Vango's Pizza & Cocktail Lounge

Vango's has been a staple in my family as one of our takeout places since as far back as I can remember. It is one of my dad's favorite restaurants in Marquette so I can say I have tried many different items on the menu over the years. Vango's is one of the oldest pizza joints in Marquette, in fact, I've heard stories from family members about how they used to make the pizzas and flip the dough in the front glass windows (way, way back in the day).

One of my favorite items on the menu is the Cajun Chicken salad. I have no clue why, except maybe since I've ordered it so many times over the years it has become like a comfort food for me. It is just a few items literally thrown together. A mound of mixed lettuce is topped with shredded cheddar cheese, grape tomatoes, sliced Cajun seasoned chicken, and served with a dressing of choice (always Ranch) and pita bread. It's really nothing special, but still a staple for me.

My favorite, FAVORITE dish from here is the Spanakopeta. I love Spanakopeta and not very many places in the UP that I have been to serve this dish. It is Phyllo dough packed with spinach, rice and feta cheese. Normally the dinner version of this is served with cottage cheese. However....

I ordered it as part of the Greek Combo so that my husband and I could try something different on the menu but that I would still get my little slice of Spanakopeta heaven. I really wish I would have just ordered the Spanakopeta. The stuffed grape leaves I gave all to my husband because the meat was overcooked and they were not at all appetizing. I dipped a spoon into the "lemon egg sauce" and I did taste lemon, and not a whole lot of lemon, in a sauce that is consistent with congealed chicken stock. I can't even describe the confusion in my mind while taste testing this, but it was not a pleasant experience. The Spanakopeta slice was of course as amazing as it usually is.

Vango's seems to be a hit or miss but is usually for the most part good food. Usually the order gets messed up in some way when you order out (which is all we usually do when we get food from there), but most of it is still worth it. They also serve up some amazing pizza, great gyros, and the waffle fries with the ranch dip is amazing. It is definitely a Marquette staple and has a lot of history.

Vango's, Main Site
Vango's, Facebook Page

Bambu Asian Cuisine

A few weekends ago we went to a surprise party in Houghton, MI. Everywhere on the main strip was packed, since it was a Saturday night, there was a home hockey game, and let's be honest the many many Tech students. We went up through town past the bridge, and decided to stop at Bambu Asian Cuisine, that I didn't even know was there because from the outside of the front of the restaurant, it doesn't even look like a restaurant. Although it does have a great weird industrial kind of architectural detail, but other than a sign by the parking lot entrance, there was no sign on the actual building that I could see. The lot was also packed, but the wait was supposedly only 15 minutes long and we were already running behind. Lucky for us, we only waited about 5 minutes and were seated.

For an appetizer, we ordered the steamed dumplings. I don't know what my deal is lately but I have been on a dumpling kick at every oriental place that we've been to. They are filled with ground pork and vegetables and are made in house. The side sauce was a spicy garlic ginger soy sauce. The dumplings were very good, and I will be attempting to recreate the dipping sauce because it was packed with garlic and ginger.

My husband ordered the Orange Chicken. What I like here is that you get a lot of food, but the way that they serve it to you makes it feel like a beautiful plate of food, rather than a trough that you very scarily shovel food into your mouth from. The chicken was very good, with a light breading on the outside. There was a great kick from the peppers in the sauce and a pronounced orange flavor, which funny as it may seem you usually don't get when you order orange chicken elsewhere.

My main course came out and was beautiful. I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai, filled with onion, carrot, egg, and bean sprouts in a Pad Thai sauce and topped with chopped peanuts! The peanuts gave the dish a great crunch and the sauce (which I ordered an elementary spice level) had just enough kick. The bowl doesn't do the size of this dish justice. This is not a normal soup bowl....it is like a dinner plate, that someone has curved all of the edges on. I ended up taking half of it home with me, which I am not complaining about because it made great leftovers!

My only negative comment about this place, other than the fact that they could use a sign up higher on the building, is where the waiter and waitress station was located. On the first floor, in the middle of the room, and I mean LITERALLY in the middle of the room, is the station. We happened to be sitting right across from it so I got to watch the chaos that was the staff (and completely not their fault). There were almost four to six collisions from people not being able to see around the station and four people trying to fit in a space made for one person, just to get to the kitchen or the other side of the restaurant. There are scuff marks all around this thing where you can tell people have had to quickly move out of the way and ended up briefly as part of the wall, or just plain walking into the thing. It is the strangest set-up I've ever seen. I'm sure when it was put there they had the thought process of "it's in the middle of the restaurant and conveniently located" but it is more of an accident waiting to happen.

The restaurant is beautiful on the inside, the noise level for a Saturday night was pretty tame and the food was delicious. Some of the best Asian cuisine I've had in the U.P. so far. If you can find it (or if you live here and know where it is, us persons from out of town had slight difficulty), it is worth the stop!

Bambu Asian Cuisine, Facebook Page
Bambu Asian Cuisine, Main Site

Lawry's Pasty Shop

I was never a lover of pasties growing up. I think it has to do with the pie crust, or flaky crust that is used because I would always only eat the filling when we used to get them in Marquette. When my husband and I moved to Ishpeming, the closest restaurant to us is Lawry's Pasty Shop, so one day I thought, heck, why not right? Taste buds change all of the time. Well, although I still don't usually have a CRAVING for them, Lawry's is the best place in the Upper Peninsula, so far, that I have ever had a pasty from.

This, is what a pasty should look like. We usually get the large ones (17 oz.) but they do make 12 oz. and mini pasties also. The inside of them stays so moist and the potatoes are always cooked perfectly. No need to doctor them up, just throw the usual ketchup and mustard on them and you are good to go.

My favorite thing from Lawry's, is actually not even a pasty at all (although they are great). It would have to be the BBQ Pork sandwich. Their rolls (from scratch like everything else here), are soft and the pork is packed with flavor. Did I mention this sandwich is practically the size of an adult's face? It is huge! They have many kinds of sandwiches, and I have heard the pizza is also fantastic.

And you can't forget about dessert! They always have a few cookie choices and their cinnamon rolls. Let me show you a picture for a size comparison to a stick of butter...

THAT is how huge these cookies and cinnamon rolls are. My husband and I usually end up splitting the cookie, and the roll, well, that usually lasts a few days or gets brought into work for some help.

Since 1946 they have been serving up the best pasties in the U.P. Some will try to argue with you and tell you that the pasties from their hometown are better. They are wrong. Although there is a Lawry's in Marquette, I grew up eating them from a few different places. The only time we had Lawry's though is when my dad used to bring them home after work from the Ishpeming location. I have even tried pasties from Munising, Sault Ste. Marie, Houghton, etc. and I am still going to stand by my statement of Lawry's in Ishpeming being the best.

Not from around here and feeling left out? No worries! Lawry's ships their pasties to those less fortunate to be a few blocks away, like I am. There are multiple kinds and sizes for sale to ship, so don't wait to try the best pasties in the U.P.!

Lawry's Main Site
Lawry's Facebook Page

Darrow's Family Restaurant

On our way back North from our Lower Michigan trip (just in case I need to help clarify again, Northern Michigan is ABOVE the bridge....as in the Upper Peninsula [-: ), we stopped for dinner in Mackinaw City. Neither my husband or I have ever really explored the city that much, and Darrow's had amazing reviews on TripAdvisor so we decided to stop.

For a starter, my husband ordered the Soup of the Day, which happened to be Cream of Potato. I was special enough to get to try a bite, and it was a very good soup. It had a consistency that was just slightly thicker than a broth, but still creamy.

For dinner, he ordered the Apricot-Bourbon Chicken Breasts. The chicken is sauteed in butter, and then glazed with their homemade apricot-bourbon sauce. The apricot gives the sauce a nice fruity tang. It is served with a scoop of stuffing and a side of vegetables of the day, which was green beans.

I ordered one of my favorite styles of chicken, which is the Cordon Bleu. Their version is an inside out one, but it was a healthier version because instead of the ham and Swiss being stuffed inside the chicken, and then the outside of the chicken being breaded, there was no breading and it was served open faced with no added grease. They also top the chicken with a honey mustard sauce. My dinner was also served with a scoop of stuffing and green beans.

We both wanted a piece of their homemade pie, but wanted to split one. We ordered the Dutch Apple, and not only did they bring us our own forks, but they cut the piece of pie in half, gave each of us a scoop of ice cream, and served it to us on our own plates for the same price as one piece of pie to share. The homemade pie was delicious. Apple pie is my favorite, and the crumble on the apples put it over the top!

Unfortunately, this restaurant is seasonal, and I saw on their Facebook page that they closed for the season today. When they open back up in the Spring, you will have had plenty of time to stare at the  menu and drool over pictures of their yummy food on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zomato, or whatever site you use to look up places to eat (those just happen to be the ones that I use and publish on).


Darrow's Family Restaurant, Main Site
Darrow's, Facebook Page

Romano's Macaroni Grill

While downstate in Ann Arbor for my appointment, well, after the appointment was done and over and we could breathe again, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We didn't however feel like driving and weaving through downtown Ann Arbor so we ended up going to Romano's which was right down the street from our hotel.

It is the first time I have been to a Romano's and I wish we had one closer to us in the UP somewhere. The decor was beautiful, using stone and Italian accents, and one of my favorite aspects was that you could see through to part of the kitchen. The lighting was dimmed, which made it feel more romantic and upscale.

With our dinner came a side salad. I chose the Caesar salad and had her crack some fresh pepper on top. . The meal also came with a fresh roll of ciabatta with olive oil to dip in. We both tried a small piece and it was amazing.

My husband ordered the Calabrese steak, which came with Calabrian potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Everything was cooked in a rosemary infused olive oil. The steak was cooked perfectly!

For my main dish, I ordered the "Chicken Under a Brick". The chicken is rubbed in sage and roasted. Mine also came with seasonal vegetables (which happened to be broccolini), and a side of garlic rosemary potatoes. The chicken was moist and had great flavor. The grilled lemon was a great touch and made the chicken even more juicy. I usually don't order chicken that still has the bone in it because I feel like I am doing a lot of work for not a whole lot of meat, but it sounded and was scrumptious.

For dessert, we ordered the Tiramisu to split, which is one of my favorite desserts to order at a restaurant. I also ordered a Cafe Mocha topped with foam. Both were a great way to end a delicious meal. That was some of the best Tiramisu that I have had so far. My drink was slightly on the bitter side, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since it is made with espresso. (I still drank the entire thing).

The cool part that made me feel like a kid, was the fact that each table is lined with the paper covering. So our waitress, who was amazing (normally I don't remember their names, but she was so nice that I actually remember, thank you and shout out to Jasmine), came over and wrote her name in crayons.....and then LEFT the crayons. Maybe that is the big kid inside me still but I was excited and left them a shout out!

Macaroni Grill, Main Site
Macaroni Grill, Facebook Page

Graham's Restaurant

A few weeks ago (yes, that is how far behind I am with all of my blog posts lately!), I had to travel downstate to Ann Arbor, MI for a doctors appointment. Before we left town, we decided not to do the continental breakfast, which was like every other continental breakfast I've had, in the fact that it is not special and filled with the same boring things. The hotel next door to us had a restaurant attached and served breakfast in the morning, so we stopped there before heading back to the U.P.

The decor was sort of kitschy, and was filled with bright colors, mixed with vintage looking lights and pictures, and a floral pattern on the seat coverings. It sounds absolutely atrocious, but the weird combination of all of the styles worked very well together and made it feel almost like a coffee joint.

With the most recent change that I've had to make to my diet, I have to cut down on the carbs by nixing the bread, pancakes, waffles (you know, all of the good stuff) and ended up going with an omelet. My omelet, as boring and normal as it may look, was quite good. The eggs were fluffy and fully cooked, the vegetables were fresh and added a great crunch, and the cheese was gooey and all melted on the inside. I didn't eat more than a few bites of the hash browns, but they were just how I liked them; crunchy on the top and soft on the inside.

Everything that I had read on TripAdvisor was either a hit or miss. Many people said that there was never anyone eating there, which I can agree with to a point since we were the only people eating in there, but food wise I don't know why more people weren't there. The breakfast was good, our waitress was overly nice and brought us fresh coffee when we were getting low. It was a great breakfast, and if we stay near here again next time we are down, we will definitely stop in. Maybe for dinner since I heard the meatloaf was delicious!

Graham's Restaurant, Main Site
Graham's Restaurant, Facebook Page

Portside Inn

My family ate here for years growing up, but I hadn't been back in at least the last five. This was one of our staples as far as eating out went, because they had a little bit of everything for all of our differences in tastes. I was always a fan of the Southwest options, but others in my family enjoyed the seafood, pizza, etc. We all had our own favorites and they were pretty different from each other. That is part of why we all loved coming here.

The Portside is original to Marquette and has been open since 1983. This pub style restaurant has a nautical theme. All of the ingredients they use are as fresh as they can get them, taking advantage of using other local sources such as Huron Mountain Bakery for their bread, Marquette Meats for their steaks, Thill's Fish House for their seafood, and local farms for fresh produce.

For an appetizer, we ordered their famous Breadsticks with the garlic cheese spread and marinara sauce. The dough is made from scratch, and to me is very similar to their pizza dough. The cheese spread is amazing, and has a pop of garlic and cheddar cheese. If I would ever suggest ordering anything while eating there, this is one of my 3 favorites and is a must!

My husband ended up ordering my second favorite thing on their menu, which would be the baked French Onion Soup. The onions are caramelized to perfection, with large chunks of French bread all underneath a blanket of melted provolone cheese. I am not a soup person. In fact, it's the last section that I usually look at on a menu. After ordering Portside's French Onion Soup when I was little, I used to try it everywhere to see if they even came close in comparison to being THIS good. I've only had one that has come close so far, but still doesn't top my favorite.

And for my ultimate favorite thing on the menu, the Chicken Chimichangas. I rarely order anything different for my main course, because as soon as I had this, I was hooked. The picture doesn't even come close to showing how large these things are. I can usually finish one, and then take the other home to eat cold for lunch the next day. The tortillas are stuffed with a shredded chicken and onion mixture, topped with salsa and melted cheese, and a few olive slices thrown on top. It also comes with a side of rice and refried beans. I know it is really strange for my favorite thing at a pub to be on the Southwest menu, but once you try it you will understand.

This restaurant is a great place to eat and get a few drinks. Be warned, because on the weekend you better either get there early, or be prepared to wait. It gets packed pretty quick. It is okay for families, but the noise level is usually pretty high. The staff is friendly, the food is amazing, there is no reason not to check it out!

The Portside Inn, Main Site

Unnoficial Portside Facebook Page