The Marq

There is a fairly new restaurant in Marquette (within the past year) that has been receiving amazing reviews. The Marq gastropub opened up next to where our children's museum is with an idea that many other restaurants should try and pick up. The Marq is a farm to table type of restaurant, and pride themselves in the fact that they use one thing better than many others in this town, which is buying everything as locally as possible. The menu changes seasonally, and to what is available to them. Everything is made from scratch, and even though the plates are on the smaller side (which just means you can order multiple things to try, right?), you can literally taste ever single ingredient that goes into the dish to make it absolutely amazing.

My family and I came here for the first time to celebrate my husband's birthday, and did not leave hungry or disappointed. We decided to order a few appetizers to try since it was our first time eating there, and because we were told the entree portions were smaller. The first appetizer we ordered was the Lamb Meatballs. I will say, ground lamb and the way these were cooked wasn't really my ideal texture. However, the pickled cauliflower with the chickpeas and carrots were delicious, and the yogurt and mint sauce helped bring everything together.

The most beautiful plate that we received was a Beet Salad. Along with beets, the salad also had carrots, cocoa nibs and two different sauces, topped with random mixed lettuce and micro greens (the greens seemed more for garnish, but did make it look beautiful). This plate would have been an amazing vegetarian entree also. The texture of the beets were very meaty and soft, and the cocoa nibs gave this dish a great crunch.

Since we went on a Friday, they had their Fried Whitefish on the menu. The fried fish came with a side of cabbage slaw with a lemon aioli and a grilled lemon. I wasn't a fan of the cabbage slaw. The dressing was very thick and I didn't taste a lot of lemon. It was almost like a tartar sauce (which most people like, I am not a fan), with cabbage mixed in. I also don't like fish, usually, or at least in large quantities. The fried whitefish was amazing. The batter gave it the nice crunch on the outside and it was moist and soft on the inside.

The Pan Seared Duck Breast wasn't a bad dish. If I eat duck, I almost have to ask them to over cook it because even though I'm sure that it was technically perfectly cooked, that chewy texture is something you either love or you don't. The apricot tomato ginger chutney was a perfect pairing flavor wise and brought a great sweet note to the dish.

The birthday man ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli with Lamb Ragu, yellow curry, mint and yogurt. It all sounds like a very strange combination of ingredients, but let me tell you, they work. When the ricotta is mixed in with the rest of the pasta, it becomes an unbelievably creamy dish that isn't overly heavy. There was no "floating grease" to be found, and was just enough sauce to coat the pasta. Getting a small piece of mint in that bite of pasta brought it over the top.

I ordered the Beef Short Rib with a fried grit cake, acorn squash puree, grilled kale and jus. Now, kale is okay, and the grilled kale wasn't bad, but the large amount of it that was sitting on top of my dish was overwhelming. I love charred things, but the taste tends to take over your pallet after a certain amount. The short rib was perfectly cooked. If you are able to get a small piece of everything on the fork, it all went perfectly together. That squash puree was to die for. Squash is a great winter comfort food for me, and pairing it with a tender and melt-in-your-mouth piece of beef was just amazing.

We ordered three desserts to share, and although I didn't get pictures of any of them (which the reasoning we will get into shortly), they were all delicious. The favorite at the table was the Basque Cake with a brown butter pear and creme fraiche. I kid you not, this cake tasted like a gooey massive spritz cookie with the perfect hint of almond (or was it amaretto?). And the soft pears were perfectly tender and juicy.

The prices in my opinion, for the fact that you are getting the most fresh ingredients possible, was perfect. You will go to many places in the area and pay that much for something that is 80% out of a bag or can, so complaining about the price (which I have heard from many people), is slightly ridiculous. The only downfall that I have, and bugged me tremendously, is how dark it was. I know restaurants like to set the mood with a romantic ambiance and low lighting, but had I not had to use my flash to take pictures, none of us would have really known what our food looked like at the end of the meal. Yes, taste is a large part of why people come back to a certain restaurant, but for many people like myself, you want to eat with your eyes first. I am going to assume that they are on a dimmer, and I would suggest letting people actually see the beautiful dishes that come to the table.

The Marq, Main Website
 The Marq, Facebook Page

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

Seasoning Bistro

Traveling back from Kentucky, I used an app called Roadtrippers on my phone to find somewhere close to us to eat for dinner. One restaurant that stood out, since I like restaurants that use fresh ingredients rather than frozen or out of a can, is Seasoning Bistro. Seasoning Bistro is owned and operated by two classically trained chefs. I would describe the food as upscale versions of home cooked meals. There is a very comforting feel in this small bistro. Their goal is to bring a healthier lifestyle and food to the southern Illinois area, and help local businesses by taking advantage of the local farms, artists, businesses and the community as a whole.

I don't normally post pictures of my coffee (which was much needed on the long ride home), but this mug just cracked me up and I felt like I had to share. If you get cream with your coffee you also get a mini glass milk jug that is chilled, which I thought was a nice touch.

My husband decided to try the soup of the day, which happened to be Wisconsin Beer Cheese. Living so close to Wisconsin, broccoli cheddar and beer cheese soup are two of my favorites. It was very good. There was only a slight hint of beer, which left you being able to taste the richness of the cheese.

For an appetizer, we ordered the sweet potato fries with a chipotle ranch dressing. The fries were nice and crisp and had larger flakes of sea salt on them for seasoning. They are probably some of the best sweet potato fries I have had at a restaurant. They were not greasy, not soggy, and the dip had a great kick from the chipotle seasoning.

For my main course, I ordered the Chicken Carcioffi. It is breaded chicken topped with mushrooms, artichoke, white wine, lemon and butter. It comes with two sides, but I decided to go with just the broccoli which is my favorite. The sauce was packed with a lot of lemon and the chicken was cooked perfectly.

After a long drive, this meal was perfect because after eating junk in the car, we had a nice light and healthy dinner. If we lived closer, and not in Michigan, I would eat here all of the time. Everything tasted amazing and was very fresh. If we ever drive back through here we will definitely stop again to try something new! And of course, if you live near here and have the ability to eat here frequently, I am sure you agree that it is absolutely delicious!

Seasoning Bistro, Main Website
https://www.facebook.com/SeasoningBistro/timeline

Famous Dave's

After taking a tour of the Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson while down near Nashville in November, we were all unbelievably hungry and wanted to stop somewhere to grab some dinner. I'm a sucker for good BBQ and have never been to a Famous Dave's (I live in the UP of Michigan, give me a break!), and of course I want to visit somewhere that slathers half of their menu with BBQ sauce, I would be crazy not to.

For an appetizer, we ordered two different things that looked mouth-watering on the menu. The picture on the left is of their "Burnt Ends". They weren't as burnt as I thought they would be. I love char from BBQ or when they let the BBQ sauce caramelize until almost black on the edges. These were pretty tasty pieces of Brisket though. They were tossed in a sweet and zesty BBQ sauce and also came with a side of pickles, pickled onion, and shoestring onion rings.

The picture on the right is of their BBQ Nachos. The crispy chips were loaded with beans, Famous chili, jalapenos, their "Rich and Sassy" BBQ sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream etc. You can choose your meat and we decided to go with the brisket. It was such a weird combination that it worked fantastically. So good in fact that I was told I need to try and re-create these at home.

I ordered the "Two Meat BBQ Combo", which comes with your choice of two meats, two sides and a corn bread muffin. For my meats, I ordered the BBQ roasted chicken breast and the Texas style brisket. The brisket was smoky and tender and amazing. You could see a nice pronounced smoke ring and a little bit of char on the outside crust. I wish I would have ordered something else instead of the chicken. It wasn't bad, but for some reason in my mind I was hoping or thinking it would be pulled chicken off of the smoked breast. The meat was slightly dry, and I hate dealing with chicken bones but I doused it in different kinds of BBQ sauces that they have at the table and it was good. For my sides I ordered the mac and cheese, which was gooey and cheesy like it should be, and the garlic red-skin mashed potatoes. I am also really picky when it comes to cornbread because although it's supposed to be slightly "crumby", I still like it to be sticky enough that it holds together when you try and eat it. This corn muffin did just that.

I don't remember what my husband ordered exactly, I just know that I think his eyes were bigger than his stomach in this case, bless his little heart. It was two slices of bread topped with brisket, ribs, corn bread muffin, corn on the cob, potato wedges, baked beans, and coleslaw. He ate a pretty good chunk of it, which I was impressed with, and ended up taking the rest home, along with about half of my brisket that was left. I don't like coleslaw normally but I stole a bite of his and it was really creamy and not overwhelmed by mayonnaise. 

 

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding that was doused in a pecan praline sauce and served with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

How did we fit in any kind of dessert you ask? I really have no idea. I do know we ended up practically rolling out of the restaurant but at least we had a 45 minute drive in the car afterwords to process this giant meal. My hometown that I grew up in is slowly expanding in the stores and culinary world department and if we ended up with a Famous Dave's (which is pretty far fetched), I would not be sad in the least. My stomach might hate me, but man would it be worth it to have a BBQ place like this!

Famous Dave's Facebook Page
Famous Dave's Main Website

Don Pancho

While helping renovate a house for my sister-in-law in Kentucky, we had to get the heck out of the house and into the real world, even if just for a meal. She asked what my preference was and I told her one of my favorite cuisines is Mexican food. When she used to live in Kentucky, she and her friends used to go to Don Pancho's frequently, and so it was decided. The Don Pancho in Oak Grove, which is the one we went to, is one of four locations. The original opened in 2002 in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 2004, they opened the second restaurant in Jackson, TN, a third location in Ashland City in 2006, and then finally a fourth location in Oak Grove in 2007. They have plans of continuing to expand to other areas in the near future.

For an appetizer, we ordered the cheese dip. It was amazing, and cheesy? I don't really know how else to describe it. I don't know if it was made with melted Queso Blanco or Fresca, or if they used a white cheddar like some other Mexican restaurants use, but it was a damn good cheese dip. We went through a whole basket of chips and then some.

My sister-in-law and husband both ordered the Armando Special. It is a grilled piece of chicken topped with white cheese and ranchera sauce (they forgot to add the cheese sauce to  my husband's). It came with a side of mixed veggies, rice, guacamole, pico, sour cream and shrimp on a stick. I tried a bite of my husband's chicken and it was really good. The only catch is that he got his fifteen minutes before we got the rest of our food. The waitress kept coming to our table and apologizing for the wait, but he waited as long as he could to start eating his before it was technically cold, and we still were waiting on our dinner.

I ordered the Monster Chimichanga with chicken. Monster size you say? Challenge accepted. It came topped with a white cheese sauce, salad, guacamole, pico and sour cream on the side, and a side of rice and refried beans. I'll hand it to them, it was pretty big. It came wrapped up inside of a 12 inch tortilla shell. They say it was "deep fried" but mine wasn't crunchy, or greasy, so I'm not complaining on the latter half of that situation.

Don't mind the red sauce, it's just salsa that I added on top. The picture gives you a better view of the inside mixture of the chimichanga that had sauteed onions, and what I believe was spinach? Regardless of what the green stuff was, it was a great chimichanga. I'm proud to say I finished a little over half of it and took the rest to go.

For dessert my husband ordered the special which was a Snickers Burrito (or chimichanga?). I stole a bite from him and it was well, very rich for starters but how can you go wrong when you wrap snickers up in a tortilla bundle and deep fry it? It was topped with whipped cream, a caramel, chocolate and cherry drizzle, and a maraschino cherry.

Us ladies decided to split the churros. They were light and fluffy and topped with the same toppings as the snickers burrito. Perfect sweet ending to an already massive meal.

As far as the service goes, our waitress was wonderful. She answered our questions while ordering without being condescending, and frequently apologized for our food taking very random times to get to our table. Someone in the kitchen was either overwhelmed by orders (we were one out of four tables because it was past 8 PM when we got there), or something was messed up and they lost our ticket for a while. Whatever the scenario was, it was a delicious meal and I almost had to roll myself out of the restaurant.

Don Pancho's, Main Site
Don Pancho's, Oak Grove Facebook Page

Mikado Japanese Steakhouse

The first night we got to Kentucky to visit my sister-in-law, we decided to go to a new Hibachi restaurant in Oak Grove, Kentucky. It had pretty good reviews and I love Hibachi, mainly because I get to see everything they are putting into my food.

Like my favorite restaurant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, they served a small salad with ginger dressing and a soup for a starter. The soup however, was a broth with small pieces of fried tempura batter. It was a decent soup, as far as broth soups go, and I love the ginger dressing on the salad.

All three of us ordered Hibachi. I was kind of disappointed with our chef, because he had absolutely no personality. He did the lava coming out of the stack of onions deal, but not a whole lot else. He didn't flip the shrimp tails, he didn't pretend to put pepper in people's drinks, nothing. My sister-in-law tried to joke with him to get him to loosen up, but that didn't work. He was nice, but no showman.

I ordered the chicken and shrimp hibachi. The shrimp, chicken, veggies and fried rice were all amazing. I don't know what people's fascination with 'yum yum' sauce is but I find it odd. It is too much like a mayonnaise flavor and doesn't at all remind me of any Japanese flavor that I've ever had. Although I appreciated the  noodles (instead of the bean sprouts, which I would have preferred), but the yum yum sauce was off putting.

This is not the best hibachi restaurant that I've been to, but it wasn't bad necessarily either. My meat was great and I still had that gingery mustard like sauce to dip into. If we go back to Oak Grove I think we will try to find the hibachi restaurant that we had our engagement dinner at. The whole reason you go to a hibachi place is to be wowed and dazzled, am I right?


Mikado's Main Site

Charlie Parker's Diner

Ready for another Diners Drive-ins and Dives restaurant? We were! On our trip down to Kentucky, we stopped overnight in Springfield, Illinois and found out about this little beauty. Great for breakfast and lunch (open 6 AM to 2 PM most days), and located in a Quonset hut of all things! They have received numerous awards since the air date on Diners Drive-ins and Dives, and have been published in many magazines and articles. This truly is a unique place to visit!

When we arrived, it was of course breakfast time and absolutely packed. The waiting area was tiny, but they take down your name and number and you receive a text when your table is ready, so we got to wait in the car. This small building is packed with signs, neon lights and a few famous faces on the walls. I attempted to take a few photos of the decor (and I apologize, because it was so packed and crowded that I didn't use flash for any photos in this post).

Now onto the food.....and I yet again apologize for the quality of the photos but I didn't use flash while in the building.

My husband ordered the Bacon Waffle and a side of Biscuits and Gravy. I tasted a bite of each. The gravy wasn't over salted, had the perfect amount of crumbled sausage and was very creamy in consistency. The biscuits were dense, but in a gooey good way. At home, bacon is usually one of my go-to items for pancakes and waffles, so of course a waffle is always better when you add bacon to it!

This is what I ordered....I know I know, it looks like a plate of hash browns with bacon sticking out. But here's a better picture after I scraped some of the hash browns over to the side...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the smaller version of the "Breakfast Shoe", otherwise known as the "Breakfast Pony". It is an over easy egg on top of toast, with bacon, smothered in a cheese sauce, and topped with hash browns. A shoe would be double the egg and toast. It looked a mess but was like fireworks going off inside of my mouth! The pony version was so filling I couldn't even finish it. I don't even want to know what size of plate they would have to put this on for the shoe version!

This is a must stop! If you want to preview some great food to eat here while you are planning your trip to visit, be sure and check out the episode on Diners Drive-ins and Dives from 2007. Otherwise, a link to their main website and Facebook page are below!

Charlie Parker's Diner, Main Site
Charlie Parker's Facebook Page