Elk Rapids' Cellar 152

As you like it

By Janice Binkert | Oct. 14, 2017

At some point in the midst of the launch of Cellar 152, owners Mark and Kerrie Wayne might have felt that the name they had chosen for it was perhaps more appropriate – albeit in another context – than they had originally intended. It was August 2, 2015, the same day that straight line winds raged across Northwest Michigan, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Indeed, a day to head to the cellar! And ironically, many in the Village of Elk Rapids had done just that – not to take cover, but to celebrate the newest neighbor to set up shop on River Street. 

A STRONG START
As it turned out, they couldn’t have chosen a better location to ride out the storm. The building in which Cellar 152 is located has withstood every kind of tempest that nature could throw at it – summer, winter, spring or fall – for over  100 years, since the turn of the 19th century. And it wasn’t about to let this one dampen the festivities.

“They had a big crowd in here, and everybody just hunkered down,” said Eric Ray, general manager of Cellar 152. “You see that huge stabilizing beam on the west wall back here by the wine bar?” he asked, pointing to it. “Nothing was going to threaten this building.”

In the end, what could have been an inauspicious start to the fledgling business instead turned out to be a bonding experience for all of those present that day, paving the way for what the owners had originally hoped: that their unique concept – which combines a retail wine shop/wine bar, a deli/ restaurant,  a gourmet market, and a carefully curated collection of home accents – would become a community gathering place for locals and tourists alike, including summer boaters from the adjacent marina on East Grand Traverse Bay. 

Cellar 152 has continued to evolve into just that over the past two years, said Ray, who runs the day-to-day operations at Cellar 152 with Chef Chris Howard. “Since we brought him on board, the food end of the business has been broadened significantly and has just gotten better,” he said. “When we first opened, we had a much more limited food selection.  Now we have a full-service menu of made-to order sandwiches, small plates, and salads as well as soups, entrées and desserts.”

EVERDAY GOURMET
Sandwiches are always a popular menu choice, and Ray said the big winners these days are the Turkey Rachel (oven-roasted turkey, melted Swiss cheese, tangy slaw and house-made Russian dressing on Stone House Charnuska rye) and the French Dip (shaved prime rib simmered in the jus of the house-made French onion soup, covered with the strained-out onions and served on a soft roll). Ray’s personal favorite is the pastrami sandwich (brushed with a spiced butter called “zip sauce,” slathered with Mab’s Atomic mustard, topped with smoked Gouda and served on Stone House rye).

In the small plates category, the charcuterie board tops the list of customer favorites. “It comes out on this cold granite slab, and it’s just beautiful,” said Ray. “It has four different kinds of cheeses, a couple of different meats, candied walnuts, pickled vegetables and crackers.” A close second, he adds, is the beer cheese. “It’s served with a giant pretzel that comes out on a banana hanger with the beer cheese in a crock underneath it. I can tell you, when you walk  into the dining area delivering either one of those menu items, the response from other customers is usually, ‘What is that? I want that!’”

Out of the deli case, Ray said the chicken pot pie, the cherry chicken salad, and the Cuban pork tart have become best sellers. “That last one is really something,” he added. “We slow roast Cuban-seasoned pork for about 14 hours, until it’s falling off the bones, mix the meat with some smoked Gouda and spicy McClure’s pickles, and wrap the whole thing in pastry dough. Then we hit it with some Parmesan, bake it off, and serve it with sriracha aioli. Oh, it’s good!”

The Cellar 152 menu is just about to be tweaked again, Ray reports. “We like to change things up from time to time – seasonally, of course, but also as we have new ideas. Chef Chris and I talk about food all the time, and it’s a nice back and forth. We can really let our creativity flow. In the savory department, we’re going to add things like wraps and lasagna, and we will be expanding our dessert menu as well. Chef Chris will be making more cakes and pastries as well as some breakfast Danishes. We’ve got a lot going on!”

WHAT OFF SEASON?
Things don’t slow down at Cellar 152 after the high season ends. “We have live music every Friday and Saturday year round , we do wine tastings every Thursday night, a ‘Build Your Own’ Bloody Mary Bar on Sundays, and pretty soon we’re going to be doing Trivia Tuesdays with a taco bar and Euchre Wednesdays with gyros,” announced Ray.  “We’re not just a wine bar with food, we’re a lot of things wrapped into one – we’re not solely focused on one thing.  About 70 percent of our business is wine and freshly prepared food and deli, divided almost evenly. The other 30 percent is grocery, beverages, frozen food, home accents, all of that. Anytime we’re open, you can get food, and not just the kitchen and deli food that’s on the menu – you can go to the cooler and get cheese or pick up some chips or something else from the shelves, and bring it to the bar to enjoy it with your wine. Anything that’s for sale here, you can get. People ask us, ‘What do you do here?’ and we say, ‘We do everything!’ We try to make it fun and keep our customers happy.”

Cellar 152 is located at 152 River Street in Elk Rapids. Open10am—8pm Monday through Thursday, 10am—10pm Friday & Saturday, and 10am—6pm Sunday. Also offering custom catered meals for groups of all sizes. For more information, call (231) 264-9000, visit cellar152.com, or check them out on Facebook. Rating: $

WINE & CO.
SO MANY CHOICES, SO LITTLE TIME
The wine bar at Cellar 152 is definitely a key attraction. For fall and winter, happy hour is all day, every day, with five-dollar house pours and six-dollar featured wines, as well as select premium pours. “Our customers also love the ‘pick-a-bottle-of-wine-off-the-shelf-and-open-it-right-here’ feature,” said Ray. “We don’t charge a corkage fee – you can just crack a bottle of wine open and enjoy it at the bar or one of the tables here inside, or outside on the waterside deck in nice weather – with or without ordering food.” The selection of over 200 hand-selected wines is pretty much split between reds and whites, plus rosés and, as Ray noted, “a really good sparkling wine selection.” And for those who would like something other than wine? Cellar 152 carries over 50 beers in cans and bottles, as well as about 15 different ciders.

STEP INSIDE …
… AND MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
The industrial-chic exterior of Cellar 152 boasts tall, warehouse-like windows that allow a glimpse into the eclectic, modern general-store vibe on the interior. During renovations, removal of drywall in the high-ceilinged space exposed the original yellow brick walls. The vintage dark wood planked floors were buffed and waxed, and much of the old wood trim and fittings found new applications in the front counter, the restrooms and the wine bar. Spiral ductwork and galvanized metal on chairs, tables, shelves and lamps completed the retro look, creating a casual, inviting atmosphere for wining, dining or shopping for artisan food products (or maybe even a new accessory for your home).