Tastemakers: oryanna‘s Lake Street Kitchen - Don‘s Drive-In Strawberry Shake

June 15, 2005

It is picnic season, but you don’t have to wait for the weekend -- instead head out during the workweek. It’s simple; gather three friends or co-workers and begin at Oryana’s new Lake Street Kitchen in Traverse City. Their menu offers several options from soups, salads, entrees, desserts and side dishes. To create the ultimate workday picnic select four side dishes (see photo) along with iced tea and lemonade.
Now leave your car parked at Oryana and hike with your goodies to the fishing weir between Cass and Union Streets. Spread out a blanket and start passing around the dishes. All items feature organic and locally grown ingredients and are prepared fresh daily in Oryana’s certified organic kitchen. The Cajun Moons are made with organic garnet yams and have a nice balance of spicy seasonings putting a little zip into the picnic. The spiciness is offset perfectly by the Turkey Cherry Salad prepared with organic pasta and antibiotic free turkey. The canola-based mayo is more flavorful than traditional mayo’s. Two rice-based salads complete the picnic plate. The Organic Wild Rice Salad with Smoked Tofu is a great way to enjoy tofu for first-timers. Local asparagus is available and the Tangy Rice and Asparagus Salad (from the Walton Farm in Frankfort) are accented nicely with ground white pepper and blanched almonds.
Make sure to sample everything and then enjoy dessert with a couple of those “Big Cookies” (Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chip Walnut); divide into quarters as two will easily satisfy four people. This picnic for four comes in around $4.50 a person and the exercise is free.

BOTTOMSUP
DON’S DRIVE IN STRAWBERRY SHAKE
Since 1958 Don’s Drive In (located between 4 and 5 Mile Roads on U.S. 31) has been a popular dining destination with locals and visitors to Traverse City. Their burgers and fries are legendary and have been written up favorably by several food critics from numerous publications. Equally important for the ‘50s style drive-in restaurant is the milkshake. Now, we are not talking those artificially flavored imitation shakes being passed off by some. At Don’s they make the real deal, the kind with real ice cream and fruit blended together without adding ice or milk so the shakes are thick and may be enjoyed with both a spoon and a straw. We are coming up on strawberry season but equally enjoyable are the cherry and raspberry shakes. A large shake is easily enough for a family of four, especially if you are having the burger baskets.
The ‘50s and ‘60s décor is perfect for reminiscing of days gone by or giving the kids a quick education on life before iPods. During the warm nights of summer and fall try the curbside service, another reminder of the days when it use to be “drive up, ” not “drive thru.” Another throwback to the ‘50s is the service -- it doesn’t get much friendlier than at Don’s and waitresses even “don” the retro-waitress uniforms of days gone by. If your milkshake doesn’t have thick chunks of fruit in it then you are at the wrong place.-- Rick Coates