Restaurant Week 2013 – Traverse City

It’s restaurant week in Traverse City. Nearly 30 restaurants, including almost all of our contributors’ favorites, will be offering a 3-course meal for $25 through this Saturday, March 2nd. The first restaurant week occurred in New York City in 1992 and was the brainchild of Joe Baum and Tim Zagat (yes the Zagat of Zagat’s survey) as a courtesy to the 15,000 reporters that had flooded the city to cover Bill Clinton’s political convention. Lucky for us, the idea has now spread across the country and to Traverse City. It even occurs without 15,000 reporters hanging out in our city. Don’t get lax though, we still recommend a reservation!

Last we checked there were only seven days in a week and still only one dinner per day. So,

we thought we’d give you our insight into narrowing down the choices:

Brian:

It’s tough to pick from all the places participating in Restaurant Week. I think maybe one year my goal will be to visit all 30, but I’d need the week off from work to do so and somebody to carry me from place to place. Since I’ll probably only get away from the office a couple times this week I need to make my stops count. 7 Monks & Towne Plaza stick out right away. 7 Monks is easy because I’ll likely end up there anyways at least one night this week – so why not get a 3-course meal for $25 while there? The menu looks great and you can’t find better beer offerings north of Grand Rapids. My picks would be the Bamberg Onion, scallops, & dessert.

Towne Plaza is another place I routinely end up, mostly because of their commitment to local meats, and additionally because most of that meat is pork. They also offer a decent drink menu as well, and that combo keeps me coming in. The Restaurant Week menu looks solid, with the exception of the lack of a dessert (I unapologetically have a massive sweet tooth). But, you can never have enough pork so I’d pick the Rilette Cakes, fingerling potatoes, & pulled pork in puff.

Kim:

I read through the menus and found four of the nearly 30 participating restaurants had vegetarian meals listed. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but I guess there aren’t a lot of veg-heads around these parts. Gold stars go to Red Ginger with an Indian curry that sounds to die for, Trattoria Stella with an apple and ricotta filled tortelli (what isn’t to die for at Stella’s), Cambria Suites (what?) with a vegetarian paella, and Om with their normal veggie entrees.

Poppycock’s also states they will whip something up for vegetarians. They usually have amazing vegetarian dishes; however seems a bit unfair to make vegetarians guess what they’ll be eating for dinner, no?

In addition, I should note that Phil’s on Front is offering your choice of 3 courses off their regular menus for $25. You can find eggplant lasagna and a penna pomodoro for entrees. Point for Phil’s for having two veggie choices and on top of that…if you’re anything like my dad (who is always looking for a bargain)…Phil’s can’t be beat due to the fact that you can order any of their entrees, even the one for $26 (in which case they will pay you $1back to eat a first and third course). That just blows my Dad’s mind.

Nate:

I have heard great things about the “house” restaurants – Cook’s House and The Boathouse. Making my restaurant week decision by declaring 2013 the Year of the House seemed less arbitrary than ini mini miny moe and less overwhelming than trying to choose from the near 30 menus of the restaurateurs who have put Traverse City on the map as a foodie town. Looking forward to trying a relative newcomer to the scene with Cook’s House and revisiting a long-time establishment of Old Mission with Boathouse.

Nick:

Much like my penchant for picking the same menu items at restaurants, I likewise seem to do the same thing when it comes to Restaurant Week. My perennial favorites are The Cooks’ House and Trattoria Stella. I’ve been a big fan of The Cooks’ House since they opened their doors to the public on Front Street in 2008. They’ve since moved a short half-block away on Wellington Street and now offer a great selection of wine to accompany their amazing entrees. Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee come up with some of the most amazingly simple, yet complex-flavored dishes featuring local and sustainable ingredients. From their RW week menu I’d have to go roasted carrot soup, ribs w/ bone marrow mashed potatoes, and then honey cake.

Trattoria Stella features a great atmosphere along with what I consider some of the best food in the region. Whether you’re looking for a great glass of wine or just some appetizers, I’ve never been disappointed with a meal here. Their menu frequently offers a wide array of locally-sourced ingredients with an international-inspired flavor palette. I’m often torn between choosing from their many creative dishes, so Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try a few of them. I should also note that they have one of the best old-fashioned cocktails around. From their menu I’d select the lobster zuppa, gnocchetti w/ pork shoulder, and torta.

While these are my favorites from past years, I’d love to check out Patisserie Amie/Chez Peres and The Towne Plaza.

Izzy:

I decided to try and pick places that are kid friendly, but my two favorite places from the list were Poppycock’s & Amical. In fact, Poppycock’s is my favorite place to eat. So that’s where I would head. But if you do decide to take the whole family out during Restaurant Week, North Peak would be a good option. I really like their wings, roasted chicken, and fish & chips (another tip – kids eat free on Sunday, so we go there a lot!).

A few parting thoughts/suggestions:

– Let us know your thoughts in the comment section after sampling some of the menus.

– Reservations are highly suggested.

– Don’t forget to tip your server.

– Eat often.