I first discovered the Olde Harbor Inn in our Portage Lakes District about 20 years ago. There are a lot of reasons why it became one of my favorites, not the least of which is that it offers by far the best dining room view of any restaurant in our area. In addition, it is really 3 or 4 restaurants in one. There is a formal fine dining seafood restaurant on the main floor, but there is also an informal bar and grille, a waterside Marina Bar & Grille that is somewhat pretentiously billed was the “Key West” of the north, and a private club, all of which are served by the same kitchen.
While I like going there for the view, the food has also been consistent and reliable. During those two decades, I am pretty sure the Harbor has had at least three owners. However, most of that time, the kitchen was run by Executive Chef Clayton Cundiff, who was a bit of an underground star in the area. Clay was very good with seafood, salad dressings, soups, and had an affinity for some unusual game dishes. He was one of the first to put some emphasis on presentations, and overall, I would rate his work on the fine dining aspect as very solid. Of course, the fact that he had to also turn out a burgers, chicken wings, and shrimp menu for the dockside bar and grille meant there were some compromises in the kitchen, but I can't find fault. The umbrella crowd got what they wanted, as did the white tablecloth people one floor above.
Recently, however, Cundiff has moved on, and the new Executive Chef is Michael Ferris. In fact, lots of changes over this past summer have seen Stephen Burroughs take over the ownership, and general manager Thom Davis also departing. I've made three visits since these changes, and the current menu is still built around Cundiff's recipes, although they are adding in some new dishes on an almost weekly basis. From my experiences, I would say that nothing has really changed so far as the quality of either the food or service is concerned.
One of my favorite appetizers remains on the menu, a lobster crepe filled with big chunks of shellfish, mushrooms, and a sweet corn sauce that provides just the right salty counter-point. A couple of other first rate appetizers are the mussels in tomato/garlic/basil/Chablis broth, and their own shrimp cocktail of butterflied poached shrimp with house made creole sauce. For those who like to make meals out of small plates, I also have tried the lamb “loli-chops” and the lobster rolls, a take on a traditional New England favorite.
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