Peninsula Grill

My husband and I did not find the greatest of hotel's for our stay in Traverse City.  We had a great time, we used our time there to have loads of fun (kayaking, watching fireworks, etc etc etc)...but we probably will never ever go there again.

As we were driving around we spotted the most wonderful inn EVER.  Being very unlike myself, I did not take a photo of it.  The place has been in business for  - brace yourself - 143 years.

That is not a typo.

Literally, 143 years.  And they are only the fourth owners of the Old Mission Inn.

It oozes history and charm.  Babe Ruth and Joe Louis stayed there, they have actual proof.

I just fell in love with the porch.

And the view.

I had found them when looking up places to stay but my husband wasn't keen on staying at a bed and breakfast.  But then he saw this place and said, "Hey, why didn't we stay there?"

I beat him with an empty water bottle.

Anyhow, check the place out because I feel it is a worthy place for you to leave my blog and look at. We stopped in and visited with the owners for a bit.  AND, it is NOT a bed and breakfast.  But I hear rumor that the two hours they make breakfast are two hours you don't want to miss.

We are so going there.

Hopefully sooner than later.

http://oldmissioninn.com/

Which leads me to the next place you need to visit....

Peninsula Grill

And Bad Dog Deli

We stopped at the gas station it shares a parking lot with because, frankly, we had to pee.

And the restaurant looked pretty cute, so we gave it a try.

When we walked in, a pleasant sweet woman greeted us and told us, "Emily, the greatest hostess in the world" would seat us.

Well, this place sounded promising already.

I eyed the special board and was THRILLED to read "peanut butter cheesecake".

I was so getting dessert.

We had deep fried portabella fries that had some kind of dipping sauce that literally makes my mouth water as I type this.  It was unusual and amazing to eat.

There weren't a lot of choices on the menu.

Jake ordered fish.

He swears to me that it was very nearly the very best ever fish he has ever eaten.

Antlers in Sault Saint Marie is his favorite place for fish.  But this is the FIRST fish that he has ever said compared to that.

People, that is HUGE.

I ordered a chicken sandwich.

After a bite I knew I needed a photo.

Best.

Sandwich.

Ever.

It had some sort of sauce you spread over this amazing bread.  Jake gave me all the fancy lettuce that was on his fish and I added it to my sandwich but it didn't need it.  I was stuffed, and very sad, when that sandwich was finished.

The cook/chef/makerofthebestlunchever walked out to ask us if our food was good.  We gushed. He glowed.

As I ate I did get caught up in the decorations.

We loved the wood floor and want to figure out what sort of finish it has on it because this is the sort of floor we want in our living room.

I loved the colors of the place.

Notice hubby's glow in the dark Midwest Shirt.  That was not one of the colors I gushed over.

Brownish black, blue, red and brown.  White.

These are the colors I would like my entire house in.

Especially the kitchen.

Here I am, snapping photos with my iphone and the waitress is just as sweet as can be about it.

I wish I had a picture of our waitress and the worlds greatest hostess.

And I wish I had taken a photo of the banquet room, which was breathtaking in a rustic, glamours way.

I was deeply saddened when the cheesecake was erased from the specials board.  I had been looking for cheesecake this entire weekend away and this was peanut butter to boot.  Our waitress assured me she had just erased it because they had just received new markers and they were excited to use them.

As if I hadn't loved this place enough already.

I was stuffed from dinner so we said our goodbye and headed out, cheesecakeless.

I didn't even get back into the car before I looked at my husband and pleaded, "Please, could I go back and get a piece of cheesecake to eat later?"

He rolled his eyes but grinned and off I went in search of divine dessert.

My waitress was as sweet as could be as she hurried off to the kitchen to grab it for me.  And then, when I went to pay, she GAVE it to me.  "No, no, you just take it," she assured me.

I have eaten this piece of cheesecake one small bite at a time.  I may actually cry when I am finished with it, it is that good.  But I can't help but think the reason it is that good is because it is a gift from a sweet woman at a special place.

I know my readers are literally all around the world and spread across this great USA, but a lot of you are here in the mitten with me.  And if you ever get a chance to head up to Mission Peninsula, you must promise you me you will eat here.

You certainly would never regret it.

If, by chance, you go up to the other peninsula (North Point/ North Port), check out Barb's Bakery.  I don't know what she was selling but the line to her store was so long I think her donuts must be laced with sugar crack or something.  We've never seen anything like the lines of people to get into that bakery in such a small little town.  But we weren't hungry so we didn't stop.  It is a great regret of the trip.

We did, however, stop at a quaint little coffee shop called Brew North.  It was, hands down, the BEST Milky Way coffee I have ever had the privilege of drinking.  Ah-mazing.  My husband was bleary eyed and droopy, his coffee perked him back up to the husband I know and love.  The coffee was THAT good.  I cannot find a single link for it.  It had a lovely flower lined walk in the back of a large building that also housed a work out place.  I didn't get the name of that place, I was too engrossed in the coffee.  But the place is on a corner, if that helps in your travels.

Read about our entire trip HERE...15th Anniversary. 

S1 turns 13

That's right.

You read that correctly.

S1

is

a

teenager.

Because it's his day I didn't throw a fit over a mountain dew for breakfast.

For lunch he chose a mushroom swiss burger from McDonald's.

And I may have encouraged him to take a close up picture to rub it in to his Daddy.

And if you haven't figured out there is food theme here....

The boys always get to choose their food on their birthday.

And when you turn 13, we followed the tradition from my family and he was able to choose the restaurant for his birthday meal. 

He chose Red Lobster.

While we waited for our dinner in a room that was empty except for us....

He opened his gift.

 A Wheel Horse tshirt a certain Mama snuck off to buy during a recent tractor show under the guise of fresh squeezed lemonaide.  Of course, to pull of that guise, I had to buy and drink a fresh squeezed lemonaide.

A watch - a really cool Cabela's watch - and.....

 A cell phone for emergencies.

Today he texted me to tell me thanks for the phone.  A text to his mama is ALWAYS going to be considered a NEED TO MAKE call/text.

 Because he actually hasn't ever had seafood, he chose to get the platter meal.  Because then he could find out what he likes the best.

 Daddy was there to coach him on what to eat and what not to eat.  And Daddy would NOT let him eat the french fries on his plate when there was fish to be eaten.  And crab legs.  And lobster tail.

Over all, I think he had a grand birthday.

It was a fun way to celebrate a big birthday.

I could keep typing.  I could tell you how he is such an "old soul".  How at 13 he is more mature and old acting and I have come to depend on him to be a big help to me.  That he is basically done being a boy who plays and instead is the go to guy for fixing and helping and solving brotherly spats.

That the boy can fix anything.

That every day he takes time out to read his Bible, determined to read it all the way through this year.

I could tell you all that and much more.

But I am already getting teary eyed about it all.

So I will just end this.

I love you, my dear first son!

Bay Pointe

For the Morning Mom at Fox 17, they surprised me and sent us all to Bay Pointe for a yummy Mother's Day brunch. We have never taken the boys to eat there that they remember...we went once with friends back when they FIRST opened, YEARS ago. I wasn't sure what they would do, really, and when Mike mentioned video any "food fights", S2's eyes lit up and he was ready to throw some food. I gave him the sternest look I could pull off and informed him that would NOT be happening.

Getting ready to go, S4 wanted to know if there would be a big wall with a sign to pick out the food, like at McDonald's. Because other than an occasional trip to McD's, we only ever get pizza (which we pick up and take home) so going out to eat is a BIG deal, an unknown adventure. An adventure they weren't sure they wanted to take when they found out they couldn't even wear their hats in to the restaurant. Which is like going naked to a boy, you understand. S4 tried to make up for it.....

The food was scrumptious. They had this HUGE beautiful display of fruit that the boys just loved, especially S3 and S4. Hubby had me grin for the camera and while I am not crazy over me in the picture, S4 is totally cracking me up in this picture. He would literally stuff the whole strawberry in his mouth.

Hubby loved the Prime Rib. He finally asked the chef to cut him a piece like he would cut for himself. By the time we left, Hubby and the Chef we laughing with each other.

This is a view from the back of the restaurant. Beautiful beautiful beautiful! The boys loved running around the grassy area, I really felt it was too cold to be running around outside (it was so cold our asparagus froze). S1 studied the docks and decided that really, this would be a great place to go fishing. And he was really bummed to think I made him take all those nasty dead baked worms and fishing poles out of the back of the suburban!

Here is a fun bit of history for you...Bay Pointe used to be this blue mansion of a house with a stone wrapped porch and a ton of history and photos of grand get togethers. It was once a restaurant that Chicago natives would drive to just to experience. They attempted to keep the house as 'house like' as possible and still have a it a find dining restaurant. In high school I worked there, it was a winter bit and I loved watching people interact. I am a big people watcher. On my first night there I had to go on break and not knowing what to do with myself, I went out the back door and decided to eat the hot roll with raspberry dressing (my Bay Pointe favorite) at the dock. Since it was a nice fall evening, I slipped off my shoes and let my toes dangle in the water just drinking in the beauty of it all and wishing I could see into the past to see the grand parties once held there. As I was getting up to go back to work, I somehow managed to drop my shoe in the water. Quickly I fished it out but I had a wet shoe for the rest of the night. Never ever ever ever did it cross my mind that one day, they would tear that old beautiful house down, they would build a beautiful resort, I would be sent there on assignment from my favorite local news station and my boys would run down the same yard I had once been in on Mothers Day.

The thought gives me goosebumps.

This, THIS, is the strawberry shortcake, which isn't really strawberry shortcake but strawberry cake. The cake was soaked in something and the cream was flavored like something and the strawberry was like a gel. Pioneer Woman I am not but this cake was WONDERFUL !!!! Somehow they accidentally gave me the house specialty coffee which was cinnamon hazelnut. If they had asked me if I wanted that coffee, I would have wrinkled up my nose and said "No, thank you!" But I loved it! And I just love drinking coffee out of fancy cups and saucers, don't you? You just have to raise your pinky when sipping the wonderful aroma-ed coffee!

Here is our happy family and our wonderful waiter, Mitchell. He was great. My coffee cup was never empty so he will always be tops in my book! The entire staff at Bay Pointe was generous and kind. They kept our boys well fed, they joked and took pictures. I felt a little bad for the rest of the diners, here we are videoing and snapping flash bright photos the whole time we were there. They were nothing but wonderful though, and I truly cannot thank Marc Jacobs and his staff or Fox 17 enough for a wonderful, memorable Mother's Day. Mitchell, I hope you seen yourself on the news!