle our chocolatey desserts.

In summation, it was a fantastic experience with varietals I've never known to produce truly great wines, at a fantastic restaurant with outstanding food, service and ambience.  I'll be visiting both in the future- salute!