Char's Cafe

After an adventurous afternoon visiting Bond Falls, we decided to take the route through Bruce Crossing on the way home and stop and get lunch. I had looked up Char's Cafe the night before on TripAdvisor and it had great reviews so we decided to stop. 

The outside makes it look and seem as though when you walk in, you will see a dive bar. It was not what I expected at all, and in a good way. Everything was bright white and light blue with country decor. It was like stepping into an old diner. Our waitress was very nice and since we were new, and didn't see any signs anywhere, she told us we could pick our table of choice.

They serve breakfast all day, minus pancakes and French toast after 11AM. I went for something off of the normal sandwich menu which sort of ended up being breakfast anyways.... I ordered the Denver Egg Sandwich, which was almost like a Denver omelet folded up and stuffed into two pieces of bread. It had ham, green pepper and onion on the inside. The only thing I wish I would have asked for, is adding cheese. It was served with a side of chips and a slice of dill pickle!

Every review on every website for Char's Cafe stated that even if you do not have any room left, that you need to try at least one of many of the homemade pies here. We decided to get two slices to go, one of the strawberry rhubarb, and one dutch apple. I am not sure how they made it back to camp an hour away but they did. And lasted about 10 minutes after we got there. They were both tart and fresh. I wasn't a huge fan of the pie crust, but I usually am not a fan of most pie crusts to begin with. The strawberry rhubarb was my favorite.

If you are stopping through Bruce Crossing or on an adventure at Bond Falls, be sure to stop here to get some good food. It isn't a fancy 5 star looking joint, but it has friendly people and food that will satisfy your stomach. And make sure you order pie!

Check out what they have to offer on their Facebook Page!

Char's Cafe, Facebook Page

Sindaw Eats

 

This past weekend my husband and I planned a trip to Bond Falls. I had never been to that part of the UP before, so I went on TripAdvisor to see if there were any good restaurants on the way there and back to get breakfast and lunch. There was a top rated restaurant in Sidnaw, Michigan, (which no offense to anyone, I had never heard of the town before), that serves breakfast from 8:30 AM to 3PM, which is also their hours of operation.

The building, which used to be a gas station, has been made into a very cute, small diner. I overheard the owner telling another table that most of the decor items throughout the inside were donated by friends or customers. They also ask every customer that comes in if they can take their picture for their Facebook page, which is a great way to get your name and business out there. Especially if people tag themselves. If you hate your picture taken, don't worry, you can respectfully decline with no problem!

I ordered the Sidnaw Saute, since I usually always order breakfast if it's offered all day, and it was before noon. You had your choice of meat, which I chose ham, that is sauteed with green peppers, mushrooms, onions and mixed in with a big heap of hash browns. It is topped with two eggs, cooked however you would like (I always prefer over-easy), and comes with a side of toast. It was not only scrumptious, but the portion was perfect, and I actually ended up taking half of the hash home to cook with later. My husband had pancakes that were filled with fresh fruit and served with real maple syrup in the glass jar right at the table.

This restaurant is one of those places that once you eat here or hear about it, you know when you head back to the area that you will stop. The food is fantastic, the owner is personable, attentive and makes you feel like you are eating at their personal dinner table. This is definitely a place to stop if you are driving on M-28, taking a trip to Bond Falls (26 minutes away) or just want somewhere amazing to eat!

Check out their Facebook page and main website at the links below:

Sidnaw Eats, Main Site
Signaw Eats, Facebook Page

Northland Pub

For my sisters birthday, her boyfriend planned  a surprise dinner for her at the Northland Pub. It didn't get off to a good start. Both restaurants in the Landmark hotel told my husband and I that they did not take reservations and that there were none. We finally got a "oh yeah!!" response from someone and were told we were up in the mezzanine. Not to mention she almost spoiled the surprise when my sister and her boyfriend got here and she said something about "are you here for the surprise party". It was also unbelievably chaotic when it came time to order. Which people started doing at random over an hour after we got there because no one had any idea what was going on. The waitress didn't take everyone's order at the same time, so people were eating randomly while other people were still waiting for food or even better, waiting to get their order taken. The food wasn't bad and my sister was surprised and had a good time.

For an "appetizer", which came out after our main course, we ordered the chicken quesadillas. I was told by multiple people to try these and they were definitely tasty. You got a side of lettuce, corn and tomatoes etc, which was kind of awkward when you try to eat it because everything just falls off of the top.

For dinner I ordered the Caprese burger, twice. The first time, I asked for medium well. When I cut into it the entire inside was a deep pink, and for me practically mooing. After sending it back to get cooked more, it came out perfect the second time. The combination of the tomato, burger, fresh Mozzarella, basil and a balsamic drizzle on the top bun was delicious. I wish they would have given you more sauce, or sauce to dip it in but it was still a very good burger.

We randomly come here about once a year because someone ends up having a birthday party. The building and history makes the Landmark a very attractive stop for tourists, but I grew up in Marquette and I'm not a tourist. This isn't usually our first choice for dinner in Marquette, or the 50th considering there are over 100 restaurants to choose from. It is not ever bad food, even if they get it wrong the first time, it always ends up being decent. But the service here is always mediocre at best. They just opened up the Piedmont that replaced the Capers restaurant down by the lobby. The menu sounds interesting enough that we will stop in and try it out. As for the Northland Pub, we will probably just continue to come here when someone else invites us.

A link to their main website is below:

Northland Pub, Landmark Hotel, Main Site

Midtown Bakery and Cafe

If you are looking for a place that serves some of the best desserts in the U.P. (especially in the Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming area), look no further than Midtown Bakery. I have used them a few times in the past and always forget now that I live in Ishpeming that they are so close! I have tried out the Bakeries in Marquette and nothing comes close to the innovative flavors and personal touches that they give you at Midtown.

Midtown started their Bakery in 1996, and is home of the "almost world famous cheesecake" (to which they have over 100 flavors). They also serve up soup, salads and sandwiches that are all made to order. If you are living a gluten free lifestyle, they also have options for people with gluten allergies. Catering is also an offered, either in your home or their Bakery, and they also make wedding cakes and offer corporate luncheon accounts.

My husband and I ate dinner at Jackson's Pit just down the street from here and purposely saved room to stop in to get dessert. We couldn't leave with just one, so we picked the top four of what looked good (which was everything, and we stood there for what seemed like forever picking).

My husband is a huge cheesecake freak, so he got what I believe was the Rocky Road Cheesecake. I tried a bite of it and it was amazing. The chocolate was rich, and the peanuts added a nice crunch and change in texture.

We also both picked out one type of cookie and one type of bar. The monster size cookie was loaded with oatmeal, M&M's and chocolate chips. The outside was crunchy and the inside was soft and chewy. We also got the salted caramel bar after tasting a sample at the counter. The shortbread bottom is flaky and the caramel was smooth and silky. There was only a touch of chocolate on top, sprinkled with sea salt to take it over the edge.

Last but not lease was the Banana Chocolate Cake. Oh my goodness. I love everything using fresh bananas and smothering it with chocolate made it even more delicious. Everything that we got was amazing. The only fault I could find was that there was a LOT of chocolate on the banana cake, so I ate it in two sittings rather than one....

This is a birthday cake that I asked them to make for my, at the time, fiance. He loved pool and they made his cake look as close as possible. It was amazing. They even had a hole in the side for the ball return, and for the rack on the other side. The pockets were there, and they made a tiny little chalk. The flavor combination was nice because it wasn't the typical boring combinations to choose from. It was a dark chocolate cake with an orange buttercream filling.
 

Everyone there is so friendly, and make you feel right at home. We have not had the opportunity to try out the soup, salad or sandwiches but it is definitely on our to-do list! I couldn't find a main website for them, but a link to their Facebook page is below:

Midtown Baker, Facebook Page