Sweet Water Cafe

After not stepping foot in Sweet Water Cafe since I was in middle school (no particular reason), my husband and I decided to venture there for date night. Since not having been there for so long, I had no expectations and approached everything with a clean slate. It has definitely changed over the last decade or more, and in a very positive way.

While browsing through the menu, we were both happy to see that the ingredients are purchased as fresh as possible, and everything is made from scratch. From the homemade baked breads, desserts, soups, smoked meat (also smoked in house), there were so many things that sounded delicious.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Hummus and chips, for which we substituted the chips for the homemade sourdough bread. The garbonzo bean hummus was smooth and creamy in texture, and although I wouldn't have mind if there was more of a flavor with spices or roasted garlic, it was a very simple and clean hummus. The sourdough was a great choice. The outside of the bread had a chewy texture and the inside was nice and soft.

My husband ordered the Ginger Chicken Stir Fry for his entree. I of course stole a bite of his to see how it tasted, since it looked beautiful, and WISH I knew the ingredients in that sauce. The vegetables were the perfect consistency and still had a small amount of crunch. The ginger wasn't very pronounced while you ate it but there was a huge aftertaste that screamed ginger. The ginger also gave off a small amount of heat that was needed.

Dinner for me was one of my favorites ( that strangely does not show up on the menu online right now, but I promise they have it!), Beef Bourguignon. I don't know why but this dish just screams comfort food to me. It also might be one of my favorites because it reminds me of Julia Child who is one of my culinary idols (for many people out there as well I'm sure), although I am glad that I could order it and not have to make her version that takes hours upon hours to make. The red wine sauce that the beef and carrots were cooked in was rich and wonderful. Having the mashed potatoes there to soak up some of the sauce was amazing, and the root vegetables on the side were perfectly roasted. Had everything up to now not been as good as it had been, I would have had a bit of a problem though. I think I either got the end of this batch of Bourguignon, or was just the lucky one who ended up with half meat, and the other half being large fat pieces. I know that all of the fat isn't trimmed, and helps give the liquid some of its flavor while cooking, but I literally had half fat half meat. Regardless, the flavors were amazing.

Sweet Water Cafe is definitely a hidden gem on Third Street in Marquette. It is a hard find lately to come across restaurants that have this amount of fresh ingredients used. The flavors are amazing, the food is proportioned perfectly, and about 90 percent of the items on the menu I would try, and only for the simple fact that I don't like fish, which would be the other 10 percent. Be sure to stop here for a great meal, or if you are lucky enough, get here before late afternoon because they serve breakfast until 3PM!

Sweet Water Cafe, Main Site

Sweet Water Cafe, Facebook Page