restaurant & wine bar restaurant & wine bar (Midwest Living, Best of the Midwest) from The Skare family OUR STORYIt all began forty years ago when Dick and Carol Skare honeymooned in Door County. It was May of 1977 and they found Fish Creek to be a sleepy lake side town. One shopkeeper, Hazel Elliott, took the time to find out that Dick and Carol were aspiring restaurateurs who met while working side by side at a supper club near Minneapolis. She arranged for them to look at a small, twenty seat restaurant in downtown Fish Creek. “Door County is growing,” she told them, “get in now before the rush.” They took her advice and put in an offer. Two short months later, on the weekend of July 4, 1977, Dick and Carol opened the doors of The Cookery.Dick and Carol’s goal for their restaurant was to create a welcoming, casual environment where customers could enjoy great food that is prepared from start to finish in the restaurant’s kitchen. The restaurant's recipes were rooted in Carol's experience of learning to cook on her mother's apron strings on a small family farm in rural Minnesota. 

Over the years, the Skares expanded to become an 85 seat restaurant that also included lodging and a full line of jams and sauces.rich red wine reductionIn May 2008, The Cookery began another chapter when a devastating fire caused the restaurant to close its doors for the season. best bottle of australian red wineThe restaurant re-opened in June 2009 with expanded outdoor seating and a new addition, a second floor water view wine bar.best wine in a box 2014Today, Dick and Carol are extremely proud to have their daughters, Courtney and Karin, involved in the daily operation of the business. best red wine for casual drinking

Courtney and Karin share Dick and Carol's passion for food, which was engrained at a young age. best wine christmas gift 2014Throughout the years and today, the Skares have continued to maintain their original values, to incorporate fresh ingredients focusing on local products from Door County and to bring delicious, homemade food to their customers.buy large format wine online The Cookery's menu is an ode to fresh, family home cooking. best tasting red wine kitThe menu is rooted in Carol's experience growing up on a small family farm and has grown to include classic American fare with a twist. buy wine online amazonThe Skares firmly believe in sourcing local ingredients whenever and wherever possible. wine in a cup to go

The following is a list of some of the restaurant's local purveyors.Seaquist Orchards, J & M Fisheries, Jorns’ Sugar Bush, Sully’s Produce, Door County Creamery, Charlie’s Smokehouse, Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Market, Malvitz Strawberries, Milo’s Poultry Farm, Country Ovens, Renard’s Cheese, Steep Creek Farm, Door County Coffee & Tea, Otto's Meats, Healthy Ridge Farms HOURSOPEN DAILY                                                                                                      Breakfast: 8 am - 12 pm                                                                                            Lunch: 11 am - 4 pm                                                                                                  Dinner: Sunday - Thursday, 4 - 8 pm; Friday & Saturday, 4-8:30 pm                    Wine Bar: Friday & Saturday, 3-8:30 pmPARKINGStreet parking is available in front of the restaurant on Highway 42/Main Street.

During the busy times, additional public parking is located 0.1 miles north of The Cookery behind the Fish Creek Post Office/Library building.RESERVATIONSWe do not take reservations for the restaurant. If you wish to call when you are leaving to come to The Cookery, we would be happy to put your name on our waiting list. GROUP DININGThe second wine bar can accommodate groups of 20 people or less for dinner. To inquire about group dining, please call the restaurant the week you would like to dine with us to make arrangements.Summer is officially here and we couldn’t be more excited. The days are longer, the sun is brighter, and BBQ season is in full swing! And with July 4th quickly approaching, it’s time to get your grills fired up and your refrigerators stocked with wine for the holiday. But what wines go best with your favorite grilled foods? It depends on what you’re cooking, but no matter what you throw on the grill, we guarantee that there’s a wine to go with it.So to help you put the finishing touches on your 4th of July menu and to aid you in hosting your next summer cookout, we’ve put together some pairing recommendations to arm you for the peak of grilling season ahead.

While many of these wines can be paired with more than one item, we’ve listed our selections for the foods with which we think they work best. Just remember that unless otherwise noted, these suggestions are based on simple, grilled preparations—adding sauces or spices can change the pairings dramatically, so keep that in mind when you’re deciding on a wine.Lighter proteins like chicken, fish and shellfish need wines that are lighter in texture and won’t overwhelm in flavor, but that can also stand up to char. Our choices: Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay.WINE: 2012 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, ItalyTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of yellow apple, white peach, apricot, orange blossom, white stone and honeyPAIRING NOTES: The Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio is an excellent choice for seafood and poultry because it has enough body to match these proteins in texture and it’s complex enough to balance the smoky notes from the grill.

It’s also more fruit forward than some Pinot Grigios, which makes it a particularly good pairing with shellfish because the fruity notes in the wine bring out the inherent sweetness in the shellfish.WINE: 2012 Helfrich Grand Cru SteinKlotz Gewürztraminer, Alsace, FranceTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of apricot, peach, orange marmalade, lychee, yellow rose, potpourri, cinnamon, clove and gingerPAIRING NOTES: For blackened meats that have a lot of spice, the Helfrich Gewürztraminer is a great way to go because it has a touch of sugar that will cool down the heat. It’s also a Grand Cru (the highest classification given to wines in Alsace, which indicates that it’s one of the best in the area) and it shows in this wine—it has layers of spice and complexity that will keep it from being overwhelmed by strong seasoning.WINE: 2012 Waterstone Winery Chardonnay, Carneros, CaliforniaTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of yellow apple, green pear, cooked lemon, pineapple rind, yellow flower, caramel, butter and vanillaPAIRING NOTES: For seafood and chicken that have been grilled with butter, you can never go wrong with a great California Chardonnay that has buttery flavors and is equal in body and texture to the protein.

We like the Waterstone Chardonnay because it’s a bit lighter bodied and the use of oak is more restrained than in some other California Chardonnays, but it has everything you’re looking for in this pairing: a lightly creamy texture, complementary aromas and flavors, and rich, oaky notes that will match the intensity of the smoky flavors from the grill.Vegetables are both herbal and acidic, and when put on the grill they become more complex in flavor, so they need wines that will complement those characteristics. Our choices: Sauvignon Blanc and Vinho Verde.WINE: 2013 Franciscan Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, CaliforniaTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of lime, pink grapefruit, green pear, honeydew melon, citrus blossom, lemongrass, wet grey stone and fresh cut grassPAIRING NOTES: The Franciscan Estate Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect choice for grilled veggies because it is equal in acid and complementary in flavor (particularly the “green notes“). And because it’s a New World style of Sauvignon Blanc, it has a little more body so it can stand up to the added texture that vegetables take on from the grill.

Although you can pair it with most grilled veggies, the green notes in this wine pair particularly well with those that have fresh, herbal characteristics (zucchini, asparagus, green bell peppers, etc.)WINE: 2013 Quinta da Lixa ‘Anjos de Portugal’ Vinho Verde, PortugalVARIETAL: Blend of Loureiro, Arinto and TrajaduraTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of green apple, Anjou pear, lime, pear blossom, fresh cut grass, wet white stone and honeyPAIRING NOTES: Like Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde tends to have green aromas and flavors, which are complementary to those in grilled vegetables. However, the Anjos de Portugal is more fruit-forward than some Vinho Verdes, so in addition to green vegetables it will pair nicely with veggies like carrots, tomatoes, and corn, because its fruity quality will emphasize the sweetness that is brought out in these vegetables when grilled.Pairing wine with BBQ is tricky because there are so many different styles and flavor profiles of BBQ found across the country.

The sauces and spice rubs you choose make all the difference when it comes to pairing, so let that be your guide when picking a wine. Our choices: Riesling, Shiraz and Zinfandel.WINE: 2013 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Riesling, Monterey County, CaliforniaTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of lemon, lime zest, peach, apricot, mandarin orange, lavender and honeyPAIRING NOTES: Riesling is a great wine choice no matter what the style of BBQ because it typically has residual sugar, which will either match the sweetness of a mild BBQ sauce/rub or cool down the heat from a spicy one. And although California isn’t necessarily known for this varietal (most people automatically think Germany, Alsace or Australia), the Robert Mondavi Riesling is a surprising example of a New World Riesling made in more of an Old World style. It has texture, it’s aromatic, and it has just the right amount of sugar to complement either a sweet or spicy sauce/rub.WINE: 2012 Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz, South Eastern AustraliaTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of blackberry, blue plum, mixed berry compote, purple flower, eucalyptus, mint, black licorice, vanilla and cocoa nibsPAIRING NOTES: Another good pairing for BBQ is Shiraz, which has fruit-forward characteristics that will pair nicely with the sweetness of a mild BBQ sauce/rub, as well as herbal notes that will complement the herbs and spices in a more savory sauce/rub.

While Shiraz is typically known to have relatively high tannins, the Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz has softer tannins that won’t exacerbate spice, so it can also be paired with sauces/rubs that have a little touch of heat.WINE: 2012 XYZin Old Vine Zinfandel, CaliforniaVARIETAL: Blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet & Petite SirahTASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavors of blackberry, raspberry compote, blueberry, black pepper, vanilla and caramelPAIRING NOTES: Although lighter-bodied than Shiraz, Zinfandel has similar fruit and spice notes that will work well with either a sweet or savory sauce/rub. However, the XYZin is high in alcohol and has relatively strong tannins, so avoid pairing it with hot, spicy flavors because high alcohol and tannins make spicy foods taste even spicier.There’s more to come! In Part 2 of our Summer Grilling article, we’ll offer pairing suggestions for red meats and heartier grilled foods. But in the meantime, as you’re deciding on your Fourth of July menus and thinking through what wines to choose, don’t forget our Seven Simple Rules for Pairing Food and Wine.

Consider how you plan to season your meats and the sides you want to serve, and then use our simple guidelines to plan your pairings.We hope our suggestions give you a good place to start, but there are tons of foods you can throw on the grill and equally as many wines that you can pair with them, so we encourage you to experiment and to let us know if you discover your own perfect pairing!Allison Albanese has worked in the finance industry for the last eight years as Managing Director of Investor Relations for a hedge fund in NYC. She is also the founder of Parched: NYC, a website launching soon that is dedicated to all things cocktail, wine and beverage-related in NY. Allison is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and is currently studying for her Advanced Sommelier certification. Melissa Diaz has spent over 12 years working in the media industry and is currently the Consumer Insights Director at Parade Media Group. Prior to joining Parade she worked at the New York Times in Advertising Market Research.