No, not at the same time. Just a quick look at two quick stops we made in Grand Marais at the beginning and end of our North Shore sojourn in early July.

Dockside Fish & Seafood was actually originally on my list of places to stop at for lunch—friends who’d eaten there some years ago recommended their fish and chips highly. However, on a Facebook group a number of people said that ownership had changed and that quality had dipped and so we opted to eat lunch at the Angry Trout right alongside instead. And I wish we’d eaten lunch at Dockside on our second day instead of at the Naniboujou Lodge—there’s no way it could have been more underwhelming than that meal was.

However, I ddi stop in at Dockside to buy some fish. The kitchen at the cabin we were staying at was fully equipped and we ate breakfasts and dinners in. And we were very pleased to be able to center our meals on local fish. Dockside had some fine smoked fish and also a range of fresh fish and seafood. The selection includes both local Lake Superior catch and things from more far-flung locations. They also have a limited fresh food menu and indoor and outdoor seating. And you can also buy other food items and cheese. I bought some very good local kippers and some fresh caught lake herring. I think on our next trip we’ll be buying even more fish from them.

Beth’s Fudge & Gifts, on the other hand, no one had told me anything about. While wandering the mean streets of Grand Marais after lunch at the Crooked Spoon Cafe we chanced upon a sign that offered free tastes of fresh fudge and there was no way to keep the younger brat from going in. It’s a large store with far more gifts than fudge—the usual tourist town souvenir selection—but the fudge is what everyone seemed to be in there for. They do indeed give free samples—far more generously portioned than seems good for business, if you ask me—and it didn’t take much for us to buy some fudge after tasting the samples.

Here’s a quick look at both establishments that may possibly entice other first-time visitors to Grand Marais. Take a look and let me know if there are other hidden gems in Grand Marais that we should check out whenever we get up there next.

This I actually purchased a at the large grocery store in town.

Another local legend I had mixed reports of.

Let me know which way you fall on the merits of Sven & Ole’s Pizza. And, oh, no need to tell me about World’s Best Donuts: we visited that house of excellence on more than one occasion. I’ll have a separate report on them next week.

My next food report will either be my last write-up from Montreal in June (dinner at Joe Beef) or my first write-up from our in-progress sojourn in DC. That’ll be on Thursday, probably, with another brandy review in between.