Wayne and I went on a little vacation this weekend. Wayne had purchased
a LivingSocial deal for Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I was really excited to relax
and also get away from the busy city. During our drive, we discussed how to survive a zombie apocalypse. It was fun trying to
create a game plan if the apocalypse occurred while we were in Wisconsin.
For example, we discussed how we would need to utilize several
stores and find a gas station. We had passed a Home
Depot, Walmart and a magnificent mansion. So we would have weapons to kill
the zombies, food/supplies, and a place for shelter. We probably would have a greater chance of survival in a rural area anyway because cities are more populated a.k.a more zombies.
Anyways, we really wanted to go hiking and enjoy the fresh air. So, we went to the Kettle Moraine State Forest and
found the Ice Age Trail.
Going hiking was absolutely amazing. But the greatest part of it was how
lucky we were. It had been raining a lot during our drive to Wisconsin. But once we started hiking the rain ceased. The rain made it a perfect day for hiking (we were the only people out on the trail and the rain
made the forest smell remarkably fresh)
Another cool thing about our little hiking adventure was the fact Wayne got in touch with his childhood. He had gone to Camp Joy as a child and remembered some of the sites. I personally think that camping
or going to a camp is one of the best things you can do as a child. It creates
a human connection and also an appreciation to nature. The best thing about
hiking or camping is enjoying nature. I think people too often get sucked into
technology and forget the small things in nature.
After hiking we had some time to kill before checking into the
Harbor Shores hotel. What better place to get some cheese? I mean we ARE in Wisconsin. We drove to a
little shop in Lake Geneva called Cheese Box.
We were in the mood for something a bit smokier so we got the Smoky Cheddar and Swiss
cheese and man, we loved it! It was absolutely delicious and totally worth it! The staff was super friendly and sampled different types of cheese. On Yelp we had noticed that some of the reviews say that the Cheese Box is too expensive.
We felt although the prices can be pretty steep (if you’re buying a lot or a gift basket) the quality is definitely worth it. I’ve never had better cheese in my life.
After we checked in, we got some goodies from our LivingSocial deal. We got popcorn, a
coupon to Gino’s East pizza and two movie rentals. I
thought it was great because I was feeling a bit sleepy from taking Benadryl. Some
kind of stupid beetle bit me. So, we had to take a trip to Walmart to grab some
Benadryl and Bactine. After I relaxed a bit and watched a movie, I felt ready to go.
The house is
absolutely magnificent, the restaurant ambiance was amazing and the lakefront view
was gorgeous. As for the food, I was a little let down that it wasn’t a
culinary experience to compliment the fantastic atmosphere.
However, I thought the best part of dinner was the hats. The Baker
House has all these old fashioned hats to help their guests in the mood of the
restaurant. You can wear different hats during dinner too. I also thought it
was really cute that Wayne picked out a hat that matched my dress. He is a wonderful
gentleman. J Another thing that was awesome was the live piano player and the
eccentric birthday crew. I think there must have been six or seven people with
a March birthday in the restaurant. It was really neat how the birthday crew
was so into pleasing the guests.
For our meal we ordered the Signature Crab cakes, the Venetian
Chicken and the Cajun Shrimp Sautee.
Now, the crab cakes were really tasty. Sometimes crab cakes
lack the strong seafood flavor. These crab cakes had the right amount of flavor
and texture. As for the entrees, I felt that they could have been better. The
Venetian Chicken had amazing sundried tomato and cheese tortellini. Wayne and I
both agreed that the pasta had the perfect amount of cheese. However, the
chicken wasn’t that great. I expected it to be juicy and flavorful when it was
really kind of plain. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
As for the Cajun Shrimp Sautee, Wayne really liked it. But I found that the
Cajun seasoning was too powerful for the dish loosing a lot of the other
flavors of the dish. Then for dessert we
ordered the Signature Chocolate Fondue with dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
It was pretty tasty but again not jaw dropping. In short, if you’re looking for a unique, fun and magical experience in Wisconsin, the Baker House is a must see if you don’t mind sacrificing the food quality.
The next day after we drove back to Chicago, we went to watch The
Hunger Games. I was SO excited to see the movie!!! I even bought a Hunger Games
necklace. (Nerdy I know, but I don’t care)
I thought the movie was pretty good! Plus Wayne even liked it. I thought the movie and the characters were portrayed fairly well. But I wish that the books were
tailored to adults instead of young adults. I personally feel that there was a lot of potential in the concept of The Hunger Games. I would have liked it if there was more depth the the concept. The Hunger Games reminded us of Battle
Royale, a Japanese manga and controversial Japanese film. I know there are some people who will argue that the concepts are the same but I think they bring out different issues with the idea of government and power. However, I am glad that I was able to read all three novels before the
movie came out. I like imagining the characters myself. That way it allows me to
utilize my imagination. I think when people become older they forget what it was like
to be a little kid and have the world at your tips with their imagination.
Anyways, we had an absolutely amazing weekend in Wisconsin! Stay tuned! We will be exploring a restaurant in Lincoln Square soon.
"The Couple that Grubs Together Stays Together"
-Grub Couple-
P.S.
We have deer pictures!
Okay, not really but our deer faces are pretty funny!
