Food
Nittolo's Little Italy Comes to Downtown TC
New location will offer an affordable Italian option
By Ellen Miller | April 19, 2025
Craving a pizza or a hearty bowl of pasta? You’re in luck: Nittolo’s Little Italy, from restaurateur Eric Nittolo, is slated to open downtown in the Warehouse District in this April, pending licensing and approvals. The new spot was built out in the space where Cut & Run used to be, next to The Tasting Room on the ground floor of the Breakwater building. Nittolo, who runs the eponymous (and popular) Nittolo’s … Read More >>
Manistee Lake Pizzeria & Bakery's Breakfast Pizza
Tastemaker
April 19, 2025
Don’t let the name fool you, this eatery is in Kalkaska, not Manistee, and they whip up everything from donuts to deluxe pizzas for carry-out several days a week. The best day to go is Sunday, when their Breakfast Pizza is served all day long from 8am to 8pm. Pro tip: Get your order in the night before, because these go fast! The 14-inch pie starts with a cheese sauce base, then … Read More >>
Brengman Family Wines' Riesling Trocken
Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | April 19, 2025
With the spring sun finally in the sky, we’re craving a sip that’s just as bright, and the 2022 Riesling Trocken from Brengman Family Wines drinks like bottled fresh air. Named for its minimal sugar content—“trocken” translates to “dry” in German—this palette-pleaser is vinified through a combination of stainless steel, concrete, and French oak puncheon (for a silky texture) and fermented with the winery’s signature naturally-occurring yeast. The result is a mouth-watering … Read More >>
50 Years for Mode’s Bum Steer
Steaks, staff, and old-school drinks make this restaurant a tradition
By Ross Boissoneau | April 12, 2025
On April 7, 1975, Bob and Anita Mode opened a bar and restaurant that was to bear their name. A half century later, Mode’s Bum Steer is still going strong, with their daughter Skylar now running the enterprise. That makes it the longest-running family-owned restaurant in Traverse City. And it looks the part. Walk in the door and you are immediately transported back in time to…the 60s? The mid-70s? Surely no later … Read More >>
Sugar 2 Salt's Scones
Tastemaker
By Anna Faller | April 12, 2025
If we are what we eat, then everyone should probably be feeling more joy from freshly-baked scones—in particular, the scratch-made selection at Sugar 2 Salt in Traverse City! The crumbly-golden specialty of co-owner and seasoned baker Stephanie Wiitala, these pastry nuggets are crafted by hand and portioned to share. The key is the signature recipe, which blends the staples (think: buttermilk, flour, and egg) with a few secrets for an incomparable bake … Read More >>
Grüvi NA Bubbly Rosé
Bottoms Up
April 12, 2025
It’s nearly pink drink season (come on, warmer days!), so to ease ourselves in, we’re sipping on the non-alcoholic Bubbly Rosé from Grüvi this spring. What we liked: just the right amount of bubbles, 60 calories per bottle, and that perfectly pink hue. What we loved: the sweet-meets-tart flavor profile, which first comes across as sugary strawberries then hits you with tart green apple. This definitely goes down like a sweeter rosé … Read More >>
Spring Greens: Recipes with Asparagus & Arugula
Inside the Ingredients
By Nora Rae Pearl | April 5, 2025
As Michigan’s winter wraps up and we enter mud season, there is hope to be had around the corner for actual spring. So let’s go in on all things green! Asparagus will soon be making its debut at a farmers market near you; expect to see stalks at the end of April or beginning of May, and mark your calendars for Empire’s Annual Asparagus Festival June 7. To make our Arugula White … Read More >>
The Sweet Shop's Flock of Birds
Tastemaker
April 5, 2025
Since 1961, The Sweet Shop in Cadillac has been “making the world a little sweeter.” Their signature confection is the Snowbird, a trademarked combination of white chocolate and Georgia pecan pieces that looks like a little white bird nestled in its brown paper wrapping nest. Complete the bird trio with the Flock of Birds ($10.25 for 12 pieces; two other sizes available). You’ll get three of the Snowbird, three of the Dirty … Read More >>
Three Trees Vineyard’s Folk Singer
Bottoms Up
By Anna Faller | April 5, 2025
Three Trees Vineyard in Suttons Bay is all about cultivating harmony—in their low-intervention wine varietals, in the land, and in the local community—and they’ve hit a true high note in the 2021 vintage of their signature Folk Singer Cabernet Franc. Featuring all estate-grown grapes, this sip was fermented for 24 months under concrete (this develops complexity while retaining the fruit’s natural expression) before receiving just a kiss of French oak. The result … Read More >>
Feeling Good, Eating Well
The ethos behind BeeSmooth Cafe (and the coming-soon Buzz Cafe and Bakery!)
By Geri Dietze | March 22, 2025
A conscious effort to provide healthy, flavorful food is what drives BeeSmooth Café, Manistee’s light, bright, and eclectic eatery. Operating since 2023, the café serves fresh and tasty traditional café fare, including vegan, gluten-, sugar-, and allergen-free options. (One person’s restrictions are another person’s choices!) Food allergies are serious business; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six percent of adults and an estimated eight percent of children have one … Read More >>
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