Food
Squash Season Recipes
Inside the Ingredients
By Nora Rae Pearl | Oct. 31, 2026
We wait all summer and the first half of fall for squash season to arrive, and we must give it a proper welcome. With nearly endless varieties to choose from, we narrowed our recipes down to honeynut and carnival squash (you could also use butternut or acorn). For a starter salad, we created a kale and lentil with roasted squash that is topped with pomegranate seeds and crumbled feta. For a cozy … Read More >>
Kilwin’s Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Tastemaker
Oct. 31, 2026
In our humble opinion, it’s never too chilly for a scoop of ice cream. If you agree, then we recommend getting in on this limited edition seasonal flavor at your nearest Kilwins. A perfect fall treat, the Pumpkin Pie ice cream has real pie crust pieces in the mix, along with pumpkin puree and warm spices to give you a little taste of Thanksgiving dessert. We recommend taking things up a notch … Read More >>
Right Bower’s Apple Crisp Cold Brew
Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | Oct. 31, 2026
No northern Michigan autumn would be complete without a little escape. For our next venture, find us tucked away at Right Bower Kitchen & Coffee on Old Mission Peninsula, where the freshly-picked Apple Crisp Cold Brew just hit the fall menu. Featuring local Panther Coffee, this pomme-perfect pick begins with nitro cold brew, which is served on tap and infused with the warming spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove—from the café’s scratch-made apple … Read More >>
Letting the Cat Out of the Bag
The team behind Mama Lu’s is bringing a new Asian-inspired concept to Traverse City while keeping Mama Lu’s alive
By Matt Dursum | Oct. 24, 2026
Front Street’s 100 block is where tourists come for adorable gifts, cherries, and TC merch. It’s also where Traverse City’s foodies come for a fix of Mama Lu’s, a popular taco shop known and beloved for its artisanal tacos, Mexican sides, and margaritas worthy of award. After nearly a decade downtown, Executive Chef John Larson and Adrienne Brunette had planned to close the taco shop and turn it into The Happy Cat, … Read More >>
Baker’s Burrow’s Snickerdoodle Cookies
Tastemaker
By Anna Faller | Oct. 24, 2026
As we enter hibernation season, we’ll be stocking up on homemade treats from The Baker’s Burrow in Honor. Filled with small-batch bakes that rotate by season, this self-serve cupboard is a haven for all things quick breads, muffins, blondies, and beyond—but we can be found stuffing our cheeks with the signature Snickerdoodle Cookies. Picture this: the season’s cookie classic (crispy edges, chewy center) laden with flavors of vanilla and browned butter, rolled … Read More >>
Tank Space’s Ale of the Earth
Bottoms Up
By Craig Manning | Oct. 24, 2026
It’s dark beer season, and we love celebrating it in all its shades of glory, from chocolatey porters to sweet, smooth doppelbocks to boozy imperial stouts. If you’ve been a dark beer skeptic in the past, Tank Space (the satellite location of Earthen Ales) has Ale of the Earth, a lightly-smoked English brown ale that supplies all the full-bodied flavor and cozy, cold-weather enjoyability of dark beer without losing the approachability of … Read More >>
Jacob’s Farm’s Amaretto Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Tastemaker
Oct. 17, 2026
You know how when two good things come together, they become great? Peanut butter and jelly. Fish and chips. Cherries and cheesecake. Jacob’s Farm and Moomers Ice Cream. You only have a few weeks left of fall fun out at Jacob’s Farm (just a few miles from downtown Traverse City, and conveniently located across the street from Gallagher’s Farm Market). So get out there, grab some Amaretto Cherry Cheesecake ice cream, and … Read More >>
OBrien Vineyards’ Ard Ri Pinot Noir
Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | Oct. 17, 2026
There’s something about fall in northern Michigan that has us feeling like royalty. So, we’re pairing the majesty of Mother Nature (and her crimson color change) with the 2024 Ard Rí Pinot Noir from ŌBrien Vineyards in Traverse City. With a name that translates to “high king” in Gaelic, this limited production pinot combines estate grapes from Old Mission Peninsula with the ripe and complex palette of an especially warm growing season—and … Read More >>
Your Fall 2026 NoMi Restaurant Guide
10 eateries you won’t want to miss this season
By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Oct. 10, 2026
This is one of our biggest restaurant roundups ever, and it’s just in time for fall dining! We have sushi, shawarma, sandwiches, and Southern comfort food. We have food trucks, fine dining, and cozy hole-in-the-wall spots that locals know and love. And best of all, we have the scoop on the owners and menus (at least as they were when we last visited) below. Pictured: The wood-fired salmon from Cellar & Flame … Read More >>
From a Car Dealership to a Casa Italiana
Grayling’s Matt and Christine LaFontaine on their restaurant, Mimi and Pipi’s
By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 10, 2026
How does a family with no experience in the restaurant business make a go of it? For Matt and Christine LaFontaine, it all comes down to their expertise in the auto industry. While running a restaurant may seem a long distance from selling cars and trucks, changing oil, or resurfacing brake rotors, Matt LaFontaine begs to differ. “We operate a boutique dealership. The dealership is like hospitality,” he says. The hospitality industry … Read More >>
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