Captain's Cabin - Crooked Lake, Angola, Indiana

	April 13, 2007 issue of The Journal Gazette : DINING OUT Restaurant Reviews
		Cuisine: Seafood Rating: 5 Star Captain's Sailing for Perfection by Ryan DuVall
		It's not quite warm enough to get the boat out of the garage, but in my book, it is never too early to head to the lake for some food. As a matter of fact, during my first visit to Captain's Cabin on Crooked Lake in Angola, I was reminded that the lake can be even more inviting in the dead of winter. A man was walking his dogs across the quaint, snow-covered lake during that first visit. And my 4-year-old loved that the restaurant's parking lot is right on the water and spent about 10 minutes playing on the ice before we headed inside for supper. Captain's Cabin is, indeed, a cabin. The tables have log for legs, and the reflections of the candles on every table flicker on the glossy-finished log walls and ceilings. The view from the dining room is breathtaking. So, with a great view and a perfectly chilled martini in a fancy stainless steel glass in one hand, I dove right into the menu, which was heavy on the seafood. For starters, I opted for the creole shrimp and a cup of clam chowder. Before I received either, I was given a basket with a variety of crackers and a crock of cheese spread. The spread - a Wisconsin cheddar I am sure - was thick and rich, and I had to slow down because I was eating too much of it. Then, a basket of Amish-style rolls arrived. These yeasty, chewy, oddly shaped rolls were perfect, and I really had to stop before I filled up. The shrimp appetizer was served over Captain's Cabin's signature bleu cheese slaw. It included four gigantic, perfectly cooked shrimp smothered in a zesty, more-peppery-than-spicy sauce. The slaw, which can also be ordered as a side, was quite savory.If you like your slaw sweet, you will not like this. And if you don't like bleu cheese, you probably won't love this slaw. Captain's Cabin makes it's bleu cheese dressing from scratch, and it is heavy on the cheese. The clam chowder was creamy with a decent amount of potato, celery, onion and a few spices. Although the clams were chopped a tad too fine for my liking, the broth was bursting with the essence of clam, so there was no mistaking this for potato soup. During this first visit, I went right to the top for my first entree and sampled the large South African cold-water lobster tail. The 16-ounce behemoth sells at market price, which was a hefty $62 when I dined. It was worth every penny. Forget the "Lobster fest" commercials you see on TV from the chain with the big red crustacean - this tail blows away anything you can get there. Perfectly browned on top (i.e. very lightly), this tail was tender and sweet with just enough texture from the broiler. It was served with a candle-heated crock of butter and a half lemon, which was nestled inside a cute little mesh diaper of sorts, which prevented seeds or pulp from getting on the shellfish. If you are hankering for crab, you can get a pound of Alaskan king crab legs at market price, or if you need a little beef too, get the Captain's Combo Bull and Legs - a half-pound of those crab legs with an 8-ounce Black Angus filet. (note: you can get an 8-ounce lobster tail with the same filet if you order the Bull and Tail Combo). The crab legs, like the lobster were impressive-looking. They were already split and easy to handle - always an issue with legs, especially the spiny Alaskan ones - and there was a ton of stringy, sweet, delectable meat in each one. Was it as good as the lobster? No, but what crab is? But they were better than any legs I have had at other places. In this combo, the filet was truly king. This big filet, which is what I would call beef baseball, was seared perfectly on top with just a dash of salt and pepper. The meat inside was bright pink, and juice poured out onto my plate with every cut. It was simply tremendous. As was my first trip to Captain's Cabin. I ended my dinner with a bowl of the restaurant's somewhat famous peppermint ice cream, which was bright pink and full of tiny sweet bits of peppermint candy. Peppermint ice cream is a rarity these days, and peppermint ice cream as good as the one Captain's Cabin serves is even scarcer. By the time I made it back to Captain's Cabin for my second visit, the ice had melted away. But the picturesque view and quaint atmosphere were still there. And so were the crackers and cheese spread, and those great rolls. During this visit, I started with crab cakes and sampled a unique offering - the creamed herring. The crab cakes were quite nice - two big, meaty, pan-seared beauties with a rather boring honey mustard dressing, but a zippy little cucumber-orange pepper-tomato slaw that was the perfect garnish - but the creamed herring was, well, not for everyone, I am afraid. Served to go with those crackers, this concoction was full of flaky chunks of high-quality herring mixed with the standard chicken or tuna salad ingredients (mayo, pickle, etc.). If you love herring and don't mind a really fishy, cold fish salad, you will love this appetizer. It wasn't for me, however, and I quickly went back to the cheese spread. The day's soup selection was mushroom bisque. Topped with brown bread crumbs and a hearty sprinkle of parmesan cheese, this scrumptious, dark soup had big bits of fungi and a lot of black pepper. The cheese clung to my spoon all the way to the bottom of the cup and cut into the robust pepper flavor quite nicely. The creamed herring had me out of the mood for fish, but because the menu at Captain's Cabin is not so broad, I was left looking at the steaks again. I had already had the filet, and the only thing I was in the mood for was prime rib. However, prime rib is prime rib and, for the most part, it doesn't differ much from place to place, so I was hesitant to try it. I am glad I did. The prime rib at Captain's Cabin broke the mold for me. I have never had a prime rib that was so tender. To say it melted in my mouth would be, well, cliche' but the truth. Resting on a puddle of au jus and flanked with the perfect amount of fat, this was truly prime rib. I was told by one of Captain Cabin's chefs - who took time out to visit every table on this busy Saturday - that the prime rib is marinated and slow-cooked for an extended period of time at the supplier before it even reaches the restaurant. It arrives cooked to just below rare and is finshed off slowly in the cabin's kitchen. The end result is prime rib perfection. I save the best for last when I sampled the baked Norwegian salmon. No, it wasn't the slamon that was best; it was the add-on frog leg that took the prize. Captain's Cabin offers frog legs dinner, which includes five saddles or splits (two legs still joined at hip) and has all-you-can-eat legs every other Thursday - including this Thursday - but you can also add to any meal for $3 a split. These legs were huge and resembled chicken drumsticks. They were coated in a light, crispy batter that was similar to tempura, and the meat inside was tender, very juicy and mild. They were easily the best frog legs I have found in northeast Indiana. Oh yeah, the salmon was pretty good, too. Resting on a dill aioli and dusted with fresh dill on top, the meat was browned a bit on the bottom but was tender, flaky and superb. My second meal was rounded out perfectly by two additions that were not available during visit No. 1 - homemade German chocolate cake and carrot cake. The chef said he had been experimenting with the homemade desserts and serving them in the bar to see how they went over before bringing them upstairs. I was glad he decided to keep them because they blew away the standard food-service cheesecake offerings. When it was all said and done, there wasn't anything I would've changed about my visits to Captain's Cabin. The service was as perfect as the food. My meals were coursed perfectly so I wasn't rushed, the staff was eager to make suggestions, and I never found myself needing anything - it is one of those places where they even have an employee constantly circling the room with a water pitcher to handle refills. It may be a bit out of the way, but the view and the great food make it well worth the trip, no matter what the weather is like.