Lynda Wheatley | Author

TC Elderberry Syrup

April 4, 2020

Handmade weekly in small batches, not canned or pasteurized, and full of organic elderberries, raw honey from Beulah’s Champion Hill Farm, plus a dash of organic ginger, organic cinnamon, and organic whole cloves, TC Elderberry Syrup — the only FDA-registered elderberry syrup ... Read More >>

City Park Grill's Got the Meats (& Deals)

March 28, 2020

There might be a run on meat at your local grocery store, but meat-lovin’ locals are faring just fine at City Park Grill in Petoskey. Not only has the restaurant made its lunch and dinner menus available for takeout/curbside and downtown Petoskey delivery (daily 11:30am–7pm), ... Read More >>

Brys Estate's B.E. Happy & Healthy

March 28, 2020

Some people hoard toilet paper. We stockpile essentials. And Brys Estate on Old Mission Peninsula is giving us all the incentives we need: 10 percent off orders of 12 or more bottles, shipped for only one penny. The single-penny shipping deal is also available on six-bottle order... Read More >>

Silver Spruce Brewing’s Altbier

Feb. 22, 2020

Last week, Silver Spruce Brewing’s owners and husband-wife brewers made a big announcement: The brewery they opened on Traverse City’s Eighth Street in June 2018 — just one year before the street was closed for construction for five months (the height of the tourist seas... Read More >>

Cuppa Joe’s Breakfast Sandwich

Feb. 22, 2020

Few things satisfy like the humble breakfast sammie. A modest melding of egg, cheese, ham or bacon, and some sort of bread — English muffin or bagel, usually — they’re a reliably satisfying staple of the a.m. world, no matter how you choose to arrange yours. However, whe... Read More >>

Empire Village Inn’s Ribs and Wings

Jan. 11, 2020

Our first thought on the Empire Village Inn’s Thursday night rib and wings special: How good can $1 ribs and $.50  wings be? Our second thought, with full mouth: Good. Very, very good. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised. The EVI, our go-to stop for beer and outstand... Read More >>

The Kitchen's Salmon Bowl

Dec. 21, 2019

If the run-up to the holidays has left you feeling a little peaked, consider stepping off the Buddy the Elf diet of candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup to make way for something we like to call the day-long dish: The Kitchen’s salmon bowl. It might be made for one person... Read More >>

Anderson’s Hand-pressed, Unpasteurized Cider

Nov. 16, 2019

We first caught sight of this deep amber gem of a cider in the Northern Express office fridge, a try-it, you’ll-like-it autumn offering from the folks at Anderson’s Glen Arbor Market. What caught our eye wasn’t just that promising tawny hue; it was the thin bits of whats... Read More >>

LFC's The Cunning Ham

Nov. 9, 2019

Forgive us for our fourth cider profile within a few scant issues, but it tis the season, after all, and northern Michigan’s cider magicians rarely disappoint. We half-hoped The Cunning Ham would; its name and label’s iconic airborne pig initially suggested some salty and pung... Read More >>

Treat Yo’Self

Nov. 9, 2019

 

Let’s be honest. The next six weeks are all about giving — giving gifts to your parents, your kids, your kid’s teacher, a Secret Santa, maybe your mail guy. Somewhere in there, you’re going to give a big dinner. And because you live Up North, you&rsq... Read More >>

Crow & Moss' Chocolate Bars

Nov. 9, 2019

All good things begin with chocolate, but some of the very best chocolate bars, it turns out, are born from heirloom cacao beans sourced from single farms in some of the world’s hardest to reach places. Then, in Petoskey, in wee 100-pound batches, they’re hand-sorted, roasted,... Read More >>

Taproot Cider House's Root Fashion

Oct. 26, 2019

How a cocktail that’s submerged a near-tennis-ball-sized ball of cherry ice can be so deliciously warming is a mystery only the bartenders of Taproot Cider House can solve, but we suspect a clue lies somewhere in the thick ribbon of Makers Mark that floats at the surface and hits th... Read More >>

FYT's Ready-made Meals

Oct. 26, 2019

Imagine, if you will, a life that requires no grocery shopping. No sorting of groceries into cupboards, pantry, fridge, or freezer. No meal prep. No cooking. Just a series of healthy meals that magically appear up to three times a day, six days a week. It certainly seemed like a fantasy w... Read More >>

V.I. Grill’s Veg Breakfast Tacos

Oct. 5, 2019

Traverse City folks in search of an "Easy like Sunday Morning” breakfast will find no easier return on investment than this: schlepping their bedheads to the nearest BATA bus stop with Village Loop Service to Suttons Bay (Route 10) for a hands-free, bayside ride to the town’s ... Read More >>

Higher Grounds’ Pumpkin Pie con Panna

Oct. 5, 2019

Is it dessert? Is it coffee? Is it for morning? Afternoon? Doesn’t matter — Higher Grounds’ Pumpkin Pie con Panna is the taste of autumn Up North we all need in our lives, and exactly what America’s pumpkin-pie-spice-infused everything wishes it could be. Witn... Read More >>

Alden Mill House's Miracle Blend

Sept. 21, 2019

Long before Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning became the latest craze on soups, salads, sandwiches, and more, Alden’s Eugene Moglovkin — aka Chef Geno — created an all-purpose blend of exceptional quality kosher flake salt and other spices t... Read More >>

Two K Farms’ Cider Sangria

Sept. 14, 2019

For those who like sangria and cider but loathe too much sweetness, one-year-old Two K Farms’ cidery and winery have the answer: a crisp, lightly sweet yet somehow fruit-forward cider sangria of which we can’t get enough. (Literally, we had our first glass last Saturday aftern... Read More >>

Brady’s Deep-fried Oreos

Sept. 7, 2019

The wings, pizza, and cheeseburgers at Brady’s Bar are the stuff after-party eating dreams are made of. But into the classic space — brass fixtures, vinyl seating, pool-felt-green walls dotted with hunting and fishing memorabilia — the no-nonsense Old Town TC neighborhoo... Read More >>

Apple Cider Shake and Sparkling Float

Sept. 7, 2019

Ice cream has never had an easy time suiting up for fall. Its status as a star of summertime is as old as, well … maybe rock salt. The small but always-experimenting Lake Ann Corner Cone, however, is hardly one to shy away from putting on an autumnal twist. (See what we did there?)... Read More >>

123 Speakeasy's Gary's Mac & Cheese

Aug. 31, 2019

123 Speakeasy — Traverse City’s Prohibition-style gem hidden behind the Front Street “tearoom,” Teatottalers — is accessible by password only. But if you want to enter a second state of bliss, whisper this phrase to your server: “Gary’s Mac & ... Read More >>