Puckjam wrote:Drove to the Copper Country yesterday (where I grew up). Took a circular route in order to visit an old friend on the way. That brought me through Marinette and a couple of double cheeseburgers from Mickey-Lu's. Unique and top notch. I grew up picking those strawberries back in the late 60's and early 70's. Record was 124 quarts in one morning. They are special. Glad you noticed.

I'm going to check if the berry truck is still there later today. It was just outside (west) of Marquette. If they are not there, I might take a trip to one of the strawberry farms in that whole Copper Country area on Saturday, just for something interesting to do. If you have a farm suggestion, I'm all ears. Those freekin berries are fantastic. I'm kinda hoping I don't have to drive the whole way up from where I am (Gwinn,) I assume there will be roadside stands, but I've learned from previous roadside blueberry purchases, that you have to be sure of the product. Kinda sounds like something illegal, I know - lol. The ones yesterday were 5.50 a quart for 8 or more quarts, 6.00 quart for less. I'm guessing they were a touch cheaper back in the day?

seebee wrote:I'm going to check if the berry truck is still there later today. It was just outside (west) of Marquette. If they are not there, I might take a trip to one of the strawberry farms in that whole Copper Country area on Saturday, just for something interesting to do. If you have a farm suggestion, I'm all ears. Those freekin berries are fantastic. I'm kinda hoping I don't have to drive the whole way up from where I am (Gwinn,) I assume there will be roadside stands...

Score!
I found a roadside stand MUCH closer that has the goods. 6 bux a quart for a flat or more. I talked with my mother in law last night about these berries, she agreed with me that the strawberries are more special than the blueberries. These strawberries are a different breed. The blueberries up here taste like blueberry candy SHOULD taste. The strawberries taste like homemade strawberry jam, but with a hint of sweet strawberry flower, nothing over the top floral, but just enough to make you say "whoah!" (and then eat 20 more.)
It's gonna be a strawberry shortcake dessert wknd up in here.

Shaping up to be a banner year for the wild blueberries up here. We've been picking a few hours at a time in one spot, and haven't even scratched the surface. I'm thinking we have at least 50 cups already. We're trying to organize a whole family "all hands on deck" picking meet-up in the next few days because the amount in this one area is enough to supply our three small connected families for the entire year until next season. After we get our fill, THEN we'll share the spot with the extended family, so they can get their fill.

It's SERIOUS business. No games played.

I also saw someone selling thimbleberries for 30 bux/lb in Baraga through a FB Mktplace posting.

We've also been hitting Friday fish fries in the area - post coming.

I don't know if you ever had the wild strawberries up there. The big ones may be the size of your little fingernail. Takes a while to get a bunch but whoa...... that taste is incredible.

We've started an informal "Friday Fish Fry Search" for our area, which is basically Gwinn, Michigan. Not too much in the area, but I think we'll start expanding next summer

Crossroads has some legit competition!

The Throttle Bar&Grill: We've mostly been going here because the waitstaff has kinda won us over with kindness. Not that the fish isn't up to par, because it IS. We've had the baked whitefish, fried perch, and fried pollock. Last year, the fried pollock was trash so we shied away, BUT, we had some worthy intel that they changed the pollock, and it was actually good again. The other fish options are truly good, but the fried pollock is the only AYCE option on the menu. When we tried it before, it was thin, and far overcooked - dry, crappy. After we got word of the change, we went back and it was really good. Apparently, several customers complained about it. It had been good before, then changed to trash, now it's back to good again. Meal comes with a dinner roll, slaw, tater choice, and choice of fish. Their tartar sauce is a touch on the spicy side, but they use sweet relish, so I'm not a fan. Fried pollock is the only AYCE option, but the other fish choices have been solid. The Throttle is attached to Brown's Grocery Store, which is a tiny, tiny, place that offers a few homemade specialties, and fresh steaks/meats. They normally have a few homemade local specialties on offer, like pasties, potato sausage, porketta, and more. Just remember that it's TINY. If you go, don't expect some full service grocer. It's really more of a convenience/booze store, that happens to have a deli counter with some cool stuff.

https://www.thethrottleup.com/index.html

Happy Hour:
VERY solid, not as good of a bargain as Crossroads' Lake Trout, or the AYCE Pollock at The Throttle, but still very good. It's a bit of a brighter bar&grill spot compared to the others - it's surprisingly nice and bright inside, and they even have a little outdoor seating. We've only been once and really enjoyed it, but The Throttle and Crossroads, all in all, were better values. I wouldn't hesitate to get the fried cod or perch at Happy Hour though. It's not expensive by any means, and it was good, too. We're actually going back to try it again this evening. No website to share, sorry.

Happy Hour Bar
5 E Stephenson Ave, Gwinn, MI 49841


For a Bar&Grill in the area, even though it's a bit of a hike from us, I'd say we are bigger fans of Crossroads than all of the others. We are far closer to The Up North Lodge, but it's gotten more expensive, more crowded, and frankly, it's noticeably just not as good as it used to be. There's not a lot to choose from in these parts, so when we go out for a meal, it's worth it to drive right by some of the closer places, and hit Crossroads.

http://crossroads906.com/

Ok, so we returned to Happy Hour in Gwinn for the Friday Fish Fry. We all like the place. We all liked the fish. But, it's not the best in the area. The service is super friendly, the place is bright, the bar are is jovial with regulars that will happily say "Hi" and strike up conversation, but, they've raised their prices, and it's just not worth it. The fish is solid, don't get me wrong. But, for their prices, I would expect MUCH better sides. examples:

Fries: trash. Foodservice, dirt cheap. I'd bet 68-79% of people over 6 yrs old would scoff at these. VERY noticeable poor quality.

All sauce options were food service low-mid grade. Most were the individually wrapped- single serve thingies, but lower end brand. Sour Cream, margarine, lemon juice - all came in packets. The ranch dressing had that mass produced, chemically, gallon jug, and then poured in a 1oz single serve cup flavor. It was NOT a good brand. The tartar sauce was a sugary mess. Fake sugar mayo, and sweet relish. If it was made on-site, I'd be extremely surprised. The FISH, however, was decent. Cod / perch / Scrimps - I'm sure they were frozen foodservice, but, still good.

If they put a little more effort into their sides, it would approach being worth it. As is, we don't need to go back, since The Throttle is only a few minutes away. I can almost guarantee we're going to The Throttle next Friday for therapy.