The Cook's House

Traverse City's The Cook's House is nestled back away from Front Street, but is the true epicenter of culinary excellence in TC.

Imagine, if you will, entering the home of your favorite world class chef. He or she invites you to sit down at their dinner table, peruse their collection of rare and exotic food books, sample their amazing bar and, best of all, sup from their kitchen on creations crafted by them.

Like what you're hearing? Enticed? Intrigued? Slightly aroused? (food does do that to a person!) Well then! Welcome to The Cook's House! A place that offers an amazing food experience in an elegant, intimate atmosphere.

The Cook's House atmosphere is a charming mix of intimate and elegant.

This amazing little joint is one of my favorite food experiences in the Grand Traverse region. And I'm not alone in that sentiment! Folks travel from far and wide to dine at Traverse City's The Cook's House. In fact, one regular flies in from Chicago with various friends almost every summer weekend, just to sample the outstanding goods at The Cook's House!

Yes, this place is that amazing!

A bit of fun is tossed in amongst one of TC's best menus.

Now, I'm not going to lie to you here; you will spend a pretty penny at The Cook's House. But, believe me, every pretty penny that you spend will result in a culinary gifting from heaven above! (Yeah, also can't lie about the fact that this Traverse City restaurant is one of my very favorite!)

The open kitchen allows you to witness your food creation coming to life at The Cook's House.

Now, despite my talent for weaving words into irresistible poetry, I know why you peeps show up at this blog day after day, looking for some damn fine nosh, you want to see the food! And here it is!

We'll begin where most folks do, with the appetizers.

Now, before we dive in, allow me to mention this: LOCAL! The Cook's House sources as much of their menu as possible from local farms. Yet another reason to love this TC eatery.

The appetizer menu includes some truly amazing treats. From roasted rabbit to poached duck egg served on old world rye with asparagus, pickled garlic and prosciutto broth, the options tempt the palate in a most pleasing sort of way.

A local highlight on the appetizer menu is a region (and world) wide favorite: Morel mushrooms, gnocchi, grated wild horseradish and black walnuts.

Appetizer prices range from $10-$13 each.

A smaller dining area allows for a feeling of exclusivity.

Now, onto soups and salads. Soups are $7, with selections including Asparagus and Shiitake mushrooms and white bean and red wine.

Salads are $8 and usually include four to five selections, with a favorite of mine being The Cook's House Salad; a salad of smoked rabbit and warm seasonal vegetables.

Yum!

The drink options at Traverse City's The Cook's House are top shelf!

Entrees are really where it's at, here at Traverse City's The Cook's House.

Prices range from $24 to $35 per dish, and they're worth every cent!

Some highlights include:

Roasted leg of lamb, anise hyssop, dried apricots, coco rubico heirloom beans.

Grass fed beef trio: New York strip, hanger steak and beef cheeks with roasted sunchokes and warm potato salad.

And, of course, more. All equally as amazing!

The Cook's House has a grand selection of wines, brews and mixed drinks as well that go along swimmingly with the various menu gems!

A locally sourced menu, downtown atmosphere and classy charm mix perfect at The Cook's House in TC.

Speaking of wine (I almost always am), The Cook's House offers a five or seven course tasting menu. These menus are $50 and $60 per person respectively, or $82 and $101, respectively, with wine pairings. These tastings include some of The Cook's House most outstanding creations, well worth the price!

Be sure to call ahead! While it may be a bit empty for their small plates and drinks lunch time menu, dinner time brings in the crowds, every night.

The Cook's House also has some delicious dessert options, perfect for that end of meal sweet tooth!

This is another "fine dining establishment" that gets it right here in TC. Life for the food lover is very good at The Cook's House. Local food and some of the most tantalizing flavor combinations you will ever experience abound at this perfect downtown establishment. It may not be on the "well beaten path", but that's just fine with the folks who choose to tuck into the offerings here at Traverse City's own artisanal food paradise, The Cook's House. I'll see you there!

Grass fed beef trio: New York strip, hanger steak and beef cheeks with roasted sunchokes and warm potato salad.

And, of course, more. All equally as amazing!

The Cook's House has a grand selection of wines, brews and mixed drinks as well that go along swimmingly with the various menu gems!

(All photos by Brooks Vanderbush)

Mission Table



Mission Table, on the Old Mission Peninsula just outside of Traverse City, MI, is the ideal mix of class and local fare.



There are some food experiences that travel beyond a simple meal with varied flavors.  These experiences bring you into a world of outstanding cuisine combined with a completely engrossing atmosphere.  THIS is fine dining.  THIS is excellent food and drink, made even more so by the company.  This is Mission Table.

A relaxed, elegant atmosphere awaits you at one of Traverse City's finest food destinations.

My lovely Lisa and I recently celebrated her birthday at Mission Table.  Present were her parents and a few of our closest friends.

I had heard little about this restaurant.  It yet remains somewhat of a mystery to the average Traverse Citian.  It is a bit removed from TC, but not too far as to be completely inaccessible, it is adjacent to Jolly Pumpkin afterall.

For those of you not yet familiar with Jolly Pumpkin or its location, both that restaurant (a fun place, but be careful with the beer) and Mission Table occupy the old Bower's Harbor Inn and The Bowery mansion about 15-20 minutes from TC on Old Mission Peninsula.

A "limited menu" is certainly anything but at Mission Table in Traverse City.

As just mentioned, at Jolly Pumpkin (as you can see in my review, linked above) I caution people on the beer selection.  It is certainly an acquired taste.  And, as is to be expected, Mission Table does share a bar with Jolly Pumpkin.  So, again, perhaps you should taste your selection before ordering a full pint.

However, the lovely, crisp beer, 129 I believe was its name......perhaps 159......something along those lines, is completely perfect.  A slight buttery first hit to the palette with a refreshing, slightly spicing afterward.  This is instantly one of my favorite beers.

Mission Table's offerings will instantly win you over.

The bar is the only thing shared by the two restaurants.  The atmosphere of Mission Table is wholly different from Jolly Pumpkin.  There is a relaxed class to the place, a sophisticated aire that does not seem forced or put on, but natural and comfortable.  There are no stuffed shirts, fake waitstaff or pretentious ideals here.  There is no show.  This restaurant is fine dining simply for the fact that it is all those things AND it allows the "fine" aspect to come through by way of its exquisite cuisine.

Many Traverse City restaurants attempt, and fail, to pull off what seems to come so effortlessly to the kitchen and staff at Mission Table.

Pictured above is the birthday girl's meal; grilled loin of lamb, French lentils, mustard sauce and seasonal vegetables.  Above that picture, you'll find my meal; filet mignon with roasted fingerling potatoes, seasonal vegetables in a red wine reduction.  Both plates were simply perfect, in every way.

If you're looking for a restaurant that offers a true escape, Mission Table is the place for you!

Our meals began with a pork belly dish and a scallop dish as well.  These were, as expected, delicious.

As it was her birthday, we brought along a cake, made by Katie, the pastry queen at Centre Street Cafe, a friend to Lisa and a couple of others gathered at the table.

Even birthdays are better at Mission Table!

What is it about a restaurant that can bring friends together and offer a simply superb experience?  There truly is something completely special about a place that can bring so many elements into line to make for such a perfect evening.  On its surface, a restaurant full of happy consumers, tinkling glasses, wonderful waiters and waitresses and packed dining rooms seems like such a simple thing.  This misconception has doomed many an establishment.  It is most certainly NOT an easy thing to bring perfection into the dining realm.  Mission Table, with its outstanding LOCAL fare, its unique and charming waitstaff and its all encompassing atmosphere of relaxed sophistication and elegance has certainly discovered that ever elusive equation which amounts to an amazing evening, one that patrons will seek to recreate time and time again.

In short, we loved it!  Mission Table's focus on local, sustainable foods sourced from local farmers at the height of their varied seasons is something that captures my loyalty instantly.  The magic that they work with these local meats and veggies holds that loyalty quite well!  I will heartily recommend this establishment to anyone and everyone.

Wishes certainly come true at Mission Table in Traverse City!

For anyone seeking a truly perfect evening amongst friends and loved ones, look no further than Mission Table, a place where your every food wish will certainly be granted!  (Like that?  She's blowing out her candle and I worked that "wish" thing in to the closing!  Brilliant!  Or, at least it would be if I hadn't written all of this....hmmm....note for the future I suppose.  Don't point out your segways, got it.)

Oh, and watch out for those ghosts!

One more thing:  The joint's supposedly haunted by the widow of the man who owned the mansion.  Hung herself in the elevator shaft, it seems.  The waitstaff would be happy to fill you in  on the tale, all you need do is ask! (I went for a small ghost hunt there and, just as in the Congress Hotel in Chicago, I found zero ghosts, sigh, oh well).

(All photos by Lisa Kelly and Brooks Vanderbush)

Aerie

Soaring 17 floors, the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa's tower dominates an otherwise unremarkable skyline.

Shall we discuss fine dining?  Why yes, yes we shall.

Aerie sits perched atop the only "skyscraper" in the TC area (actually just a little past the gas station paradise of Acme).  More commonly known as the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (an amazing place to stay, by the way, truly top notch!), the tower of this resort is the home of one of Traverse City's most amazing dinnertime views.



The decor delights the senses almost as much as the view!

The vista from any table in the joint is simply amazing.  You will literally be sipping your Cristal whilst overlooking all of the beauty that the Grand Traverse Region has to offer.  The panorama alone is certainly worth one of TC's highest price tags.

Is the view from Aerie in Acme, MI worth the rather subpar food and sky high price? Possibly.....

Now, let me tell you what I envision when I think of "fine dining."

Fine dining, to little ol' me, is all about new and exciting experiences.  As you can see from the pics, the ambiance offered at Aerie is quite lovely.  However, the experience of fine dining is about MUCH more than the patron's surrounding environment, to be sure. 

Aerie is truly an amazingly beautiful restaurant with loads of potential.

Inherent in the phrase "fine dining" is an exceptional encounter with food. 

During a recent trip to the top of the Resort, my lovely Lisa and I had a wonderful time.  But, that time was had more as a result of the company than as a result of the offered fare. 

Lisa and I are fans of the complete set of food-stuffs.  We had heard from a trusted chef friend that the bread, supposedly homemade, was quite tasty.  Well, while surrounding tables were piled high with bread and the accompanying oils, our waitress never produced a single grain.  We thought perhaps the bread only appears with a salad purchase, but that would seem a bit too "Big Boy" for such an establishment.  So we let it alone, a bit too amused by the situation to actually inquire about what was up.

Slightly put off, but still in lovely moods, we ordered a couple tasty appetizers.  My pork belly, complete with black beans and rice, was superb.  Lisa's Octopus was outstanding.  I sipped on a Short's brew and we made some EXTREMELY intelligent conversation, if I do say so myself!

For the main course we went with the seafood paella and the sea bass, both fantastic.  Dessert saw some rather unimpressive square creations, supposedly "cake," but rather tasteless and bland.

Caution can be thrown to the wind if you love a good local brew, Aerie has a pretty decent selection.

My final opinion of this establishment is this:  wonderful restaurant, but could/should be so much more.  While I was very pleased with the overall taste and quality of the food, the taste was a result of heavy saucing with some exquisite sauces.  A fine dining experience should be consistent and the sum of the food's flavor should not be held within its sauces.  I have been to some phenomenal fine dining eateries in my day and many have bowled me over completely.  The way in which they marry the food's natural flavors with the various spices and sauces presented were completely new and exciting to my pallet.  Myriad new and strange offerings graced their menus and their chefs wove their magic into every single bite.

I suppose that I felt a bit robbed, to tell you the truth.  I left Aerie pleased, but slightly disappointed.  When someone visits your restaurant in search of fine dining, your chef needs to be prepared to offer up a meal that is better and more enticing than can be found at the myriad exceptional restaurants surrounding him/her.  To me, Amical, Red Ginger, Stella,  Poppycock's and basically all of the areas other first-rate offerings stood out as places I would of rather ventured to.

While this may seem a bit harsh, I thoroughly expect to be wowed whenever I venture into a restaurant claiming to be "fine."  In this case, Aerie was fine, but only fine.  You really have to kick it up a notch for a guy whose favorite stop is Amical or whose significant other can cook like mine can!!  Next time Lisa and I seek out fine dining, I think that we'll make the tiny little jaunt back to the Cook's House (they were completely booked that night).

All restaurants mentioned will be reviewed eventually, I promise.

(All photos by Brooks Vanderbush)