Lynda Wheatley | Author
Two K’s New World Slushee
May 29, 2021
About a decade back, we tasted our first wine slushee Up North. We liked it so much we bought a special freezer bag to make our own at home.
We don’t remember much of that summer except our bathing suit size went up two elastic (but worthwhile) belt notches, and our kitche…
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Stockist Cold Brew Coffee
May 22, 2021
Those in a business ruled by deadlines that barrel at you like an oncoming train tend to live or die by their morning (and afternoon and, more frequently than we’d ever admit to our family physician, evening) coffee. Mostly, we die — pot by acidic, stained pot. Those days we unc…
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Memorial Weekend: Options Galore
May 22, 2021
Walloon’s Memorial Weekend Three-fer
Seems only fair to offer folks three fun options for their three-day weekend. The petite but always innovative Village of Walloon Lake is rising to the challenge with a trifecta of fine art, very fine food and wine specials, …
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Big Step Forward for Proposed Manistee Beachfront Hotel
May 22, 2021
The latest on the contentious development of the proposed Hampton Inn near First Street Beach in Manistee: It’s moving forward, confirms city planning assistant Nancy Baker — despite a last-ditch effort by a group of Manistee residents who have written dozens of letters and, les…
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3 Options for Your Weekend
May 15, 2021
Looking for a fun weekend outing? Here's three we recommend:
Craft Show in Traverse City:
Don your face masks and don’t be late, the socially distanced Outdoor Craft & Vendor Show, featuring the wares of more than 40 local artisans and vendors, will r…
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Brasserie Amie’s French Cruellers
May 8, 2021
It is said that French girls (and guys) don’t get fat — or at least not as fat as Americans — despite the fact (or perhaps because) they typically take le goûter. The tilted-beret version of the Brits’ high tea, le goûter is the French&rsquo…
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Goliath Brewing Co.’s Scorpius Morchella
May 8, 2021
There’s not a lot we don’t like about Iowa’s Topping Goliath Brewing Co. Purposely founded in the wee northern town of Decorah, in 2009, the perfection-driven brewery has seen several of its beers ranked among some of the globe’s best: Mornin’ De…
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Silver Spruce’s Bicicleta
May 1, 2021
May 1 kicks off National Bike Month, and Silver Spruce Brewing is honoring it right. The Traverse City brewery, located just a few turns of the crank from the TART trail and easily reachable via the Eighth Street bike lane, has just tapped its Bicicleta beer.
Available this mont…
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Yucatan Guacamole
May 1, 2021
Whichever food scientists deemed the mighty monounsaturated-fat-filled avocado good for the human heart failed to take into account how cruelly it also toys with that organ. Sure, avocados reduce the risk of heart disease and curb inflammation. But if you’ve ever known the joy of find…
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Spring Refresh
April 24, 2021
Sustainably Yours
Passion Lilie doesn’t use screen-printed fabrics, only ikat-woven and block-printed beauts like the 100-percent organic cotton, Fair Trade-certified Charlie Jumpsuit here. Add sandals for strolling or a pair of wedges for dinner, and you’…
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Good Harbor Vineyards’ Trillium
April 24, 2021
While you await the annual arrival of the season’s striking vermillion and white wood lilies, you can sate your taste for them with Good Harbor’s ode to their natural brilliance, Trillium. A white wine of impeccable balance — medium sweet, medium dry, medium priced —…
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Mary’s Kitchen Port: The Gobbler
April 24, 2021
Those who claim turkey as Thanksgiving’s bird have clearly never tried the Gobbler at Mary’s Kitchen Port. Much like Michigan’s own robin, Mary’s famed Gobbler is every bit as much a harbinger of spring, shaking off the dormant days of winter and welcoming us back to…
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Eat, Drink, Rub: THC Products Review
April 17, 2021
Progress, thy name is marijuana.
Despite what for any other industry would be major stumbling blocks — major disruptions in global supply chain management due to the pandemic and, uh, the not-so-convenient refusal of some governments to legalize sale of cannabis — has ha…
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Big League Chew’s Wild Pitch Watermelon
April 17, 2021
Despite what the few flurries last week might suggest, baseball season is here. Who cares that Comerica Park is only letting 8,000 or so fans inside the stadium for games? Twenty percent capacity is better than none, and in these wild (Mid)West days of Michigan’s resurging pandemic, w…
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Dr. J. Terps’ Cannabis-Infused Tropicana Cookies
April 17, 2021
While we don’t normally profile a beverage you can’t yet get your hands on, it is our cannabis issue, so we feel obligated to showcase a few on the horizon.
First, some context: On Jan. 4, Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) formally issued its long-aw…
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Crooked Tree Breadworks’ Cheddar Scallion Scone
April 10, 2021
We tend to think of scones as dry, dense, not-very-sweet triangular blocks that are made moist and most palatable when served, as the Brits do, under a pile of clotted cream, or, as Americans do, dipped in coffee.
Then we tried Crooked Tree Breadworks’ Cheddar Scallion Sco…
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TRÜ Ultimate Mary Mix
April 10, 2021
Yes, Ace is indeed the place with the helpful hardware folks. Less apparent to those who don’t, like us, diligently stalk the home improvement store's register shelves at least once per season is that it’s also the place for life-improving food products. (See our May 25, 2019, r…
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Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties to Remember
April 3, 2021
Look, we love a boozy bash as much as the next guy. And we get it — in a super gorgeous region known for its craft beer, wine, and spirits, with plenty of for-hire vans and buses to haul your crew about, and a bunch of fun bars in your choice of walkable downtowns, it’s hard to …
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Mundos’ Avocado Bowl
April 3, 2021
Few things have been as life-altering to us Mac-wielding creative types as the shutdown of in-house eating and coffee meeting at so many of our beloved local coffee shops. Thanks be to Traverse City’s Mundos then, which has kept our still-homebased staff buzzed up, fed, and safe from …
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North Peak’s Tropical Diabolical
April 3, 2021
Maybe you had your fill of fruity, umbrella-festooned cocktails on your seaside spring break to sunnier climes. Or maybe, like us, you sat on a saggy lawn chair in your backyard and squinted up at the clouds, hoping for a sliver of sun as you sipped spring break out of a can. Otherwise know… Read More >>