DEATH ROW LAST WISH
If I were in prison and on death row in those final minutes before my execution when they ask me about what I'd like to eat as my last meal on earth I know just what I'd say.
"Forget the clergy and the absolution of my sins, give me the menu from the Lewis Station Winery in Lake Mills"
Let me set the scene
Lake Mills is one of those quintessential Wisconsin towns so popular with vacationers and second-home owners from more urban cities in the region and beyond like Milwaukee and Chicago. Located a half-hour from Madison and wrapped around Rock Lake it's the perfect vacation location, near enough to a cultural center yet quiet enough to provide space to just chill.
The downtown is laid out in a typical town square fashion around a central park complete with a bandstand for summer concerts
that then transforms into a skating rink during the winter.
The village square is surrounded by vernacular architecture mostly from around the turn of the former century crowned by the Neogothic revival L.D. Fargo Public Library.
There are several antique stores, a world famous hotdog stand down the street
and one of the most beautiful pottery studios to be seen anywhere since Tiffany began producing art pottery.
Twice a year our favorite event is the Devine Treasures Estate Sale held in a church turned home where the sanctuary fills with great vintage and antique treasures. We have yet to leave empty-handed from one of these great sales
But the event that keeps bringing us back is lunch at the Lewis Station Winery. Housed in a former gas station and auto repair shop is the outlet for the winery filled with inebriates tasting the many wines offered at Lewis Station.
We don't really have a bunch of heavy drinkers in our family but come the end of winter the winery puts out its Knickerbocker Ice Wine. It's truly a Northern tundra specialty made from classic Riesling grapes quickly harvested once the first freeze has frozen the grapes having remained on the vine. It's a definite dessert wine with "an excellent balance of sugars and acid with gentle crispness and a delicate smooth, long, creamy finish". Served cold with a biscotti to dip it's the best finish to any meal or the perfect accompaniment to a delicious book while cozying up to a winter fire.
But we don't stop there. There are two dishes on their inventive menu that we will never pass up.
The first is a set of six pork ribs they cure and smoke like bacon and serve with a hot gooseberry BBQ and maple mustard sauce. A bowl of BTL salad and a basket of bistro bread are splayed out on a wooden cutting board. The menu labels it an appetizer but for us it's a main course that can be shared by two with leftovers to take home.
The second and my all-time never leave without and don't even peruse the rest of the menu must order even if you're not hungry is their
GOAT CRACK. Yes, I said goat crack! It's a terrine of Wisconsin goat cheese swirled with fig marmalade and roasted almonds served warm and then spread on more slices of their bistro bread. It got its name from its completely consuming addictive quality. Once you try crack you're gonna be back.
The cat's out of the bag. Lake Mills is not only worth going to but it demands return visits on a very regular basis and one of the few things that keeps Rick coming back to Wisconsin! If you find yourself unable to get there because of your incarceration ask your warden to add the goat crack, bacon cured rib and a glass of Knickerbocker Ice Wine to your final meal request.
THE GALLERY
Camp Longwood, 2013
Bruce Weber, photographer
Represented by Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles
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