Mt. Shasta. Great memories, history, and that's about it...

Most people know this little cabin off of the highway in Michigamme, MI as more of a historical landmark. As most of you who have been there, or are a movie/history buff, know that parts of the movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed there back in 1959 (starring James Stewart).

Anatomy of a Murder holds a special place in my family, from not only growing up eating at Mt. Shasta while out at camp, but also because at the time, the movie was also filmed in my grandpa McDonald's courtroom (pictured below) in Marquette, MI.

Whoever now owns the restaurant/bar I think has forgotten one important thing other than Mt. Shasta's history, the fact that it's purpose is a restaurant/bar, and not a place for a rummage sale. I understand that the house out back is filled with stuff for sale, and I could understand having signs that tell people to check it out when they are done eating. But..... Mt. Shasta is literally now filled with junk. There are things for sale piled in every possible nook and cranny.

Growing up having a camp across the bay within walking distance, was always great. When my grandparents were alive and my sister and I were little, we would walk to Mt. Shasta on Friday nights for the fish fry (which is actually the only time I have ever liked, or eaten fish so far, at all). The food was amazing, the ambiance was relaxing and peaceful, and the staff was always friendly.

It has been going downhill for the past year especially, but since I have always loved eating there my husband and I stopped in last Thursday for a bite to eat. There was hardly anybody there, and not a waitress was in sight for the first 10-15 minutes that we were there. The menu, was about 7-9 items written on a dry-erase board (which the fact that the menu sign is smaller than the rummage sale sign is RIDICULOUS. Pictured below). While waiting, a table of about 6-7 people came in and we got some free entertainment from a man who was amazing at playing the piano.

My husband ordered the steak, and the only thing I even liked out of the items listed was a patty melt, so I ordered that.

 His steak was under seasoned, but not terrible. The potatoes had no salt, nor did the gravy, or the cauliflower. My husband, being what I call the "garbage disposal" that he is, didn't even finish his steak, and barely ate anything else on the plate.

When I ordered my patty melt, I asked the waitress what came on it. She said she honestly didn't know, and I let her know that I wanted lettuce, tomato and pickle. What I got was a hamburger patty and cheese, in between toast. The patty melt actually wasn't terrible considering I love cheese and that's about all i could taste besides the bread anyways. The Italian noodle salad wasn't bad but it was in a Styrofoam container which leads me to wonder when it was made.

 For dessert, I ordered the rice pudding. I got a huge mound of ground cinnamon on top, and while eating part of it, found a large chunk of egg white. (?!?!) Now.... I have been cooking for as long as I can remember, and after ordering it I even looked up recipes to see if anyone else used egg whites in their rice pudding, and not a recipe was to be found.

In conclusion (for now), I have NO IDEA what Mt. Shasta's deal is lately but priorities need to be straightened out and the RESTAURANT, needs it's identity back. This place used to be packed every weekend, and not just on Polka nights. I have always had a special place in my heart for this restaurant and I really hope it will pick itself back up and make a comeback.

The Haywire Family Restaurant

This past week was pretty long and stressful for me, having lost someone in my family. It was nice to get away this past Saturday and go for what ended up being a 6 hour side by side ride. Sometimes, there is nothing better than being out in the middle of the woods and feeling the wind on your face.

For a late lunch, we decided to stop out at the Haywire Family Restaurant (which is about 12 miles South of Munising, MI). I think this was about the third time I have been out to this restaurant, since for me I technically live almost two hours away. But, I have never had a bad.....well, anything, at this place.

If you are in the Munising, Shingleton, Wetmore area, don't be confused by the fact that it has a Manistique address. It is much closer to Munising than it is to Manistique. The restaurant itself has an outdoor, rustic feel and everything is clean and organized.  It is family run, and the staff has always been kind. The menu is made from scratch, along with all of their homemade desserts that are made fresh daily.

My husband ordered the award winning Corn Chowder, that is topped with bacon and herbs.

For my main dish I ordered the Brisket sandwich, which is filled with slow-roasted beef brisket, caramelized onions and green peppers, and mixed with an amazing BBQ sauce. Served as a side are hand-cut french fries.

And of course, if they tell you that all of the desserts are fresh daily, you HAVE to try one. I decided on the raisin bread pudding, with Bavarian cream sauce, dusted with cinnamon. Yum!

It is by far my favorite restaurant in the area, and if you are out on the trails or driving through, you NEED to stop here! Below is a link to the menu, and be sure to look them up on Facebook.

Haywire Restaurant Menu

The Haywire Family Restaurant, Facebook

Mama Russo's, the convenience of Italian food at home

I believe before, that I had mentioned that I lived in a U.P. town full of Italian restaurants (which is not at all a terrible thing, since I do love Italian food). In every local grocery store, and even some gas stations, they have Mama Russo's in the frozen department. In fact, the gas station closest to my house in Ishpeming, is attached to the building where everything is made.

Now, they do cater weddings and events and have a huge catering menu on their website. When my sister got married a few years ago, for the rehearsal dinner they catered from Mama Russo's and everything tasted amazing. If you do get a chance to host or attend an event where they are catering, you NEED to try the famous Italian Baked Chicken.  I personally love the convenience of their frozen products. They may be frozen, but once you cook them it tastes and smells like it was just whipped up in your own kitchen. The lasagna, pictured below, will put Stouffer's lasagna to shame.

If you live in the area, you should definitely pick up a pan from your local grocery store.  They also usually have Gnocchi, Rotini, Spaghetti, Mostaccioli, and of course, meatballs. You can also buy Cudighi, Italian sausage and their spaghetti sauce right off of their website on the link below.

Mama Russo's

Congress Pizza, a little slice of heaven!

I think the ad above tells it all. If you want to stop at a great family style pizza joint, this is the place to stop (if you can find room!).

Growing up, we always used to eat at Congress pizza when we were in Ishpeming visiting my grandparents. My grandpa was friends with the owner at the time, and my sister and I always were excited to go because we got to go behind the counter and fill up our own pops. Technically.....it is a bar and pizza joint. But don't let the bar aspect stop you from bringing your kids, because they have video games to play to keep them occupied. They also recently opened up an outdoor seating area, which is where we decided to sit.

The style of pizza at the Congress is brick oven, thin crust style. What I love, is that they actually put their homemade sauce on top of the melted cheese (100% Mozzarella), and then the toppings go on the top (where they should be). When I was little my dad would always order the sausage and pepperoni pizza. Until I got older, I actually had no idea that they even HAD other types of pizza there. My husband and a few friends of ours decided to order some of our favorites...

the pepperoni pizza, which has exactly 3 slices of pepperoni on each slice...

the BBQ chicken pizza...

and of course my favorite, which is their pizza fries. 

I have yet to have a bad pizza from there, and I have heard that their Cudighi sandwich is also delicious (Ishpeming does seem to have the best Cudighi, which would make sense because it seems like 90% of the local restaurants here are Italian).  Our waitress was as friendly as can be, and actually made small talk and seemed genuinely interested without being overbearing and at the table every five seconds. 

If you haven't eaten here, you need to. And if you have, then I am sure you would agree with all of the above. The best pizza in Ishpeming, and you will not find anything like it in the rest of the Upper Peninsula. 

Below is a link to the menu, and to their Facebook page (which is also filled with amazing reviews and mouth watering pictures!).

Urbanspoon, Menu

Facebook, Congress Pizza

Lagniappe, a taste of New Orleans in the U.P.

I had the pleasure of taking a trip in 2007 to New Orleans with my mom and an old friend. I mainly went because my mom had adopted an alligator for me from the local zoo (and for those of you who know me personally, you know that to me, it was a BIG deal and I was so excited to go to the zoo on "parents" day....). What I was also excited for was to taste the local cuisine. We had the pleasure of eating Jambalaya while listening to a local jazz musician, visit the famous Cafe Du Monde and enjoy a fresh beignet, and visit my first Bubba Gump Shrimp, to where I had some of the best ribs of my life so far.

Now, since most of us don't get to frequent Louisiana every time we have a craving for some great gumbo or grits, Lagniappe in Marquette, Michigan is pretty darn close to being in a local eatery on Bourbon street. You may even be lucky enough to catch a local band playing. Tonight, I went there with my family and a band called "The Organgrinders" was playing. They were great, and I actually went to high school with the drummer. I caught myself on numerous occasions tapping my feet to the music.

Now....for the food.....

For appetizers tonight, we ordered Fried Green Tomatoes and the Hush Puppies

The tomatoes were juicy yet firm still and had that crunch factor. The breading held up nicely and for the most part was sticking to the tomato. The sauce that was drizzled on top was spicy, yet was sweet enough that your mouth didn't catch on fire (I would put that on everything if I knew how they made it). The hush puppies were good. They had that great cornmeal flavor with a soft interior and a crunchy exterior. The homemade remoulade sauce (the one I practically drooled about above) is the kick they need to spice up the otherwise dry texture of the hush puppies. 

For the main course, I had the Low Country Shrimp and Grits. The red eye gravy was good, the shrimp perfectly cooked, and the flavors weren't bad. The part that makes this dish is the creamy garlic cheddar grits. The components separate taste good, but as soon as you mix them together it creates the perfect balance of textures and flavors. This is a must try!

And let us not forget about dessert....after all, this was my choice for my birthday dinner so I couldn't leave without having something sweet to cool down the taste buds. The Creole Shrub Creme Brulee had that perfect orange flavored custard on the bottom, with a crunchy caramelized sugar on top. In some restaurants, this dessert is a hit or miss because there are so many things that can go wrong with making it (such as the custard breaks down, you use the wrong kind of sugar that doesn't caramelize right, etc.). Lagniappe hit it right on the money.

If you are looking for some southern comfort food, you definitely need to hit up Lagniappe in down town Marquette. The link with the full menu is below, along with the schedule of when different local bands are playing.

http://marquettecajun.com/