Marquette
| PORTSIDE
INN |
GOPHERS (906) 226-0900 An old house has become a charming little spot for delicious breakfasts, light lunches and sandwiches, and, in summer, suppers. Homemade cheesecake, fruit tartes, Belgian chocolates, and a distinctive chicken salad ($7.25 at lunch) are also sold from the deli case. Tiny bistro tables seat three indoors and in good weather outside on the porch and deck. Larger groups should reserve one of the two larger tables. Quiche ($3.99/slice) and the "ultimate crepe" (with ham, brie, and caramelized apples; about $7.25) are favorites at breakfast and at lunch, augmented with soup or salad. Espresso, coffee drinks, and a full line of teas from the Republic of Tea invite customers to stop in for mid-afternoon refreshments and dessert. No smoking. - 910 North Third, across from Vango's and a bit toward the Dome. (906) 226-0900. Open year-round Mon-Fri 8-8, Saturdays 8-5. Wheelchair-accessible: ramp on side. Not really for children inside. No alcohol. |
NEW
YORK DELI AND ITALIAN PLACE (906) 226-3032 This popular place is the late-life project of Marquette native Don Curto, who came back to town after a newspaper career in New York and Washington. Inspired by his Italian background, his father's love of food and cooking, and his own wide-ranging travels, Curto, a man of strongly held opinions, can be found sitting at a front table here most days at lunchtime. He has made it his mission to bring the necessities of the broader food world to Upper Michigan. He likes to say that his place is the U.P.'s only Jewish deli. Suppliers to the best Jewish delis in Detroit are the source for real nova lox, sourdough rye bread dense enough to hold big sandwiches together, pastrami and corned beef; respectable bagels; and Dr. Brown's kosher soda. Chicken noodle soup ("attacks the mild illnesses") and matzo ball soup ("for the most serious seasonal germs") are always on hand, along with tomato-basil cream soup (the customer favorite) and two selections from chef Scott Sult's repertoire of over 1,000 soups. Soups are $2.95/cup, $3.95/bowl with a roll. Sandwiches average $7.80, served with cole slaw and dill pickle spear. Meal-size salads are mostly Mediterranean-inspired. Bread pudding, brownies, and sour cream coffeecake are made here; cakes are baked to order. Each month the Marquette Monthly features Don's musings on food. Front just north of Washington, west side of street. Alley access to lower level of Ridge Street parking ramp. Closed Sunday. Mon -Sat 11-9. Handicap accessible: rear entrance. Family-friendly but seating and tight quarters aren't good for children. Full bar. |
VIERLING
RESTAURANT (906) 228-3533 Traveling in England inspired Terry and Kristi Doyle to reinvent an English pub in Marquette. They began in 1985 by buying the 100-year-old Vierling Restaurant, playing up its original back bar and evoking a clubby version of old world elegance. It became one of Marquette's most popular restaurants and meeting places. Ten years later they added the Marquette Harbor Brewery. Its full mash system turns out "proper" English-style beers, heavy and malty porters, stouts, and brown ales - no mild beers at all. Takeout customers can buy it in liter glass containers. Beer is also served upstairs by the glass and 20 oz. English pint. The lower-level brewery can be seen in action through windows on Main Street. On the main floor, stained glass separates the bar from the dining room, which offers a good view of the harbor. Lunch brings soups, meal-size salads ($5-7.25), sandwiches and burgers. Soups, salad dressings, desserts are made on the premises. For lunch fish sandwiches served 3 different ways are $6.25. A dinner specialty is fresh whitefish fixed six ways: with caper-tomato sauce, plain, Cajun, almondine, with tomato-lemon relish, and often layered with seafood stuffing. "Never a bad meal," say regular customers, who rave about all-you-can-eat tempura-battered whitefish on Friday night. The dinner menu (mostly $12.50 to $16) includes rich dishes like shrimp in Bernaise sauce and light as well as Heart Smart entrées like chicken and vegetarian stir-fry. The wine list has about 80 selections. Reservations recommended on weekends. - 119 S. Front at Main, 1 block south of Washington. Kitchen open Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed Sunday. Wheelchair-accessible. Family friendly. Full bar. |
| NORDIC
BAY LODGE (906) 226-7516 - After briefly getting a gray industrial techno look, the little restaurant at the former Tiroler Hof motel has been remodeled again to become a cozy, warm setting for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a Lake Superior view from the front windows and, in good weather, from the deck. The chef has developed a short menu to do a few things really well, livened up with specials like Thursday's tequila-lime chicken fettucine. Meats and sausage are from Marquette Meats in Harvey. Real maple syrup is used for pancakes. Coffee is fresh roasted locally by Dead River Coffee. The hotel caters to active outdoor sports enthusiasts, and the menu reflects it. Vegetarian by request. Breakfasts are hearty: two eggs, hash browns, bacon or sausage, pancakes or toast for $4.50, a meaty breakfast burrito or custom omelet for $6.25. Of the lunch sandwiches and wraps (around $6) and salads ($6 to $7.50), the patty melt is a real hit. Some dinner favorites: broiled or baked whitefish with soup or salad and potato (garlic mashed or baked sweet potato) is $12, bourbon marinated ribeye is $17.50, pasta jambalaya with andouille sausage, chicken, peppers, and onions $14.50. The Friday fish fry brings unlimited portions of fresh whitefish, lake trout, and walleye, baked or fried, for $9.95 to $12.95. Reservations are requested for groups of six or more. - On U.S. 41 South, 1.3 miles south of the Marquette southside bypass before the Carp River. (Easy to miss.) North of the Marquette Welcome Center on the inland side. Open daily 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., (Sat & Su 7-2) and from 5 to 9 (Mon-Wed), til 10 Thur-Sat. Bar open until 11. May stay open later. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. |
VANGO'S
PIZZA & LOUNGE (906) 228-7707 - A perennially popular campus hangout, Vango's has food that fits student and family budgets. It's a plain place. The main decoration is a big-screen TV. Standouts include an excellent Greek salad ($4.75 and $5.75) and other Greek items, the 14" house pizza with lots of toppings, a healthy hero on pita bread with Swiss and sprouts, and cudighi (spicy pork sausage on French bread). Pizza dough is made from scratch. Typical specials for lunch and dinner are $5.25 to $8. - 927 N. Third at Park. Open Sun 12-12, Mon-Wed 11-12, Thu-Sat 11-1. Kitchen closes 1/2 hour before closing. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar. |
SWEET
WATER CAFE (906) 226-7009 - Sweet Water is a big, light, airy place, totally smoke-free, with a natural look, multicultural accents, and comfortable seating with booths and ample tables. It smells great: espresso brewing, bread baking, spices perfuming the air. From-scratch baking and salad dressings are the rule. Local produce is used when possible. Four daily breads are satisfyingly chewy. Vegans can eat happily here, with several vegan entrées, sandwiches, and breakfasts. Breakfasts, served to 3 p.m. weekends, include winter grain cereal ($6.50a bowl) and the delicious $7.75 basic breakfast (two eggs, several kinds of seasoned potatoes, toast, bacon). The lunch menu (currently $5.75 to $8.25, served all day) offers things like hummus and falafil on pita bread; a locally raised beef or soy patty or chicken filet, served cajun, oriental, or "Midwestern plain"; and smoked chicken salad with grapes. Soup and sides are available any time, as is the lunch menu. Dinners (5-9 p.m.) are mostly $12 to $18. They include bread and soup or salad and rotating entrées like Indian dinners, chicken or vegetable lasagna, and fresh fish on Friday, baked, broiled, or pan-fried. Housemade cakes, cheesecakes and cookies, and cappuccino are for dessert. Beautiful china is a treat. Owners Ursula Stock and Sean Murray met at Cornell's highly regarded hotel and restaurant school. Later they drove across the U.S. seeking the right place to start their ideal business. It had to have clean water, a college campus, and a population of under 300,000. They loved Marquette and Lake Superior. This onetime dance hall was bigger than they wanted, but they tackled it nonetheless. Reservations advised for groups over four. No smoking. No smoking. - 517 North Third between Ohio and Michigan. Mon & Tues 7 a.m.-3 p.m., Wed-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 7-8. Winters opens at 8.Reservations accepted. Handicap accessible. Family friendly. Full bar. |
BORDER
GRILLE (906) 228-5228 - The Border Grille draws families and college students with its upbeat atmosphere and fast, healthy, inexpensive Mexican-inspired food, especially the signature Border Burrito: a 12" flour tortilla wrapped around sautéed vegetables with diced chicken or steak, melted cheese, sour cream— just $6.24 with Mexican rice, chips and choice of salsa. A vegetarian park ranger recommends the veggie burritos that come with a salsa that looks like cheese sauce. Five different salsas are made right here. Pico de gallo is chunky tomatoes and peppers with cilantro and lemon. There's the medium-hot salsa verde with tomatillos, and the very hot fuego. Good road food: the bite-size pieces of grilled chicken quesadilla ($6.35). Some of the soups, salads, and sandwiches are surprisingly authentic, like the winter black bean with garlic soup. At meal times, the Border Grille can get crowded, but it won't take over 12 minutes to get your food. - 180 McClellan at Baraga, just south of U.S. 41 and Shopko. Sign is visible from U.S.41. Open Mon-Wed 11-9, Thur-Fri 11-10, Sat 11-9. Closed Sunday. Handicap accessible. Family friendly. No alcohol. |
