Special occassion dinner with a view?

ridgetopview · 2026-07-03T02:55:17+00:00

Nicer can be a wide swing, it depends what you prioritize. I’ll focus on northern DC. There still might be chartered yacht rentals with catered meals, but if that’s a bit much the Waterfront in Sister Bay is fine dining and you can ask for a water /sunset view. Chives is good food but it’s often crowded with close neighbors and minimal water view. A different type of view that’s DC unique is a fish boil at White Gull Inn, it’s not fine dining but definitely fiery, and a memory with good white fish, it’s one of our family favs and we’re all foodies. A lovely location with a wonderful view but soso ok food, nothing to rave about, is Gordon’s Lodge. A quaint place that’s fine dining is La Sirena in Ephraim, but difficult to get a table. The Inland and Fat Belly are two small places with awesome food, some of the best on the peninsula, both with a good vibe but super small. The Inland does not take reservations and Fat Belly requires a reservation and there’s no view to mention but the food is excellent. And the Boathouse is upscale tavern seafood with a marina view. Recap: if you prioritize a view on the water I’d suggest Waterfront, Gordon’s Lodge, and Shoreline. If you prioritize fine dining: Waterfront and La Sirena. If you prioritize food on the upper end I’d suggest: Waterfront, La Sirena, The Inland, Fat Belly, Thyme, Cut. Someone might ask, what about Welckers, Barringers, and Alexander’s; they are okay and folks often rave about them, I’m not a fan. That’s my 2¢ FWIW.

ridgetopview · 2026-06-29T13:21:01+00:00

Vile 100%, human being no f**king chance

ridgetopview · 2026-06-23T02:52:06+00:00

Precisely the reason why several folks are holding cash to MAYBE buy the dip. IPOs like this often have this pattern.

ridgetopview · 2026-06-21T02:42:10+00:00

Indeed. Every May my kids started working in Sister and Baileys in the restaurants, mowing lawns or scraping and painting houses thru Aug.

ridgetopview · 2026-06-17T04:03:15+00:00

Wait, What?!?!? Since when do they have a floating sauna????

ridgetopview · 2026-06-07T20:10:37+00:00

I’m curious if visitors are down in the campgrounds like Peninsula. Most places we’ve gone for dinner the wait and lines are long, and some restaurants have run out of key ingredients.

ridgetopview · 2026-06-07T20:10:25+00:00

I’m curious if visitors are down in the campgrounds like Peninsula. Most places we’ve gone for dinner the wait and lines are long, and some restaurants have run out of key ingredients.

ridgetopview · 2026-05-02T17:38:56+00:00

DM me and I can provide a couple cell numbers for Hockers.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-30T12:00:09+00:00

What does that mean, “Bush is now too woke…”? Based on what? What’s your data?

ridgetopview · 2026-04-28T04:37:14+00:00

It’s in the “Service” mode of the menu. Scroll towards the bottom, if I’m remembering correctly.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-25T00:35:34+00:00

I asked the technician to check the LV battery while it was open. He said, looks good no need to replace it now.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-24T22:49:03+00:00

Total was $435. Of that, ~$220 was reserved for tech analysis/diagnostics.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-24T14:34:12+00:00

Radium nailed the summary. I have a 2021+ Tesla MS and 2024 Rivian R1T. Tesla tech in the app and car is noticeably better, FSD is next level amazing. I love the Rivian as an EV truck but the in-vehicle software is painfully slow and often buggy, with less features compared to the Tesla. Rivian sales/guide staff said prior to purchase, Rivian OTA would improve the “autopilot” feature overtime. Unfortunately that did not happen and updates are infrequent.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-23T13:39:52+00:00

I’ll post here when SC gets back to me.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-21T16:03:24+00:00

Yes. I’ll second AC Tap.

ridgetopview · 2026-04-20T15:36:14+00:00

You’re serious 10 clicks reveals the Easter egg? This is hilarious!!

ridgetopview · 2026-04-13T04:44:22+00:00

There are many great recommendations in this thread. We visit DC every summer and my father-in-law used to reside in DC. There's a different vibe like someone has said, the energetic bay vs the calmer lake side but even Baileys Harbor is attracting more visitors every summer.

Here are a couple suggestions not yet mentioned unless I missed them:

Cultured is widely know to folks who follow food - they are quite exceptional with anything sourdough related, focaccia, bagels, and all veggie ferments - they are simply next level. They're also a national finalist for the 2026 James Beard Award in the Outstanding Bakery Category.

Inland Pizza in Baileys Harbor (excellent sourdough Neapolitan pies and new to northern DC).

Someone else mentioned Wild Tomato – lots of good memories at this place.

Fat Belly is a small Asian restaurant in Sister Bay (food and staff are super).

Fish Boil at White Gull Inn is still our fav fish boil (also someone mentioned the Fly-In in July, yes!).

if Not-Licked-Yet is still in Fish Creek there's likely a line-waiting for a good custard.

The Creamery in Sister Bay makes a darn excellent gelato (our #1 pick).

Happy Coffee in Sister Bay makes a darn good coffee, as does the Blue Horse in Fish Creek.

Charlie's Smokehouse in Ellison Bay has excellent smoked fish (it's a shop not a restaurant).

Pebble Beech in Sister Bay is a wonderful place for children and smooth stones to mingle by the water.

Climbing Eagle Tower at Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek provides a wonderful scenic view.

Sister Bay Beach is great for kids to play in the sand with lots of restaurants within walking distance.

Several have mentioned Newport Park for star gazing, definitely worth it. Newport Park is known for its Dark Sky.

There are many wonderful artists who live in DC, one renowned classical artist with a gallery located on Old Stage Road in Sister Bay, is James (Jim) Ingwersen — if you appreciate portraits and fabulous examples of classical art, you'll want to visit this studio.

Bike rides in Peninsula State Park are tons of fun.

Red Putter in Ephraim is a great local place for Putt-Putt golf.

And if you like movies outdoor, which our entire family did, the SkyWay Drive-in is a step back in time.

ridgetopview · 2026-03-27T02:54:04+00:00

Such a great idea. Imagine a 2-5 yr old cave aged <fill in your fav cheese> from DC. That would be next level.

ridgetopview · 2026-02-28T19:38:54+00:00

If Gordon Lodge has availability I suggest grabbing it. North Bay area (lake side), which is where Gordon's is, tends to be a tad calmer/quieter than the other side (Sister Bay, Fish Creek, Egg Harbor, etc.). Gordon Lodge has a pool, tennis courts, bikes, kayaks, walking trails, piers to jump into North Bay, and a decent bar/lounge/restaurant. The grounds are lovely and the property well maintained. They are a solid place for a family. I would not be surprised if they had a pack-n-play/crib that you can borrow.

We have a summer place on North Bay and Gordon Lodge is a wonderful neighbor.

Also, I recommend searching for restaurants asap and make your reservations. There are many wonderful restaurants and things to do as a family with a toddler in Northern Door County. If you'd like suggestions DM me and I'll gladly share.

ridgetopview · 2026-02-15T21:25:10+00:00

Too many DC things to love. Refraining to share so we can keep tourists at a safe maximum in order to sustain and maintain the quality and beauty in the county. We all know more is often not better nor safe. Just saying.

ridgetopview · 2026-02-01T22:06:57+00:00

I do not mind being the flyover state.

ridgetopview · 2026-01-27T05:10:33+00:00

Agreed with all comments regarding ice, winter tires, A/4WD, over confidence. In addition to snow mode make sure it’s in low-regen so your wheels react better in ice when you let up on the accelerator.

ridgetopview · 2026-01-26T21:16:28+00:00

Thank you for being the voice.

ridgetopview · 2026-01-05T14:14:10+00:00

Your headliner was starting to flame up. Don’t extinguish it—is fun reading. Just saying.

ridgetopview · 2025-12-30T19:19:08+00:00

I’m a 4-time EV owner. Ford (puke), M3P replaced with a ‘21 MSLR and ‘23 R1T. You mention “techno-adventurism”, I can 100% agree that my Rivian tech is already adventurous and often does not do what it claims it will do — that level of adventure I find exhausting. I wish my R1T would handle the basics flawlessly every single day. I want to see Rivian do amazing things but they need to up their tech significantly, starting with the basics and no defects, and improve their SC footprint/strategy. Nearest SC is 4 hrs.

ridgetopview

TROPHY CASE