Lynda Wheatley | Author

Sept. 12, 2020

Two K Farms’ 2018 Rosé and 2017 Riesling might have won at the prestigious by-invitation-only Jefferson Cup wine competition last year, but we suspect the cidery and winery’s 2019 Spitzenburg Cider is the libation that would win the approval of an even more impressive J... Read More >>

Slabtown Cookie Co.’s Summer Magic & Kegger

Sept. 12, 2020

While the rest of us spent the early days of the pandemic climbing the walls, watching Netflix, and baking cookies, Katie Otterman was doing the same. Only she — a single mom of a 6-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter — turned that latter boredom buster into a booming busines... Read More >>

Secluded Beaches

Aug. 22, 2020

Sundling Beach, Manistee
Open sunrise to sunset and incredible every minute in between, Sundling Beach’s narrow 60-foot-ish strip of sand has, like all Lake Michigan beaches, lost a few feet this summer. But its off-the-beaten path location — about thre... Read More >>

Grand Traverse Salad Co.’s Build-Your-Own Salad

Aug. 22, 2020

You might think Grand Traverse Salad Co.’s location — at the hyper-trafficked corner of Cass and South Airport; across from a gas station, next to a McDonald’s, and kitty-corner to a BATA bus transfer center — is an unusual choice for a healthy eating destination. ... Read More >>

Winner, Winner Crab Boil Dinner

Aug. 8, 2020

We can’t guarantee that Lady Luck will be in attendance, but you can bet on a big win at Odawa Casino’s Sage restaurant on Friday nights right now. The fine-dining spot has launched a crab boil special that serves up two full clusters of sweet Alaskan snow crab legs, Andouille... Read More >>

Shady Lane Cellars’ Brio

Aug. 8, 2020

We’ve been appreciating Kasey Wierzba’s work at Shady Lane Cellars since she took over as head winemaker in 2016. Working entirely from 100-percent estate-grown grapes, her commitment to the quality of her vineyard’s fruits is obvious (especially, we think, in her except... Read More >>

Mammoth Distilling’s Northern Rye

Aug. 1, 2020

If you’re among the lot that likes your chardonnay “unoaked” yet find yourself thirsty for something that’ll sprout hair on your chest long before it lifts your pinky, consider the equally elegant but considerably harder (and, happily, hardly fast) Northern Rye. Read More >>

Tap30’s BBQ Brisket Quesadilla

Aug. 1, 2020

A new and excellent addition to Tap30’s already clever pub fare (see their tater tot nachos — aka Totchos — and the only kids-menu Mac n’ Cheese we’ve ever seen offering cavatappi pasta coated in a house-made white cheddar and smoked gouda cheese sauce), the ... Read More >>

9 Bean Rows’ Breakfast Sammie

July 18, 2020

If you’ve ever thought to bake a batch of croissants yourself — don’t. It’s hard. Tiring. Time-consuming. And exceedingly likely that yours won’t turn out half as light, buttery, flaky, and absolutely to die for as 9 Bean Rows’. Especially when they stu... Read More >>

The Salvatore Sub

July 11, 2020

A modest family market has opened in the Bay Harbor neighborhood: Salvatore’s, a grocery/kitchen/deli ready to dish up your needs (bread, water, toilet paper), wants (beer, wine, wings), plus some extra-special items that can turn your super summer night stupendous — if you&rs... Read More >>

Barrel Back's Hendrick’s Strawberry Jive

July 11, 2020

You have not tasted summer on Walloon Lake until you have sipped a Hendrick’s Strawberry Jive at Barrel Back restaurant. The ingredients are pure and simple — Hendrick’s gin, muddled mint, basil, strawberries, lemon juice, orange juice, and simple syrup — but the r... Read More >>

Blustone’s 2018 Pinot Grigio

July 4, 2020

You can tell a lot about a winery by tasting its least expensive bottle — in this case, Blustone Vineyard’s 2018 Pinot Grigio. Made from grapes grown on its Leelanau estate vineyard, this $14 bottle so wowed us with its crisp, sunny, and not-sweet fruit and fresh-cut-grass fla... Read More >>

Burke’s Waterfront Sunset

June 27, 2020

For a taste of classic Up North — the kind Gen Xers have known and loved since childhood — Burke’s Waterfront Restaurant in Cadillac is everything totally excellent. Inside: low lights, a warm, all-wood interior, giant fish tanks and nautical decor, multi-page fold-out m... Read More >>

Wren’s Summertime Scallops

June 27, 2020

The elegant and intimate Wren, located in the old Firehouse building in downtown Suttons Bay, missed nary a step through the spring shutdown. Instead, owner and chef Adam McMarlin used the opportunity to make some minor renovations and additions to the restaurant, including a new backyard... Read More >>

House Wines’ Rosé Bubbles

June 20, 2020

House Wines, maker of approachable and unpretentious wines sourced from around the world — house motto: “Don’t overthink it, just drink it”  — has launched a limited-edition rainbow can of its Rosé Bubbles to “support LGBTQ+ equality and lov... Read More >>

COOLHAUS’ Enjoymint for All

June 20, 2020

We admit it: For a long time, we thought COOLHAUS ice cream was a kind of hipster trend. It’s made in Los Angeles, with cage-free eggs and BGH-free milk, and real-ingredients that are usually organic, often dairy-free or gluten-free, and occasionally over the top — things like... Read More >>

This Father’s Day, get up in Dad’s grill.

June 13, 2020

Much like working in an office, it appears neckties have officially run their course. That’s great news for dads; tough nuts for those of us frantically searching for their Father’s Day gifts.

Thankfully, there’s a second category for the man who has everyt... Read More >>