A Weekend of Leisure Indulgence at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

Connie Food & Drink, Michigan July 8, 2014April 2, 2018Grand Traverse Hotel, Grand Traverse Spa, Traverse City, Traverse City Hotels, Traverse City MI, traverse city michigan, Traverse City resort 0 Comment

As I sat by the window of the restaurant sipping my key lime pie martini, I watched from a bird’s-eye view as the sunset turned the sky a brilliant orange, as though it set the clouds ablaze. I thought, “Wow, this is the life.” My husband and I were staying at Michigan’s Grand Traverse Resort and Spa and dining at Aerie, the 16^th floor fine dining restaurant, just one of the resort’s many impressive elements. With several accommodation types, dining options, golf courses, pools, tennis courts, shops and a spa, there is enough to do at the Acme, Michigan, resort to treat yourself to a weekend—or a week—of leisure indulgence.

Accommodations
Our spacious, nicely decorated tower room overlooked one of the resort’s three golf courses and included a wet bar, a fridge and a Jacuzzi tub. A hotel, condos and resort homes are other accommodation options to consider.

Restaurants
My favorite restaurant on the resort was Aerie, where we dined on elegant food, all beautifully plated. We started with sweet potato beignets, and continued with salads, filet mignon with asparagus and Broccolini, and shared chocolate bananas foster for dessert.

We had breakfast at the Sweetwater American Bistro, where besides typical egg dishes, pancakes and waffles, they serve specialty dishes, including three types of Benedicts and bananas foster french toast. Depending on the house count, they sometimes also offer a buffet.

Other dining options are pub food at Jack’s Sports Bar; soups, salads, sandwiches and an assortment of entrees at The Grille in the clubhouse; deli sandwiches, salads and baked goods at The Marketplace; and of course, in-room dining.

Shops
You’ll find several boutiques and gift shops in The Tower Gallery of Shops. At American Spoon, taste jams, fruit butters and salsas before buying.

Dylan’s Candy Bar and Candy Café, created by Dylan Lauren, fashion designer Ralph Lauren’s daughter, are two separate shops, but both sweet and colorful. Between the two, you can indulge in your favorite nostalgic candies like candy buttons and Pop Rocks, or enjoy local treats like Mackinaw Island fudge and Moomer’s ice cream. Dylan’s also sells candy themed home décor items, clothing and accessories.

Activities
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa boasts three golf courses, each at a different challenge level, including The Bear, designed by Jack Nicklaus. The resort has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions over the years, the Silver Medal by Golf Magazine and the Best Midwest Golf Resort for a Family Trip by Travel + Leisure Golf among them.

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I didn’t get a chance to visit the spa on my trip, but it sounds luxurious and pampering, offering services from nail care and hair styling (they refer to it as hair artistry) to massages that range from the classic Swedish relaxation massage to the more exotic bamboo massage.

With pools, hot tubs and tennis courts both indoors and outdoors, you can swim or play rain or shine, warm weather or cold. At the Private Beach Club, rent watercraft to use in East Grand Traverse Bay, part of Lake Michigan. In the winter, take a dog sled ride, ice skate, snowshoe or cross-country ski.

During your stay, you’ll probably want to explore wineries, restaurants, shops and casinos in and around nearby Traverse City. However, if you choose, you really can spend your entire vacation, whether a weekend or a week, at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa and not run out of things to do.

The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa is located at 100 Grand Traverse Village Blvd., Acme, Michigan. Visit the web site to make reservations or for further information.

Disclosure: My stay at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa was hosted by Traverse City Tourism and the resort, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own. The photos with the resort logo were provided by the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

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Tour Mission Point Lighthouse, Traverse City, Michigan

Connie Attractions & Events, Michigan June 19, 2014June 11, 2015Mission Point Lighthouse, old mission lighthouse, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Traverse City lighthouse, Traverse City MI, traverse city michigan 0 Comment

In the 1860s a ship sank after hitting a shallow reef near the tip of Mission Bay Peninsula. The event prompted Congress to finance construction of a lighthouse, which was lit in September 1870. The Mission Point Lighthouse served as a beacon for passing ships until 1933, when an automated buoy light was installed offshore. Today you can tour the building, climb up to the tower and explore the area around it.

Traverse City Shops: A Culinary Delight

Connie Food & Drink, Michigan June 6, 2014June 16, 2014Cherry Republic, downtown Traverse City, Fustini's, Grand Traverse Pie, Olive Oil store in Traverse City, Pop-Kie's, Spice Merchants, Traverse City, Traverse City Farmers Market, Traverse City MI, traverse city michigan, Traverse City shopping 0 Comment

With only a couple of hours to shop, I had to choose where to browse among the dozens of establishments that make up Downtown Traverse City. Merchants sell everything from inexpensive refrigerator magnets to high-end designer clothing in the shops that stretch for several blocks along the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay. Aside from one apparel shop where I couldn’t pass up a $48 pale orange quilted jacket marked down to $10 on a sidewalk sale, the shops that drew me in were all food specialty shops. Enticing aromas and tasty samples lured me into the shops, and once I sampled the goods, I couldn’t resist the temptation to take home some culinary treasures.

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My first stop was the Spice Merchants, where I tasted several dips made with mixes they sell. I almost always walk out of a spice shop with a new herb or spice, but what caught my attention here were the numerous tea varieties. I love herbal iced tea, and Spice Merchants had canister after canister of tea that they encouraged me to open and smell. I purchased small amounts of two herbal teas: Sharman’s Secret, made of thirteen flowers, fruits, herbs and spices, and because Traverse City is famous for cherries, I chose Dewy Cherry, a blend of sour cherries, apples, orange peel, rosehips and hibiscus.

Next door to the Spice Merchants, a Pop-Kie’s staff member was standing outside with a bucket of caramel corn and cheddar corn, handing out samples. Inside I tasted a couple of the candied popcorn flavors, but cheese corn is my popcorn of choice. I tasted the Hot Jalapeno (yes, it’s hot), almost purchased Bacon Cheddar but in the end went for a bag of the straight Cheddar.

Walking past the Grand Traverse Pie Company without stopping is nearly impossible while pies are in the oven. It reminded me of the old cartoons where the character sniffs his way along the wavy lines of freshly baked pie aroma to its source. In this case the source is the vent strategically placed in front of the building. You can purchase whole pies to carry out or you can eat a slice there. I chose a slice of the best seller, Cherry Crumb, also a favorite of Super Chef Mario Batali, who occasionally stops in to buy one. A local raved about the savory beef and chicken pot pies, and had I been ready for lunch, I would have tried one.

Fustini’s sells gourmet flavored oils and balsamic vinegars. My visit just happened to coincide with their sixth anniversary, and they were celebrating with samples of appetizers and desserts made by Chef Andy Stewart. Sample any of the oils or vinegars, or mix an oil with a suggested paired vinegar to sample what they will taste like together. I purchased coconut balsamic vinegar and lime olive oil that I plan to try as a shrimp marinade.

Every item sold in the Cherry Republic must include cherry, and almost everything is available for you to taste, from wine and soda pop to salsa and barbecue sauce. Choose plain dried cherries, cherries turned into condiments, even cherry sausage. I purchase dark chocolate covered cherries and a six-pack of cherry-flavored sodas, including cherry root beer and black cherry cream soda.

I could have gone on to the chocolate shops, coffee shops and more, but my time was up. However, I did make one more stop when I discovered the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market that runs every Wednesday and Saturday from May through October. My purchase there was a half dozen fresh herb plants that are now growing in pots on my deck, so I’ll have a taste of Grand Traverse all summer long.

Visit the Downtown Traverse City web site for information on merchants, and the Traverse City Tourism site for additional area information.

Disclosure: My visit to Traverse City was hosted by Traverse City Tourism, but the shop visits were on my own. Any opinions expressed in this post are strictly mine.

Sipping Cider at Northern Natural Cider House, Traverse City MI

Connie Food & Drink, Michigan May 26, 2014November 22, 2015downtown Traverse City, Michigan wineries, Northern Natural Cider House, Traverse City MI, traverse city michigan, Traverse City restaurant, Traverse City wine, Traverse City winery, wineries in Michigan 0 Comment

I’ve had flights of wine and flights of craft beer, but never before had I had a flight of hard cider. In fact, the only hard cider I’d tasted is the big-named, bottled kind. So when I saw the variety of ten or so flavors available at the Northern Natural Cider House in downtown Traverse City, I wanted to try as many as I could without going overboard. My husband and I each ordered a flight of four, allowing us to taste eight different flavors.

Except for the Traditional Apple flavor, the ciders are mostly mixed with various fruits. Northern Natural uses only Michigan grown apples in their beverages, and most of the other fruits are locally grown, as well. All are organic.

Similar to wine, ciders are described as semi-sweet or semi-dry. The Orange Blossom is described as off-dry. My favorite tended to be the semi-sweets, as they usually are with wines. The fruit was very pronounced in some, like the cherry; with others, it was more subtle. I could smell the fruit in some more than I could taste it.

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Lavender Apple was the most unusual flavor I sampled. It smelled beautiful, like fresh lavender flowers. It’s a semi-dry, and the taste wasn’t one of my favorites, but it’s one of the most sought after ciders for its uniqueness.

The food at Northern Natural Cider House is locally sourced and organic, with a menu that changes seasonally. My Traverse City Salad (sans the gorgonzola cheese) with a cherry vinaigrette was tasty and just enough, and my husband enjoyed his meal, a turkey sandwich special of the day served with a pasta salad and chips.

Sandwich Northern Natural Cider House, located at 324 East Front Street, is a unique complement to the many wineries in Traverse City. Check the web site for hours and full menu.

Disclosure: My visit to Travers City was sponsored by Traverse City Tourism. However, our meal at Northern Natural Cider House was on our own, and any opinions expressed are strictly mine.

Pucker Up at an Oil and Vinegar Tasting Bar

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan May 19, 2014May 21, 2014Fort Wayne IN, Fort Wayne Indiana, Galena Illinois, oil and vinegar shops, Silver Moon Winery, Traverse City MI, traverse city michigan 2 Comments

Call me a Johnny-come-lately. Or maybe I’m not the foodie I thought I was. Apparently olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bars have become popular in the U.S. over the past several years, but I only recently discovered them.

Last year, wandering through the Galena River Wine & Cheese shop in Galena, Illinois, tasting cheese, crackers and preserves, I stumbled upon urns of flavored oils and vinegars with small cups alongside urging you to taste them. I thought it odd at the time, sipping olive oil and vinegar straight up. A few months later, at the Silver Moon Winery in Lanark, Illinois, I bought my first bottle of specialty vinegar—dark chocolate. (Are you surprised?) Winery co-owner Kathi Enzenbacher stocks several flavors of olive oils and balsamic vinegars, all available to taste, although as I recall, she had bread or other food items available to dip in them. Kathi provided recipes for each of the oils and vinegars, too.

Within the past two months I’ve been in two shops that don’t have an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bar, they are olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting bars, with over fifty urns of gourmet, flavored oils and vinegars, all available for tasting. The shops also offer ultra-premium olive oil, the most nutritious and flavorful, in various varieties, some mild and some robust.

The Olive Twist
The Olive Twist, in Fort Wayne, Indiana opened in October 2010, and has an additional shop in Auburn, Indiana. Co-owner Lori Berndt explained that olive oil has a shelf life of about a year from the time the fruit is crushed. The best olive oil is marked “extra virgin first cold pressed,” which means the oil wasn’t heated over a certain temperature, so it retains more nutrients and the fruit was crushed only one time. Once a flavor is added to the oil, it is no longer considered extra virgin.

Balsamic vinegar comes from Medena, Italy. Grapes are cooked down to a caramelized state and aged many years. The vinegar sold at The Olive Twist is typically aged 18 years. When flavor infused, the balsamic vinegar is mixed with fine red wine vinegar.

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The Olive Twist offers classes to the public or can provide private classes. Class rates range from $35 to $100, depending on the dishes.

Fustini’s
Traverse City was the first location of Fustini’s, who now has four other Michigan stores and one on Maui. I happened to be in Traverse City on the day they were celebrating their sixth anniversary. Besides regular oil and vinegar tastings, Chef Andy Stewart had prepared several appetizers and desserts using Fustini’s oils and vinegars. Fustini’s, owned by Jim Milligan, offers classes, too, from a demo class with four or five examples, to hands-on classes priced up to $59, but a $10 credit on a purchase.

Because olive oil has a relatively short shelf life, both The Olive Twist and Fustini’s clear product from their shelves regularly, so that when customers purchase oil, they have the maximum amount of time to use it. To keep olive oil from going rancid quickly, keep it in a cool, dry place, out of sunlight and corked or capped to minimize contact with oxygen. Both companies donate the oil they clear from their shelves to local food pantries, who because they use it in volume, will consume it before the end of its shelf life.

Once you purchase these deliciously flavored olive oils and vinegars, what do you do with them? Although they, of course, make great salad dressings, the possibilities don’t end there. They can be worked into dishes from appetizers to desserts and work well as marinades. Both companies’ web sites include many recipes. Experimenting is always fun, and to help you, pairing suggestions are listed on the urns. I purchased coconut balsamic vinegar and paired it with lime olive oil with the thought that it would make a great marinade for grilled shrimp. The dark chocolate balsamic that I bought I’m using for dessert with strawberries.

I no longer find it odd to taste the oils and vinegars straight up. In fact, I like it. Now that I’ve discovered these tasting bars, I’ve added another must-do to my list for whenever I’m visiting a new town—new town, new flavors.

Disclosure: My visits to the areas mentioned in this post were sponsored by the respective area tourism bureaus, but any opinions expressed are strictly mine.