- Life & Leisure > *Life & Leisure F1 > TCD Traveler: Christmas at the Lake
- December 4th, 2011
- |
- By Robert Bundy
- (4)Comments
- |
- Archives and RSS feed for Robert Bundy
TCD Traveler: Christmas at the Lake
|
A sweet nutcracker nestled amid holiday decorations at the Osthoff Resort's Christmas Market.
Story & photography ©Robert Bundy
I’m strolling with my wife and young son through a colorful, bustling aisle at the 14th annual Old World Christmas Market at the Osthoff Resort at Elkhart Lake, a quick one-hour drive north from Milwaukee. Evergreen trees twinkling with lights frame the stalls and cedar boughs and garlands trim seemingly every available surface.
In faithful evocation of a traditional German Christkindlesmarkt, the booths are festooned with glittering decorations and wreaths of evergreen, birch, and juniper berries. The displays are filled with Black Forest Cuckcoo Clocks, bright, hand-painted Russian nesting dolls and other hard-carved children’s toys, whimsical winter hats and bold-patterned sweaters, elegant artistan jewelry, delicate laces and beautiful decorations in cut, stained and blown glass from the Czech Republic that splinter and multiply the light in all directions.
The actual Santa Claus makes a special surprise appearance.
Vendors, many with Bavarian accents, offer hot spiced wine, frothy cocoa and excellent German beer. Tables are piled high with candied nuts, marzipan, gourmet European chocolates filled with liqueurs, and other sugary treats that will make your fillings ache just to look at them. Homemade spiced sausages from Nurnburg sizzle on a grill and people are lining up to dig into schnitzels, buttery spätzle, red cabbage and other hearty German classics as they sit around a great Christmas tree in the center of it all.
A roving, picture-perfect Father Christmas leans down to give our wide-eyed son some insider tips on the old naughty-or-nice ground rules — a refresher course from the man himself is always welcome — before departing with a wink of his eye and a turn of his head.
It’s all completely charming, and we’re grateful to be part of the happy jostle of shoppers gearing up for December 25. If you’re looking to get a little touch of the holiday spirit, a stay at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake should be at the very top of your Christmas list.
The Osthoff Resort
As nice as it is to visit the Old World Christmas Market, it’s even nicer to plan to stay a night or two at the Osthoff itself. This AAA Four Diamond resort has a history that goes back to the 19th century, though the current structure dates to 1995. Major renovations in 2005 added the Aspira destination spa, a conference center and additional suites. Great care was taken to preserve the feel of a gracious turn-of-the-century resort, but the contemporary kitchens, luxurious baths and posh appointments are all thankfully modern.
Elkhart Lake is perhaps best known for Road America. Built into 570 acres of rolling countryside, it is the longest natural road-racing track in North America and has been a key part of the international racing circuit since the 1950s. At events throughout the year, classic race cars of various vintages fill the streets, and car enthusiasts come from all over to take it all in. In fact, the town is so closely associated with racing that some don’t realize that there is much more here to interest the visitor than just auto racing.
What continues to lure visitors to the area in all seasons is the gorgeous lake itself, one of Wisconsin’s purest and deepest bodies of water, and a destination for vacationers since the 1860s. Even the stuffed deer’s head in the grand lobby seems unable to take his eyes off that splendid view. Watch a breathtaking sunset over the treetops in the evening and it’s easy to see why native Americans revered this land as a holy place for thousands of years.
Aspira Spa
The Osthoff Resort is also home to one of the Midwest’s top spas, Aspira, and the treatments here are exquisitely local, drawing directly from what the land offers in creating their relaxing and theraputic experiences. Everything about Aspira seems to arise out of meaningful contemplation, from the texture of the floors, to the artful placement of sacred objects, to the arrangement of rooms, to the echoing motif of concentric circles that appear throughout the architectural design of the spa itself. Ancient fossils subtly wink out here and there from the face of the locally quarried limestone. The heroically scaled doors pivot gently with the merest touch. The whole place just feels right.
The circular meditation room at Aspira revolves around a serene, candle-ringed pool fed by by a stacked limestone waterfall.
On the afternoon I visit Aspira, I pass a young woman bringing in an armful of freshly cut cedar boughs that she’d just harvested from the lakeshore for my Cedars Massage. In my private room she lays me face down on a table near a flickering fireplace and places a pot of steaming water infused with that fresh cedar under my face. It fills my head with its green herbaceous scent. After a relaxing massage from head to toe with grapeseed oil infused with rosemary and purifying sage, I am covered with a warm duvet stuffed with more cedar branches and the gentle weight of it feels like the perfect ending to the blissful hour.
Meanwhile, my wife samples the Chromatherapy Bath, a pod-shaped tub that conformed to her body while hundreds of tiny jets massaged her in a repeating cycle and gently morphing lights added to her deep relaxation. She finished with Aspira’s signature Elderberry Facial, a cleansing and energizing treatment that uses freshly macerated wild elderberries that were gathered from the hillsides and woods that ring the lake. She was scrubbed, exfoliated, moisturized and treated with a mask of violet clay that left her feeling toned and fresh. Her experience concluded with a hot cup of elderberry tea. Nice.
Afterwards, the two of us meet up in the circular jacuzzi room, grinning and dazed, and compare notes. Before we go, we step outside into the cold December air, doff our fluffy cotton robes and slip into the bubbling outdoor hot tub. Steam billows off the water’s surface as the first snowflakes of winter melt against our faces and the hot water swirls around our profoundly relaxed bodies. Talk about your religious experiences.
Fill Your Stocking
Hand-blown ornaments dangle from the sunny window of Two Fish Gallery
Elkhart Lake is a small town in the best possible sense. No more than a thousand residents call it home. It’s park-your-car-and-leave-it-while-you’re-here small. That makes it a joy to walk in all weather, as everything you could want is within a few blocks. It’s only two blocks from The Osthoff Resort to the center of town, so no matter what the weather, do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon browsing the local shops.
The town is anchored by the old train station, and all the stores are within a block or two. Here you’ll find adorable little stores offering antiques and art, high-end kitchen goods and Scandinavian candies, table settings, European cookbooks and more. Be sure and poke your head in Two Fish Gallery and Nordic Accents for some interesting and novel holiday gift ideas. Those visiting with little ones will be grateful to find a large playground also occupying the center of town for when the kids need to burn off a little energy.
Triple Feature
There are three truly first-rate restaurants in Elkhart Lake and — again– all are within spitting distance of each other. Two of them, The Paddock Club and Lake Street Café, are on the same block. Both restaurants have some lovely bottles in their cellars, and each impressed with sophisticated and creative kitchens. You might be tempted to stick with the first one you visit for your entire stay, but try all three if time allows.
Red wine braised shortrib at The Paddock Club
The Paddock Club is a very special restaurant. The homemade pastas are incredible, particularly the gnocchi, which was tender on the inside and browned to a delicate crisp on the outside, covered in oyster and shiitake mushrooms with asparagus, truffled tallegio fonduta and parmigiano reggiano. Another standout is the red wine braised shortrib with a potato pureé, roasted beets, radishes, brussel sprouts, carrots and a pine nut gremolata.
Note: do not underestimate Lake Street Cafe. Its funky and unassuming decor are greatly belied by some fantastic cuisine, and they’ve nabbed the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for seven years running. While you can grab a sandwich here, you can also be knocked out by a perfectly prepared cut of venison. You will be converted. And if you are a beer lover, don’t miss a tasty glass of Rowland’s Calumet, a genuinely distinctive nut brown ale brewed not fifteen minutes away, and only available on tap in this area.
Last but certainly not least, back at the Osthoff Resort is Lola’s on the Lake, a comfy leather-club-chair kind of place with great lake views and brilliant food. Try the pan-seared quail with caramelized parsnip and ginger chutney or the almond-encrusted duck risotto fritter for starters. Then treat yourself to the veal ragout with chestnut and potato gnocchi in a smoked veal cheek ragu, roasted chestnuts and SarVecchio cheese. Other standouts include the crispy pork belly, a butternut squash ravioli– they are often too sweet but this had a citrus note that made it more savory than sugary– and a chocolate trio of deserts that made a memorable finish to a great meal. If such a superb meal leaves you creatively inspired, you can sign up for cooking classes at the Osthoff’s L’ecole de la Maison and learn some techniques from the masters. Classes range from a three-hour workshop to two-day intensive courses.
Lake Street Café has an award-winning wine list, great beer and superb food.
It’s rare to see so much culinary talent so close together and so surprisingly collegial. The different restaurants and resorts here are exceedingly neighborly with each other, and regularly frequent each other’s establishments. The resorts and the shops are just the same way. Once again, in the best possible sense, it’s a small town.
Another reason to stay is the Osthoff’s wealth of upcoming activities, including holiday workshops for children, cookie-decorating classes, holiday hayrides, and a breakfast with Santa on the 10th and 17th, and brunch with Saint Nikolaus and his reindeer on Sunday the 11th. And there’s more. The Osthoff is keeping things bustling right up until Christmas Eve and into the New Year.
When you Go:
Elkhart Lake is one hour north of Milwaukee at 101 Osthoff Ave, Elkhart Lake. The Christmas Market Package includes a one-night stay, two admission tickets and starts at $149 and runs through Dec. 11.
[...] with lights frame the stalls and cedar boughs and garlands trim seemingly every available surface. Read more. Be Sociable, Share! [...]
“MOTHER LOVED IT, EVERYONE!!”
Thanks, Mom!
XO
R
[Reply]
What a delightful week-end trip! Interesting sights and beautiful food dishes!
[Reply]
Nice Christmas Story. It sounds like a charming place. Can’t wait to visit there!
[Reply]