The Green Mesquite BBQ

While we were staying in Austin, Texas I looked up places that were highly suggested to eat at, and the Green Mesquite happens to be one of the restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. They have been open since 1988, serving some amazing BBQ, and have live music playing from Thursday-Sunday. We had three tired children with us so we decided to get takeout. 

I ordered the 2 meat BBQ plate. My meat choices were the pulled pork and chicken. For my two sides I ordered mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. The gravy for the mashed potatoes was delicious. The pulled pork was my favorite. There was a great layer of smoke in the pork, and when dipped into the tangy BBQ sauce it was amazing. You also get served white bread, which is perfect for adding the pulled pork, BBQ sauce and pickles to make a small sandwich. I can definitely see why this restaurant was chosen to be on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. This is definitely some good eats, and great BBQ!

Green Mesquite, Facebook Page
Green Mesquite, Main Page
Diners Drive-ins and Dives

Jasper Ridge Brewery

Jasper is one of those hit or miss restaurants. I have eaten here on and off since I was little because my grandparents, before they passed, lived in Ishpeming. Now I currently live fairly close, but I still have only eaten here about once a year.

If you do find yourself stopping here while in town, there are a few suggestions that I would definitely make. First of all, it's a brewery so even if you aren't a huge fan of beer, like myself, you still need to try the blueberry beer. It has a great fruity flavor and they actually float fresh blueberries in the glass.

The soups here are fantastic. Beer Cheese soup is my favorite, but a close second is the French Onion. If you get a batch that isn't way overly salty, the broth is always packed with caramelized onions, loads of bread and lots of gooey cheese on top.

Some decent choices for appetizers and meals in my onion would be the homemade mac and cheese wedges, and the taco salad. Although the mac and cheese wedges don't look really spectacular when you receive them, they are the perfect greasy and cheesy bite to go along with that beer or sports game you came to watch. The mozzarella sticks are also pretty decent, as long as they get cooked through to the center. Although I don't have a picture, the taco salad has been my favorite here since I was little. If the shell isn't burnt, and the waitress actually writes down the correct toppings, it is absolutely delicious.

Although the pictures probably make this sandwich look amazing (and it was so underwhelming I can't even remember what it was called), that is only because I take pretty good pictures after rearranging things on the plate sometimes. What you probably cannot see in the picture is that the sandwich is literally sitting in a pile of grease. I have no problem with the fact that they butter and toast the bread on the flat top, or maybe just use oil. Personally, I would rather not have extra grease added onto the sandwich, but every sandwich I have ever ordered here is swimming in grease. On top of the saturated bread issue, the chicken when I get it in a sandwich, is nine times out of ten as fatty as it gets. I have a downfall when it comes to chicken fat, one bite of it and I'm done. After the first bite I continued on hoping that was the only piece with a large chewy fatty area... but unfortunately that didn't end up being the case.

To sum up my opinion of Jasper, come here for the sports bar ambiance, for the brewery, and for some delicious soup. Leave the rest of the menu to be. It isn't worth it.

Jasper Ridge Brewery, Website

Skipper's Bar and Grill

While hiking Canyon Falls in L'Anse, Michigan, my husband and I wanted to stop somewhere in town that we hadn't tried yet. Skipper's was the perfect place to stop for lunch. According to what I've read and heard, this bar is new (in the past year) and got a complete facelift. The atmosphere was great. The waitress was friendly, and when we asked her what she suggested there was no hesitation on her part. Even at an off time of day, since it was late afternoon, the bar still had a decent amount of people in it. The place was very clean, even down to the bathrooms which I found impressive for a bar.

For an appetizer, we ordered the wings with honey mustard sauce. The wings were cooked perfectly, and must have been finished in the deep fryer because they were unbelievably crunchy. The honey mustard sauce was so good I could have eaten it on a spoon, and even though they dredged the wings through it, they still remained crunchy.

For our main meal, we split the buffalo chicken ranch pizza (small). We got the thick crust, which ended up making this taste almost like a flatbread. It was very good. The pizza was topped with grilled chicken, bacon, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato and mild sauce. The combination was perfect, and the sauce definitely gave it a good kick that was cooled down instantly with the ranch.

If you haven't had a chance to stop at Skipper's yet or are skeptical that it will be a typical small town dive bar (and not in a good way), let me assure you, it is anything but. The food is delicious, and I haven't heard one bad review on the place yet!

Skipper's Bar and Grill, Facebook Page

Hilltop Restaurant

Having gone to the Houghton area many times in the past, I am surprised I never stopped at the Hilltop. My dad used to bring us back those giant cinnamon rolls when we were little filled with the apple in the middle and I remember it being such a treat. Now that our camp in Michigamme has been re-built, we are a pretty quick drive away, which is exactly why we decided one night to take a random trip to L'Anse just to eat here.

The size of the rolls that you get with your dinner are huge. I have pretty small hands as it is, but I'm pretty sure if I tried to put it in the palm of my hand, that it would take two hands to completely cover the roll (maybe more). Not only are they giant, but they are baked fresh and served to you piping hot. The outside has a slight crunch to it, but the inside is soft like a pillow.

My husband ordered the house ribs with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Real mashed potatoes I should add, still with a few clumps here and there which is how I like them. The gravy on his mashed potatoes was pretty good, even for non-gravy lovers such as myself. The house ribs smothered in barbecue sauce put the "almost famous" ribs from Up North Lodge (which used to be my favorite ribs in the UP) to SHAME. They were fall of the bone fork tender.

I ordered the homemade layered meatloaf for dinner. The homemade meatloaf patty sits on top a pile of mashed potatoes. Neither are really visible or recognizable because loaded on top is sauteed mushrooms, homemade gravy, shredded cheese and a mound of onion rings. The combination of all of those sounds like something I would create at home when I had a hankering for four different things and couldn't decide, so they all get put together. It sounds on the weird side but it goes together perfectly.

For dessert we wanted to share a piece of the peanut butter pie. Instead of just bringing us two forks, they brought us each a half slice on separate plates with the pretty chocolate drizzle on top. What they consider a half slice was huge.

I ended up taking 3/4 of my dinner home, half of my pie, and half of my bun. When you order a dinner, you also get the soup and salad bar. If you are hungry and feel like you could eat a Buick, this is the restaurant to go to. The food is homemade and comforting, and is a massive portion per person. Our waitress was cheerful and engaging and gave us helpful hints of what to order when we couldn't decide between different options. Make sure you order a cinnamon roll to go by the register before you leave, or if you forget to, you can always order them online off of their website!

Hilltop Restaurant, Main Site
Hilltop's Facebook Page

Rock Inn Mountain Tavern

The final post for places we ate while on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado is definitely saving the best for last. The Rock Inn was my absolute favorite restaurant in Estes Park. The hostess that greeted us was unbelievably nice, and made small talk and asked if we had a favorite table (even though I could tell by the look on her face that she knew by our accents that we weren't from around here). Our waiter was not only helpful, but bent down while talking to us which you don't see often, and made us feel like people who were regulars and ate their all of the time. The decor was gorgeous. It felt like we were in the middle of the mountains somewhere in a cozy lodge.

I didn't feel like an alcoholic beverage or soda, and water was too boring so I decided to get fancy and order the French press coffee. It was some of the best coffee I have had in years.  My husband, who is a tea person, also said it was delicious coffee.

For an appetizer we ordered the "Devils on horseback", which were dates stuffed with roasted garlic, and wrapped in bacon served with a fresh aioli. The only bad thing I have to say about these are that there weren't enough on the plate! The garlic and dates were so creamy, and the bacon had a perfect crunch on the outside.

My husband ordered the bacon wrapped meatloaf. The meatloaf was very moist and served with a garlic mushroom gravy on top. He also had a side of red potatoes and a carrot salad.

And now, for the best dish that I have had in months, and the best steak I have had in YEARS, is my main course. I ordered the Filet Mignon, bistro style which was peppercorn crusted and served in a port wine sauce. I also had the carrot salad on the side, and ordered mine with creamy polenta. The plate, taste aside, was gorgeous. Mine was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the slices were fanned out. The port wine sauce was rich and creamy and went perfectly with the hot peppercorns. It was definitely not one of the cheaper items on the menu, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself to something decadent.

I highly, highly recommend this restaurant if you are in Estes Park. We ate here on a Saturday and they even had live music. I wish I would have figured out the singer's name so that I could give her recognition on here because her voice was beautiful. The food is to die for, the staff makes you feel like family. If I could pick this restaurant up and bring it back to the Upper Peninsula I would.

Rock Inn, Main Site
Rock Inn, Facebook Page

Bob and Tony's Pizza

While in Estes Park, Colorado and walking around down town looking in all of the shops, it happened to be lunch time and my husband and I couldn't figure out what restaurant this amazing garlic-y smell was coming from. After about 5 minutes of walking around, letting our noses lead the way, we came across Bob and Tony's Pizza.

We grabbed two menu's and picked out the table that was closest to the door, but had actual armchairs to sit in. While picking out what we wanted from the menu, we watched a few people walk in the door and have the same reaction we did. We all pulled the door open, stood there for a minute and just smelled the air coming out of the restaurant. It is enough to make your mouth water.

For an appetizer we ordered the cheese bread. Description wise, it was a pretty standard cheesy bread. Crispy toasted garlic bread, strong but not over powering garlic flavor, and lots of melted cheese and Italian herbs. Very good.

Instead of picking one of the pizza flavor combinations from the menu, we decided to make our own. We ordered a small pizza with white pizza sauce (like an Alfredo butter sauce), with garlic, basil, spinach and pepperoni. The combination was amazing. I love spinach and garlic on pizzas but throwing the pepperoni and basil in there brought it over the top. We both had about two pieces and brought the rest to devour in our hotel room as we needed a quick snack. The best part? It was even better cold.

Bob and Tony's Facebook Page
Bob and Tony's Pizza, Main Site

Smokin' Dave's BBQ and Taphouse

While my husband and I were vacationing for a long weekend in Colorado a few week's ago, we both had a hankering for some good barbecue. I am that type of person who always looks up restaurants and things to do while on vacation before hand, usually on TripAdvisor. Smokin' Dave's was one of the top five restaurants that I wanted to visit while in Estes Park and had great reviews.

And pulling into a backdrop like that, how could you not gravitate towards this restaurant to eat there? Even with an overcast sky, it was still a breathtaking sight.

We chose to get an appetizer since we were both famished, and ordered the Pit Master Sliders. These freshly made buns are packed full of meat, two with Carolina pork and two with the Texas beef brisket. They also come with a container of coleslaw to top the sandwiches off, and I highly recommend, even if you don't care for coleslaw like myself, that you top those sandwiches off with coleslaw. At your table you also have a variety of BBQ sauces (homemade of course) to choose from, and I added the mustard BBQ sauce to my sliders.

For dinner I ordered the Dave's Double. Now, I obviously didn't plan that very well on the trying different things area, because the two meat's that I chose were the brisket and pulled pork again. The pulled pork was my favorite. The smokey flavor was very pronounced and the meat was still juicy. The brisket was also good. The smoke ring on the edges of the slices just reminded me of how much time they actually put into cooking their meats on the smoker. I tried the meat with all of the different kinds of BBQ sauce and I would have to say, although I liked all of them, that the mustard was still my favorite. For my two sides I ordered the Southern corn bake, which was my favorite thing other than the cornbread on my plate. And I also chose Grandma's tater salad. The tater salad wasn't bad, but I hate a large mayonnaise based sauce and that is all that I could taste.

For dessert, my husband ordered the apple cobbler. The apples were very tender and I highly suggest ordering a scoop of vanilla because the cobbler melts the ice cream making it into an amazing creamy vanilla sauce.

I ordered the creole bread pudding that is baked with bittersweet chocolate and pecans, and topped with a whiskey cream sauce. There was I think a little bit too much sauce for me. It isn't thick, more of a watery type sauce, but had really great flavor. And a bite of everything together, including some whipped cream was perfect.

I highly recommend stopping here if you are in Estes Park, or near their other location in Lyons for that matter. The proportions, depending on what you order, are more than enough. We ended up taking most of our desserts and part of dinner back to the hotel with us. And nothing against the Famous Dave's chain, because they also have amazing food, but Smokin' Dave's might have beat you this time as far as the meat is concerned... Delish!

Smokin' Dave's Facebook Page
Smokin' Dave's, Estes Menu

Cascades Restaurant of the Stanley

My husband and I recently took a trip to Estes Park, Colorado for the Strange Escapes "The Stanley" paranormal convention. We got our tickets early enough that we were able to stay in the hotel. We visited the Cascades Restaurant on two different occasions while we were staying there, once for a late night snack, drinks and dessert, and once for dinner. The service was pretty good, considering the entire dining room and bar area (and hotel in general) were packed the entire weekend and it was very chaotic. There was copper everywhere and it was beautiful; the light practically danced off of it. They also had signed pictures of actors, actresses, politicians, or any "famous" people that have been there.

While in Colorado, I HAD to order my favorite drink of all time, which is a "Colorado Bulldog". Here in Upper Michigan, about 95 percent of the bars I have attempted to order it from had never heard of it and I had to explain to them what the ingredients were. Well, I also try to tell them that if you mix them in the wrong order the entire drink curdles and so I normally don't order it at a bar and end up making them myself. I was expecting like many bars I have been to, that the drink would be over boozed and you wouldn't be able to taste anything else. That ended up being far from the case. I could even taste the splash of Coca Cola that is added. It was one of the best drinks I have had in a long time.

For an appetizer on the first night we dined there, we ordered the Montaditos. You were served three pieces of grilled baguette (which I thought was a very odd number, because usually two people split it), Manchego cheese, Prosciutto, and a tomato "confit" (which was more like baby greens and sliced grape tomatoes of various colors). Other than some odd terminology in the description, the dish was very good and refreshing. Even with the fact that it was bread, meat and cheese, it didn't feel heavy at all. And of course I always like to make my dish look amazing and play with my food, so that was also fun.

For dessert we ordered the Creme Brulee to split. I am not going to go into much detail because you can either make a creme brulee or you can't. The texture was on point, the caramelization on top was very crunchy and sounded perfect, but the flavor was lacking. Normally you would use fresh vanilla beans in the custard to bring out that vanilla flavor, but there was really no flavor at all. I don't know if the macaroon was made in house, but it was amazing. I would have ordered a whole plate of those.

The second night we ate there, we attended for dinner. I ordered the Buffalo Bolognese. It was pappardelle pasta mixed in with the buffalo bolognese sauce, and topped with truffle pecorino. They also have a "side" of carrot puree. The dish was not bad. It wasn't a very flavorful bolognese but the sharp cheese on top helped give the dish some of the salt it was lacking. My issue with the carrot puree, which was pretty good flavor wise, was that it looked like a skid mark on the edge of my bowl. That, and there was literally one "fork full" on the plate. I think they were trying to use it as more of a fancy decor aspect, but if you say in the menu that there is a carrot puree in or with the dish, you should use enough to make an impact.

My husband ordered a side of Mac and Cheese with his main dish. The sauce was made with a sharp cheddar and the dish was topped with applewood smoked bacon. Again, it was a good dish, but still nothing spectacular. The sauce was a little runny for my taste, but the flavors were there.

The best dish of the night, and it wasn't even mine, was the Macgregor Burger that came with truffle fries. I was not expecting a burger of all things to be the star of this restaurant, but it took center stage. The truffle fries were the best I have ever had, no ketchup needed. The burger was topped with melted sliced brie cheese, and came with a bacon marmalade that was to die for. Considering I only had one (very large) bite of it, and don't really like beef burgers, I would have switched dishes with him in a heartbeat. It was one of the best beef burgers I've ever had.

The overall experience here was great. All of the food was good, and some of the most different types of dishes from a restaurant in a hotel that I've had to date. If I lived near the Estes Park area, that burger is the one thing that would keep bringing me back. It is mouth watering. Also the fact that this restaurant is located in the famously haunted Stanley Hotel helps...


Stanley Hotel, Cascades Restaurant
Stanley Hotel, Facebook Page

Wagener's Delicatessen and Cafe

A new German restaurant has opened up in Au Train that I have no doubt will be putting it's mark on the U.P. They are open from Tuesday through Saturday, and each week they have a weekly special that is featured. Although the menu is on the smaller side, everything that is offered looks amazing and from what my husband and I ordered, was cooked to perfection.

The restaurant is tiny, but inside are two large picnic tables to eat at. We went through at a pretty odd time of day so there weren't many people, but it is a great way to meet new people and have a dining experience that you normally wouldn't elsewhere. The tables are lined with ice water and various condiments. They also have different German deli items for sale, and have maps of the area for out-of-towners.

For lunch we both ordered the Pork Schnitzel. I've noticed that in German restaurants around the area I always end up ordering pork schnitzel so by now I should be an expert at it. The pork on the inside of the breading was juicy and tender. I had to slather the bun with mustard because between the breaded pork and bun, it was a slightly dry "sandwich". The potato salad was delicious and flavorful between the herbs and what looked like small bits of ham or some form of deli meat. The only thing I would change about this is that it came with more toppings, or if they served the schnitzel on top of some cooked cabbage just to add some moisture. Otherwise, it was good.

We ordered a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake to share. I believe, if I heard one of the owners correctly, that the pies and bars, etc are all homemade, and even some types of cake like carrot cake, but that they sometimes get different cakes from Huron Mountain Bakery in Marquette. I believe our cake slice was from Huron judging by the flavors but either way it was chocolatey and filled with caramel making it unbelievably moist.

This restaurant has amazing potential. I heard one of the owners saying that when they close down for the middle of March through the middle of April that they will be adding outdoor seating to maximize space and let people take in the view of Lake Superior off in the distance. If I lived in the Munising/Christmas area or Alger County in general, I wouldn't even eat in town that often and would rather drive the distance to eat here in Au Train, than at any close mediocre at best restaurant that so far are offered in the area. This is a must stop. They are also open for breakfast, which I've heard is also amazing so next time we head through the area, it will be a goal to stop here again.

Wagener's Delicatessen Website
Wagener's Facebook Page

Big Burger Grille

My husband and I went to the Big Burger Grille a week after it opened (beginning of March). I was expecting there to be mass chaos for some reason, especially with such a small building being shared with Main Street Pizza in Harvey. Let me tell you, not only did they have it together, but they are absolutely amazing burgers. There aren't very many options as of now in Harvey for places to eat, and not really any place so far that stands out as being different enough for people to come from other areas to stop there. Well everyone, you now have a reason.

For an appetizer we ordered the cheese curds. You get a very generous portion and they were fried to perfection.

I ordered a big single with cheese (Pepper-Jack), with pickle, lettuce and tomato. Make sure before ordering and going up to the register that you know what size you want, and exactly how you want it. The person at the register (may have been the owner?) wasn't rude about it, but kindly told us that if you don't tell him exactly what you want, it will come with just meat and the cheese choice (so include your ketchup and mustard too if you want it!). The burger comes to your table wrapped in a foil paper. We both unwrapped our burgers, using the foil for a plate and dug in. They were SO unbelievably juicy!

If you have a hankering for a great burger, skip McDonald's and all of the other chain restaurants (that will probably end up making your stomach hurt anyways) and drive out to Harvey to get a Big Burger! You will not be disappointed! I included a menu as the first picture because I found it extremely hard to find one online so far.

Big Burger Grille, Facebook Page