I don’t know about you, but for me there’s a big difference between simply eating and dining for the pure delight of it. And what better place to partake of a splendid repast on a frosty evening than tucked inside a fireplace’d room sparkling with the glow of holiday cheer? So, on a recent blustery evening my friend, Cali, joined me for an enchanted evening at The Cottonpicker Restaurant.
The wind howled outdoors as we sat window-side, enjoying the cozy atmosphere. Fireplace is an anemic word indeed for the vast structure that dominates the center of the Cottonpicker’s interior. Constructed of pure stone, its massive hearths offer ambience and warmth to diners from two sides. A tribute to Wisconsin’s winter weather.
Each season, thousands of tiny holiday lights bedeck the interior of the Cottonpicker, but the decorator’s hand is in evidence far beyond the walls, spilling cheer into the back yard and beyond. The enormous bank of windows creates the perfect frame for a beautifully landscaped exterior expertly festooned with the personality of each season. In fact, there’s a barn on the property thats sole purpose is to house the hundreds of decorations that bedazzle guests each season.
Entering the Cottonpicker’s front door, we were immediately aware that this is no mere restaurant. Diners-to-be turn into temporary shoppers, drawn to admire the hundreds of creations displayed in the Cottonpatch Gift Shop. The contents of this unique shop spill over into the foyer and beyond, offering a fitting first course. With Christmas on the near horizon, there are countless angels, Santas, snowmen, wreaths and ornaments crowded onto every surface. A browser’s paradise!
Cali, who is eight, had her mind set on a meal of the fowl persuasion and considered Chicken Strips from the children’s section of the large and varied menu. But with the myriad of choices from Marsala to Primavera, I couldn’t bear to see her forego the experience of experimentation and she settled on chicken of the Southern-fried persuasion. With its light crispy breading and moist, tender interior, it was a good choice. It was preceded by a to-die-for creamy chicken and rice soup that, in my humble opinion, was spiced perfectly.
Although the ‘Picker is famous for its Chateaubriand Bouquetiere (carved tableside for two), I couldn’t resist the lure of the seafood du jour. So, mine was a pecan encrusted mahi-mahi complemented by a perfect, creamy Hollandaise. No mere flaky fish, this, as mahi-mahi with its firm character carried its slightly sweetened pecan crust with ease.
Now, allow me to digress for a moment to a personal point of view. Of course, my Irish heritage gives me license to opine about the incredibly versatile, yet lowly potato. I’m in agreement with my friend, Bob, who says he never met a potato he didn’t like. I have to admit, though, that my absolute favorite is potatoes prepared au gratin. It was no leap of faith to marry cheese to potatoes. . . and I’m sure this dish was invented cave-side as Cro-Magnon himself tossed a bit of cheese over his taters as they cooked over the family fire. Au gratins, however, can cover the spectrum from the cardboard re-hydrations whose most recent known address was the boxed-food aisle of the grocery store, to the lovingly prepared, perfectly baked creation that was placed before me at the ‘Picker. As an “aug” expert, I’ll place the Cottonpicker high on my list of places to partake of potatoes au gratin.
Cheese can be particularly pushy, sometimes smothering its companions’ flavors. But, here it enhanced its partner potatoes as easy as pie.
It was hard to resist eavesdropping on the neighboring table, as the server described a Pumpkin Baileys Cheesecake to our fellow diners. So Cali and I shared a scrumptious, creamy wedge of this delightful dessert. Cheese and potatoes is an obvious pairing, but I never would have conceived of Baileys Irish Cream and another lowly vegetable, the pumpkin, in cahoots with each other. It was a perfect marriage, however, to which the empty plate attested.
After dinner, I sat for awhile with restaurant manager Victoria Strockis and the Cottonpicker’s owner, Bill Foster. We talked about the changing landscape of the restaurant business, wherein customers are treated as guests, servers are long-term professionals and variety goes far beyond the menu. Our conversation touched several times on the value of an outstanding dining experience for its own sake. Excellence in providing this experience for guests includes attention to a thousand tiny details that make dining the pleasure it is. And, the Cottonpicker succeeds at this difficult task with straight A’s.
Bill, for example, is well-known for an annual game feed that he provides for a private group. He prepares his own special version of duck, pheasant, and venison, to name a few and sends leftovers off to deer camp with the group. The Cottonpicker is also deeply involved in community, contributing elegant dinners to local fundraising functions. Can one place a value on these?
Victoria, who is originally from Chicago, has worked in the restaurant field for 17 years and makes management of the Cottonpicker look smooth as clockwork. Bill grew up in a family of restaurateurs and says he learned to cook by osmosis as he helped his father in the kitchen. Our conversation confirmed one thing: they are both dedicated to providing an outstanding dining experience for each of the guests who graces their establishment.
You’ll find the Cottonpicker Restaurant north of Burlington just off Hwy. 36. Don’t expect to go there simply to eat. . . prepare yourself to be treated as a special guest. . . dining at its finest.
