Johan's Pastry Shop

We are heading North this weekend! Ted's birthday is Sunday and that calls for a road trip, some skiing/snowboarding, and donuts for lunch.  One scheduled stop is a visit to Johan's Pastry Shop in Petoskey.  The morning of our wedding we had these donuts at the salon and between 8 girls we ate at least 2 dozen donuts, so needless to say they are delicious.  The bakery is quaint and friendly and in my opinion when you are on vacation there is simply nothing wrong with having a donut for lunch.  Hope your weekend is sweet!

February

Life over here has been busy and exciting and absolutely fantastic- which of course means I  have had less time to blog.  We have been taking some time to travel with more trips in our very near future.  Here is a list of events coming up in Michigan during February.  Enjoy!

February 11-13: Motown Winter Blast at Campus Martius

February 11-19: The Detroit Boat Show at Cobo Center

February 17-19: Shanty Days in Caseville

February 17-19: Cherry Festival Winter Wonderfest in Acme

February 16-20: UP 200 Dog Sled Races in Marquette

February 25: Michigan Winter Beer Festival in Comstock Park

February 24-26: Fire and Ice Festival in Downtown Rochester

Photo from a recent trip to the Detroiter Bar. The small restaurant in Greektown had delicious burgers and a fun hole in the wall atmosphere.

Biggby Coffee

This is a Michigan Made gem that I must have been forcing myself not to notice for the past couple of years.  With my job I spend a lot of time in coffee shops working from my computer.  I have to say I have been a culprit of spending many afternoons in large, national chain coffee shops.  With the help of a coupon, Ted and I found ourselves in a Biggby Coffee.  We loved the coffee, people, and atmosphere and to top everything off it is a Michigan based company.  Yes I have officially switched my office on the road to my local Biggby Coffee and I am very excited about the change.

The Fly Trap

Another restaurant I keep hearing rave reviews about is the The Fly Trap in downtown Ferndale.  We decided to venture out for dinner at The Fly Trap on what I think was the coldest night of the winter.  The diner is so small and cozy, we quickly warmed up and had a wonderful meal.  Ted loves that they make everything by hand and raved about the hot sauce (I am more for mild flavors so I didn't touch those.)  The restaurant has been featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives- you can check it out here.  It is a fun change of pace from busy, chain restaurants and sure has a creative menu to choose from.

Each table has silly salt and pepper shakers.  We were lucky enough to land the table with this one!

Kona Grill

Last weekend we went out to Kona Grill in Troy for a birthday celebration. I keep hearing that this is the best place to get sushi and I have to agree, it was pretty fantastic.  We went during happy hour on a Saturday and the majority of their rolls were discounted along with some fun inexpensive drink options. 

Between the five of us we ordered this gigantic plate of sushi.  I was so excited to take a picture of it to share with all of you (it really was a work of art), but in our excitement to try everything we ordered we didn't remember to take a picture of the plate until it looked like this . . . oops!

Ferndale Toast

Life has given us a lot to celebrate these past couple months.  Because we have so much to celebrate we are also staying crazy busy, so this time we had to celebrate over a delicious weekday breakfast at Toast in Ferndale.  Everything was so delicious.  I had a bacon and gouda omelet and it was the best omelet I have ever had. All I can say is I hope we have more reasons to celebrate so we can treat ourselves to breakfast at Toast again!

I love that all their mugs are different, we ended up with the perfect mug- fishing!

Basement Burger Bar

Last night we had dinner at the Basement Burger Bar in Farmington for the first time.  We love to find little hole in the wall restaurants and that is exactly what the Basement Burger Bar is.  If you are walking through downtown Farmington you may miss the little restaurant tucked into the basement of a photography studio. We loved the food and the atmosphere and I am sure will find ourselves here many more times.  You can build your own burger or choose from one of their delicious creations.  I HIGHLY recommend the sweet potato fries- yum!

Awesome Coffee

After dinner at the Wheelhouse Lounge we were told we needed to try the Awesome Coffee, and we had to watch the bartender make the drink.  We made our way over to the bar and watched as the bartender lit a fire inside the glass to make the sugar melt along the rim and mixed in Kahlua, Bailey's, Grand Marnier, and Amaretto with coffee.  The drink was a little strong for my taste buds, so I suggest sharing the Awesome Coffee, but it is definitely worth the experience!

West Willis Village

This past year we have spent a great amount of time in the West Willis Village in Detroit.  We stumbled on the area and fell in love with the little street and its bunch of shops.  It is located on Willis between Cass and Second.  The street is home to the nicest people and store owners.  My favorite time to visit is late morning when you can grab a table outside of Avalon bakery and sip on a cup of coffee while making small talk with the crowd of regulars that float in and out of the bakery.  After that take a stroll through the organic bakery, clothing shop, and my personal favorite Spiral Collective, where you can find original books that make for great gifts.  In the summer the street hosts a fun block party and my favorite time to visit in the winter is on Noel Night.

Coach Insignia

We have so much to celebrate right now so we took a special night out and had dinner at Coach Insignia.  Coach Insignia is located on the top two floors of the Renaissance Building, and has the most amazing views.  We were lucky enough to have bought a Groupon to the restaurant a few months back (a great way to experience some Michigan adventures at a much discounted price.)  The food was out of this world and the views were breathtaking.  If you have the chance I highly recommend treating yourself to dinner, or even just drinks at Coach Insignia.

If you visit Coach Insignia around this time of year I suggest doing what we did and making reservations for around 7:30.  This way you see the view in full light, can watch the wonderful sunset, and see the city beautifully lit up at night.

The elevator ride to the top.

The sun just beginning to set.

The view of Comerica Park and beautiful Detroit.

Twisted Rooster

A few weeks ago we stopped to get carry out from Twisted Rooster.  Twisted Rooster's theme is "Commit to the Mitt."  Their menu is made from locally grown products that change with the seasons.  We took the hostess's recommendation and brought home the most delicious pulled pork sandwich I have ever had.  They have a rather eclectic menu so head over to Twisted Rooster when you are feeling adventurous.   The restaurant has locations in Belleville, Chesterfield, and Grand Rapids.

Joe's Friendly Tavern

During our visit to Empire last month we had a very late dinner at Joe's Friendly Tavern.  After an entire day in the sun it was exactly what we were looking for.  A perfect neighborhood restaurant with delicious food and fun company.  I recommend staying at the beach as late as possible and bringing your very hungry self into Joe's for a big burger.  Yum.

Rochester Mills Beer Co.

A few weeks back I went with some friends to the Rochester Mills Beer Co.  in downtown Rochester.  The restaurant and brewery is located in an amazing building that use to be the Western Knitting Mill.  There is great outdoor seating that is secluded from the street front and the food and beer did not disappoint.  If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping in for dinner or just to check out a pretty great piece of history. 

Gemma's Ice Cream

During our day in Empire we decided to take a break from the beach.   And of course the only logical thing to do when taking a break from the beach is to find an ice cream shop, so we did just that.  One of the great things about the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore in Empire is that you can walk right downtown from the beach in only a few minutes.  After a few recommendations from locals we found ourselves at Gemma's and oh my they did not disappoint.  I had a giant scoop of peanut butter fudge brownie and fell in love.  Ted stuck to his usual of coffee and added a scoop of mint on top.  Needless to say we were both very happy campers.

Boatworks

Last time we were in Holland we took a walk along the water and stumbled upon Boatworks.  It is a beautiful restaurant right on the water with a large amount of outdoor seating.  We were not in the mood for dinner yet, but we did stop and have drinks and appetizers.  Next time we are in Holland we will have to make a point of finding ourselves at Boatworks when we are in the mood for an entire meal, but dinner or no dinner it was a beautiful location that we are looking forward to visiting again.

Wracan and Son Honey

I found these pictures from awhile back and realized I never posted them.  I took them at a fishing show back in January (I would like you to know being there was not my idea, but I did find it rather enjoyable.)  We found this booth of homemade Michigan honey and other specialty treats.  Ted is a sucker for honey sticks so of course we stopped and left with lots of yummy goods.  Thank you for some delicious Michigan made products, Wracan and Son!