I spent a few hours yesterday at Stagenorth watching the rehearsal for ‘A Christmas Carol’. Three of my kids are in the production, which is entirely student run (72 kids in the cast and crew!). As I looked around the theater, I was reminded (again) of how special this community is. One of the blessings of living in a small town is the familiar faces. The theater was full of kids playing DS’s, working on homework or reading their scripts and I realized I recognized nearly every kid in there. I can’t wait to see all those smiling faces on stage (or backstage) next week. The play runs December 8th through the 18th.
 
Good Thyme is re-opening tonight and I have a feeling I will be seeing some familiar faces as well! There is something infinitely comforting about knowing who likes a perfect Korbel Manhattan with two olives, who likes extra tartar sauce and who like chimichurri by the gallon. It is slower up here in the winter but it gives us a chance to re-connect and spend time with the people who make up the tapestry of this beautiful community.  
We are open every Friday and Saturday for dinner at 5pm. Looking forward to making you dinner!
 
Give The Gift Of Good Thyme This Christmas

 A Good Thyme gift certificate is as close to ‘one size fits all’ as you can get- it can be a fish fry, a bison burger or a Fig and Fromage pizza! If you purchase $100.00 worth of gift certificates before December 24th, we will give you a free $25.00 gift certificate to use anytime in 2012.  Give a little, get a little- now that’s the holiday spirit! Call 715 373 5255 or email Good Thyme Restaurant.
 
Good Thyme Holiday Catering

Christmas is 25 days away and Good Thyme is the perfect place to throw a party for your friends and family. We can host up to 30 people in our private dining room on our second floor or you can reserve our main dining room Sunday through Thursday for your party of up to 70 guests. We devised a special holiday catering menu: a Trio of Crostini, Good Thyme Salad, choice of Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Hollandaise, Chicken Saltimbocca or Crab Crusted Salmon with Smashed Potatoes and Creme Brulee or Chocolate Mousse Cake for $38.00 per person plus tax and gratuity. Take the stress and work out of your holiday season- let us make dinner for you and your guests.  Call us at 715 373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Catering to reserve your date today. 
 
A Big Night for the Bay Area Film Society

 
Before Renee left for Mexico in March 2008, she lent me her favorite movie- ‘Big Night’ and the DVD was one of the few things left after the fire.  She had her own “Big Night’ dinner party in 2003 at the old Good Thyme- featuring the timpano (no small feat!). The Bay Area Film Society is having a fundraiser at Stagenorth on March 10th and they are showing Big Night on the big screen! After your appetite has been whetted watching Stanley Tucci, come to Good Thyme for dinner. Tickets are $25.00 per person or $45.00 per couple and include admission to the movie and ‘Pasta Night’ at Good Thyme.

 Contact The Bay Area Film Society or call 715 373 5565 to reserve your tickets . Check out Big Night for more information on the film and watch the trailer.  Dinner and a show to support the Bay Area Film Society….sounds like a perfect way to spend a March evening!

Rituals are important. Every Sunday, I make a big breakfast- waffles, crepes, anything with hollandaise. Those mornings are a beautiful respite from the chaos and ‘hurry scurry’ of the school week. Last weekend, I took a reservation from a couple from Minneapolis coming to Good Thyme to celebrate their wedding anniversary. As we spoke, he told me they were coming to dinner because it was ‘part of their story’. The ritual of an annual summer visit, an anniversary dinner or Friday night fish fry is my favorite part of owning a restaurant. We are fortunate to be a part of your ’story’ and can’t wait to add a few chapters in the future.
 
We are celebrating our tenth birthday on November 11th and I hope join us. It has been an eventful and memorable ten years and I can’t imagine what the future has in store for us. I do know that a beautiful dinner in a restaurant filled with friends is the perfect way to usher in the next ten years. We wouldn’t be here without you and we thank our lucky stars you have come for dinner over the years.
 
Our hours are changing again. We are taking a hiatus for the month of November and will re-open for dinner on December 2nd. We will be open every Friday and Saturday through the end of February. 
  
 Ten Years of Good Thyme

It’s official, we are entering our second decade and are throwing a party to celebrate on November 11th. Planning your birthday dinner is a big deal- what to serve, what to drink, should I wear a party hat, do we need balloons, can I put wine in the treat bag…the list goes on and on. After extensive deliberation,  we decided a smattering of passed appetizers, a Stuffed Pumpkin with Wild Rice, Sausage and Provolone Cheese, the Good Thyme Green Salad, Pork Osso Buco with Root Vegetable Puree or Roasted Root Vegetarian Wellington with a Saffron Beurre Blanc and Chocolate Mousse Cake for 46.00 per person plus tax and gratuity sounded like the perfect way to usher in our eleventh year. Call 715

373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Restaurant to reserve your spot at our table today. 
 
Good Thyme Holiday Catering

Christmas is 60 days away and Good Thyme is the perfect place to throw a party for your friends and family. We can host up to 30 people in our private dining room on our second floor or you can reserve our main dining room Sunday through Thursday for your party of up to 70 guests. We devised a special holiday catering menu: a Trio of Crostini, Good Thyme Salad, choice of Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Hollandaise, Chicken Saltimbocca or Crab Crusted Salmon with Smashed Potatoes and Creme Brulee or Chocolate Mousse Cake for $38.00 per person plus tax and gratuity. Take the stress and work out of your holiday season- let us make dinner for you and your guests.  Call us at 715 373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Catering to reserve your date today. 
 
 Beaucoup Beaujolais at Bayfield Wine & Spirits

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! I remember the first time I met the fruity and easy drinking Beaujolais Nouveau. I was at Thanksgiving dinner, spied the colorful Duboeuf label across the kitchen and was informed I needed to drink a glass- it would ensure good luck for me in the coming year. On the third Thursday of each November over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world. Bayfield Wine and Spirits is bringing the Beaujolias Nouveau joie de vivre to Bayfield on November 17th from 5pm to 7 pm. $10.00 per person will get you a taste of the most frivolous and animated rituals in the wine world- berets are encouraged but entirely optional. Call (715) 913-0141 or email Bayfield Wine and Spirits to reserve your wine glass today.

I love music, a lot. Everything from Crosby, Stills and Nash (one of Ted’s favorite) to Glee (Meghan’s favorite). The Boat Bar music series was a highlight of my summer and I will miss the kids, dogs and friends hanging out in our boatyard! To think, those magical summer and fall evenings were the result of a conversation between Ted and Liz Woodworth in our kitchen last winter. Who knows what flashes of genius will inspire them this winter?? It was a wonderful summer at Good Thyme, thank you for giving us a chance to make you dinner!
 
The Bayfield Applefest is upon us- caramel apples, fried food on sticks and a parade on Sunday you don’t want to miss. It is the unofficial end of the summer season and the start of the quiet days of fall and winter. However, there is still plenty to occupy us ‘year rounders’ and visitors. Hamlet opens at Stagenorth on October 13th, the Whistlestop Marathon in Ashland on October 15th, the Madeline Island Fall Festival and the Bayfield Harvest Trails Harvest Dinner on October 22nd. In the space of two short weeks, you can enrich your mind, body and belly with Shakespeare, a 10K, and a lovely harvest dinner or ferry ride to Madeline. There are lots of reasons to visit Bayfield all year round!
 
Our hours are changing effective October 13th- we will be open for dinner Thursday through Saturday until the end of October. We are taking a hiatus for the month of November and re-opening Friday and Saturday nights in December, January and February.  Stop by for dinner this weekend if you have had your fill of apple brats, caramel apples or corn dogs. We will have dinner waiting Wednesday through Saturday starting at 5 pm. Hope to see you! 
  
 Good Thyme Turns Ten

It’s official, Good Thyme is double digits and we are throwing a party to celebrate. I am trying to remember what my tenth birthday entailed- a Barbie townhouse, balloons and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake?? Good Thyme’s tenth birthday party won’t have anything from Mattel but will have a spectacular meal, lovely wine and the laughter and revelry that always happens around a Good Thyme table. November 11, 2011 is the big day. Stayed tuned for details- Renee and I have big plans in store for this party!
 
 
Good Words From RoadBike Magazine

 
We had the pleasure of hosting a group of travel writers from around the country this summer. For many of the writers, it was their first visit to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands and I bet it won’t be their last. Jon Langston, from RoadBike Magazine, wrote a wonderful review of the restaurant in the November/December edition of his magazine. Thanks to Jon, I bet Good Thyme will be a stop for motorcyclists exploring the Bayfield Peninsula next summer.
 
 ”I can’t impress on you enough that Good Thyme was far and away the finest restaurant I visited on my trip. From the stylish decor and the delicious meal to the expansive wine and cocktail list and the attractive and knowledgeable staff, I just as well could’ve been in a swank Tribeca bistro as a converted yellow Victorian home on the shores of Lake Superior. Mary and Renee are running a top notch operation here. Check out the awesome boat bar out in the yard! Even if you can’t stay for lunch or dinner, have Michael whip you up a dirty martini, and ask Renee to tell you the hilarious story about the time her mother won a Sportster in a local raffle.”
 
 
Good Thyme Holiday Catering

Let Good Thyme cater your next holiday gathering and you will greet your guests at the door with a relaxed smile and glass of wine. Imagine a table filled with platters of Goat Cheese and Caramelized Bacon Phyllo Cups, Herb Roasted Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Horseradish Cream or an Antipasti Platter with local sausages, Wisconsin cheeses and olives. We have an extensive catalog of catering options- everything from appetizers, elegant plated meals or Good Thyme Signature buffets. Call us at 715 373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Catering to reserve your date today.

Summer has packed her bags and headed south. Trees are donning their autumnal robes and the air has the unmistakable crispness that precedes our first snowfall. This is my favorite time of year- the excursion boats are still running, the orchards are in full swing and Applefest is around the corner. The pace slows down and our attention turns to bringing braises, soups and pot pies back to the menu. What is it about 50 degree weather, a pot of Beef Bourguignon and apple crisp?  Stop by for dinner and see what we have cooking, we would love to see you. 
 

Bonfire Series at the Boat Bar

The Bonfire Series at the Boat Bar continues this Friday with Take 3 (Lisa McGinley, Kevin McMullen, Tom Draughan) from 6 to 9. “Take 3’s instrumentation includes guitar, fiddle, bass, whistle, bodhran, autoharp, and banjo, and their musical styles range from Appalachian to Celtic to Swing. Joining together in a tightly knit presentation of original and traditional music and songs, their impeccable musicanship and innovative vocal and instrumental arrangements combine to create a concert that will be enjoyed by even the most discerning listener.” Come spend an evening listening to awesome local musicians. The Boat Bar is the only place to be if you like live music and bonfires!    
 
Bayfield Harvest Trail Dinner

Bayfield Regional Food Producers is a cooperative that showcases our local growers, farmers and fishermen in Bayfield and Ashland Counties.  We (along with other local restaurant owners and chefs) are participating in the second annual Bayfield Shores Harvest Trail Dinner on October 22nd at Freehand Farms in Ashland. We are preparing the first course.  How does a Medjool date stuffed with Sassy Nanny goat cheese and wrapped in a succulent piece of caramelized bacon sound as a start to a beautiful evening spent in the greenhouse? Don’t miss this chance to enjoy the harvest- tickets are still available. Visit Bayfield Harvest Trail Dinner to reserve your spot at the table today.
 
 
Good Thyme Wedding Catering in 2012

 
Over the past ten years, Good Thyme has catered more than 200 weddings. We have served dinner on the beach, dinner on a boat, dinner in a tent in the pouring rain and dinner in a stately home on Madeline Island. Our ideas for your wedding dinner are always percolating- a shrimp boil on the beach, a bone in Mongolian pork chop with sweet potato gratin or a smoked aged Hereford beef tenderloin. Catering is our passion, give us a call and start planning your unforgettable wedding dinner today.

We are reserving dates for weddings in 2012. Call 715 373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Catering.

When I met Renee, I asked her what it was like to own a restaurant. She said, ‘it is a hard way to make a living but a great way to make a life’. After three years, I have a deeper understanding of what she meant. My life has a patina only experience, hard work and laughter can provide.
 
Summer is fast and furious in the restaurant business and this summer was no exception. While it seemed every minute was spoken for, we were able to steal a few days in the islands and relax. The picture in this newsletter was taken on a particularly glorious day in Julian Bay on Stockton Island spent with good friends, lovely wine and delicious food. It is no small thing to weave your family’s story from threads of blue water, dog bartenders, bonfires and the beautiful alchemy of friends around a table (or on a beach).

As we look forward to the quiet days of fall and winter, I can’t wait for stews, soups, root vegetable gratins and apple galettes. Come for dinner, we love seeing you at our table.  
 
Bonfire Series at the Boat Bar

What is better than bonfires and live music on a crisp fall evening? I can come up with a few things but none as fun as the Bonfire Series at the Boat Bar. We extended our live music Fridays through the end of September and are looking forward to a few more nights of revelery before snowflakes start to fly. Yazmin Bowers is playing this Friday the 16th from 6 pm to 9 pm. Bring your friends, kids and dogs- it is the best place to be on a Friday night. 
 
 
Fall and Winter Schedule
We are open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner through October 8th. We will be open for dinner Thursday through Sunday until October 29th. We are closing for the entire month of November and will re-open in December, January and February for dinner on Friday and Saturday.  As always, call 715 373 5255 for reservations or come in for dinner after 5 pm. 
 
Good Thyme Catering
Renee impetuously bought the catering trailer on ebay nearly 13 years ago. The trailer (and Renee) have been on the move ever since! We are the only caterer in the area with a mobile, commercial kitchen which enables us to prepare and serve a meal as fresh and hot as if you were sitting in our restaurant. We have successfully catered everything from a wedding dinner for 300 to a boxed lunch for a golf outing. No event is too big or too small for Good Thyme catering!

In addition, we have a private dining room on the second floor of the restaurant. It is the perfect, intimate spot for gatherings, holiday parties and receptions. It comfortably accommodates up to 30 people.

We are partnering up with Apostle Highlands Golf Course to be the caterer for events held at their location. The views are stunning from the clubhouse and it is quickly becoming the premier spot for events in Bayfield. Where else can you get married with a bird’s eye view of Madeline and Long Islands?

Call 715 373 5255 or send an email to Good Thyme Catering to schedule your next event.

I have four dogs- Seamus, Henry, Gus and George. They have been all sorts of places- boats, beaches and parks but they have never been to a bar. Last summer, I was bartending at the Boat Bar and a customer from Colorado mentioned Yappy Hour – kind of like a dog park with drinks. Perfect! I  knew the spot for Bayfield’s first and only Yappy Hour- the Boat Bar. There is plenty of room for the dogs to socialize (on a leash because it is not fenced) and plenty of drinks to encourage human socializing (leashes not required). Thursday June 23rd is the first Yappy Hour of the summer and I hope to see you and your four legged pals.

The Boat Bar is a busy place this summer- tonight is the first night of live (and free) music from 6 pm to 9 pm. The view from the deck overlooking the field of lupines is a perfect backdrop to a cold tap Leinie’s and the musical talents of Val Salas. 

Summer has officially arrived- the kidsa re out of school, my car is bathed in sand, the rose bushes are flourishing and I got my first mosquito bite. Here’s to leisurely dinner and Boat Bar cocktails- can’t wait to see you!

Live Music at the Boat Bar

The Boat Bar is setting sail tomorrow for and we hope you will be aboard. Every Friday, a talented local musician or two will be playing at the coolest boat bar in Wisconsin from 6 pm to 9 pm. There is something so wonderful about a summer evening and an outdoor bar- swing over for a drink and give it a try!
 
 
Yappy Hour Thursdays

As any good dog knows, a ride in the car means exciting things are in store- a swim at the beach or a walk in the woods. Give your pal something else to look forward to….Yappy Hour at the Boat Bar! Every Thursday from 5 to 7 is Yappy Hour with treats for dogs and drinks for their people. It gives the term ‘local watering hole’ a new twist! 
 
Sunday Dinner at Good Thyme

We are open for dinner at 5 pm on Sunday starting June 19th. What is better after a busy weekend than a wood fire grilled steak, seared Ahi tuna or a Fig and Fromage pizza? Stop by for dinner or call 715 373 5255 for reservations.

The Boat Bar opens for cocktails and revelry tomorrow, July 2nd at 5 pm. We have a beautiful black granite bar top thanks to Kevin Buzicky from Lake Superior Kitchen and Bath. We are bringing Yappy Hour back this year- every other Thursday stop by with your dog and have a drink in Wisconsin’s first and only boat bar. Hope to see you at the boat bar this weekend- have a drink and start the holiday weekend off right!

Summer is here and we’re smoking free range chicken for dinner Sunday night. We are bringing Smoked Chicken with Alabama White BBQ Sauce to the Bayfield Peninsula! The combination of hickory smoked chicken, Bad Byron’s Butt Rub and the Alabama BBQ sauce is divine….you’ll be hooked! An ice cold Pacifico beer or Palm Beach Margarita will seal the deal. Call for reservations or stop by after 5 pm tomorrow.

We are opening for dinner this Sunday at 5 pm. We will be open every Sunday through the end of September. We are looking forward to a great summer and can’t wait to catch up with everyone who is coming back to Bayfield this summer. The boat bar (with newly added granite counter tops…thanks to Lake Superior Kitchen and Bath!) will be open for drinks the end of June. I think it is the only boat bar in Bayfield, the Apostle Islands or the Midwest??!! We have a couple great new entrees on our menu- a gorgonzola charred and stuffed bistro tender with sauteed wild mushrooms, a crab crusted salmon served on wasabi mashers and our famous Northwoods burger made with wild rice, blue cheese and Leinenkugels beer. Our Friday fish fry is still going strong- we have heard it is the best on the Bayfield Peninsula! I just finished our wine list for the season and added two new cocktails- a Palm Beach Margarita and a Loaded Arnie Palmer. I have been busy planting the gardens and will post pictures soon!!

We are going to donate proceeds from Pasta Night tonight, December 16th, to the CORE Community Resources in Bayfield. Come for a great pasta meal and support CORE at the same time!! We open at 5 pm- call for reservations or just stop in for dinner.