Cafe Sante

Aug. 1, 2010

Café Santé brings a taste of Europe to Boyne City
By Kristi Kates
If you’re at all familiar with the Red Mesa Grill in Boyne City (and
if you’re not, you should be), then you’ll be thrilled to hear that
the folks behind that favorite restaurant destination have added
another café to the local scene.
Co-owned by Fred Moore, Jim Cartwright, and chef Mary Palmer, the new
Café Santé is bringing European-style dining to the region as part of
the also-new One Water Street development (the brainchild of local
developer Glen Catt) on Lake Charlevoix.
It’s already looking like a great fit for the area, and has even
helped improve employment for the small town.

CASUAL EUROPEAN
  “We were approached last spring by Glen Catt about putting a
restaurant in his new development on Lake Charlevoix,” Fred Moore
explains, “The Red Mesa Grill in Boyne City is our busiest restaurant,
and Boyne City has been a very good community to do business in, so it
was a good fit for us. We have also brought in 80 additional jobs, and
have hopefully added another attractive dining choice for the locals
and visitors to Boyne City.”
Moore, who says that the café’s goal is to present an “affordable,
casual European-style eatery,” says that part of the draw will be
their wood-fired pizzas, panini, house-made pastas, and authentic
recipes; a large European draft beer selection is another component of
the menu, which Moore hopes will appeal to a wide range of diners.
“We’re thinking of both the teenage couple on a prom date in for pizza
and a Coke, to guests looking for a gourmet dining experience,” he
says. “In the classic European tradition, we’ll be open for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner, with live entertainment on the weekends.”
Prices are also being kept reasonable, Moore says.
“I think the standouts on the menu would be our homemade pasta and the
Mussels and Fries (Moules and Frites),” Moore enthuses, “we serve the
mussels five different ways - Portuguese, Classic French, German,
Italian or Greek. And our breakfasts have to be experienced to be
believed; there’s nothing like it in Northern Michigan. Our prices
range from $7 to $22, with most of the items under $20. It’s a casual,
country European experience.”

TO YOUR HEALTH
Walking into Café Santé, one of the most striking things you’ll
probably notice are the views of Lake Charlevoix, which Moore calls
“fantastic.” An open kitchen, chalkboard menus, and a patio complete
with fireplace keep the European feel going.
And as for that exotic name, Moore says the selection took some time,
but that they refused to settle until they had the “right” one.
“All three of us were working hard on it with family and friends,”
Moore says, “Santé came to us magically from Mary Palmer’s niece; the
word Santé translates literally in French as health, and is part of a
classic French toast like cheers is in English - so à votre santé
means ‘to your health.’”
Moore says that his staff is another part of the Café Santé
equation, from the three co-owners to general manager Don Ryde, chef
Kyle Marshall, managers Nate Jason and Sarah Niederpruem, and dining
room supervisor Meg Depky. That teamwork is all part of Moore’s goal,
with his co-owners, to make Café Santé just as popular as Red Mesa
Grill.
“We hope to build a loyal following by executing food and service to
the highest of standards in a very busy community at the busiest time
of year,” Moore says, “We hope to be entertaining for every guest on
every visit.”

Café Santé is located at One Water Street in Suite 100 in downtown
Boyne City, telephone 231-582-8800. Hours are 8 am to 3 pm, seven days
a week and 3 pm to 10 pm on Sunday; call ahead for
breakfast/lunch/dinner availability. The café may also be visited
online at www.cafesante-bc.com.