“Work is the curse of the Drinking Class” is one of the favorite expressions of a club member of mine, and sometimes it is so true.  Here we are, up in the serene setting of Crystal Mountain and my Bride has to make a business call.  I guess it wasn’t too bad, as it was not that far out of the way and we have gone to Frankfort on a couple of different occasions any ways.  After her business call, we had the chance to explore the area again.   Frankfort is a charming boating community with a large marina, in the old days there was a ferry service to the two states across Lake Michigan, but that service has been shuttered.  We walked up and down the downtown district, which is quite a good size and one of us did a bit of shopping and one of us was looking for some place new to have lunch at; and I think that the two roles are pretty easy to decipher.

We ended up having lunch at Dinghy’s Restaurant and Bar on the main drag of the road, but not on the water side.  Just from the name of the establishment, one can figure out that they are taking a nautical approach to the theme and to the décor.  The restaurant had hanging from the ceiling the signs from the Pilot Houses of the old ferries that use to ply Lake Michigan, there were also nautical maps and lighthouses featured.  We were just going to have a quick and light lunch and get back to our group, so we skipped what Dinghy’s is really noted for, and that is their smoked food dishes.  My Bride had a Caesar Salad with chicken, as if she doesn’t eat that dish enough in her life.  I went with a burger with Cheddar and sautéed onions, which I really don’t eat that often and I had an order of sweet potato fries, because I knew that would make my Bride happy.

As for our libations, our orders can sometimes get mixed up and it is understandable.  My Bride had the big robust wine, while I had the light white wine and they were both against the usual norms of pairing with our dishes.  My Bride had the Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2017 from the Mendoza region of Argentina.  I have found out that Trapiche uses Oak Cask or Reserve for the same wine, depending on the market.  Trapiche is one of the largest wine producers in Argentina and they now produce about one-hundred-thirty-three-million cases of wine a year, with multiple labels and categories, but Malbec is almost half of their output.   I went with The Prisoner Wine Company “The Snitch” Chardonnay Napa Valley 2016 and I think that I enjoy their wines as much as I enjoy their tongue-in-cheek attitude especially for the labels.  This wine company was originally made by Orin Swift Cellars, but they were sold to Honeeus Vintners in 2010, who later sold to Constellation Brands in2016.  Here is a Napa Valley Chardonnay with just a touch of Roussanne that is affordable and enjoyable, as the fruit came from Oak Knoll and Carneros.  What a fun way to spend a couple of hours with my Bride, because of her work.