Moose Drop Inn, in my top 10 for the UP

This will be my third blog review for the Moose Drop Inn in Michigamme, Michigan. I cannot stress to you enough how great this restaurant is. It opened up for the season again this May, and my husband and I have already been here at LEAST 6 times to eat so far. The restaurant itself is very clean and comforting, and the owners are the most friendly people I have met so far in this industry. They are always at your table asking you how everything tastes or if they can get you something else. And the food here is AMAZING. Everything is made from scratch. There is so much love put into this food, and it is so fresh, it literally tastes like you made it right at home (only someone else made it, and you have no dishes afterwords!).

We have had almost everything on the menu now, so we have been trying to order more off of the specials board to taste new creations and give people a better understanding of how amazing this place really is.

I am not a soup person, and I don't normally even order it because to me it just wastes stomach space for my main meal. These soups are to die for! My favorite so far has to be the homemade chili. Usually it is served with Fritos on the side, but sometimes you get lucky and it is served with a side of cornbread muffins. If you like the cream style soups, try out their cheddar broccoli! It is extra creamy, full of broccoli and always topped with a mound of shredded cheese. If you are more into the broth style of soup, they have a killer Italian wedding meatball soup, with teeny tiny meatballs packed with flavor.

Three of the more recent specials we have tried are perfect for the summer. A few weeks ago during the colder days of Spring, they had homemade Sloppy Joe sandwiches with a side of baked beans. One of my favorite specials in the last few weeks (see how much we eat here?) was the Egg Salad Sandwich. It was creamy and tangy with sliced eggs and crunchy lettuce. I am a stickler for anything with egg in it. They also have had some great hot dogs now that the weather warmed up, such as their chili cheese dogs. You get two hot dogs smothered in homemade chili, topped with mustard and shredded cheese and served with a side of Fritos.

And do NOT forget about their desserts! I am not a cheesecake fan at all, and I crave their triple chocolate cheesecake!

If you are in the Michigamme area, you really need to stop here! They are only seasonal, and you can't get their amazing food during the cold harsh winter months so eat it all up while you can! (Unless I eat it all first....)

A link to their Facebook page is below:

Moose Drop Inn, Facebook Page

1951 West

One of my husband and I's favorite places to stay while in Green Bay, Wisconsin is the Comfort Suites on Bond Street (for those that know us personally, you will realize why that is funny!). Even though we have previously stayed here, this was our first time eating in the restaurant that is in the hotel, called 1951 West (which also happens to be the hotel's address). The style of cuisine in my opinion is upscale American food. I know I have talked about Nakashima's on my blog before, and how it was in my top three favorite restaurants in the area. Well, so is this one.

The decor is very modern and dark with deep wood tones and different textures from the walls, to the floors and even the tables. It is absolutely beautiful.

This is the 1951 Ultimate Appetizer. On the giant platter in the above left picture, is a massive assortment of goodies. Starting from the upper left corner, there is Bruschetta; a toasted baguette topped with fresh Mozzarella, diced tomatoes, shredded Parmesan and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  To the right of that are the Tuscan Stuffed Scallops, which are broiled Sea Scallops on the half shell stuffed with Pancetta, sun dried tomato, basil, baby arugula and Parmesan cheese. That large heap in the middle is the West Tavern Chips. The homemade chips are smothered in Applewood smoked bacon, green onions, and topped with a bleu cheese sauce. In the bottom left corner are the Reuben Rolls. The won ton is stuffed with slow cooked corned beef, bacon-beer kraut and Swiss cheese. The dipping sauce is Maple Dijon horseradish. Last but not least in the bottom right corner, is the Ahi Tuna won tons. The Ahi Tuna is seared with a sesame crust, topped with a Chipotle-mango chutney, Asian citrus slaw, and finished with a wasabi aioli. They also have some sort of sweet dipping sauce that I never did find out what it was, and a huge side of wasabi paste for the daring. Not only was that a mouthful to type, but also to eat! I had never tried scallops before, or Ahi tuna considering I am not a huge seafood person and hate fish. I tried everything but the bleu cheese nachos (I still can't bring myself to eat mold). The Ahi tuna was amazing! I never thought I would eat a piece of fish that was still raw in the middle, but that sesame seed crust on the outside and the fresh mango and sauce jazzed up that fishy taste and made it delicious. I have also never eaten a scallop in my life until now, and other than the piece of grit (I am assuming maybe from the shell), the flavors worked very well together. I still might have to warm up to the texture of scallops, but it really wasn't bad.

This, is why I love fancy restaurants. If I could do it for a living, I would be a food stylist for that reason. The food here looks absolutely beautiful. I am a stickler for "you eat with your eyes first", and let me tell you my eyes were drooling! For my main course, I ordered the Cajun Tenderloin, which was a featured dinner entree. The meat was an 8 ounce tenderloin with a maple bacon topping. On the side was a Dijon pesto mashed potato, caramelized brussels sprouts, baby carrots, and roasted butternut squash. Drizzled on top of the whole thing was a cranberry balsamic reduction. I never order beef, I'm more of a chicken person, but this is one of the best pieces of meat that I have ever had. And the Cajun crust on the outside sent it over the edge. It had quite a bit of kick, but in a good way.

My husband's main entree, which of course he let me taste test everything on his plate, was the Red Stag Buffalo Meatloaf. The Bison meatloaf was wrapped in Applewood smoked bacon and glazed with a homemade Red Stag BBQ sauce. It was served over a cheddar and chive potato croquette, with a side of fresh vegetables, and topped with fried breaded onion strings. This also tasted even better than it looked.

I also got a very strong but tasty beverage to celebrate my best friends birthday (pictured above), and also on the same day, my husband and I's 5 year wedding anniversary. The drink pictured is a Hazelnut Irish Cream, which is made up of hazelnut liqueur, whiskey, and Irish cream, and dolloped with whipped cream. 

This restaurant is absolutely amazing. I don't know how much more I could rave about it without sounding repetitive. We will definitely be eating here every time we stay at this hotel, or in the area. The food is to die for, and the ambiance makes you feel cozy and elegant. This is a must stop for people in the area!

1951 West, Main Site
1951 West, Facebook Page

Nakashima of Japan

If you were to ask me where my favorite place in Green Bay, Wisconsin is to eat, this is in the top 3. I absolutely love this restaurant. Every time we visit I make a point to try and eat here. It is on the pricy side, but it is fantastic food. Hibachi is probably one of the only style that I like, because you can see all of the ingredients that they use while cooking, and you know it has been prepared right. The fact that they make a show on top of it makes it even more fun. The onion volcano is my favorite trick. It is hard to take pictures while eating in there considering how dark it is, and you can't really turn a flash on while they are doing tricks in fear of screwing them up and blinding someone else. But I managed to take a few pictures none-the-less.

My husband and I always get the hibachi for two, which is filet mignon, shrimp and chicken. They come with two different dipping sauces, and the ginger one is by far my favorite. Before they start cooking your meal, you get a salad with a ginger dressing, and a bowl of miso. For dessert, if you can find room, you also get either vanilla ice cream or orange sherbet.

This type of restaurant makes dinner fun and entertaining. All of the chefs that I have ever had have been very entertaining. They also have a sushi bar for those who love sushi. I haven't quite warmed up to sushi yet, unless it's all veggies. If you are in the Green Bay area and don't mind spending a little extra money for dinner, this is a fun and delicious place to stop! Be aware though, if you get there during the busy dinner hours, you may end up waiting a while for a table. They fill up fast!

Nakashima Facebook Page

Nakashimas Main Site

Lake Superior Pizza (better known as LSP)

I have been going to LSP since I was in high school (over a decade ago...) for three reasons. One being that they are located right by my high school parking lot which made it easily accessible to walk to for lunch on occasion. Another reason that you can see all of the ingredients in your food, and it is all fresh right down to the dough made from scratch. And the third reason? Two words; Pizza Rolls. Open since the 1970's, they pride themselves on making everything from their dough, to the cudighi and meatballs all from scratch and on a daily basis.

The pizza rolls at LSP are my absolute favorite. I would actually prefer a pizza roll from here, over a lot of normal pizza places throughout Marquette. It's not for the ingredients on the inside necessarily but for that home made pizza dough. It is so soft and fluffy, and it is great because although the cheese makes a small amount of grease when they are baked, the dough traps it all in the inside leaving the outside that perfect soft golden brown. The pepperoni is the best seller, and the one that they usually always have stock of if you go there on a whim. You can also special order different fillings and add whatever you want. Another great combination is just cheese and green pepper with no sauce.

My second favorite item on the menu is their Salad Basket. Also made with a fresh dough ( I'm not positive it is the same dough as the pizza rolls but it tastes just like it, only stretched out thin), the inside is soft and the outside becomes slightly crispy. It is perfect to rip a piece off and either eat it with a mix of your salad ingredients, or dunk into your dressing.

Now, here is the bad part of LSP that happens more frequently then not. Unless you are ordering something like a pepperoni pizza roll that they make all of the time and have backups of, they always mess up your order to some extent. For example, the salad baskets my husband and I ordered were supposed to be chicken, provolone cheese and green pepper. Instead, we got EVERY vegetable imaginable with no green peppers. I don't know if it's some of the people that work there, or if they don't write it down and try to remember off of the top of their head. All I know is that almost every time we order something where you have to pick out specific items to put on it, they always mess it up.

This is a Marquette place that you do not want to miss eating out from. There is no seating so you can either order pickup, or they do have a 10 dollar minimum delivery. Even through the clumsy screw ups, it is more than worth it to eat from here. If anything, stop there and get a pizza roll! You will NOT regret it!

LSP's Main Website

LSP's Facebook Page

G's Pizzeria

If you have a hankering for pizza when you are in Oscoda, this is one of the best places to get it from. I emphasize "get it from" because the restaurant experience itself isn't so great. While down for Memorial Day weekend on vacation, we stopped here to eat like we usually do while we are in Oscoda. We were told to go before 4 PM when the more, how shall I put this, competent employees are working. Well, we missed that deadline and ended up going around 4:30 PM. Like always, we were slow to be seated even when there was hardly anybody in the restaurant, and like always I had to wipe down the seat before I could slide into the booth.

 For an appetizer we ordered the baked spears, or their version of bread sticks. You really could order this for your dinner instead of any kind of pizza or sandwich. They are the best cheese sticks I have had at any pizza place. They serve a melted garlic butter sauce to dunk in, or a garlic cream cheese type spread.

 For dinner I ordered the Greek Flatbread. The crust is topped with garlic butter, loaded with mozzarella cheese, onions, tomatoes, black olives and topped with feta cheese. I think someone in the kitchen thought there was supposed to broccoli on it, as the menu just lists what is in the previous sentence, but I'm glad they added it! The broccoli is a good pair with the feta cheese and since it is only half cooked through, it adds a good crunch.

I'll just come out and say it, call in and order to get takeout or do the "order online" option if possible. The food is amazing, but the service at the restaurant is terrible and the staff is clueless depending on when you go. A link to their Facebook page and website is below.

G's Pizzaria Facebook Page
G's Pizzeria, Main Site

Truck Stop Restaurant

While on our way down to Oscoda for Memorial Day weekend, we stopped to grab dinner in St. Ignace. My husband used to be a tow truck driver and has been to the Truck Stop Restaurant may times with his dad. I have always heard about it, and that they have great food, but I had never eaten there.

The inside was pretty old fashioned, but clean none-the-less. We noticed a sign on the door that said "cash only" which was fine because since it was the beginning of vacation we still had some money in the wallet. After overhearing our waitress talk, I guess they had gotten rid of the credit card machines in the more recent past.

We ordered our food and since they serve breakfast all day (which you know by now is my favorite kind of restaurant), we both got something off of the breakfast menu.

I wish I would have put my hand by the picture of food so that you could get an idea of how LARGE this plate was, because the picture doesn't even do it justice. I ordered the Trucker's Omelet, which was a 3 egg omelet filled with diced ham, onion, cheese and breakfast potatoes stuffed inside. It also came with a side order or has browns, and choice of toast.

I mean....look at how small the FORK even looks! I was able to finish about 2/3 of the omelet, the toast and half of the hash browns. It was absolutely mouth watering and if we still didn't have hours in the car left, I would have taken the rest to go.

Our waitress was very friendly and attentive to if we needed refills, to which we didn't because even the cups were gigantic. I did however make the mistake of using the bathrooms before we left, which was pretty gross looking, and smelled even worse. Eat here, but I suggest going to the bathroom elsewhere. As far as the food and the portions go for the price that you pay, I will be back here again.

Truck Stop Restaurant, Facebook Page