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

Border Grill

Border Grill has become a very popular place to get fresh Mexican-American style food in Marquette. The first one, that opened up in 1997, did so well that they now have three locations (two of which are in Marquette, and one in Negaunee). Everything is made fresh to order, and they offer many choices like burritos, tacos, salads, nachos, and quesadillas. They also make 7 different types of salsas that are all amazing and fresh, and add a little "zing" to your meal.

One of the newer items on the menu is the Salsa Con Queso. Their version has a melted Monterrey Jack cheese blend, homemade Pico de Gallo, and spicy Fuego salsa mixed all together. It isn't thick like most Queso dips (probably from the different style of cheese used) but it is amazing and a must try. If you aren't a huge chip and dip fan, it is also very good when used as a side sauce instead of the Border or Blanca sauce.

My husband ordered his favorite shrimp burrito, which has sauteed shrimp, peppers and onions, your choice of Mexican or Cilantro lime rice (the above picture has Mexican), red cabbage and salsa Blanca. It almost has the taste resemblance of a good shrimp fajita, and the cabbage gives you the texture "crunch" that was needed. I cut the burrito in half so that you could see what the inside looked like, and that is exactly how it came out, with no photo editing. The colors are amazing and make you want to scarf the whole thing down!

I ordered the Fuego quesadilla that definitely has a kick. It is a cheese-jalapeno tortilla that is filled with melted cheese, salsa Fuego, and red onions that have been caramelized in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It may sound on the tame side, but every bite I took had either red pepper flakes or jalapeno seeds in it. It was pretty spicy. The odd combination of the salsa and balsamic vinegar onions sounds like it would be a strange one, but it works well together. It is served with a side of Pico de Gallo, sour cream and guacamole.

Border Grill is a great option for fresh food that is made to order. You can tell that all of the ingredients are of the highest quality. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Everyone seems to be trained to not only know everything on the menu, but how to describe certain ingredients with the knowledge that is associated with it. Everything on the menu is very versatile and can be changed to suit your needs. There are many vegetarian options, and they also offer vegan and gluten free options.

The link to their Facebook page and main website are below:

Border Grill, Main Site

Border Grill, Facebook page

Jackson's Pit

Places to eat in Negaunee have always been somewhat limited on types of food that is offered. There are a few pizza places, fast food places, pasties, and a bakery. With Jackson's Pit that opened this past July, the Negaunee food world has just broadened it's taste buds!

If you are looking for a place to watch the game, kick back and have a few cold ones, there are numerous T.V.'s around the bar and they offer a 20 tap system that includes 17 Michigan craft brews, and even root beer.

There are many great sounding appetizers on the menu, which include some JP originals such as beer battered mushrooms (using a Michigan craft beer in the batter) with a roasted garlic aioli, and BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp. All sauces are made in-house. My family and I ended up getting the chili cheese fries. They were amazing! Homemade fries smothered in chili and topped with cheese sauce. Next time I visit I will definitely be getting a bowl of chili for an appetizer. It is some of the best chili I have had in Marquette county.

 I have heard from many people that they go to Jackson's Pit just for the chicken wings, and also the many juicy burger choices. They have the most unique combination of ingredients for burger toppings in the area. For example, the Pick Axe burger is Cajun seasoned, topped with applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato and red onion.

I went for something on the lighter side and ordered the chef salad. Considering the huge portion of chili fries that came as our appetizer, I shouldn't have been shocked that the salad was larger than the size of my head! The salad was made from a fresh lettuce blend (no brown or wilted pieces to be found), sliced turkey, ham, Swiss and cheddar cheese, cucumber, hardboiled egg, onion (which i omitted), croutons and I chose Ranch dressing. It was a great salad, and I could only finish about half of it!

While we were eating dinner, we had the pleasure of listening to a band called the Louisiana Bayou Boyz, who sounded great and played one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. Be sure to check on their Facebook page to see what band is going to be playing and for any drink or food specials. Jackson's Pit has played it's part in bringing more traffic to downtown Negaunee, and better food to the area by serving fresh and homemade ingredients. And if your GPS tells you that you have reached your destination and you don't see it, look on the other side of the street and you can't miss the sign!

The links to their Facebook page and main website (with the food and drink menu) are below:

Jackson's Pit, Facebook Page

Jackson's Pit, Main Website