Top Eight Restaurants in Northwest Michigan for Valentine’s Season and a Dutch Baby Recipe

The Restless Chef

It’s the season for connecting or reconnecting with a loved one. Unless you live in a perpetually warm state, winter is just cold! Getting away from it all and just spending time with your loved one can be good for the soul. I had guests last weekend that were celebrating 30 years of marriage. The wife told me she had to drag her husband along to stay in a bed and breakfast. Why the stigma of a bed and breakfast, fellas? Private bathroom, fresh baked cookies, breakfast served to you, happy wife. What’s not to like?!!! Needless to say, he came around and realized that it wasn’t so bad and they left to go home hand in hand. Cute! 

 

For Valentine season at the bed and breakfast, I like to use color. Right now, I have white blindness from all the snow. So, I’m definitely using color in my food. Have you ever made a Dutch Baby? The name coined for these small German pancakes was actually a mispronunciation of the daughter of a restaurant owner in Seattle in the early 1900’s. She couldn’t pronounce Deutsch and turned it into Dutch. The pancakes are on the smaller side, so she called the pancake a Dutch Baby. This particular recipe is filled with colorful berries and bananas to brighten up any morning. Even a February one. Enjoy!

 

Fruit Dutch Baby (Serves 2)

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Cup flour

1/2 Cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons sugar – divided

1 1/2 Cups strawberries, quartered

1/2 Cup blueberries

1 Cup bananas, sliced

Confectioner sugar to dust

Strawberry syrup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, milk, eggs, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Place the strawberries, blueberries and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a bowl and toss together. Let the fruit marinate. Place the 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9 inch pie dish and melt in the oven. Once the butter is melted, use a brush to spread the butter up onto the sides of the pie dish. Pour the batter into the pie dish and bake for 14 minutes (be sure it is on the bottom rack as it will rise into a bowl shape). Remove from oven and lift out of the pie dish carefully. Cut the Dutch Baby in half and place each half on serving plate. Fill each half with marinated fruit and the sliced banana. Dust each Dutch Baby with confectioner sugar, then pour on desired amount of strawberry syrup.

Top Eight Restaurants to Visit in Northwest Michigan for Valentine’s Season

Winter is trudging along, so you need something to look forward to. If a romantic getaway is in order, Northern Michigan has the most romantic places to go for dining. Authentic, locally sourced food is key to eateries in this region. Dining with ambience and expertly prepared food can make for a wonderful evening. Add to that dining experience a perfectly paired bottle of wine or a craft beer, and all the more better.

Here are the top eight restaurants to dine in for Valentine Season in the Ellsworth, Charlevoix, Bellaire and Petoskey area.

Charlevoix – Located on the shores of Lake Michigan

Grey Gables

Offers a variety of New American dishes in an elegant Victorian surrounding. Check it out http://www.greygablesinn.com

Bridge Street Tap Room

Local alehouse with a view of Round Lake featuring local craft brews and an area-sourced bar menu. Local music for entertainment. Check it out http://www.bridgestreettaproom.com

Stafford’s Weathervane

In a renovated grist mill with a gorgeous view of the channel between Lake Michigan and Round Lake. Enjoy lovely ambience and great regional food. Check it out http://www.staffords.com/weathervane-restaurant/

Boyne City – Located on the Shores of Lake Charlevoix

Cafe Sante’ 

European Bistro with excellent ambiance and the most tasty European food. Great bar area as well! Check it out https://www.magnumhospitality.com

Bellaire – Located on the Chain of Lakes

The Corner Bistro

Tapas dining at it’s finest. Expertly prepared food, excellent chef, wonderful ambience. Check it out https://www.cornerbistrobellaire.com

Terrain

A restaurant that specializes in the freshest items from local harvest. Check it out https://www.terrain-restaurant.com

Petoskey – Located north of Charlevoix, on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay

Chandler’s

Cozy up at Chandler’s for New American dishes and sushi. With a 4,000 bottle wine cellar, you will have a hard time deciding on a bottle. Check it out http://www.chandlersarestaurant.com

Palette Bistro

A double-decker cafe with bay views. Gourmet Mediterranean fare and wine. Check it out http://www.palettebistropetoskey.com

 

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