Al fresco favorites Get out while you still can
By Craig Manning We don’t know about you, but we think that everything tastes better when you can enjoy it outside in the summertime. Pizza or burgers, fish or steak, pasta or chicken; beer or cider, red wine or white, straight spirits or splashy cocktails. Especially in the evenings — when the temperatures dip a bit, the sun’s intensity drops, summer breezes roll through, and Michigan’s big glorious blue skies turn shades of orange, red, pink, and violet — there’s nothing quite as satisfying as enjoying a meal or a drink outdoors with friends and loved ones. Hopefully, we’ve got at least a solid two months left of perfect outdoor dining weather. Just in case summer’s glory days disappear faster than we think, though, here are six outdoor dining and drinking destinations to put on your checklist to try between now and October. JOLLY PUMPKIN Traverse City The Scene: Take a nine-mile scenic drive out Old Mission Peninsula and you’ll find this local gem, tucked into the quaint building better known to most locals as Bowers Harbor Inn. The building itself is, supposedly, quite haunted, but you won’t feel the ghosts around you if you stop by for a dinner outdoors! Mission Table, which adjoins Jolly Pumpkin — and offers a gorgeous porch for an outdoor meal — is unfortunately currently closed for dinner service (though you can book private events there). The Jolly Pumpkin, though, remains open until 8pm each day. The Jolly Pumpkin has limited patio space for guests who wish to dine outside, but it allows customers to order their meals and beverages to-go, with the option of a lovely picnic on the expansive front lawn that the two businesses share. It’s a perfect spot for a romantic sunset date. The Must-Try: For our money, the hand-sliced pepperoni pizza is arguably the best pepperoni pizza in northern Michigan — and easy enough for a grab-and-go picnic dinner. Pair it with one of the sour beers for which Jolly Pumpkin is renowned. Particularly good for a summer evening is the La Cosecha, described as a “sour bright apricot ale” with “nuances of lemon, passionfruit, and vanilla.
VINTAGE CHOPHOUSE | WINE BAR AT THE INN AT BAY HARBOR Bay Harbor
16 • july 26, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly
The Scene: Vintage Chophouse is an upscale American steakhouse tucked inside the Inn at Bay Harbor, itself a swanky four-star hotel right on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. As you might expect, it’s got a world-class patio with the same widescreen views of the water that make Bay Harbor a place where guests happily pay a premium to while away their vacation days. The Must-Try: You can’t go wrong with anything from the “Butcher’s Block” section of the menu, which spans some of the best steaks you’ll find anywhere in northern Michigan. But the true “greatest hit” on the menu might be the beef pappardelle, a decadent pasta dish that combines pappardelle noodles with beef tenderloin, wild mushrooms, baby spinach, and a rich, delicious cognac peppercorn crème. It’s a perfect treat to enjoy at the end of a busy day spent exploring nearby lakeside towns or golfing the courses at Bay Harbor.
STAFFORD’S WEATHERVANE RESTAURANT Charlevoix The Scene: Long one of Charlevoix’s most beloved restaurants, The Weathervane is a great spot to eat any time of year. In the winter, the scene is defined by the roaring fireplace, made of glacial boulders and shaped like the mitten of Michigan’s lower peninsula. In the summertime, though, there are a few better places anywhere in northern Michigan to spend an evening than on The Weathervane’s deck. Located right at the juncture where Round Lake becomes Round Lake Channel (which in turn leads to the waters of Lake Michigan), The Weathervane allows patrons a chance to watch boats float by on their way to or from the big lake. You might even get to see the nearby Lake Outlet Bridge — a drawbridge over which US-31 crosses the channel — lift into the air to let bigger vessels pass. And of course, all these interesting sights and sounds are even more perfectly “summer” when set against a gorgeous pinkand-orange summer evening sky. The Must-Try: The Weathervane’s planked whitefish is legendary, and it’s a perfect complement to a warm summer evening out on the restaurant’s deck — particularly when paired with the right glass of white wine. The fish itself is local, with new shipments arriving at The Weathervane daily from Charlevoix’s own John Cross Fisheries (about a half-mile away). The result is some of the freshest, tastiest whitefish you’ll ever enjoy, perfectly prepared on an oakwood plank and served with potatoes, lemon, and a remoulade sauce.
