Lynda Wheatley | Author

Maxbauer's Salad Bar

May 4, 2019

The irony of a revered, century-old butcher shop installing a salad bar on its customer floor isn’t lost on us. But honestly, irony has never tasted so fresh and delicious. Or been so fairly priced. In a snub to conventional salad bars, Maxbauer Specialty Meat Market lays out a mode... Read More >>

New Belgium’s Passion Fruit Kolsch

May 4, 2019

Finding a fruity beer whose flavor is obviously fake or undeniably cloying isn’t easy. Finding one that doesn’t exhaust your palate after just one is even tougher. That’s why our editor was so excited about New Belgium’s Passion Fruit Kolsch. A light-bodied pilsner... Read More >>

Flap Jack Shack's Mimosa

March 16, 2019

Whether you’re kicking off your vacation or stuck here pretending to take one, the Flap Jack Shack will put you in full Bahama-momma mode. Every Saturday and Sunday, the retro-style diner rewards those who willing to wait in its ever-present (but fast-moving) weekend lineup with one... Read More >>

City Park Grill's Biscuits

March 2, 2019

You might credit the low-carb wave for your whittling your middle, but we blame it for washing away the white-flour wonder of a pre-meal bread basket. That’s why we’re especially grateful for the City Park Grill, which hasn’t served a single meal in more than 20 years wi... Read More >>

Get . Out.

Feb. 16, 2019

Look, we like huddling up under a comforter by a roaring fire as much as the next guy. But by the end of a February filled with more blizzards, black ice, and school closures than you can shake a snow shovel at, stir crazy does starts to seem like a valid entry for the sixth edition of th... Read More >>

Cheboygan Brewing Co.'s Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout

Feb. 9, 2019

Forrest Gump says life is like a box of chocolates, but if you ask us, it should be a lot more like Cheboygan Brewing Co.’s Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout (ABV 6.8%.) Rich, hearty as hell, sweet and bittersweet in meaningful proportions, complex enough to be interesting, mildly bubb... Read More >>

Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates

Feb. 9, 2019

Doesn’t matter if your love is a pint-sized peanut, a vegan, or an ultra-picky chocoholic — Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire has the last-minute Valentine’s Day treats you need to show you’re sweet on her or him. Run in and pick up a couple petite heart-... Read More >>

Grand Traverse Sauce Co.’s DD214

Feb. 2, 2019

Mark Baker was a Michigan State University public health graduate with a dream: He imagined he’d be fighting Ebola outbreaks in Africa. Instead, he ended up watching out for salmonella in northern Michigan. No matter; he found his way to fulfil his need for heat — and helping ... Read More >>

Daelmans Stroopwafles

Jan. 26, 2019

Had enough of that whole “eat healthy” resolution yet, Slim? Your timing couldn’t be better. We just got turned on to the Netherlands’ way of doing coffee, and it has completely reframed our impression of what constitutes a breakfast of champions. All you need to g... Read More >>

Trophy Room’s Snowflake Martini

Jan. 19, 2019

Of all the winning cocktails and warm-ups on the Trophy Room menu, nothing says “snow bunny vacay” like its Snowflake Martini. Captain Morgan’s Loco Nut rum puts a little crazy in your day, while Rumhaven — a combo of premium Caribbean rum, pure cane sugar, and coc... Read More >>

Real Food Bars

Jan. 19, 2019

Several years and one broken food processor later, Kingsley-born and raised Anna Sullivan and her husband, Sean, have found nutrition-bar nirvana: They’ve created and launched their own line of plant-based nutrition bars, all of which are packed with superfoods like kale, quinoa, al... Read More >>

Naturally Nutty Pepita Sun Seed Butter

Jan. 12, 2019

If you’re into superfoods, you know already about the small but mighty pepita seed — the wee powerhouse hidden inside pumpkin seed shells whose Spanish name translates to “little seed of squash.” But did you know you can actually get their brain- and bod-fueling be... Read More >>

The New York's Smoky

Jan. 12, 2019

Stout beers, red wines, peat-y Scotch — cold winter nights seem to beg for drinks of the heavy, hearty sort, and rightfully so: When the North’s wind blows, you want smooth and soothing; libations that don’t startle, but enfold. The New York’s Smoky, though, does b... Read More >>

Sunrise Quiche

Jan. 5, 2019

We almost wrote about a sugarless, cheese-less, nutrient-packed dish this week — this is our annual Clean Living & Health issue, after all — but then we remembered that a critical part of sticking to a healthy diet and losing weight is throwing your metabolism for a spin o... Read More >>

Long Road Distillers Amaro Pazzo

Dec. 29, 2018

Amaro, a centuries-old Italian herbal liqueur, is experiencing a rebirth of popularity in America. And if you ask us, the timing couldn’t be better for Long Road Distillers version, released just this month. Its Amaro Pazzo (57 proof, 28.5% ABV), made with Michigan-grown red winter ... Read More >>

Glen Haven Canning Co. Preserves

Dec. 8, 2018

Fresh from the “Dang, why didn’t we think of that?” file: The reborn Glen Haven Canning Co. is preserving the North’s natural bounty of fruits and veggies in cans almost too cute to open. Oh, but when you do — each reveals a harvest plucked and preserved at i... Read More >>

The Awesome Coffee

Dec. 8, 2018

Some people require only a crackling fire to warm their holiday. But for those of us who want to burn this Christmas party down, only a spark-shooting caffeinated cocktail will do. And that’s why we are positively melting for City Park Grill’s aptly named Awesome Coffee. A ble... Read More >>

North Arm Noir

Dec. 1, 2018

Used to be that wine lovers and makers alike sneered at reds made of hybrid grapes; high quality red wines, it was thought, could come only from tried and true vinifera grapes — like cabernet francs and sauvignons. That’s been steadily changing in the north-central reaches of ... Read More >>

Taproot's Grilled Cheese

Nov. 24, 2018

There once was a time we turned up our noses at “grown-up” grilled cheese sandwiches. Much like kids who demand the orange-powder-made glow of Kraft’s mac and cheese and refuse any lily-gilding Gouda or Gruyére version, we wanted only the original, like Mom made: ... Read More >>

Six Lugs Cocktail Cherries

Nov. 24, 2018

Gone are the days of plunking those suspiciously neon-red maraschino cherries into your Manhattans, friends. While we all have fond memories of topping our Shirley Temples with those bright red cherries, the time has come to elevate your craft cocktail with something a litt... Read More >>