Art With A View: Suttons Bay Art Festival

What a day! I spent the first Saturday in August meandering the annual Suttons Bay Art Festival in northern Michigan. The artists' tents back up to the beach and marina - what a view! It is interesting that you can see the vistas that inspired so many of the artists. 

I bought this darling bracelet of blown glass beads by Suellen J Parker of Case Island Glass. The image is a little blurry, as I was taking the photo of my own wrist, but you can get the idea. It has layers of vibrant colors in smooth oval discs. I love it. This is a terrific art show in a fabulous setting. Come visit!

Little Bee's Italian Ice in Suttons Bay

How can I have missed sharing this little gem with you?  I have loved Little Bee's Italian Ice in Suttons Bay for years, yet somehow I missed writing a blog post about it.  When I went to congratulate them today on making the cover of Edible Grand Traverse, I realized my oversight.

Jennifer and Tony are the artists and icy engineers that make Little Bee's incredible desserts.  Gelato, Sorbet and Italian Ices are made in house, in small batches daily.  I once walked into the shop when Jennifer was squeezing lemons and I thought, "Wow, they aren't kidding around. Fresh lemon juice, indeed."

And of course, the lemon ice was cold and tart and perfectly refreshing. Each summer I stop in as often as possible and I'm always greeted with a smile. 

The Suttons Bay shop also serves as an art gallery for Jennifer's landscapes and Tony's figurative sculptures. They have fashioned a creative life for themselves that I can appreciate. 

The couple concentrates on their frozen desserts in the spring and summer when Michigan fruit is fresh and the town is busy, and then they teach and work on their artistic endeavors (that will ultimately be displayed in the shop the next Spring!) during the quiet Winter months from November to May.

This is their vibrant all-natural sorbet on the cover of the Summer 2014 Edible Grand Traverse magazine. You can read the entire article online here - page 23 & 24.  Congratulations, Tony and Jennifer!

Leelanau County: 9 Bean Rows

Even the natural lighting makes the new 9 Bean Rows cafe in Suttons Bay feel French.  You see it too, right?

We were some of the first to eat at the new cafe.  I have been tracking down the 9 Bean Rows croissants for 2 summers now (remember this?) and when I heard that they were opening a lunch spot in a nearby town, I could hardly wait. 

My first lunch at 9 Bean Rows was a hot croque monsieur and an order of french fries with garlic aioli, that I shared with my friends. We savored our lunch and enjoyed a chance to linger.  This would be the perfect place to duck in some afternoon and have some wine, bread and cheese before a movie.  

I am really happy that another great restaurant has opened on the Leelanau Peninsula. Beautiful fresh bread, tender pastries and fresh-from-the-farm (their farm!) ingredients.  Simple and delicious.

Breakfast at Martha's Leelanau Table in Suttons Bay

One of the things I love about summer is meeting friends for breakfast at Martha's Leelanau Table.  During the year, it isn't realistic to think that we can meet for a leisurely breakfast; our schedules just don't allow for it.  Yet when friends of mine are on vacation out on the Leelanau peninsula (Suttons Bay, Leland, Northport, Glen Arbor), it is the "breakfast" time slot that makes a lot of sense for us to get together. 

Their children are still asleep or puttering around the house with dad having pancakes and the big plans for the day (dune climb, boating) are scheduled for later in the day.  My friends know that I am in Leland for big chunks of the summer and call me to meet up for a visit and some one-on-one chats.

I always suggest Martha's Leelanau Table because the food is delicious, the atmosphere is bistro-like and we can usually score a table on the garden patio outside.  Who doesn't enjoy eating breakfast al fresco?

I like their huevos rancheros (corn tostada with scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese, black beans, Martha's salsa and sour cream) and on this particular morning I had Dan with me, so we split an order of cherry bread french toast (french toast made with cherry bread and served with cherry preserves 
and Leelanau maple syrup) too.  Yum yum yum yum yum.

The next time you are on vacation within reach of a good friend, put "Meet (insert name) for breakfast" on your list of things to do.  Somewhere after "go kayaking" and "eat S'mores."  You'll make a whole different kind of vacation memory. 

Martha Stewart Spotlights Leelanau Peninsula

Martha Stewart Living magazine is touting what we've known for years...the Leelanau Peninsula is the place to be in the summertime.  Have you noticed that many of Martha's picks have already been spotlighted in my blog?

I've written about:

• visiting The Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Northport
• the endless inspiration for photographers at the Sleeping Bear Dunes
• reflections on the Leland Harbor
• the satisfaction of eating fresh pastries by 9 Bean Rows
• a taste of raclette by the Leelanau Cheese Company
• visiting historic Fishtown and making "tug" cookies
• buying and grilling fresh whitefish from Carlson's
• a girl's lunch at Martha's Leelanau Table

Good times!  Martha Stewart has directed everyone to some great spots - but she barely scratched the surface!  I am looking forward to another wonderful summer here on the Leelanau Peninsula.  Stay tuned for photographs and stories highlighting the best of the best.  And look in my "City Series" section in the right hand sidebar - I have my "Leland" and "Leelanau Peninsula" posts there.  

To see Martha's list, look at this online article (a companion to the July issue of Martha Stewart Living). 

2012 Suttons Bay Flotilla

Everyone was rooting for a world record.  Could the Suttons Bay Record Paddle Challenge (called the "flotilla") on September 1st break the record of 1,902 kayaks and canoes rafting in one place?  The inspiration was to raise funds for the local school district (kayaks/canoes paid a registration fee to participate) and although they missed the record by less than 200 kayaks, I would call this event a success!

Click here to see an aerial photos of the flotilla on the official Suttons Bay Flotilla website - it's beautiful. The color of the water and expanse of sandbar makes "the bay" look otherworldly.  If that photo isn't an enticement for families to come to Suttons Bay, I don't know what would be.  And the kayaks look like birthday party sprinkles in the water!

I was in Suttons Bay the night before the event and couldn't resist taking this photo of the pre-registered kayaks lined up in alphabetical zones (organized by registrant's last name).  

I talked to one of the tween boys dragging the kayaks into place.  We agreed that we couldn't believe how many colors of kayaks there were and I said to him, "Wouldn't it be neat if they were scented?"  He said, "That would be sweet!"  When I asked him what color and scent he would want his to be, he said "orange" on both counts.

I would have said "pink" and "bubblegum," but he didn't ask.

Leelanau Peninsula: Perfect Tart Cherry Pie

Michigan produces three quarters of the nations tart cherries and this year we have had a devastating crop loss due to an early freeze.  The bright red cherries in the left side of this photograph are tarts and I bought one of the containers to make a fresh cherry pie.  

I was at the farmer's market in Suttons Bay on Saturday and I spoke to the farmer himself and he jokingly said, "That's most of my crop this year."  To hear him talk of it, broke my heart, but that is the business of farming, if Mother Natures throws a curve ball, the farmers have to cope.

I was glad to support him with a purchase (I bought a carton of the dark sweet cherries too) and the tarts made the best cherry pie ever!  

Fabulous Cherry Pie

2 frozen deep dish pie crusts

4 cups washed and pitted tart cherries

3/4 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons quick tapioca

1 tsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the package of frozen pie crusts and cut the rim off of one of them.  Tip it out of the tin pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the circle of pie crust into long strips with a knife - this will be your lattice.

Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.  Stir well and pour into whole frozen pie shell.  Lay the strips of crust across the pie and arrange into a lattice or basket weave pattern.  Pinch dough strips to edge of pie shell to seal the strip.  Brush crust lattice and rim with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle entire top of pie with a little white sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with creamy vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Watermelon Gazpacho

If a waitress ever mentions "Watermelon Gazpacho," say "Yes!"

I have been meaning to experiment with this type of cold soup - something that could be sweet, spicy and refreshing. This soup was made with an incredibly small dice of celery, cucumber and other crunchy bits - I loved it and am made up a recipe for myself (and you!).

My gorgeous lunch is from Martha's Leelanau Table in Suttons Bay, Michigan. Martha's is a relatively new restaurant in Leelanau county and I was pleased when chef Mario Batali praised Martha's in Esquire magazine last year. What a compliment!

Do you remember my Mario Batali story?