Door County Navigator

Food/Dining
Places to Stay
Shops
Activities

Food/Dining : Sturgeon Bay

Chef Andy's Nautical Inn
234 Kentucky St.
Sturgeon Bay
920-743-339

Chef Andy's Nautical Inn in Sturgeon Bay boasts the oldest bar in Door County! And now, the restaurant and bar was acquired in the Spring of 2009 by Andy Mueller, a 25 year veteran in the restaurant business. Good for us and good for Door County! He was head chef at another major Door County dining establishment for over 5 years. Experience counts, and it shows here at the Chef Andy's Nautical Inn - this was good eating!

When you walk in, you will see the oldest bar off to the right and the dining room, which holds about 80 or so, off to the left. So we headed in for at dinner time to check it out. The atmosphere is pleasant, welcoming and comfortable. We were greeted warmly, and waited only a few moments for our table.

First of all the menu is diverse, and there is literally something for everyone, including kids. There are nightly specials. Monday - Saturdays, and a brunch on Sundays during peak season, and even "early bird" specials.

The well-stocked salad and soup bar comes with your dinner, and there you will find iceberg lettuce, beets, tomatoes, onions, several pasta salads and more. There are also two soups available, and on our night here, there was chili and Cajun clam chowder.

Appetizers include simple things like cheese curds, to escargot, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, fried calamari, bruschetta and more. Main courses include steaks and chops, poultry dishes, pastas, seafood and house specialties. So you will find something you like! Rib eyes, pork chops, filets, New York strip and even lamb chops are waiting for you here. Unusual house specialties like a "Kona Porcini Filet," crusted with fresh ground Kona coffee and dried porcini mushrooms with a Courvoisier(tm) cream demi -glace await your taste buds! Or choose cashew chicken Amaretto, seafood marinara, crab stuffed shrimp, yellow fin tuna, baked whitefish or Norwegian Salmon!

For the kids, there are chicken tenders, buttered noodles, shrimp and fires, and spaghetti and meatballs.

And there's a whole lot more waiting for you at the Chef Andy's Nautical Inn!

Our Meal

We started off with the bruschetta appetizer, which included 4 large pieces of Italian bread smothered with sautéed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and goat cheese, drizzled with olive oil and a light (white) balsamic vinegar.. What a delightfully fresh taste - it was excellent in presentation and taste. We loved it!
Headed to the salad bar, and just tried the chili and the Cajun clam chowder. The chili was light and tasty, with ground meat and beans. The Cajun clam chowder had potatoes, celery, pieces of clam and a spicy, orange broth with a little kick. Mmmm good! Both reviewers liked it!

For main courses, we ordered the whitefish special, and the medallions of beef. The whitefish came accompanied with mixed vegetables, baby red potatoes, lemon and drawn butter. It was a large portion, dusted with seasonings. The fish was fresh, flaky and perfectly prepared. This is one selection that fish lovers will enjoy for sure.

The three medallions of beef, large portions, came with mixed veggies, baked potato. The medallions were covered in a rich, flavorful burgundy sauce, with mushrooms. This is a common sauce for such dishes, and had a flavor that complimented the meat exceptionally well.

We paired the fish with a local wine from the Door Peninsula Winery, a peninsula white; and the medallions with another local favorite from Simon Creek, their famous "Untouchable Red." Personally, some of the wines produced in Door County are excellent, and we are always happy to see the local restaurants offer some of these wines, allowing the traveler and locals alike to sample local fair.

For dessert, we tried a carrot cake which was loaded with chunky carrot bits and a rich, cream cheese topping. Awesome! Highly recommended, and carrot cake is one of our favorites.

We saw Chef Andy wandering the dining room, and we spoke to him after our meal and told him that we enjoyed our dinner and would return. He was very pleasant, and we could tell that he was genuinely interested in preparing great meals for anyone who comes into the Chef Andy's Nautical Inn.

Both locals and visitors dine here, and we can see why. Chef Andy has done a great job with the Chef Andy's Nautical Inn, and dining here is an absolute must if you are staying in Sturgeon Bay, and worth the ride if you are staying elsewhere. We had a very pleasant dining experience.

When you walk in, tell Chef Andy and the crew at the Chef Andy's Nautical Inn that DoorCountyNavigator.com helped navigate you to their place - they will appreciate that!