CLARITY THROUGH CREATIVITY FOR
The Woods
Baxter’s Bar & Grill at Arrowwood Lodge at Brainerd Lakes
BY: JEREMY MILLSOP
The trio of Matt Annand and Terri and Luke Ebnet hope to use creativity to turn confusion into clarity. The confusion stems from the name The Woods, which is what the Ebnets called their 13 acres on Highway 3 between Brainerd and Merrifield, which they purchased six years ago. Housed on the property prior to the purchase was an event center formerly known as Timbermist. Next to the event center was the bar and grill that used to be called the Chaparral Restaurant. Next to that was the Chaparral Bunkhouse. The Ebnets believed calling the entire property The Woods would make things easier. In truth, it made things more difficult because people weren’t sure in which of the many buildings an event was taking place or where The Woods was, so the old names kept popping back into use. So new names, new concepts and new ideas were created and with the help of Annand were implemented this season. The event center is now called the Gathering on 3. The restaurant is called b*merri gastro pub and the housing is still called The Woods. For 15 years Annand displayed his creative juices as a former chef and part-owner of 3 Cheers, which owns Prairie Bay, Sherwood Forest and Iron Range Eatery. Annand stepped away from his ownership role to become executive chef and creativity implementation engineer to help the Ebnets’ wild dreams become reality. “We weren’t short of ideas before, but once Matt came on board it makes it crazier,” Luke Ebnet said. “We’ll throw anything against the wall and see if it sticks. We’ve talked about treehouses in the back, but we can only do so much at a time. We’re on the right track, though, and this is the shot I’ve been waiting for. We have the right people at the right time.” 4 | 2020 Dining Guide |
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Brainerd Lakes Hidden Gem! Open Wednesday through Saturday 3PM - 9PM for food and bar until 11PM
Daily Dinner Specials! Baxter’s Bar & Grill (218) 822 - FOOD 6967 Lake Forest Road Baxter, MN www.arrowwoodbrainerd.com
