March 28, 2024

Up North

May 10, 2015

Openings, Expansions, & New Tastes

MUSTANG WENDY’S

Harbor Springs

mustangwendys.com

This Western/Mexican-themed cafe just celebrated its last day at its State Street location. It’s moving to 129 East Bay Street, where the offerings will be upscaled at the newly-branded Mustang Wendy’s Cask and Cuisine. An open kitchen, in-house butcherie and charcuterie, a full wine list, local produce and fun specials named after famous actors, or nearly-famous locals, will make this a fun stop.

PAPER STATION BISTRO

Harbor Springs

paperstationbistro.com

Run by the same folks that brought The Stained Cup to town, the bistro is set to open June 15 and plans to operate until midnight to keep the downtown fun going a little longer. While the menu has yet to be revealed, they’ll feature American cuisine with a sporty twist for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a new face to the landmark building at 145 East Main that housed Mary Ellen’s Place cafe for more than 25 years.

DUFFY’S GARAGE AND GRILL

Petoskey

duffysgarageandgrill.com

The old Papa Lou’s bar and grill is attempting to move up the ladder with this new venture focusing on gourmet burgers, pizzas and grinders in an atmosphere catering to young professionals and tourists looking for late-night fun. Some of the old branding will still exist via "new" menu items –Papa Lou’s Chicken Wings, for one – as they work to mesh their longtime rowdy bar crowd with new faces later this spring.

VINTAGE CHOP HOUSE

Bay Harbor

innatbayharbor.com

Once known as the South American Grille and Wine Bar, the Inn’s second-favorite stop for gourmet dining after Sagamore’s, the Grille is being remodeled, undergoing what Bay Harbor calls a "refresh," and it will reopen as the Vintage Chop House and Wine Bar in late spring. Details remain scarce on the potential menu, but we’ll step out on a limb and say it’s likely to include steaks and wine.

THE STAINED CUP 2

Bay Harbor

thestainedcup.com

Another venture by Stained Cup owners is a second version of their Harbor Springs coffee shop, this one moving to downtown Bay Harbor in the old Galley Gourmet space on Main Street. In addition to coffee, espresso, latte and cappuccino beverages, they’ll also be serving light breakfast fare, including egg sandwiches and wraps, as well as continuing the Bay Harbor building’s traditional ice cream window in the summer.

THE ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE

Bay Harbor

bayharbor.com

Clayton Brown, owner of Johan’s Bakery, just added to his empire with the purchase of The Original Pancake House. Don’t worry Pancake House fans, nothing’s changed much except for some aesthetics; the place got a bit of a facelift. You can still expect their award-winning breakfasts and pancakes with roots in Germany, Sweden and France, plus high-quality ingredients and those giant servings you know and love.

THE LOCAL

Elk Rapids

find them on Facebook

Located across the street from Elk Rapids’ Village Market in the old bait shop at 145 Ames Street, details on The Local are scarce as they get the place ready to open, but Chef Ben Thayer is definitely on board to craft the new restaurant’s "fresh creations." He’s got plenty of experience with that, based on his excellent work with Goodwill Northern Michigan’s Fresh Start Food Truck, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

THE LITTLE FLEET

Traverse City

thelittlefleet.com

The Little Fleet, the eclectic Front Street dining conglomeration with community tables, open spaces and an indoor scene is amping up their food truck offerings to bring you an even wider range of cuisines and worldly street food. This summer’s trucks will include Pigs Eatin’ Ribs, White on Rice, Roaming Harvest, mini-truck EZ Cheesy and the Pita Cruiser, all rolling in beginning in early May.

SMOKE AND PORTER PUBLIC HOUSE

Traverse City

smokeandporter.com

Taking over the former Bamboo Garden 1 on East Bay are Henry and Mindy Bisson, bringing more than 13 years of restaurant experience from their work at places like Lulu’s in Bellaire and Siren Hall in Elk Rapids. Their new restaurant will be "a new American smokehouse," where farm-to-table dining meets smoke as an ingredient/flavoring in such dishes as smoked fish and housesmoked pastrami.

STREETSIDE GRILLE

Suttons Bay

find them on Facebook

This new neighborhood restaurant recently opened on St. Joseph’s Street and is already creating a stir with its seafood, pasta, salads, sliders and flatbread pizza. Special combos like the Comfort Food platter (homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and mac-n-cheese) share menu space with more unusual fare like the Oyster Po Boy. An extensive listing of brews complements the food.

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