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Try a place near the lakes

Michigan has so many lakes that I had to pick just one area to blog about for Labor Day weekend. Try the excellent breakfast at The Wright Place in Sister Lakes. With 10 lakes in the area, I thought this might get you to take a drive. They are known for european style pancakes that hang over your plate. I liked the pumpkin pancake with creme anglaise sauce, secret spices and walnuts, topped with whipped creme. You may prefer the "murtle turtle" which is covered in pecans, caramel sauce, chocolate, more pecans and whipped creme. Also known for omelets, skillets, waffles(similar to the pancake offerings) and fresh baked items. Check out the area's cider mills, golf courses and lake activities. Check the guide for more details.

New restaurant added in New Buffalo

New Buffalo is a great town for restaurants. I have some favorites there so that is my explanation for why I had never been to
Retro Cafe'. They have been there since 1994 and are right on US 12. This is a special place that uses organic ingredients and makes as much as possible from scratch. Breakfast and lunch only, so get there early. Outdoor deck is nice and the cafe' atmosphere inside is all their own. They bake many of their own items and make their own preserves and chutneys. They can be purchased in the store behind the restaurant called Kites Kitchen Bake Shop & Pantry. This restaurant has many original items like eggs benito or their grass fed roast beef hash. Great sandwiches and salads for lunch. I had the Drier's ham & brie with avocado & tomato grilled on sour dough bread. Excellent! Pricing reflects the top quality ingredients used and is worth it. Click the name above to go to their page for more details.
Enjoy! Thanks to Wendy for the tip on this one.

New in downtown Kalamazoo

New in 2010. This place is located next door to the venerable Michigan News Agency. It was formerly a coffee joint. The Studio Grill is a great addition to the downtown dining scene. They still are a coffee shop, bakery as well as a unique one of a kind restaurant. Their claim to fame are their stuffed burgers! They are really good. Made with always fresh ground beef. I had the Craig's burger marinated in buffalo sauce, stuffed with pepperjack cheese and sweet onion topped off with cheese and spicy buffalo sauce. Craig's is named after the husband half of the ownership. They have a spicy-sweet pineapple burger or kalifornia king burger plus several other unique offerings. They also allow you to create your own. Try the large selection of hot dogs or deli sandwiches as well. Even though the stuffed burgers are the thing, they also make a very nice breakfast with lots of choices of omelets, pancakes, french toast and their fresh bakery items. Click the name to go to the results page.

Out of the area, but worth talking about!

Most of you have heard of Ann Arbor's famous Zingerman's Deli. Many are not aware of their other restaurant out near I94 at Jackson Rd. This one is called Zingerman's Roadhouse and is a large, nice, sitdown and be waited on place. Bon Appetit calls the Roadhouse one of the "top 10 new barbecue restaurants". Chef Alex Young and staff offer "really good american food!" as it says in their self description. Regional dishes are served using the best and freshest ingredients possible. Well known products like Nueske's applewood bacon, Pasolivo olive oil, American Spoon and of course corned beef from Zingerman's deli. These products or others like them go into their Tennessee Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Texas Beef Brisket or Chesapeake Bay crab cakes. Don't miss their mac and cheese with vermont cheddar or their burger which is ground fresh twice a day. They have daily specials and a full bar however, be prepared for higher prices than you are used to. Check out the guide for more details. Very good food!!

New place added in Sister Lakes

My favorite breakfast spots usually have a bakery attached or at least some homemade baked goods on the menu. If you try The Wright Place in Sister Lakes leave room for a homemade muffin, cinnamon roll or pecan roll. Famous for giant european style pancakes that hang over the edge of your plate. Full menu with lunch items as well. Very good food! Check the guide for more details.

Saugatuck this weekend!

Are you attending the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck this weekend? Starts Thursday at 6pm-Sunday at 9pm. While there, try one of my favorite places for a sandwich and drink while sitting out on the water at the Red Dock Cafe'. They even have live music Sunday's from 4pm-8pm. Also, go to the guide and just enter Saugatuck under the "city" section and read about my other favorites like Phil's or Ida Reds Cottage. Also, check Douglas, Holland, South Haven etc. for other nearby places. More details in the guide.

Two Bakeries Added

I went to two bakeries this week and added them both. I have walked or driven by this little bakery a hundred times and never noticed it. Jim T. told me I was missing the boat so I stopped. He was right! Louie's Bakery in downtown Marshall may be a hole in the wall, but what great food! They are known far and wide for their cakes and pies. I have read other reviews that rave about the lemon merenque. I also heard they had the best creme horns anywhere so I tried one and I agree! They are most famous for their nutty rolls. I had one of those later. This looks like a cinnamon roll with a light brown buttercream frosting filled with chopped peanuts...unbelievable. I will have a hard time going anywhere near Marshall now without stopping in Louie's. More details in the guide.

Other Bakery Added

The other Bakery this week is Continental Pastries and Deli in Battle Creek which is a favorite of its home town. This place has rolls, donuts and cakes, however, they have a large cake decorating business that is really impressive. Go to their web page for a picture gallery. They have many harder to find confections such as strudel, napoleons, petit fores and baklava. It is also a Deli and has a nice lunch menu with indoor seating. To finish it off they are also an Ice Cream parlour. Very nice place and don't forget the french pastries! More details in the guide.

New Addition

This place is a nice find right on Gull Lake near the bird sanctuary. Called Frona's Pantry. Great specials with a unique collection of specialty items. They are a bakery, coffee shop and restaurant. Try the dream eggs or the homemade corned beef hash. The bread is great! I had multigrain toast which had dried cranberries in it. Maybe the best peanut butter cookie I have had. The special of the day on my last visit was pumpkin pancakes. The meat is top quality, such as bavarian ham. All the ingredients seem to be top shelf. The atmosphere is very similar to a bed and breakfast. Very homey. It looks like good lunch items as well, however I have not tried lunch yet.