Rick Coates

Dining Rick Coates Pontresina Surf-N-Turf
Rick Coates 3/23/09

While restaurants continue to take a contemporary, creative approach to their menus it is nice to go old school from time to time when dining out. A recent visit to the Pontresina in Gaylord (located at the Otsego Club) provided that opportunity. Surf –n-Turf became popular in the ‘60s at east coast steakhouses. While Surf-n-Turf originated with steak and a lobster served on the same plate, today it is considered any beef and seafood combination.
Pontresina, named after Gaylord’s sister city in Switzerland, has built a reputation as being one of Northern Michigan’s best fine dining destinations. They blend the scenic beauty of overlooking the Sturgeon River Valley with inventive menu items. Lobster tails are all about timing; too long, to tough; not enough time, too slimy. So it was a welcome relief to have a perfectly prepared lobster tail paired with a nice filet of beef tenderloin. When ordering beef from Pontresina, certainly one may choose to have it prepared traditionally but I suggest having it Hong Kong style.
Pontresina has it all, ambiance, exceptional service, a first class table top presentation and that all important basket of fresh rolls served with fresh whipped herb butter and roasted garlic. They also serve their homemade Maytag slaw made fresh daily.

Dining Rick Coates Last fall after five years in Traverse City, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College announced it would no longer host the annual Epicurean Classic. That sent shock waves around the Northern Michigan foodie community.
Community leaders from the mayor to tourism industry officials went to work to find a new location for the popular fall festival. They were unsuccessful and Epicurean organizers announced a month ago they were moving the event to St. Joseph (a shoreline community close to Chicago).
There has been a lot of speculation and a lot of “they said, we said -- they didn’t, we didn’t” going on as to how this could have happened. But after careful examination it appears that this was a good decision for both the Epicurean organizers and for those who oversee the Great Lakes Culinary Institute.
The real loser here is Northern Michigan. The Epicurean Classic brought a major spotlight on the region bringing top notch chefs, drink experts, the media and a lot of foodies from all over the country to the area. It shined a bright light on the local restaurant scene as well as the wineries and farms of the region.

Dining Rick Coates Crystal Mountain in Benzie County has become a four-season resort destination with amenities that appeal to families, couples and those girl or guys getaway weekends. While the focus might be golfing, skiing, the water park and the new spa, one should not overlook the culinary aspect of experience at Crystal Mountain, especially dinner at the Thistle Pub & Grille.
The culinary team has adopted the philosophy of embracing “local,” by partnering with local famers, wineries, breweries and other establishments to “provide customers with the freshest, most flavorful produce as well as other great Michigan products. We believe it’s important to support small, local economies as well as promote the environmental benefits of reduced food transportation miles.” The restaurant has designated local menu items with a special symbol.

Features Rick Coates Hogs gone wild
Rick Coates 3/16/09

Donny Fisher, an avid hunter, learned firsthand about the durability of a wild hog problem that has alarmed some members a Michigan’s conservation community.
“I was hunting in Cheboygan County and put two arrows through one and it still kept running around in circles,” said Fisher. “I finally had to shoot it with a rifle. It weighed 400 pounds.”
There appears to be a wild hog problem in Michigan as experts estimate 5,000 to 8,000 feral swine (free-roaming pigs), that are not native to the state, are running wild. Some believe that if this issue is not addressed immediately that number may grow beyond control.
“If we turn a blind eye, we’ll have 50,000 in two years,” said Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of the non-profit Michigan Wildlife Conservancy.
Dr. Patrick Rusz, director of Wildlife Programs at the Conservancy agrees.

Dining Rick Coates Depending on who you ask, corned beef and cabbage is about as Irish as pepperoni pizza. But each year millions of Americans, primarily Irish-Americans, consume lots of corned beef and cabbage in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Folklore has it that corned beef and cabbage is actually an Irish-American custom developed in the 1800s by Irish immigrants who substituted corned beef for bacon. Still, others believe that the Irish immigrants adopted this boiled dinner concept as their own from New Englanders who made pot roast dinners and even boiled dinners.
This sort of debate is best left over a glass of Irish whiskey. What is important here is that corned beef and cabbage taste great, but as with everything there is a trick in preparing it correctly.

Features Rick Coates All things Irish
Rick Coates 3/9/09

During the 1800s the relationship between Irish and Italian immigrants was strained at best. So as Irish Americans from Northern Michigan gather this Saturday for the 30th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festivities in downtown Traverse City, some might be surprised that an Italian American was instrumental in starting the parade.
“Pat Corso was the manager of Dill’s Olde Town Saloon (where Blue Tractor is located today in Traverse City) and he was looking to create a St. Patrick’s Day promotion,” recalls Colleen Zanotti of the Irish Queens organization. “He went to some of his regular patrons such as Louise Hagerty, Peggy Wilson and Trish Fiebing, who helped organize that first parade, and formed the Irish Queens with Lousie Hagerty becoming the Queen Mother and Peggy Wilson becoming our first queen.”

Dining Rick Coates Over the course of the past couple of years, more than 70 new eateries have opened in Northern Michigan. Our region has really become a “foodie destination,” which is great for the tourism industry. But it is also great for all of us who choose the Northern Michigan lifestyle year-round. It is exciting to see all of the cool things everyone is doing, especially with the focus on “local products.”
While there is the tendency to get excited about all that is new, it is also important not to forget about those things in our region that are tried and true. Places like the U&I lounge on Front Street in Traverse City that has been a popular hangout since 1935.

Features Rick Coates Wellness Weekends
Rick Coates 3/2/09

The wellness movement has been around for years. For most of those years it was labeled as an “alternative movement” as Eastern philosophies on health, exercise and diet were embraced by only a few in the West. But recently ancient Eastern and other non-Western concepts have moved into the mainstream as more of us look to bring balance into all aspects of our lives.
In Northern Michigan, several health spas have opened in recent years offering a variety of services, including massages, skin care, yoga and healthy menus. As the tourism industry changes, major resorts to B&Bs have incorporated spa services and wellness weekends as added amenities to attract the traveling public.

Dining Rick Coates On January 10, 1949, with a used single-chair lift, one run and a warming hut, Everett Kircher opened Boyne Mountain and forever changed the region’s winter economy. The Boyne properties: Boyne Highlands, Bay Harbor and Boyne Mountain have become an important four-season destination in Northern Michigan. From their humble beginnings 60 years ago, they have added several slopes, a handful of world-class golf courses, a water park and spa amenities. Boyne has also been good stewards and neighbors from a philanthropic perspective to becoming the hotel in the state to install Entergize, a state-of-the-art energy control system that reduces energy use by 40 percent.
Boyne has also been committed to a “local” philosophy by using local vendors and products, including offering several wines and beers from Michigan. They are currently in the middle of a beer and wine dinner series featuring wineries and breweries from Northern Michigan.

Features Rick Coates Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer
Rick Coates 2/23/09

Representative Kevin Elsenheimer of Michigan’s 105th House District (Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Otsego Counties) learned the “art” of public service from his parents Art and Louise Elsenheimer.
“My father’s entire career was built around public service,” said Elsenheimer.
Art Elsenheimer served as a Grand Traverse County Commissioner for 12 years and also did stints as the executive director of the Boy Scouts and United Way. The senior Elsenheimer was known as an economic leader in the region, heading up the Traverse Area Industrial Fund and the Traverse Bay Growth Alliance, along with being instrumental in the development of several industrial parks in the area.

Music Rick Coates Donna and Brad Vannatter moved to Traverse City six years ago. As a young professional couple whose work had them traveling the country, they would visit first class nightclubs. The couple looked for an opportunity to develop a nightclub concept in Traverse City, which finally came when Doug Street of Streeter’s and Ground Zero fame decided to sell and pursue other interests.
“We really felt there was an opportunity at Streeter’s to create a diverse entertainment complex that would appeal to everyone,” said Brad Vannatter. “Basically what we are promoting is new owner—new atmosphere—new attitude—new appearance.”
The Vannatter’s changed the name to The Terminal and have redecorated the inside.
“The new name is obvious on one front since we are right next to the airport,” said Donna Vannatter. “But both Brad and I were corporate pilots for several years as well.”

Music Rick Coates Want to make it big in the music industry? The prevailing wisdom is one should move to a music town such as New York, L.A., Austin, Nashville or Chicago. So moving to Northern Michigan wouldn’t be con-sidered a good music career move. Just don’t tell guitarist and producer Joey Callahan that.
“I grew up in Chicago and vacationed here as a kid, in fact my family goes back three generations vacationing in Northern Michigan,” said Callahan. “Well, about five years ago I brought my then-girlfriend to Traverse City for a vacation and I felt this vibe here. And before I knew it, I opened a recording studio here.”
Callahan’s studio, Radius Recording, is located at Logan’s Landing in Traverse City and is attracting musicians from all over the country. He has partnered with the Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos and WKLT to host the largest music competition ever held in Northern Michigan.

Dining Rick Coates The location of 120 Park Street has been a gathering place in Traverse City for years. In the early ‘80s it was known as Billy’s and was a popular happy hour hangout. Dan Kelly took over and continued the happy hour tradition. Both Billy’s and Kelly’s were the place to be after work as a who’s who of the business community gathered, and both establishments had great reputations for dinner as well. In recent years the location was known as Pete’s.

Dining Rick Coates When chocolatier Mimi Wheeler opened Grocer’s Daughters Chocolates five years ago in Empire, she had many missions. It was important to her to make chocolates using high quality and often organic ingredients. She has even traveled to Ecuador and spent time with those who grow and harvest the cocoa beans that become the chocolate she uses.
Many of her chocolates use herbs from her Leelanau Peninsula garden or other fruits grown in the region. Equally important to Wheeler is promoting others in the area: “We believe in cross-marketing and we promote many other food artists with similar ideas and practices of sustainable production.”

Features Rick Coates Facebook Fascination Part 2.0
Rick Coates 2/9/09

Facebook has become essentially the modern day virtual class and family reunion, giving users 24/7 access to long lost acquaintances, former classmates, relatives, friends and even business associates, Facebook and other social networking sites (MySpace, Twitter, Friendster) seem to be here to stay. Projections point to Facebook having more than 500 million users by the end of 2011.
But not everyone is fanatical about Facebook. Just ask realtor and radio personality Jack Lane of Traverse City.
“I see it as the Trojan horse of the 21st century,” Lane says. “There are some people who are always searching for something in their life -- something that they think is missing. This idea of finding former friends and classmates is an odd one. I believe there is a reason why people are in your past, and maybe they should stay there.”
While not a fan, Lane maintains a Facebook account to keep up with his college-age sons. He is not alone: many parents open Facebook accounts to stay in touch with kids who are off at college.
Bev Sanchez of Petoskey also is not a big fan of Facebook.