Informality and more than a little originality proved to be the rule as we sampled several restaurants in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula.
Here's a sampling of places we ate when we visited Les Cheneaux Islands and several other places in the eastern U.P. earlier this summer:
Ang-Gio's-The folks at Ang-Gio's are used to serving a crowd, as we discovered when eating Sunday breakfast there with our inn keepers (the Strubles from the Dancing Waters B&B). Several after-church groups filled the restaurant's banquet room as a steady stream of eggs, pancakes, omelets, oatmeal and more made its way to diners that morning.
I had a tasty Greek omelet with spinach and Feta cheese that cause several of the women sitting near me to ask how it was with the idea that they might try it the next time themselves.
Ang-Gio's is open year round with full lunch and dinner menus that include pizza and a few Italian specialties in addition to their hearty breakfast menu. Hopefully we'll be able to try lunch or dinner there next time we visit the area.
Fired Up Pizza and More-We headed to Fired Up for our first dinner in Les Cheneaux Islands on the recommendation of our innkeepers.
We arrived early in the evening and early in the season, so the owners had a chance to talk with us a bit as they prepared our meal, a small salad (fresh and more than enough for two to share) plus a medium Greek pizza.
Fired Up is fairly new to the area, although we discovered that the owners have many years of restaurant/pizzeria experience and own a second Fired Up in Michigan's Thumb at Fort Gratiot where they spend the winter.
This was a great stop for fresh-made pizza beyond the usual cheese and pepperoni pies. The menu also includes grilled seafood, kebabs, sandwiches and pasta dishes.
I enjoyed being able to get a fruit smoothie with my dinner.
Snows Bar and Grill-Located a few miles out of Cedarville, Snows Bar and Grill seemed to draw a good crowd of ATV riders and local folks the afternoon we visited for a burger and beer.
Snows has a great "Up North" vibe with its fieldstone bar and rustic pine counter, barstools and walls. It's a great place to enjoy lunch, linger over a cold beer and watch the Detroit Tigers game on television.
Snows has a reputation for great burgers, made from local meat, dating from the mid-1950s when the Crawfis family owned the place. The restaurant closed for a few years in the early 2000s, but the Bentleys purchased it in 2006 and added additional specialty burgers to the menu.
Our burgers were tasty and moist, plus I love it when I find olive burgers on the menu, as I did at Snows.
Cattails Cove-I loved the back patio at this place with its waterfront view of a secluded cove. It was a good place to just relax, which was a good thing as the service we got the day we visited wasn't that speedy.
The bartender came out to take a drink order for us and discovered that our server was neglecting the nearly empty patio. The bartender did her best to take our order and make sure we received our meal in a timely manner, but she was doing double duty by tending the bar inside.
Once I got it, my locally caught fried perch dinner was pretty good, though.
Even with the service issues, sitting on the patio was far preferable to sitting in the bar, which was too dark and dreary for my taste.
Tahquamenon Falls Brewery-We took a day trip up to Tahquamenon Falls from Cedarville and hit this brew pub at the Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
The restaurant's founders Jack and Mimi Barrett constructed Camp 33, based on a traditional logging camp, to include an eating place in 1950. The couple's family rebuilt the new complex of Camp 33 structures in the 1990s and grandchildren established the Brewery and Pub in 1996.
The restaurant with its huge stone fireplace and quintessentially north woods decor is a short walk from the waterfalls.
The food is pretty typical Up North fare of white fish, burgers and steak. My whitefish and Tim's steak were decent, but the real winner for us was the warm smoked fish dip appetizer.
Karl's Cuisine-We stopped at Karl's for a late lunch while visiting Sault Ste. Marie (again at the recommendation of our inn keepers).
We sat by one of the large picture windows overlooking the Soo Locks while checking out Karl's imaginative and largely locally sourced menu.
Karl and Paula Nelson opened their catering business in 2003. Our innkeepers told us that local events catered by Karl's quickly became the popular draws and a highlight of the year for many community groups.
The couple opened Karl's as a Cafe in downtown Sault Ste. Marie in 2004 and added a winery to the business in 2010.
I opted for a glass of one of Karl's Superior Coast wines to go with my white fish sandwich, and Tim ordered the restaurant's justly famous handmade Italian Stromboli.
© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved
Comments