Grand Maris

WEST BAY DINER & DELICATESSEN (906) 494-2607 What used to be the Earl of Sandwich has grown into this 52-seat diner, deli, and bakery. People rave about Rick Guth's huge club or grilled sandwiches and subs ($8) on Ellen Airgood's fresh bread, and the whitefish sandwiches and fresh fish ($8-$10). These prices are from 2004. Burgers ($4 to $6) are beef and/or buffalo. Ellen bakes very good muffins and cinnamon rolls $2 each), and monster cookies loaded with raisins, nuts, chocolate chunks, and more. The big breakfasts and soups have a huge following. Dinners consist of pizza ($13-$18 with 3 toppings) or fresh whitefish when available – in a sandwich ($10 with a small side dish from the salad bar), in surf and turf, or deep-fried ($12) with potato and salad bar. There are cappuccino and espresso drinks and ice cream sundaes and cones, too. It all adds up to a very busy place. Deli customers who want the good bread, meats, and cheeses and the salads (tuna, potato, pasta, slaw, etc.) have been trained to call ahead for afternoon pickup. No smoking. Read the story on the menu about how owners Rick Guth and Ellen Airgood checked out an unusual 1949 Paramount Diner (the preeminent manufacturer of classic diners), in original but dilapidated condition, belonging to diner artist Jerry Berta, proprietor of Rosie's Diner in Rockford north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In early November they trucked it across the Mackinac Bridge. Miraculously they were ready to open by summer. The diner, Paramount's smallest model, has a bay view. It's only the front of their place. A condensed gift shop, open kitchen, and dining area with fireplace are in back. Historical note: President Kennedy's staff ordered two cheeseburgers for him from the then-Matamoros Diner in its first location in Pennsylvania.- Past the post office on the corner of Veterans and Woodruff on the bay. Always open daily from mid or late May thru color season. Opens at 7:30, breakfast served starting at 8. In summer generally open ‘til 8 or 9. After color season, closes in the afternoon, and the owners may take a vacation. Handicap access via ramp by rear parking lot. Family-friendly. No alcohol.

LAKE SUPERIOR BREWING CO./ Dunes Saloon (906) 494-2337- The front tavern part and its bar go back to the logging boom circa 1900; the smoke-free family dining room is in back. What the restaurant offers depends partly on the season. In summer, fresh whitefish, locally caught, is the big seller, as a very large sandwich with fries ($6 or $7), or as a dinner ($13 or so) with potato or wild rice and the salad bar. Sandwiches, meal-size salads ($6-$7), and homemade pasties and pizza are available year-round. Winter means no fish but steaks and homemade soups. Scotch egg is a tasty appetizer that goes well with stout: a hardboiled egg in wrapped in sausage, then dipped in egg, rolled in bread crumbs, and baked. Alcoholic beverages are not the only focus here. Excellent cream soda, orange soda, and root beer are made on the premises. As for the brewpub, brewer/owner Chris Sarver got into home brewing before the current craft beer boom. In the early 1990s he rebelled at having to pay $16 for a six-pack of his favorite English beer, when he could get it, and decided to duplicate it himself. When the Dunes Saloon was up for sale, he bought it with Karen Bryzs, then his wife. Chris and his father made a brewing system from scratch, adapting used equipment. (After all, they were already pros designing automation systems for automotive assembly lines.) The brewery's stainless-steel tanks are on view to diners. Beers appeal to a wide variety of tastes, from people who love Bud Light to aficionados who value distinctive flavors. A few staples are augmented by a changing variety of other brews. Two favorites: Agate Amber (medium-bodied, "combining malty richness with the perfect amount of hoppiness") and Cattail Ale, a light golden ale with medium hops flavor and citrusy finish. Tours available upon request. - Downtown on the west side of Lake Ave./M-77. Open year-round, daily from noon. Kitchen closes at 10 except for pizza. Tavern closes at 2 a.m. or whenever. May close for maintenance for two weeks in April. Handicap accessible: entrance from south parking lot. Restrooms not accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar