Slabtown Burgers

Photo credit: Brian Beckwith

This is my favorite thing about Slabtown Burgers: in my family of four very opinionated people, it is very rare that we can all agree on a place to eat, but nobody ever doesn’t want to go to Slabtown. That’s not to say that it’s a compromise, it means we all love it.

Nestled in the neighborhood known as Slabtown (hence the name), they have an enormous selection of burgers, as well as various other offerings including wraps, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, & homemade soups. I very rarely indulge in soda, but I do like Northwoods Soda’s offerings, which are made locally.

They also have local buffalo burgers which you can have substituted for beef. The interior isn’t spacious although there is outdoor seating in the warmer months. But you don’t have to worry about asking for your order to go, all orders come served in a brown paper bag, ready to travel to your favorite picnic spot. The shakes & malts are delicious too, or if you do decide to dine-in, you could walk across the street to Becky’s Flamingo Freeze for a treat after your meal, a place that comes highly recommended by our on-staff ice-cream connoisseur, Cora.

Brewery Ferment

Photo credit: Kim Schwaiger

Breweries are popping up in TC left and right. A few of the newer-ish ones include: The Filling Station, Boardman River Brewing Co. (opens this fall), Beggars Brewery (opens this fall), Brewery Terra Firma (open by the end of the year), & Brewery Ferment, which opened this past Monday (9/24). With all these new watering holes I had actually not heard about Brewery Ferment until I walked by a few weeks ago and saw the “opening soon” signs. However, I don’t think they’ll fly under the radar for long.

The space is small, yet inviting. It has the feel of a quaint neighborhood pub, which I think works well in Old Town. There were a couple beers on the board that were out, but I expect that with any young brewery while they determine how best to adjust production to meet demand.

The menu includes snacks and sandwiches and most importantly, a solid selection of beer. For my first visit I sampled a farmhouse ale, a Belgian witbier, and a pale ale. I feel like some new breweries may need some time to dial in their recipes, but Brewery Ferment pretty much nailed these beers. The farmhouse had a strong fruit nose, was crisp, tart, and boasted a 9% ABV. Perfect for a warm fall afternoon. The wit had a nice spiciness to it, but was slightly less carbonated than I would expect. The pale ale was well-hopped, which I was very pleased with. I like my pales to border the IPA designation with their pine & citrus bitterness, but this brew was also very well balanced with malty undertones.

I’m definitely looking forward to heading back soon to try the other varieties, especially the ESB (extra special bitter), one of my favorite styles. Sealing the deal for a return visit is the fact that the staff was friendly, helpful, and very enthusiastic. And the rumor is that one of the bartenders will eat as many pickled eggs as you’re willing to buy for him.

Short’s Brewing Company

Photo credit: Nick Perez

It’s not fair for me to review Short’s. I won’t be unbiased or objective. I love Short’s and always have. I would make out with Short’s if I could. If I had to name my top 10 beers, Short’s brews would probably comprise at least half of them (don’t actually ask me to do this, I’ll have an anxiety attack). I still vividly remember the first time I walked into their pub in downtown Bellaire in February 2005, 10 months after they’d opened their doors. At the time, I didn’t consider myself a craft beer enthusiast, but I was instantly hooked. And that’s an important part of their success; Short’s brews so many different varieties that there’s bound to be something for everybody, even those who don’t think they like “micro-brews.” As a result of that trip 7 and 1/2 years ago, I’m now a self-professed beer geek.

The pub in Bellaire is in a 100+ year old hardware store that’s been gutted to brew and serve beer. Most of the company’s production has moved to Elk Rapids, but some beers are still brewed here. The food can be described as upscale deli, with a nice selection of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, & pizzas. The recent kitchen renovation allows the staff to be even more efficient. And the most important part, there are usually around 20 beers on tap.

What sets Short’s apart (& above) the many other fine Michigan breweries is their creativity and the quality of their beers. They offer many classic styles, but they also aren’t afraid to push the envelope. A few examples would include, India Spruce Pilsner (one of my favorites), PB&J, S’mores Stout, and Key Lime Pie.  But even if you don’t like a particular style they’ve brewed, it’s still easy to appreciate the quality of the brew. Nothing that doesn’t pass their strict quality control standards gets poured into a glass.

If the solid food and incredible beer isn’t enough to convince you to make the 45-minute drive from TC to Bellaire, Short’s routinely has live music. I, for one, try to avoid the crowds, which are prevalent every night between Memorial & Labor Day. I’ve found that heading out for lunch on Sundays in the summer is a great way to beat the rush. The pub is kid friendly so nobody needs to be left behind. The winters are also a great time to venture out as the summertime residents have headed home. Plus, there are plenty of great trails in the area to go snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing on to work up your thirst, an outing that Short’s supports.

Roaming Harvest

In case you weren’t aware, there are a lot of exciting things going on in the TC food arena. A bevy of new restaurants are popping up and a couple new breweries are poised to open that we’re excited to check out (to be honest, I’m beginning to think that starting this blog was just an excuse for us all to go out and eat and drink more, although I’m not complaining). Another great recent addition to the local food scene are food trucks and carts. I’ve had a number of meals recently at Roaming Harvest and have already become a loyal customer.

Photo Credit: Brian Beckwith

Roaming Harvest offers breakfast and lunch, from 7-3, most days of the week. Their location changes daily, but they’re easy to keep track of as they consistently update Facebook, Twitter, their website with locations and offerings.

Their emphasis is on local, sustainable food from area farms. There are usually three different options for lunch (sometimes two), one of which is always vegetarian. Breakfast typically consists of a breakfast burrito than can be prepared with or without meat. Beverages include Higher Grounds Coffee in the mornings and Northwoods Sodas with lunch. One of my personal favorites is their pork tacos with purple cabbage slaw. And it’s not just the delicious food that brings me back; the proprietors are always friendly and appreciative of your patronage.

Photo Credit: Kim Schwaiger

And since I’m discussing food trucks, or “transient merchants” as the City Commissioners have recently coined them, it’s a prudent time to add my two cents on the controversy surrounding the recent decision to increase fees to local mobile vendors, which goes into effect in September. Apparently the story goes that since these individuals don’t pay rent or property taxes, that it was a good idea to increase the daily fee they must pay from $50 to $100. In the winter months the fee is weekly instead of daily, in case that makes you feel any better.

The fee increase feels punitive and one local vendor already moved her food cart from Traverse City to Grand Rapids, a city that realizes the benefit these businesses bring. But why does the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) think the fee increase is necessary? To protect local restaurants? Do restaurants need protection from food trucks? I can’t see why, restaurants have a host of advantages: larger kitchens, more staff, more space for patrons and storage, the ability to operate during inclement weather. If anything, doesn’t a little healthy competition ultimately benefit us, the consumer? The Cook’s House seems to think so. They’ve actually granted Roaming Harvest permission to set up shop right next to their restaurant one day a week. Let that sink in. One of the best restaurants in TC has allowed a food truck, a direct competitor, to sell food mere feet from the entrance to their restaurant. And why? Because they see the value food trucks add to the community.

Mobile food merchants are a unique addition to our community. They are run by individuals who are entrepreneurs. They increase foot traffic in front of local businesses. They create jobs. It’ll be tragic if they’re priced out of business by City fees. As of this writing, Roaming Harvest has been open 12 days. That’s $600 in fees, which next year will be $1,200. The City of Chicago charges $500 a year (Although, admittedly, Chicago food trucks have other problems, like not being able to sell food within 200 feet of a restaurant). NYC, the uncontested king of street food, charges $2,400 a year, and there’s an incredibly long waiting list to even get a license! A food truck vendor in TC would incur that amount in 24 days. On top of the city

fees, Roaming Harvest

actually does pay rent, for property in Garfield Township. So what was that about evening out the playing field because restaurants pay rent and food trucks don’t? Traverse City just doesn’t seem to get it.

The fee hike was originally only intended to affect vendors in the downtown area when the DDA proposed it to the City Commission. But, when the City Commission approved the increase, it increased fees for vendors in all commercial areas in the City. As a result, there’s been some discussion about changing the fee back to $50/day outside of downtown. In fact, the DDA didn’t realize that the change by the City Commission would even affect the fee in other areas of the City. I guess that’s not their duty (you know, being the Downtown Development Authority). But decreasing the fee outside of downtown and leaving it at $100/day downtown still misses the point. Downtown is the perfect spot for mobile food vendors. There are businesses in areas outside of downtown where these merchants can set up shop, but none as concentrated with people as downtown. Front Street is the prime location. I for one, would love to go for a walk from my downtown office, get some chow from a transient merchant, and then wander around and do some shopping.

For more reading, here are links to the articles that the Record Eagle has recently published on this issue:

DDA Recommends Doubling Peddler Fees

Price to Peddle Goods Go Up

Peddler Fees Revisited