Midwest Guest

Wine and chocolate pair for romance at Discovering Ohio

Wine and chocolate are the perfect pairing when it comes to romance, and I revisit one of the country's premiere wine producing regions this month for a sweet story at Discovering Ohio.

Midwest Guest readers may remember my previous visits to this region to stay at the lodge, check out the wineries and to visit many of the region's romantic covered bridges.

This time, check in at the Ohio State Park Lodge in Geneva-on-the-Lake, just 50 miles east of Cleveland, and explore several wineries in the Ohio's Grand River Valley wine country just in time for Valentine's Day in my most recent story at the Ohio Tourism Division's Discovering Ohio blog.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Great Eats in the Twin Cities, Part 2

We check back in with Jessie Voigts today for more of her favorite Twin Cities restaurants. Missed Part 1? Check it out here.

More great eats in Minneapolis

1. Big 10 Restaurant and Bar
606 Washington Ave SE, 612-378-0467

Head up the road towards the University, and you'll find the best sandwich in the Cities. Yes! The Big 10 Restaurant and Bar is chock-full of sports memorabilia, and there is a bar area, but locals flock here for the delicious sandwiches. I recommend the Turkey Sandwich - on fresh baked sub buns, piled high with lettuce and onions, melted cheese, and a garlic mayonnaise that is out of this world. Yum!

2. Shuang Cheng Restaurant
1320 4th St. SE, 612-378-0208

Also near the University of Minnesota, in Dinkytown, is the best Chinese restaurant in the Cities. Forget everything you know about Chinese food, and ask the waiter for specials (written high on the wall, in Chinese). It will be worth your while! The roasted green beans are especially delicious, and we always end up with a whole fish to share at our table.

3. Crema Cafe
3403 Lyndale Ave S, 612-824-3868

For dessert, head down past (and east of) Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles for some delicious homemade ice cream at Crema Cafe. They have a cute courtyard for al fresco eating, as well as plenty of seats inside. On the weekends, they have music. But the big draw is their high-quality ice cream, with so many unique flavors.

4. Birchwood Cafe

3311 25th St E, 612-722-4474

This is the place to go for quality homemade food - their desserts (with a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream) put everyone else to shame. They get crowded at breakfast, but it is worth it. And their lunches? Delicious!

More great eats in St Paul

1. El Burrito Mercado
175 Cesar Chavez St., 651-227-2192
http://www.elburritomercado.com/

I remember when El Burrito Mercado was a small grocery store with a tiny area in which to eat. Now, they've expanded both the grocery store and the restaurant, and given the whole place a facelift. The outside is beautifully painted, and the inside is just full of the gorgeous colors one would expect from Mexico. The menu? Authentic Mexican food, and plenty of it. I love the Barbacoa, and get it every time. I have to say, even though I am completely stuffed from it, I still need to get some tortillas, fresh veggies, spices, and other items from the grocery on the way out. You shouldn't miss it!

2. Sawatdee
486 Robert St N, 651-528-7106
www.sawatdee.com

There are two locations, one near the stadium in Minneapolis, and this one, near the St. Paul Farmer's Market. My husband haunted this location for years, as his 4x a week lunch spot. Their buffet is lovely, and they also have a full menu. And, better yet, they don't smirk when I order "zero flames"...a plus in my book! Try the Massamun Curry. YUM!

3. Moscow on the Hill
371 Selby Ave, 651-291-1236
www.moscowonthehill.com

An old world Russian restaurant, this is a favorite of mine for a true Russian dining experience. Ukrainian dumplings, dolma, blini, tea smoked chicken, salmon - the choices seem endless (and are quite delicious!).  This is a fantastic way to get your fill of Russian food without buying a plane ticket.

4. Little Szechuan

422 University Ave W, 651-222-1333 (also a location in St. Louis Park) http://www.littleszechuan.com/

The very best Chinese food in all of the Twin Cities, and highly recommended by our friend Chuck at Explore Minnesota. Even with our loaded food plans, we end up eating here twice.

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com

Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission

Great Eats in the Twin Cities, Part 1

Midwest travelers won't go hungry when they're with Jessie Voigts! Midwest Guest readers who enjoyed her article, 5 Best Places to eat around Saugatuck, Michigan, should enjoy this two-part series (starting today) about her favorite places to eat in Minnesota's Twin Cities.

 

Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota (known as the Twin Cities), are chock full of excellent food and great culture.  There are plenty of ethnic influences, besides the traditional Scandinavian ones you’d expect, and a well-established gourmet food scene.

Whenever we plan a trip to the Cities, there are always more restaurants that we want to visit than we have time to eat at in one trip (even thinking about four meals a day, which has happened on occasion).

How to decide? Here are some of our favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities. They are all family-friendly, easy on the budget, and boast great food.

Great eats in Minneapolis

1. Black Forest Inn
1 E 26th Street, 612-872-0812

A lovely German restaurant - with incredible decorations (beautifully painted inside and out, and a gorgeous stained glass panel and lamps), great food, and the best outdoor patio in the Cities. A trickling fountain in the leafy courtyard helps you relax while you ingest incredible spaetzel, sausages, or a variety of authentic German dishes. (And how can you not love a restaurant with the street address of 1?)

2. Quang Pastry and Deli
2719 Nicollet Ave, 612-870-4739

Just down the road from Black Forest, in a street populated with both fantastic and nondescript restaurants, Quang's stands out. They used to be across the road, but built a new place with parking, and I couldn't be happier. Try the Royal Bun - a fantastic noodle dish with several Spring Rolls scattered atop, along with fresh herbs. But just about anything you order here will make you happy.

3. Sinbad Deli & Market
2528 Nicollet Ave S, 612-871-6505

Right up the street from Black Forest and Quang's is a tasty Middle Eastern deli (great takeout) with an incredible lunch buffet. Oh my! Forget the buffets with filler and cheap food - this one looks small, but is filled with authentic delicious Middle Eastern Foods. Oh, I am getting hungry just thinking about it!

 

Great eats in St. Paul

St. Paul is a very different city from Minneapolis. Despite being right across the river from each other, they each shine in a unique way. Luckily for us, the food in both cities is stellar - lots of great choices for the foodie!  Here are a few of my hidden gem favorites:

1. Buon Giorno
335 University Ave E, 651-224-1816

This place is a little bit difficult to find, and is tucked away just north of St. Paul, amidst the tangled highways. There isn't a place to sit and eat there, but the takeout is just incredible. Order freshly made sandwiches, sides of all kinds of olives, and plenty of hot dishes. Definitely fresh meat and vegetables - and pick up a bottle of wine, or some authentic Italian groceries on your way to the cash register.

2. Cossetta's
211 7th St W, 651-222-3476

Yet another authentic Italian place, just one block south of the Xcel Center, Cossetta's is a wonderful experience. Kids will love it! You wind your way through a lavish grocery section to order your items. The problem is that there are so many luscious things to choose from that you have a hard time deciding. I highly recommend the lasagna, but you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Most of the tables are upstairs, but there are a few handicap accessible ones down on the main level.

3. Andy's Garage
1685 Englewood Ave, 651-917-2332

The original Andy's Garage was in a garage, but they had to move to the Midtown Exchange Building. Nevertheless, THIS is the place to go for old-school hamburgers, fries, and malts.

4. The Grand Ole Creamery
750 Grand Avenue, 651-293-1655
www.grandolecreamery.com

Who doesn't love ice cream? No one in Minnesota, as the lines at this ice cream store attest! Fantastic flavors, full cream taste - Ice Cream Perfection. Black Hills Gold, anyone?

Be sure to check back here on Thursday for Part 2 of Jessie's Great Eats in the Twin Cities series.

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com

Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission

Stopping at One Stop Coney Shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Midwestern hot dog connoisseurs love traveling from region to region to sample local specialty dogs, but hot dog mavens pressed for time can sample hot dogs from several different regions at the One Stop Coney Shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We stopped by this unassuming little hot dog joint for lunch when we were in town for ArtPrize at the suggestion of our friend Jessie from Wandering Educators and found an imaginative menu of Coney dog choices that included Chicago, Detroit and Flint style dogs.

We wondered if we should try a Chicago dog with its poppy seed bun, sweet relish, tomato, sport peppers, celery salt, mustard, onions and a dill pickle spear. We considered selecting a Flint-style hot dog with its loose-meat chili, onion and mustard, or going with our usual standbys of Detroit-style Coney dogs with their saucier chili, onion and mustard.

It was a difficult decision, but we opted for the One Stop's own Grand Rapids-style dog with chili, mustard, ketchup, onions and shredded dill pickles.

I normally don't care for ketchup on my hot dogs, but the "Grand Rapids" combo on ingredients really worked for me...so much so that I ordered it again when we went back the next day for lunch with relatives!

Tim is a real Coney dog fan, but as much as I liked the hot dogs, the Belgian-style fries accompanying them were the real stars of the meal for me (an opinion apparently shared by Ed over at Wandering Educators).

These fresh-cut, twice-fried frites come to your table in a large spiral steel cone lined with wax paper and, if you wish, there are several different sauces like garlic ketchup, curry mayo, curry ketchup or ranch to accompany your fries. You can also order with chili or cheese.

My advice? These fries are so crispy and flavorful that you don't really need the chili, cheese or sauces! The fries are soaked in filtered water and vinegar overnight, blanched at low temperatures to give them a fluffy texture inside, fried at high temperatures for a crispy finish, and sprinkled with low-sodium sea salt so they hit your table hot and full of potato flavor.

I saw several people skip the dogs entirely and just stop by for an order of fries for lunch while we were there.

The combo of a Coney dog, fries and pop will only set you back about $7 and makes for a hearty mid-day meal.

Don't feel like a dog? You can also get burgers (including a veggie variety), grilled cheese sandwiches, milkshakes or ice cream.

One Stop Coney Shop has a cozy and convivial atmosphere. Order at the counter, get your pop from a self-serve machine and grab one of the two dozen seats either at a small table or along a counter facing the street side window. Service is friendly and speedy, and One Stop's staff will bring your order to your table or bag it for take-out within a few minutes of ordering.

I also like One Stop's use of regional products like Koegel hot dogs from Flint and one of my all-time Detroit favorites, Vernor's Ginger Ale.

I dropped a dollar in what I supposed to be a tip jar on the counter and was surprised when one of the owners asked for my autograph. One Stop donates tips to local charities and all those who contribute autograph a poster board for permanent display on the wall. Charities change each quarter, and I saw quite a few autographed posters from previous fund raising drives displayed on One Stop's walls.

Brian and Leslie DeGalan moved from metro Detroit to open One Stop Coney Shop in 2009, attracted by Grand Rapids' vibrant downtown and growing college-age population.

Oh, and be sure to check out the building facade when you visit the One Stop Coney Shop, as it is one of several businesses in the 1930-vintage Willard Building. It takes its name from Dr. Willard Burleson of the Burleson Sanitarium, which operated in Grand Rapids from 1899 to 1968. Most people know the building as the Peacock Building these days, though.

Bottom line-Great dogs, but don't miss the fries! Great for a quick and affordable lunch. Eat in or take out. Regional specialties and products featured here.

154 Fulton St. East between Jefferson and LaGrave in Grand Rapids, Michigan

616-233-9700

Check out my review of One Stop Coney Shop on Yelp, and check out Matt's guest post here on Midwest Guest, Every Day has its Dog, for more Midwestern hot dog stops.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Foodie Finds: 5 Best Places to eat around Saugatuck, Michigan

Remember Jessie Voigts' great story about Saugatuck's Oval Beach in western Michigan that ran here in October? She's back with a great list of suggestions for Saugatuck eats!

There is so much to see and do in Saugatuck, Michigan. The beach! The shopping! And, of course, the food.  While there is a plethora of great restaurants in the area, here are my five favorites (three actually lie a few miles inland from Saugatuck, in the small town of Fennville):

• Su Casa

  Su Casa started in 1986 as a small grocery store with an attached restaurant. A few years ago, they completed a fantastic building next door housing a large restaurant, grocery store (love those fresh tortillas), an upstairs art/community space, and a club downstairs. It’s the best, most authentic Mexican food I’ve had in Michigan. You walk in and notice local art on the tables and walls, as well as a huge copy of a Diego Rivera mural. Once you sit down, you’ll be served fresh chips and bowls of pico de gallo, pickled carrots and hot peppers, and a green cactus salsa. Dig into the menu of authentic Mexican items – maybe a barbacoa? Carne asada? Seafood dishes, steak dishes, tamales, and more. You won’t be disappointed. You WILL, however, need a take-out box for your leftovers. Service can be slow because this restaurant is so popular. Take your time, catch up on all the discussion at your table, and even pop through the open door to the grocery store to snag some goodies.

  Su Casa

  306 West Main Street, Fennville, MI

  269-561-5493

• Salt of the Earth

  A new addition to the Saugatuck food scene in the last few years, Salt of the Earth is a rustic American bakery and eatery with an excellent wine and beer list. When you walk in, you’ll see a huge glass bakery case. If there is any bread left, be sure to buy your loaf now – these artisanal bread loaves go very quickly.  The menu items are creative and locally sourced. The atmosphere is calm and soothing, with a nice jazz background. The wood-fired pizza is an excellent choice, but there is also pan seared great lakes perch, Michigan sweet corn puree, roasted sweet onion gratin with ramps, sandwiches, and my favorite, Brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic. Salt of the Earth is definitely the place to go.

  Salt of the Earth

  112 East Main Street, Fennville, MI

  269-561-SALT (7258)

  

• Chequers

Chequers is an Olde English Pub tucked away on a back alley of the main drag in Saugatuck. It’s cozy (sit by the fireplace), well-decorated (raise a pint!), and has fantastic fish and chips. You can also get Welsh rarebit, a ploughmans’ platter, shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew, bangers and mash – well, you get the idea. While it can be very crowded in the summer, in the winter, locals come and sit for a spell.

Chequers

220 Culver St, Saugatuck, Michigan

269-857-1868

• Marro’s Restaurant

  Although we usually get their pizza, their Italian food is excellent. Noisy background, and closed for the winter (alas!). It’s very popular, and in an excellent location (good people watching both inside and out the windows). You can get their pizzas as takeout, if you prefer to not wait for a table, and eat elsewhere (like the beach, or the riverwalk, or your hotel). Marro’s is a family-owned restaurant (since 1971!), and is open from Tuesday-Sunday in the warmer weather, and late nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Can you tell this is THE place to be, in Saugatuck?

  Marro’s Restaurant

  147 Water Street, Saugatuck, Michigan

  269-857-4248

• Everyday People Café

  Award-winning restaurant with excellent food, very well prepared. Wait staff are professional and friendly. It’s a very crowded, busy place. At times, the seating host is a bit frazzled and less than polite. Be sure to go there on a weekday, when it is less crowded.

  You can make a meal from the appetizers – large portions of excellent mussels and a Greek salad. However, Otto’s farm chicken and spaetzle is delicious, as is the grilled salmon, roasted pumpkin pierogi, and the ancho braised brisket.

Everyday People Café

11 Center Street, Douglas, Michigan

269-857-4240

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel resource for global educators. Love to learn about the world? Head to http://www.WanderingEducators.com

Photos and text © Jessie Voigts 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission

Happy Thanksgiving!

The peak harvest time has pretty much ended here, but I thought I'd share a few photos I took during our last visit this season to the Northern Farm Market near Romeo, Michigan.

Romanesco Cauliflower

Carnival Squash

Brussels Sprouts

Assorted Gourds

Here's wishing everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving at this time of the year a happy holiday, and wishing for a bountiful harvest of all good things for every one of my readers.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Visiting Ohio's Grand River Valley wineries

California might immediately come to mind when you think of American wineries, but here's something else to think about-Ohio ranks in the top ten of this country's wine producing states and is home to more than 100 wineries, and 20 of those wineries are within 10 miles of each other in Ohio's Grand River Valley.

Debonne Vineyards

We first discovered the Grand River Valley last year, when we visited the area to tour its many covered bridges. We returned for a closer look at some of the wineries during a recent stay at the nearby Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake.

I'm familiar with wines in my home state of Michigan and its vineyards, but I loved learning that Ohio also has a strong wine industry.

The Grand River Valley's location near Lake Erie makes it ideal for growing American grapes like Concord, Niagara, Delaware and Catawba, as well as European grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. The lake moderates temperatures year round, circulating warm air to help prevent early frost to give grapes plenty of time to mature in the fall. The gently sloping terrain carries rainwater away from vine roots so they don't become oversaturated and dilute the grapes' flavor.

The Grand River Valley encompasses portions of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year, and the wineries we visited drew plenty of visitors during a beautiful, sunny weekend in early October.

The vibe was happy and relaxed as a good crowd of guests sampled wines and appetizers at the tasting bar at Debonne Vineyards in Madison. Guests could purchase a flight of wines, and maybe a cheese plate to accompany it, or single sample of the wines of their choice at the tasting bar. The weather was so nice during our visit that many visitors ordered meals from the grill to enjoy in the outside dining area with their beverages.

Peek through the dining room windows at Debonne to see everyone enjoying their food and wine outside!

Debonne is Ohio's largest estate winery and family vineyard, and offers estate-grown European-style wines like Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

Anton Debevc emigrated from the Slovenian state of Yugoslavia in 1914, establishing a fruit farm in Madison two years later. His son Tony helped expand the farm's vineyards in the late 1960s, and the family established themselves as commercial vintners in 1971. Today, a third generation of the family, headed by Tony's son Anthony, operates the winery.

Beth Debevc took us on a private tour of the winery and one of the family's newest ventures, Cellar Rats Brewery.

It was fun to glimpse the modern equipment like computerized wine presses and huge stainless steel tanks as well as huge hand-hewn oak barrels and hops from the sample garden.

Debonne Vineyards has more than 140 acres of vines and produces over 85,000 gallons of wine each year.

The microbrewery produces several seasonal and year-round signature brews like a wheat, or American Hefeweizen, ales and porters.

I tasted a few of the winery's Rieslings and purchased a couple of bottles of their Razzberry Riesling to take home with me. I'd hoped to taste some of the beers, but we had a long drive ahead of us to get home that evening, so that's something I'll have to save for a later visit.

We also stopped by Ferrante Winery & Ristoriante, another one of Ohio's largest family owned wineries.

The Ferrante family began making wine in 1937 when Nicholas and Anna Ferrante opened a winery in the Collinwood area of Cleveland. Their sons, Peter and Anthony, built a modern winemaking facility at the family's Harpersfield Township vineyards during the 1970s, opening a full-service Italian restaurant there to showcase their wine with food in the 1980s.

In 1994, a fire destroyed the restaurant, although it spared the wine production area, cellar and warehouse. The family rebuilt the restaurant in 1995.

Today, third-generation winemaker Nicholas Ferrante oversees production of more than 20 Ferrante wines, with a signature series made from estate-grown grape varieties like Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Gewürztraminer.

We enjoyed a meal in the restaurant overlooking the vineyard during a previous visit, when I first sampled Ferrante's Rieslings. This trip, we found a good crowd in the tasting room as I stopped in to pick up a couple of bottles of their American Riesling to take home.

Check out Tuesday's story to learn more about our stay at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, and come back next week for a new story about the Geneva State Park.

Want to learn more about the region's wineries? Check out Ohio's Lake Erie Wineries by Claudia J. Taller and Lee Klingshirn.

Thanks to Daisy Hall, the marketing and events coordinator at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, for arranging my interview with Beth Debevc at Debonne Vineyards. The Lodge also hosted us during our recent overnight trip to the area.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Visiting The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake on Lake Erie's southern shore

Generations of families love Geneva-on-the-Lake as a nostalgic summer resort when crowds stream down "The Strip", with its retro-style arcades, mom-and-pop shops and snack stands. Visitors during the rest of the year appreciate the quiet off-season as a great time to visit for a romantic retreat or weekend getaway in one of the country's premiere wine producing regions and covered bridge territory.

We've visited this area, about 50 miles east of Cleveland, during the summer, but we especially enjoyed our most recent visit and stay at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake this autumn.

The view from our second-floor room offered a panoramic view of Lake Erie, along with a bird's-eye-view of the lodge's dining patio and its pretty wedding gazebo. I'm remember thinking  I wasn't surprised that many couples book outdoor weddings here to take advantage of the Lake Erie backdrop as I watched a photographer set up some shots the morning we were there.

The Lodge, which is one of nine Ohio State Park resort lodges, has 109 guest rooms and suites, along with amenities like indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, a fitness center and game room, a few pet-friendly rooms, a guest coin laundry, a gift shop with a selection of Ohio-made products and local wine, and 8,500 square feet of meeting space seating up to 350 people in a banquet-style setting or 550 in a theater-style set up.

Charging extra for online access seems to be a pet peeve among frequent travelers like travel writers and photographers. I've never understood why the other Ohio State Park resorts I visited previously for conferences charged an extra fee for online access, so I especially appreciated The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake's free access to Wi-Fi and the Internet.

Visitors can connect from their room with a wired computer, or connect via Wi-Fi in several of the lodge's common areas like the soaring, four-story lobby with its huge stone fireplace.

Among my favorite features of the Lodge, was the paved trail running along Lake Erie and to nearby Geneva State Park.

We enjoyed walking and taking photos along the trail out to the park and its marina. I was tempted to rent one of the lodge's bicycles to take a ride along the trail, but we just didn't have the time to do so this visit.

We did have time to enjoy dinner at the lodge's Horizons Restaurant. The restaurant, renovated earlier this year, is a great octagonal-shaped space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Erie and a central fireplace.

The Lodge's Chef Russell Siegel offers a menu featuring Ohio-grown produce and products like the Ohio-bred steak Tim enjoyed that evening. I enjoyed my teriyaki-glazed salmon and the spicy calamari appetizer we shared at the table was a hit with us.

Guests wishing to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner will find a variety of Ohio wines on the menu.

Chef Siegel graduated from the Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, and worked at venues like the famous Pump Room and Soldier Field in Chicago, before joining the lodge's staff in March of 2011.

We chatted with Chef Siegel after dinner about local sourcing and some of the special holiday themed meals, local wine and beer tastings, and culinary sessions he planned for lodge visitors.

The restaurant's lounge is a nice place to enjoy an after-dinner drink and possibly some live entertainment, like the singer/guitarist entertaining guests the evening we were there.

Guests can also have a bottle of local wine delivered to their room, like the lodge's signature Grand River Valley Riesling that awaited us in our own room.

Horizons has a full breakfast menu and a breakfast buffet, where I caught up with Chef Siegel again as he prepared made-to-order omelets for guests.

After a hearty breakfast, we were ready to check out some of Ashtabula County's 18 covered bridges and over 20 local wineries.

Those heading out for a day at the wineries can leave the driving to someone else by taking The Lodge's wine shuttle, which runs Wednesday through Sunday in the summer and Friday and Saturday during the fall. Guests can reserve their spot at $15 per person for the convenience of not worrying about driving or parking and being able to hop and off of the shuttle at a half-dozen different wineries.

Come back later this week for more about our visit to the area wineries, or check out my previous stories about Ashtabula County's covered bridges.

Want to learn more about the village of Geneva-on-the-Lake and the nearby city of Geneva? Check out Geneva (Images of America) by Susan Bradburn.

Thanks to The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake, which provided one night's lodging, dinner, breakfast and the in-room wine package for my review, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinion about our stay, and the opinions expressed here are mine.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved

Pearl of the North

Anne Harris spends her time Up North near Traverse City and Empire, Michigan, and shares some of her favorite Up North places and discoveries with readers today.

Variety may be the spice of life, but for the past ten years, my husband and I have taken our summer vacation in the same spot. Up in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, nestled midway between Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes, is a little gem known as Pearl Lake. We go there every year and every year, and we find something new to delight us.

Composed of many small inlets, and in many places too shallow for motorboats, the Pearl Lake is bordered on one side by the Pere Marquette State Forest. This quiet, spring-fed lake is home to many different kinds of wildlife, including bald eagles, sandhill cranes, loons, and sugargliders.

My favorite thing to do up there is kayak. Tensions melt away as the still waters drift past my little craft and the vivid blues and greens of sky and tree greet my eyes. A dawn excursion rewards my early rising with the sight of sandhill cranes stalking the beach in the morning mist. Midday offers the neon hues of dragonflies and the serene circling of the eagles soaring on updrafts. There's nothing quite like the eerie call of the loons echoing across the lake in the late afternoon and at night I lay on my back and look up at the star-shot sky as I float on the dark, reflective water. It's as close to being in outer space as I'll ever get, or ever want to go.

Anne and Willy love kayaking

For those a little less outdoorsy -- like my dear, patient husband -- the area has many other points of interest. Bit by bit we make new discoveries. It's like unwrapping a new present each year.

Traverse City boasts a myriad of restaurants, cafes and shops. A favorite of ours is Morsels bite-sized bakery and café. Their tiny cakes and confections are small enough that you can try several. They have a nice outdoor patio where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and browse. Red Ginger serves up delicious, innovative Asian-inspired cuisine. Their menu changes constantly, but I will never forget their duck spring roll.

In the opposite direction, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, is Empire. It's a tiny little blink-and-you-miss-it town on the west coast of the state, where Highway 72 meets Highway 22. A stop in at the Friendly Tavern there is a tradition for us. This is a great local restaurant owned and operated by people who love food. Their burgers are the best, and they offer that ultimate in Up North dining, a burger with a side of smelt. After our meal, we usually need a walk, and the Empire Beach along the Lake Michigan shoreline fits the bill.

I almost always do a little shopping at The Secret Garden, featuring beautiful hand crafted gifts from artists all over the Midwest. One of the big discoveries in recent years is Grocer's Daughter's Chocolates, specializing in hand crafted delights made with sustainably grown chocolate and incorporating ingredients native to northern Michigan. Their lavender truffles are amazing. So is the Wally Bar with cranberries, cherries and almonds caramelized in local maple syrup.

Year after year, we explore the area, and in every corner we find something wonderful, delicious, or just downright fascinating. A few years back we discovered that the cottage across the lake from ours once belonged to Al Capone. This year we drove down to Frankfort and took in the awesome power of Lake Michigan pounding against the breakwater on a windy day. Another year we visited an organic farm and sampled food and wine from local growers and artisans.

I can't wait to find out what next year's discovery will be.

Red Ginger

237 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684
 (231) 944-1733

Grocer's Daughter's Chocolates

12020 S. Leelanau Highway (M-22) 
P.O. Box 103 
Empire, MI 49630
 (231) 326-3030

Morsels

104 Cass St., Traverse City, MI 49684 (231) 421-1353

The Friendly Tavern

11015 West Front Street
Empire, MI 49630 
(231) 326-5506

The Secret Garden

10206 Front Street 
P.O. Box 31
Empire, Michigan 49630 (231) 326-5428

Anne Harris is a novelist and a writing instructor. Her pen name, Pearl North, was inspired by the lake she and her husband visit annually. You can find out more about her writing at http://pearlnorth.com

Photos and text © Anne Harris 2011 All rights reserved, used with permission

A conversation with Chef Darren Hawley at Michigan's Crystal Mountain

A commitment to environmentally responsible policies and locally sourced goods at northwestern Michigan's Crystal Mountain Resort makes it ready to meet increasing consumer interest in locally sourced food.

That commitment was especially evident when I interviewed Chef Darren Hawley earlier this summer about his approach to working with local farmers and suppliers as he developed menus for the resort's restaurants.

Hawley, a 1993 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and owner of Stubb's Sweetwater Grill in Northport, credits Crystal Mountain's owners with a long-time commitment to fresh and seasonal menus using locally sourced ingredients.

"This has been a hot-button issue for the owners even before I got here five years ago," says Hawley. "They were way ahead of the curve with the issue."

Hawley enhanced the resort's early efforts of talking with their major suppliers about sourcing food locally whenever possible by building, and working directly with, a strong network of local suppliers.

"The first question we ask is 'can we get this product locally?'," he says. "We'll even ask if we can get a napkin locally before buying it elsewhere."

Hawley adopts a "'bulls-eye" approach to determine what is "local". He looks for sources within a 50-mile radius of the resort first, then search for suppliers within 100 miles of Crystal, and casts a net statewide if he can't find a product within the local region.

If Hawley can't find products within Michigan or the larger Midwest region, he looks for sources as close to the resort as possible in order to reduce shipping time and expense, while insuring the best possible freshness.

"There is a lot of diversity of local products here in Michigan," he says. "This is one of the most diverse states when it comes to produce, compared to other states."

Michigan offers an incredible variety of local food even as the seasons change, and Hawley says that proteins and berries are two categories where it is particularly easy to source food locally year round.

Many farmers in northwestern Michigan supply consumers and restaurants, rather than being large-volume processors. Supplying mostly local customers means farmers grow produce that tastes best or is best for particular dishes, rather than just growing varieties that won't perish easily during long shipment times. Local customers don't worry if an ingredient is too delicate for long-distance shipping or storage as they receive product shortly after harvest and can use it quickly.

Hawley says his most successful partnerships with suppliers are those who run regular routes to Crystal Mountain. Developing relationships with local suppliers means dealing with vendors who understand the resort's needs and respond quickly and consistently to those needs.

"I like to be loyal to those guys [local farmers and suppliers] because I want them to succeed, too," says Hawley.

Crystal Mountain also hosts a weekly farmers market during the summer. It's fun to check out the market and chat with the local farmers at the foot of the ski hill.

Price can be a challenge when working with small-scale producers and local farmers, but Hawley says that makes him think more creatively when developing his menus.

"I can buy a 99-cent-per-pound chicken, or I can pay $3 per pound for free-range chickens raised locally. We've just learned to use more of the bird in creative ways like using it in soups or tangines."

Menus at the resort's restaurants reiterate Crystal's commitment to food that is "thousands of miles fresher" by using local farms, wineries, breweries and artisan food producers to support the local economy and gain the environmental benefits of reducing the miles food travels before it reaches diners' plates.

Hawley changes menus with the seasons, but his philosophy about his dishes remains the same throughout the year.

"I like to do a simple preparation using what is fresh and make the local products shine," he says.

Check out recipes from Chef Hawley at northwestern Michigan's Taste the Local Difference web site.

Interested in using some of the Midwest's best food products? Check out Cooking with Wild Berries & Fruits of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan by Teresa Marrone, Cherry Home Companion: A Cherry Cookbook by Patty Lanoue Stearns, The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes by Heather Lalley or The Flavor of Wisconsin: An Informal History of Food and Eating in the Badger State by Harva Hachten and Terese Allen.

Thanks to Brian Lawson, Director of Public Relations at Crystal Mountain Resort, for arranging an interview with Chef Hawley for me.

© Dominique King 2011 All rights reserved