We talked to the owners and proprietors of three new additions to the restaurant scene in northwest Michigan to find out what makes them stand out from the crowd. Consider this an appetizer before your next visit.
Three tourist towns in northwest Michigan are being treated to new eats, new drinks, new atmospheres and new friends. Here's what's happening at three new restaurants joining the dining scene.
The Franklin in Traverse City
It's probably rare for a restaurant to serve 900 plates 24 hours after opening its doors.
But that's just what Paul and Amanda Danielson, along with chef Myles Anton, did on Memorial Day weekend when they opened their newest eatery, The Franklin, on the corner of Front and Cass streets in the heart of downtown Traverse City.
"It was the beginning of the tourist season and we had a tremendous response," says Paul Danielson, also a proprietor of Trattoria Stella in Traverse City. "It exceeded our expectations--people were just pouring in."
Danielson admits being slammed with such immediate volume wasn't the easiest way to break in a staff and get things rolling smoothly, but says it's come together nicely.
"I actually put a sign on the front door, explaining to customers that we had just opened so that they would understand what to expect."
Still, they kept coming.
"We made it through that day," Danielson says, "and it's going great. The Franklin gets better every day. It was a great place yesterday and it's even better today. Tomorrow, it will be better, still. That's how we operate."
It's pretty much the way a business in Traverse City has to operate in order to stay alive, with so much competition. Last year's population was a little over 15,000 year-round, and those people have plenty of options when it comes to entertainment and dining.
"We have lots of bars, lots of restaurants and lots of breweries here. Eleven breweries," he says. "The numbers grow by about 20 percent every year, while our population increases probably by only four percent. That's a lot of competition."
It's a large restaurant, to boot, employing 110 people and seating 240 in nice weather including 95 on the outdoor patio. How does the Franklin, one might wonder, stand out in such a crowd? Good people serving good food prepared by an expert culinary team. That means training, and training is serious business at The Franklin.
"We train our staff all the time," Danielson says. "There's a training session every second Monday for an hour and a half on different topics. On service, on wine, on cocktails and on food. Sometimes the chef comes out and talks about different dishes. There's a lot to learn and a lot to know, so we spend a lot of time and money on training."
Amanda Danielson is The Franklin's sommelier; her wine list currently has a selection of more than 40, with unique pricing. Rather than comparing the various glass and bottle costs of your favorites, a how-to guide prices each glass and each bottle at the same cost for everything on the wine list. Simple and cost-effective.
Food and spirits are a something-for-everyone marriage. Menu choices include house hot dogs with Detroit chili, burgers of beef or lamb, Scottish salmon, walleye or pork schnitzel. It's all prepared in-house.
"Everything here is made from scratch, and I mean the flatbreads, the sausages, dressings, all of it," he says. "Everything except for the pickles."
The Franklin is located at 160 E Front St, Traverse City, or
online here.
Barley & Rye in Ludington
Barley & Rye--a beer garden, bar and gluten-free restaurant, has been serving blackberry margaritas, champagne topped with sweet fresh peach nectar and Michigan blueberry mojitos to Ludington for a year now.
Like The Franklin, its co-owner is also a proprietor who recently opened her second restaurant in a tourist town; Megan Josefowicz has operated The Mitten Bar in Ludington since 2011. This time, she's staking the name of the place on, well, its namesake.
"Barley & Rye has the largest whiskey and scotch collection in the area," Josefowicz says.
People come to Barley & Rye for mainstay drinks as well, along with retro draft beers they can enjoy in the outdoor beer garden if weather permits.
But they also come to the small restaurant for the food, which she describes as a California-style approach to fresh Mexican fare with a Tex-Mex focus.
Sandwiches, chopped salads, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, customized rice bowls and other dishes are all created with free-range meats--including brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs and shredded chicken--all smoked on site and raised at Creswick Farms in nearby Ravenna.
Freshly grown local ingredients are a must, too--Barley & Rye's Tree-Hugger quesadilla is made of Gouda, fresh mozzarella, mixed greens, red onions and roasted red peppers.
Looking for something unusual?
"We have a new sandwich on the menu," Josefowicz says. "It's made of mac and cheese."
Seriously?
Yup. House-made mac and cheese topped with grilled chicken and barbecue sauce. Where else can you get something like that? Try it--aptly named the High Flier--next time you're in Ludington. You may be succulently surprised.
Barley & Rye is located at 107 W Ludington Ave. in Ludington, or find them
on Facebook.
Bridge Street Tap Room in Charlevoix
The Bridge Street Tap Room, in downtown Charlevoix, is, as co-owner and general manager Phil Parr describes it, a "Michigan craft beer haven." It's been open since June 13.
Four short months later, it's already got a strong local following in Charlevoix, as well as Ada, Petoskey and other nearby communities, filling a gap Parr thinks Charlevoix needed.
"We've lost three restaurants in the last few years," he says. "There was a need for craft beers and good food to go with them. We're a Michigan-centered restaurant and pub serving Michigan craft beer and a lot of new and different foods."
There are 32 crafts on tap, all Michigan beers, from breweries that include Latitude 42 Brewing Company (Portage), Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo), Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. (Warren) Short's Brewing Co (Bellaire) and others breweries in Suttons Bay, Williamsburg, Traverse City, Grand Haven, Rockford, Spring Lake, Saugatuck, Benzonia and more.
Wow. That's a lot of great beer.
It's a small place--seating just 65, between patio and indoor tables, but that doesn't mean business is small change at the Bridge Street Tap Room these days. People line up for the Southern-fried chicken, baked ravioli, steaks, sliders, crocks of chili, cherry brats and iceberg wedge salads, hummus, bruschetta… the list goes on.
"We had a waiting list all day long last Friday and Saturday, starting from lunch to close," Parr says. "We served 564 people."
"I'm so excited with what we have so far. This really is a dream come true."
The Bridge Street Tap Room is located at 202 Bridge Street in Charlevoix or
online here.
Jeff Barr is a freelance writer who has lived in Michigan for more than 46 years. He can be reached by email at jeffbarr88@gmail.com or on Twitter, @jeffbarr88.