Pronto Pup

 

I had been waiting to go here for years!!! Corndogs are literally my favorite "carnival" type food and every year we visit twice, and I never stumbled upon it until this past year. I have to say I hyped myself up for it to be one of the best corndogs ever, mainly because of how long I've wanted to try them.

I might be able to blame this one on my husband, since he was talking to the man frying the corn dogs, but they were really, really "golden" brown. More like past golden. The batter, had it not been slightly on the burnt side, was thin and crunchy and I'm sure would normally taste amazing, but they were all overcooked and it was somewhat of a letdown.

Cafe Cornucopia

Although most hotels now-a-days come with continental breakfast, for me the whole point of food blogging and traveling is to try new places and experience new things, only time is limited. The Cafe Cornucopia was right around the corner from our hotel and had great reviews online so we stopped there for breakfast. Even for it being near a construction zone on the street at the time, there was a steady crowd of locals coming in to pick up to-go orders.

I ordered the fried egg and bacon sandwich. I make these all of the time at home, not saying they are simple to do but it was mid-trip for us and I was really missing something that felt like it was home cooked. The bacon was cooked the way I love it, super crispy with the fat rendered down. The egg was good for the yolks being broken, maybe a little overcooked, but still tasted great with the crispy edges. My own pet peeve is again (and if you follow my blog I am like a broken record on this one), the greasy over crunchy bread. I wish I would have just asked for the insides put in between two lightly toasted pieces of bread, with no butter on the bread but it was still a great breakfast sandwich.

After looking at the pastry selection, we also decided to split a turnover. It was delicious. There wasn't a ton of filling which was a bummer, but since we had to rip it in half to split, I guess it was more of a godsend so that we didn't make a huge mess! And mmm the powdered sugar on this thing! This was a great decision to stop here. All of the food was something I cook from the comfort of my own kitchen, including the pastries, so it was a little slice of Michigan in the middle of Missouri.

Cafe Cornucopia

Cielo at the Four Seasons

My husband and I had a great opportunity while in Saint Louis to get dressed up in fancy clothes and go out somewhere more upscale for dinner. After finally finding the Cielo restaurant (our map sent us through the casino and a few other places first) within the Four Seasons Hotel, we had worked up quite an appetite. Looking around the restaurant, I was surprised to find that many people were wearing casual dress and other than one large table of people that looked straight out of the show "Real Housewives", we were quite overdressed. The decor was absolutely beautiful and we decided instead of picking two items off of the menu, that we would do the four course "Tour of Italy". And since we wanted to try multiple dishes, we both ordered opposites for appetizers, main course, and dessert.

One of the appetizers was a bruschetta style crostini, topped with goat cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes. You can't usually go wrong with the tomato, cheese and bread combination. The only problem I had was that it was lacking more acid and flavor, like a balsamic reduction or fresh basil. The menu stated that there was mint and basil added somewhere but those flavors did not at all come through. For his appetizer, it was quite underwhelming as a start. My appetizer on the other hand was also very simple, but done to perfection. The chicken consomme was almost a play on if chicken soup and Italian wedding meatball soup had a child. The meatball was cooked to perfection,  along with the vegetables. That broth was packed with flavor and the only thing I would complain about is that there was only one meatball and I wanted more!

The next course topped another level for me. The lemon and saffron gnocci was so light in flavor. The biggest worry with gnocci is that it will be dense and doughy but this dish didn't disappoint. I am not even a fan of seafood, but tried a mussel 'by accident' and it was very good. I ordered the Arugula Pappardelle, which was topped with a pork cheek ragout and pistachios. The pork was sweet and pulled apart with a fork like butter, and the arugula pasta was nice and peppery. Everything paired very well together.

Our main course, which sounded so good that we both ordered the same thing, was the short ribs. They were sous vide for 72 hours making them unbelievably tender. The parsley root puree was light and creamy and I couldn't even tell that it wasn't a potato puree. I have never had sunchokes before but they were tender and very earthy. My only hesitation with short ribs is that unlike most people, I can't stand the tiniest bit of gristle and end up cutting it off. I had quite a big piece on mine that my husband ate for me, because to most men "that's the best part". This was hands down my favorite part of our meal.

The chocolate cheesecake was pretty underwhelming. The chocolate used was very bitter. The only aspect of that dish that helped save the flavor was the cooked apricot half. I would have rather eaten a bowl of the apricots by themselves. The gooey butter cake and side of ice cream that I ordered was heaven. It tasted like if you crushed a bunch of shortbread cookies together and then added melted butter and topped it all with powdered sugar. Amazing. The four courses overall were definitely worth the money. Many of the dishes had well thought-out flavors and made up for the underwhelming lack of depth in others. Would we return again while visiting? Absolutely. I think more restaurants should have the 'tasting menu' approach. It is a great way to try multiple dishes in small portions. The short rib dish alone, would bring me back.

Cielo Restaurant, Saint Louis, MO

Ludington Grill

While heading from the U.P. all the way to Missouri, we needed to stop somewhere quick to eat dinner before kicking off our long day of travel. Although I wouldn't call the experience a "quick" one, it was well worth the time spent in this old state bank building turned restaurant.

I have lived in the U.P. my entire life, and have been in Escanaba quite often, and had I known this restaurant was this good I would have been here much sooner. Even though we were dressed very casual, the decor has a sense of elegance to it (maybe it's the chandelier that was above our table...) that makes you feel very relaxed.

For an appetizer we ordered the Bruschetta. The flavor was almost of a chunky semi sweet marinara sauce with shredded Mozzarella on top, and I am perfectly okay with that. The crunchy baguette and sweet tomato sauce was a perfect meal starter.

I usually stay far away from burgers at restaurants unless it is the number one thing they are known for, because normally it isn't cooked correctly when I receive it and then I am stuck with a burger that I don't want to continue eating. I took a leap of faith regardless of that, and ordered the Quesadilla Burger. This burger is topped with pepper-jack and cheddar cheese, pico de gallo and shredded lettuce, and is served with a Mexi-ranch dressing. I will be honest and say I took one smell and tiny taste of the Mexi-ranch and was not at all interested on putting it on my burger, but the pico was just enough to make this burger good. Instead of a Mexi-ranch, I think it would have been great with a few slices of avocado or some smeared guacamole on the bun, but that is just my personal opinion. I am not sure if I would call it a "quesadilla" burger either, because the first thing I think of when I hear the word quesadilla is a tortilla shell (which would also have been awesome if the burger was wrapped like a pita sandwich with a tortilla shell....) but regardless of the nit-picking, it was a very good burger.

My husband ordered what looked like the messiest sandwich of all time. He let me try a bite of it as he usually lets me, and I almost asked to switch with him! This Boursin and Bourbon Roast Turkey Sandwich is to die for. It has sliced turkey breast, crisp cooked bacon, tomato, Spring salad mix, roasted bourbon garlic glaze, and melted Boursin cheese on a kaiser roll. The combination of all of those ingredients is literally like a party in your mouth. The cheese is so soft and the bacon is so crunchy, that this sandwich really has every flavor and texture that you look for in a great sandwich. The most disappointing looking part of his plate was that side veggie bowl that looks like frozen bagged veggies thawed out. Note to myself since I usually eat with my eyes first and like things that look pretty: This sandwich may look like a bad hangover, but it is a dish that will literally keep you coming back to this restaurant.

I will say, the service was great and our waitress was very nice, but this is not a place to expect to be in and out of quickly. If you have a ladies lunch or family outing where you are already planning on catching up and having some down time between bites to eat, it is perfect. The food is amazing, the ambiance is elegant and cozy, and the staff is very prompt and welcoming. We will definitely be coming back again.

Ludington Grill, Main Site
Ludington Grill, Facebook Page

Alibi

While down in lower Michigan on a family related trip, this restaurant was highly suggested as a place for us to try while visiting. Alibi is known for it's amazing pizza, burgers, steaks, you name it. The style to me was as I would describe, a cross between rustic and Italian decor. Besides the fact that we got seated in the bar area, with a very, very loud group of parents who were obsessively drinking with their children with them, the food was definitely worth stopping here for. 

For a starter, I ordered the French Onion soup. Now, I have been a judge of this soup since I was little, ordering it on every family vacation that I went on whenever it was on the menu. Although I wish there was less bread and more onions ratio wise, it was delicious. Not over salted, Not too much greasy cheese, it was all pretty well balanced.

I ordered the Alibi Delight for dinner, which is spaghetti with meat sauce, smothered with Mozzarella cheese. The bowl may look small compared to the fork, but I felt like I ate for a good half an hour and barely touched half of the bowl. The meat sauce with the pasta was really good. There was just enough sauce to mix in with the pasta and it wasn't soupy. My only negative point would be that the cheese tasted like two deli slices of Mozzarella processed cheese that was melted on top of the pasta under a broiler. I mean, it's still technically pasta with Mozzarella, but I would have liked to have seen fresh Mozzarella, or at least some form of cheese that doesn't look like it would have gone better in a sandwich.

Overall, the experience was pretty, not bad, but not very memorable. Part of it may have had to do with the loud obnoxious crowd that we got stuck next to, but part of it was that the food was just decent. Although the soup was very good, the pasta I could have made better in my kitchen at home, and with better products. If you are going to the Alibi to meet friends for a few (or many) drinks and watch a sports game in the bar, that seems to be more of the style, at least it was when we were there.

Spikes Keg 'O' Nails

While on the way back from lower Michigan heading to the U.P., my husband and I stopped in Grayling for some lunch. Before even reading on the history or the menu of Spike's Keg 'O' Nails, the outside looked like such a dive (in a good way) that we took a chance that paid off. For a brief history, it opened on May 29, 1933 the day after prohibition ended and the name was picked out from a contest. Famous baseball stars and boxers were customers of that time, and he was a pillar of the community. Be sure to read more information of him on their main website. This little building definitely has some history behind it. (Who would have thought by looking at it?)

For an appetizer we ordered one of my favorites, which if you're a cheese addict like me, is always cheese curds. They were amazing, like cheese curds usually are. The breading was crispy, the cheese was squeaky and melted, and was even better dipped in ranch dressing.

There were many options on the menu that looked amazing, such as the pulled pork, but my gut (literally I suppose..) was telling me to go for the 'Spike's Patty Melt'. I had upgraded to the pretzel bun, but the waitress apparently forgot because when it came out, it was on rye bread. A mistake well made because the rye bread gives this sandwich an extra flavor that would have been missing with the pretzel bun. It was topped with grilled onions that were soft and almost caramelized, and melted Swiss cheese. This is one of the best patty melt's I have ever had. My burger was cooked perfectly, the onion rings that I got on the side were amazing with really thin fried batter on the outside. Whatever dip they give you (I can't for the life of me remember) to dip the sandwich and rings in is the perfect match.

Spike's seems to be one of THE places to eat in Grayling. We arrived and there were only two tables filled, but by the time we left, every seat, including the bar, was packed. If we lived closer, this would definitely be on the rotation of places to eat!

Spike's Keg 'O' Nails, Main Website

Ken's Cozy Cafe

 

While we were in town for a funeral in Shelby Township, Michigan (I know, not the best reason for a vacation or trip, only positive that comes out of funerals is seeing family you haven't seen in forever), we needed something delicious for breakfast before heading to visit family. I always do my planning before trips and have a list of higher rated restaurants in the area and Ken's Cozy Cafe was highly recommended by many. Talk about a tiny place, with an impressive speed for getting customers in, fed, and out in a timely manner.

We both ordered the 2x2, which is two eggs and two pancakes. My husband ordered two over-medium eggs with pecan pancakes, and I ordered two scrambled eggs with chocolate chip pancakes. Holy wah, the pancakes are huge! They literally take up the whole circumference of the plate! And of course we both ordered a side of bacon, because everyone loves bacon, or anyone that matters anyways! The pancakes were amazing. They were so soft, and had a slight cake flavor to them. I was able to finish one, and took the other one back to the hotel. And talk about inexpensive. The 2x2 is a whole whopping $6.75.

This little restaurant really impressed me. The staff was so busy that I was impressed with how tentative they were in refilling coffee and checking on customer satisfaction. I would suggest going at a slight off- time because they are really busy. We went around 10 AM and they were still packed. Ken's Cozy Cafe is definitely a place worth repeating.

Paul's Superior View Restaurant

While in Silver City and staying at the AmericInn Lodge & Suites, my husband and I decided, especially since it is really the only restaurant in the area, to dine at Paul's Superior View Restaurant.

The aren't lying when they say superior view. The view from our table in the dining room was amazing. Even though the weather was overcast, the lake still looked beautiful as you watched the waves crash on the shore. We waited about 20 minutes to get beverages, and it took about half an hour to order our food. Once the food finally did come, some of it was definitely worth the wait.

My husband ordered the Lumberjack Chicken. It consisted of a chargrilled chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms, onions, bacon and topped with melted white cheddar. All of it sat on top of a bed of rice pilaf and came with a side of vegetables. The veggies looked like they were from a frozen bag and mixed with melted butter. The chicken however, was amazing. I stole maybe two bites from him....and everything went perfectly together. I was able to get a little bit of everything on the fork and it was delicious.

I ordered the baked ravioli. I wasn't as impressed with mine as with my husband's. The cheese ravioli was supposed to be topped with Mozzarella and Parmesan and then baked. The ravioli was really good. It tasted like it could have been homemade. But the cheese seemed like it was melted under a warmer and the yellow cheese threw the taste of this dish all off.

Mozzarella and Parmesan go very well together, but this seemed to have been a cheese mixture with either Colby or Cheddar, which changed the flavor of everything. I ended up scraping the cheese and most of the sauce off and just enjoyed the ravioli. This I think is a little bit of false advertising in the menu on their part because this is not at all what the description was.

I will say that the portions you receive are very large. We both ended up taking food back to our hotel room. The waitress we had was really nice. She seemed more like the manager, and I did notice throughout service that there was a lot of tension between the staff. Visible arguing and snickering behind backs was very noticeable. We were also only one of four tables that were seated and our entire dining experience took over 2 hours! Luckily, we were in no rush. I would definitely come back and try this restaurant out again. Hopefully it was just a fluke service for the staff on why it took over 2 hours but there were many things on the menu that looked amazing.

Syl's Cafe

After stopping to get gas on our way to the Porcupine Mountains we stopped in Ontonagon, Michigan for some lunch. We knew where our hotel was that there weren't many restaurants after you left the "big city" of Ontonagon so we stopped at one of the higher rated restaurants in town. People rave about their baked goods and breakfast, which I was bummed that they weren't serving breakfast still when we went because I am a sucker for restaurants that serve breakfast all day. Our waitress was very friendly and it wasn't too busy; the tables were at about half capacity. The bakery counter is where we sat close to and the entire time we were waiting for our food it made my mouth water consistently. I wish we had had room for dessert because the doughnuts were screaming for us to buy one.

I ordered the Sourdough Chicken Club that came with grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese and ranch dressing stuffed inside of two slices of sourdough. I can't remember the name of the sauce that the waitress had suggested I try, but I couldn't get enough of the large sweet potato wedges dipped in what I am calling "crack" sauce, because it was that addicting. My sandwich was a let down for me. The bread was pretty greasy. I know diners like to toast bread in butter or oil on the cook top but I can't stand it. I would rather have naked bread out of a toaster than greasy bread that you can barely stand to hold onto. The bacon was cooked perfectly and super crunchy. My #1 downfall with chicken in anything, especially a sandwich where it is a whole breast like this, is that every restaurant needs to take the time to get the fat off, especially that tendon that goes through the breast. A few bites in and crunch, I was done.

My husband ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast sandwich that comes with lettuce, tomato and mayo and upgraded the bread to a pretzel roll. After he was half way through with his sandwich, we switched halves after my chicken fat incident with my sandwich, and I completely devoured it. The pretzel bun was a great choice, because it left the sandwich feeling fresh and not greasy at all. His chicken was perfect, cooked perfect, and had no fat what-so-ever. I wasn't a huge fan of the mayo but again, it wasn't originally my sandwich, so I dipped it in more of that "crack" sauce and it was delicious!

Hopefully next time we are in the area we will have time to stop again. If I am real lucky we can grab a few sweets out of the counter on our way out because every doughnut, pastry, cookie, cinnamon roll, you name it looked mouth watering. It is a cute little place with pretty decent food, and friendly staff. In a small town like this, finding a gem with good food and great staff is all you can hope for.

Syl's Facebook Page

Sacy's Restaurant

On our way back to Marquette from Sault Saint Marie, Michigan we desperately needed to find somewhere to grab breakfast. We took a detour off of the highway and found this gem that I didn't even know existed. Sacy's Restaurant is part of Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley, Michigan.

The setting of this hotel and casino is absolutely gorgeous. The weather was even overcast with the sun barely coming out every once and a while but the lake still was beautiful, especially with the fountain and people fishing in the background.

For breakfast I ordered "Babe the Blue Ox", which is two eggs, hash browns, choice of meat and toast or biscuits. I ordered my eggs over easy with a side of bacon and white toast. It was the perfect pick-me-up that we needed to get through the drive home. The eggs were cooked perfect, and unlike most places up here in the UP, the eggs were actually seasoned. The bacon was cooked to a nice crisp and the hash browns were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Having to jump off of the highway to find a place to eat made me realize how many places in the UP we have not yet been to, and although we accidentally stumbled on this restaurant, it was amazing and we will have to explore the area more when we get the chance.

Sacy's Restaurant, Main Website

Bay Furnace Bagel Works

First of all, I have to say the city of Munising makes no sense to me. Let's take a place like Pizza Hut, a family style restaurant, granted not that good, but let's replace that with a bagel shop that is only open part of the year. I have to tip my hat on the fact that they got a building in such a great spot in the city, even though it obviously caters more to tourist season than year-round for the city residents itself.

The remodel was beautiful. Even though we came here in the end of August and the fourth-of-July decorations were still up, they definitely upgraded the looks since switching over from Pizza Hut. Everything was very clean and the bagels looked amazing in the display case.

I had high hopes when I ordered the special of the day, which was brisket with bacon, cheddar and chipotle sauce. Not only am I obsessed with bread and cheese in general, but you now just added bacon (which you have to be a communist or a vegetarian not to like) and cooked brisket, which why wouldn't I love a great piece of smoked meat on my bagel sandwich? And my favorite sauce to add to any sandwich is always a Southwest or Chipotle type of mayo. Wow did I set myself up for disappointment. The brisket was the consistency of shoe leather, which leads me to believe that maybe it was leftover from an item a few days old and that it was on the special because it was going to be thrown out soon. The bacon was barely cooked. I don't mind bacon that has some fat, or that isn't crunchy, but the actual meat part of the bacon better be cooked otherwise it has the consistency in your mouth of non-rendered fat. If the bagel was fresh then I am stumped. It had been toasted on the inside which is nice, but it was so chewy. I ended up leaving the cheese and sauce on the bagel and throwing the meat out. My husband ordered the same special, and although he ate it because he is like a human garbage disposal, he had the same concerns about the brisket and bagel consistency.

Clearly we either went here on a bad day, or all of the good things we heard were from locals hyping it up. Next time we stop I will try a simple coffee and bagel with butter. If it was just a fluke visit, I would love to come to a place like this while in town (if we are there before they close at an early 2PM) because I love fresh breads and bagels and a great cup of coffee. As it stands though, that sandwich special would have been a great gift for my dog. Greasy and very, very chewy. Not to mention, the woman who took our order and brought our bagels to the table was quite a rude one.

I tried to click on the link on their Facebook page for their main website to give you an idea of the menu, but it sent me to an error page. I'll post a picture that they have on their Facebook page for you of the menu from last year. Hopefully the site will be up and fixed before they open again for Munising's "busy" season.

Triangle Restaurant while chillin' in McMillan

While heading from Marquette towards the bridge, we wanted to stop somewhere for breakfast and desperately needed a sit down with real food, none of this sandwich from McDonald's business and then call it "breakfast" when you are still starving afterwords. My husband and his dad used to come here while on wrecker calls back when he had a towing business, and I have driven past it I don't know how many times so we decided to stop and try it out. 

The inside is pretty outdated. Judging by the cars in the lot, and the fact that most of them were large trucks, I expected it to be more of the old diner style. For the most part it at least seemed clean which is all that I usually care about. Our waitress was very kind and attentive, especially since our coffee cup seemed to diminish quite quickly that morning and she never let it empty. There were two tables that had other diners, who seemed to be locals, talking really loudly about local politics but it wasn't bothersome. We rather enjoyed listening to yooper local trash talk; it was pretty entertaining. 

I guess, judging from reviews and pictures on their Facebook page I was expecting a little bit more than what I received. I ordered the two eggs over-easy with hash browns and ham. Simple dish, nothing extravagant or crazy. I got about four bites out of the ham due to how the fat was marbled and my knife could barely cut through the fat. The hash browns, along with the eggs, were not at all seasoned with salt or pepper or any kind of seasoning to give the food flavor. I'm not scared by some runny whites still left around the egg yolks when I break into it with the toast but in this case it was almost too much for me. I just kept adding salt and pepper and at least finished the eggs.

I don't know what it is with these kinds of restaurants but the number one downfall in all of them, including this one, is that there is no simple seasoning with salt and pepper. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in restaurants (and every cooking show and Chef around the world will agree with this), NEEDS seasoning, on everything on the plate, and every step of the cooking process. The food was just bland, and under-impressive. Which is a shame because we are always driving by here. Maybe we will have to stop sometime at dinner time in the summer when the smoker is out. People seem to rave about it and hopefully since it is smoked meat, it will have some flavor.