June 14, 2025

Food


Three Years at The Mill

Glen Arbor’s old grain mill-turned-restaurant looks forward to a new summer
By Ross Boissoneau | June 14, 2025

The Mill in Glen Arbor is an example of an ongoing evolution. Built over a century ago to serve local farmers and residents, milling their grain into flour, today it is fast becoming a must-stop for visitors and residents alike. It offers freshly baked goods, a concise breakfast/lunch menu, and a variety of higher-end dinner options—make that supper options. “Things are good. This is season three for the café and season two … Read More >>


The Pit Spitters’ Cherry on Top

Tastemaker
By Todd VanSickle | June 14, 2025

Traverse City Pit Spitter baseball fans now have the option of adding a cherry on top of anything. Per Traverse City Pit Spitter General Manager Jacqueline Holm, “For an extra 50 cents, we now have a button on our cash register that you can get a cherry on a hot dog, a beer, nachos, anything.” There were more than 600 submissions for this year’s concessions, and eight finalists made the cut after … Read More >>


Birdy’s Low-ABV Wine Spritzers

Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | June 14, 2025

Birdy’s low-ABV wine spritzers were inspired by summers spent in northern Michigan. These crisp and quenching (and organic!) bevvies are the collaborative creation of Up North-enthusiast siblings Callie Guman Furste and Tad Gruman and the Oosterhouse brothers of TC’s Bonobo Winery. Each can is artfully crafted by Bonobo’s “mad scientist” winemaker, Cornel Olivier, using the winery’s estate-grown Chardonnay grapes and a touch of finishing effervescence, and are dealcoholized for a sessionable ABV … Read More >>


Simple, Scratch-made, and Seasonal at Leto’s Osteria

New Petoskey eatery opens to warm reception
By Ellen Miller | June 7, 2025

Folks in Petoskey craving authentic Italian need look no further than Leto’s Osteria, which opened in April in the heart of downtown. From general manager Todd Chinnock and chef Ray Kumm, Leto’s Osteria takes the place of POUR, which had a loyal following among locals and visitors alike. Happily, the transition to Italian has been well received. (POUR, an Asian-fusion concept, had an extremely popular burger; Chinnock and Kumm emphasize that you … Read More >>


Roasting and Toasting with Beets, Rhubarb, & Rose

Inside the Ingredients
By Nora Rae Pearl | June 7, 2025

Just like the arrival of the cherry blossoms, we know summer is here once color hits our kitchens again. This time, instead of going green, we are going red (hold the cherries). Beets, rhubarb, and rose are the not-so-subtle signs of summer we all have been waiting for. Rhubarb makes its grand entrance (blink and you’ll miss it), beets take the center stage (before taking a brief pause and returning in the … Read More >>


45th Parallel Cafe's Morel Mushroom Burger

Tastemaker
By Anna Faller | June 7, 2025

We’re all for a little spring adventuring, especially if it comes with a haul of highly-coveted morel mushrooms…or, you could just go for the Morel Mushroom Burger ($22) at 45th Parallel Café in Suttons Bay! Featuring a hearty half-pound beef patty from Fire River Farms, this burger is grilled to order, topped with a slice of melty Havarti cheese, and stacked atop a toasty Michigan Bread brioche bun. The real star of … Read More >>


Black Star Farms' Pear Wine

Bottoms Up
June 7, 2025

This wine wasn’t grown on the vine, but in the tree! Over Memorial Day weekend, Black Star Farms debuted its limited release Pear Wine ($18), which is exclusively available at the winery’s tasting rooms in Suttons Bay and on Old Mission Peninsula. The wine is made of 100 percent local pears that are gently fermented to create a delicate, pear-forward flavor. It’s semi-sweet, but remains delicate and balanced with 3.5 percent residual … Read More >>


Kilwins' Chocolate-on-the-Inside Waffle Cones

Tastemaker
May 31, 2025

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day approaches—mark your calendar for Saturday, June 7!—and in honor of this beloved (if little-known) holiday, Kilwins has launched an extra special treat. According to their team, the Chocolate-on-the-Inside Waffle Cone took five years to perfect. (We would have loved to be in that taste-testing kitchen.) The cone does just what it promises, combining the sweet and crunchy classic waffle cone with Kilwins’ Heritage Dark Chocolate to create … Read More >>


The Good Bowl's Shiso Fine

Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | May 31, 2025

We’re pretty sure The Chiffons misspoke in their hit song when they sang “he’s so fine”—they really meant to say she’s so fine and were clearly talking about the eponymous (and punny!) cocktail at The Good Bowl in Traverse City! A twist on traditional Vietnamese flavors, the Shiso Fine ($14) features a base of Gypsy Vodka shaken with delicate soju (a Korean spirit distilled from rice), fresh lemon juice, and a homemade … Read More >>


It Takes Two to Brunch

Sisters opens in Traverse City
By Anna Faller | May 24, 2025

It was just over four years ago that Jenni Scott—a Traverse City native and longtime veteran of the local restaurant scene—in partnership with her sister Lisa, their parents, and Lisa’s husband, Matt Gaffy, purchased and planned to redevelop the historic downtown pub, Little Bohemia. Together, the team reopened the space under its new identity, Lil Bo’s—a nod to both the pub’s past life and Jenni’s food trucks, Lil Betty’s and Betty’s Hot … Read More >>

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