Three Oaks, Michigan -- Mesa Luna

I started writing this at least a month ago, but never finished.

Mesa Luna is the latest fine dining option in the Harbor Country area of southwest Michigan. It was opened a few weeks ago by Sam Luna, who previously was chef at Jenny's/Moxie's in Union Pier. We had a wonderful meal there recently. Our waiter, Alan, was very knowledgeable with the menu options and offered some nice comments.

The warm interior has an Avec-like feel in the fact that the walls and ceiling are paneled in knotty pine. Very comfortable and handsome chairs are covered in a sage green Naugahyde. They were very lucky to have inherited the interior and furnishings as is. Art is provided by Lakeside Galleries. When we were there a couple of weeks ago, there was a very striking, and chowish, three piece study of apples by a French artist. The space was formerly a tavern, is not very large, and has a handsome wood and copper bar (an inviting place for a martini and appetizer).

We started with sauteed veal sweetbreads (yes, in Three Oaks), which were with served with thin, streamed asparagus, fresh chives, and a pancetta beurre blanc. The sweetbreads were cooked perfectly. A crab cake with wasabi aioli and oriental mixed greens and sesame vinaigrette, while not the best crab cake I've ever had, was still very good. I had a taste of roasted garlic flan with shitake, Portobello's, criminis, and toasted walnuts that was very nice. The salad mixed greens, Maytag blue, golden raisins, toasted walnuts, julienned carrots, and dressed with a yuzu basil vinaigrette was a nice combination and dressed just right.

Both ladies got grilled arctic char served with asparagus tips, walnuts, local grape tomatoes, apple wood smoked bacon, lemon bacon vinaigrette, and yukon frites. A great piece of fish and the whole was wonderful. Nancy thought it was the best fish dish that she has had in a long time. The guys both had a veal chop stuffed with peeky toe crab that was drizzled with Stilton blue vinaigrette. The chop was served with a wild mushroom and pea risotto. It was good, but I wound up ordering it by process of elimination. There were seven entrees and since I quickly ruled out four (two steaks, roast chicken, and vegetable Pad Thai) and my wife ordered the fifth one, I was down to two options.

We shared a trio of creme brulee, fresh local blueberry, vanilla bean, and cocoa. They were all great. Of course, Nancy the chocoholic pronounced the cocoa her favorite.

The wine list was small and did not have many imaginative choices, but they are very new. I ordered a pinot noir from the Marlborough region of New Zealand and I had never heard of the producer (only two pinot noirs on the list). It was served very warm. If I had caught it before the four of us had our glasses filled, I would have asked for an ice bucket for a brief dunk. They need to re-evaluate their wine storage.

Here are some other comments on meals from the week:

We had a very good dinner at Timothy's in the Gordon Beach Inn in Union Pier. Grilled scallops (perfectly grilled) with a very good mango chutney and lobster stir-fry (even though it was pan-Asian in style, a very tasty dish, although a little light on the lobster) for appetizers. We got two of each app for four, but the lobster stir-fry was a very substantial dish. Four different fish entrees, lacquered salmon, grouper with a coconut crust, grilled red snapper, and I forgot the fourth one. Every one was very good (sorry about the lack of details, but it's been a few weeks) and so were the sides. The crispy fried spinach served with my wife's salmon was very different and good.

A nice dinner at the Roadhouse, but I think every year it loses a little. They need a wake-up call since they have been on autopilot for too many years.

Take out Mexican from Rio's in New Buffalo was good, standard taqueria fare.

Another take out meal from Cafe Gulistan was delicious, as usual. The always-great Kavurma (lamb), Antepli Yahnisi (chicken), Lamb Kabobs, and Sharon's recommendation of Ispanek (falafil patties in a garlic, mango, cream sauce) did not disappoint. My only issue is that the food is fairly expensive for Middle Eastern Fare.

I thought I would have a really good pizza recommendation, but I'm not sure. We ordered from Mario's (in the fairly deserted strip mall on Red Arrow in Union Pier) the first night of the week. A really good white pizza (olive oil, sliced fresh tomatoes, ricotta, basil, and Parmesan) on Gwiv-worthy CRISPY, cracker crust. We ordered the same thing on our last day and the crust was thicker, not as crispy, and the cook had a very heavy hand with the ricotta. They were still only open about a month so hopefully the will become more consistent.

A lunch at Redamak's provided the usual good burgers. I have decided that the double burger produces a sandwich that is really out of balance, just too much meat.

Sandwiches for the beach were from the Whistle Stop in Union Pier. The bread from Bit o' Swiss bakery is always the best part of the sandwich, very pedestrian meats & cheeses. We really miss whatever place (the last was the Lone Radish, sister of Milk & Honey in Wicker Park) was operating in the little building in front of Lakeside Antiques.

The galleries are really sprouting up in Three Oaks. Blue Gallery has some very nice paintings and Kim Pruitt recently relocated Dawning Art the Gift from its previous location on North Avenue in Bucktown. Besides Kim's paintings she has many other nice pieces, especially pottery.


Mesa Luna
13 S. Elm Street
Three Oaks, Michigan 49128
269.756.7519

I live about 15-20 minutes from there and look forward to going soon. Sounds like an interesting place.

I want to note that while Gulistan fare is consistently good, prices are high compared to the same food in the cities. While I know they can get away with it (good for them), for the locals, it's not that great. You can get far better middle eastern food in the Detroit area for far, far less cash (Anita's Kitchen, even La Shish although they are everywhere now). Not that it's close by, just making a point. Chicago has fairly decent ME food as well, so for transplants, eating there feels a bit like I'm being taken, and the service can be uppity or downright absent.

The Ideal Place should be commended for a perfect steak...crisp on the outside, pink in the middle, and tender enough for a baby. OK I exaggerate a little but who cares, Barb (chef) knows her stuff. Love the Roadhouse, HATE all of the restaurants in downtown St. Joe...we need huge help there, please. If anyone can recommend anything good for Chicago relocaters, I'd really appreciate it (without having to drive 75 miles to Grand Rapids for mediocrity-but their Tapas restaurant, San Chez, is really good-in between Babareeba and Emilio's). For pizza, I highly recommend DiMaggio's (always a HUGE HUGE WAIT-don't be in a hurry!) for pan and mmmmmmmm Capozio's (much faster service) for deep dish! Went to Tosi on a gift certificate, was good but not great; it was like being at a mall. Evidently it is THE place to go in SWM, outside of that Hannah's place in NB. Please note, however, the bar was fun. We must mention our love for the Grande Mere Inn. The food isn't always fabulous, in fact, more often than not-it's mediocre. Play it safe, and order something easy. BUT, the atmosphere is so much fun and the service is always courteous and professional. Clementine's has the best onion rings ever...but woman cannot live on onion rings alone, can she??? And what is up with not being able to serve food outside? Last, I have to mention Tabor Hill...I'm probably asking for a blasting but please, don't knock it till you try it. Honestly, I had the best muffaletta there. Also, they even have a few good wines:); and, when you order a bottle with your meal, it's only a buck or two more than if you bought it retail. THAT is enough to get me to return. Plus the service was phenomenal and knowledgeable.

As with all former Chicagoans, we LOVE to have brunch...but, where? Let me know...I usually hit the Tosi Cafe, eggs espresso is not bad. But, it's a counter, and no bloodies or mimosas.

Interesting bars in/near St. Joe: Vickie's Sandbar (excellent person watching)and let's not forgot about the Silver Dollar...that place is fun in daylight hours, but as time slips by the barstaff becomes noticeably more...hmmm....shall we say less attentive for some reason?? If you are in the river, do check out Fujimo's! Better yet-drive around the block from St. Joe to BH...no one will bite, I promise. We were there on a Saturday night at 10PM and they were CLOSING...other than that, I had an experience at Czar's on my birthday that I'm not certain was horrifying or hilarious. There was a cover band there that did everything from Pat Benatar to Journey to Weird Al to Pearl Jam. And even though I was there with my live-in boyfriend, this did not deter too many menfolk from buying me shots/giving me smokes/hitting on me/asking me for girlfriend advice. I say, if you are single and looking, head on down to Czar's. Lotsa love-looking.

As with all former Chicagoans, we LOVE to have brunch...but, where? Let me know...I usually hit the Tosi Cafe, eggs espresso is not bad. But, it's a counter, and no bloodies or mimosas.

If you want to drive a little farther Tippecanoe Place in South Bend has a decent brunch on Sunday. I don't know that it would meet some of the Chicago standards, but it might be worth the trip for you.

For steak, Eddie's Steak Shed, serves great choice steaks. Casual, good prices, and cash only, with ATM on-site. Yesterday's which is across the street has the best desserts in the area. The food is very good, but the desserts are even more impressive.

South Bend is developing quite a Hispanic population resulting in some good Mexican food. My favorite places are Mi Cocinita and El Paraiso.

If you are interested, the SW Michigan area has a Slow Food group that meets monthly for dinner at various restaurants for specialty meals. For more information contact Paul at Tabor Hill Restaurant. I've been to several of their events and the meals have been outstanding. One wasn't, but the rest were great.

EDDIE S STEAK SHED
( 574 ) 277 - 1076
12685 STATE ROAD 23
GRANGER,IN, 46530

Tippecanoe Place Restaurant
620 West Washington Street
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 234-9077

MI Cocinita
4333 West Western Avenue
South Bend, IN 46619
(574) 288-4131

El Paraiso
400 Main St.
South Bend, IN
574-234-1546

Yesterday's
12599 State Road 23
Granger, IN 46530-9226
574-272-7017

I was excited to see the review of Mesa Luna. I was there in June and absolutely loved it. We had the garlic flan, an asparagus "cappuccino" soup with truffle foam, the arctic char and a wonderful peppercorn-crusted steak, finishing with the trio of creme brulees. All in all we were really pleasantly surprised, because it sure didn't look like much from the outside. I have grown increasingly wary of the rip-off "grille"-type restaurants scattered around Harbor Country (Stray Dog in New Buffalo is one of these), but Mesa Luna is in another stratosphere.

Also, nobody has mentioned Brewster's in New Buffalo, but my family has always found that it's a consistently good choice for Italian. They have nice thin-crust pizzas and large, lovely cookies to boot.

And to weigh in on Tabor Hill: I went there a few months ago with my parents, and found it pretty mediocre. The atmosphere is pleasant, but our dishes were hit-or-miss. My dad had some sort of seafood crepe that he liked, but I had a big piece of fish (can't remember what kind) with strawberry-rhubarb sauce and it was boring and dry.

Had the pleasure of dining at Mesa Luna for the first time last night, loved it - thanks for the heads up. Had read a blurb about it in the local paper a while back but then forgot about it.

The chef trained with Alice Waters, and they've found a nice boutique farm in the area to supply their produce so I wanted to check out menu items that featured the veggies. For app I had a "5 Tomato Salad" - assortment of red & yellow grape tomatoes, with arugula and basil. Delicious, especially since I was just bemoaning the fact that haven't had a decent tomato in the midwest in ages. My wife had the zuchini, basil and roast garlic oil soup which was amazing. Very simple ingredients but real complex depth of flavor at the same time, this was outstanding. My wife and I must have passed this soup back and forth about six times.

My wife had the veal scallopine, I had a pasta primavera. These were both very good, but it was hard to top those first course dishes. Overall impression is that this place is on a par with the old Jenny's, hallelujah!

Oh, and speaking of Brewster's - there's a new restaurant opening soon called Soe's in Sawyer, right at the intersection of Sawyer Road & Red Arrow. Stopped by recently and the owner was there working on finishing touches. It's a beautiful room, they've invested a lot of money in this space. The chefs are a husband and wife who were formerly at Brewster's, which is nice. The menu's going to be basic harbor country fare, steaks, chops, nothing too elaborate. They're shooting for a mid-late September opening. Very psyched, have sorely needed a good restaurant up in Sawyer - Horsefeathers just don't cut it.

In case anyone missed this article in the Chicago Tribune last week, immigration officials arrested the owner of Cafe Gulistan on 7/29.

Here is a link to the article (free registration is required to view the article):

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 4020.story

<< Horsefeathers just don't cut it >>

I agree. Not bad the first year, or two, that they were open, but downhill ever since. The last time we were there (a couple of years back), it was a comedy of errors. And no employee seemed to care.

Had breakfast this morning at Lakeside Cafe, the restaurant of the Lakeside Inn. I'm not that wild about the breakfast choices in the area but this was my first time here and highly recommend it.

It's an old 31-room inn with a big dining room, all dark weathered paneling and dark pine floors. The dining room's about 10 feet above the ground, and you're surrounded by trees so all you see is the woods out of the windows. You can also catch glimpses of the lake through the leaves. Oh yeah - the food. Pretty basic breakfast menu, eggs, omelets, french toast, smoked salmon & bagel/cream cheese, etc. I had the eggs benedict, which was very good. My wife had a serviceable omelette. Very friendly staff, and very friendly prices. Came to about $20, including 2 coffees and 2 juices. Chef came out and said they've been advertising a lot to make people aware that they'll also serve the public, not just inn guests.

To get there, go west (toward the lake) on Warren Woods Road from Red Arrow. It'll turn into Lakeshore road, just hang right and it's a little way's down on the right.

Went there Friday night, was a very fine meal. Denise, the co-owner/sommelier/waitress, had our table so we put the wine selections in her hands. She's the one building their cellar (almost all domestic), and that was a wise decision. Three flights for $16, and each glass a perfect match with the food (and a very generous pour!).

A loaf of their delicious fresh baked sourdough bread to nibble on while sipping a martini and studying the menu. Asparagus weren't an appetizer selection, but I found them as a side dish and ordered that as an app. Delicious, perfectly grilled with a hint of garlic and olive oil. Paired with a nice Leelanau Riesling.

A glass of Willamette Valley sparkling wine to cleanse the palette between courses. I had the Alaskan rock fish (kind of like sea bass) for entree. Sauteed, with pancetta and fingerling potatoes. Paired with a California chardonnay (memory is getting foggy at this point). My wife had a fresh local greens salad and the fresh pasta with tomato sauce, pecorino and black truffes. The pasta was excellent, as light as a good gnocchi and lightly swathed with the sauce. This was paired with a pinot noir from CA, perfect.

They've been open less than a year, this meal was spot on. They really seem to have hit their stride, highly recommend it.

Fast Eddie wrote:They've been open less than a year, this meal was spot on. They really seem to have hit their stride, highly recommend it.

Sunday is our anniversary and I was going to take my wife to the Signature Room for brunch. We decided to cancel, and made reservations for Mesa Luna tomorrow. I am really looking forward to our meal. Rereading the above posts lets me know the asparagus will definitely be fresh tomorrow night. I almost asked for the menu selections while making the reservations, I am looking forward to being surprised, and am glad I didn't sneak a peek by asking.

I made reservations with Denise and am looking forward to a wonderful meal with my wife. Hopefully, I can get a few pictures to post.

Mesa Luna Review



Mary and I went to Mesa Luna for our 12 year anniversary Saturday night. We had an excellent meal and great service was provided by our waiter Chuck. We did have seating in the back near the kitchen which was private, and the trade off of being near the kitchen with the additional privacy was worth it. Mary was a little embarrassed about me taking photos and this allowed me to take some.

After taking our order and bring our drinks, Chuck brought us the Chef’s amuse. A delicate BLT using local greens, a grape tomato, and apple smoked bacon. Mary drank water, but I had a Warsteiner Dunkel Premium from Germany and a Phin & Matt’s American Pale Ale from the Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, NY. Evidently the chef (David Livengood), Phin, and Matt are buddies from years ago and they have just arranged to have this micro-brew brought in. Both beers were excellent, but I did prefer Warsteiner Dunkel Premium a traditional dark brown lager that really quenched my thirst.

I started off with Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads. The sweetbreads were “Lightly dusted and sautéed until golden brown, served with Michigan Asparagus, Pancetta Buerre Blanc and Fresh snipped Chives”. I have never eaten sweetbreads before and wasn’t sure if I would like them. Ordering them as an appetizer was a great way to try them for the first time. The soft, tender, breaded morsels, were excellent with the fresh asparagus and pancetta Buerre Blanc. I will definitely order sweetbreads again.



While I was having the appetizer Mary was having the "Three Oaks Green Salad". The greens are grown by McWethy Farms in Three Oaks and were “tossed with a Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette, Pine Nuts, Toasted Ricotta Salata and sliced Red Onion”. Mary raved about the salad. Which meant it was excellent. She did let me have a couple of forkfuls, but that was it. I liked it also. Mary, generally prefers iceberg lettuce salads, doesn’t like nuts (except she loves me ), and usually picks the onions off of a salad. So her enjoyment says quite a bit about how good it is.



After my appetizer, I had the Maytag Salad with “Local Greens tossed with a Yuzu Thai Basil Vinaigrette, Maytag Blue, Walnuts, and Julienne of Apple”. A great combination where the walnuts smoothed out the tartness of the Maytag Blue and the apple provide just a hint of sweetness to contrast the Yuzu Thai Basil Vinaigrette. McWerthy Farms grows most of the produce used by Mesa Luna.




For our entrees Mary chose the Pork Tinga, “Braised Pork in a Spicy Chipotle Sauce with Chorizo Sausage, Topped with Roasted Corn and Potatoes, Queso Fresco and Grilled Corn Tortillas”. Her first comment was that it was rather spicy, but as she ate the roasted corn smoothed out the heat of the chipotle and she enjoyed most of it. I tried a little bit of hers and it was great. The fingerling potatoes, roasted corn, and pork with the slight chipotle heat taste in the front was perfect. The only way to have improved this dish (for me) would be a little more heat, fresh made tortillas, and maybe a touch of a light Mexican Sour Cream.


I chose the Organic Snow Lake Trout, Pan Roasted and Served with Truffle Scented Pine Nut Butter, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Michigan Asparagus. This was very close to the best seafood dish I have ever had. The trout was excellent. When the butter melted over the trout, down through the asparagus, and pooled around the roasted fingerling potatoes and I felt rich.



Mary did not want dessert, but I asked what was being served and upon learning that a Trio of Crème Brulee was on tap, Mary agreed to share. The crème brulee was brought in three small ramekins with vanilla bean, chocolate, and lemon basil. While all three were excellent the lemon basil was a step above. After our feast the delicateness of the lemon and basil was a fine finish to a wonderful meat.


Without tip, less than a $100.

Mesa Luna
13 S. Elm St.
Three Oaks, MI
269-756-7519

Beginning next week Mesa Luna will be open 7 days a week from 6:00 p.m. The menu changes every 10 days according to Denise Finwall the manager and one of the proprieters. Service and food is excellent and the decor is beautiful. We will be going back soon.

Three Oaks is a very small town. When we arrived it was rather quiet and peaceful on the streets. However, when we left there were several art galleries, antique stores, etc. open and musicians playing outside. We walked around to shift our meals and had a wonderfully romantic time in the warm Michigan spring at sunset.[/img]

I added some pictures to my above post.

I was in Three Oaks the today and noticed that Mesa Luna is closed and the building is up for sale.

I heard that the chef Sam Luna received an offer he couldn't refuse to run or just be a chef in a restaurant in Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo.I heard it both ways so I am not sure where.I guess it had nothing to do with slow business or anything just something he couldn't pass up.I will post if I hear something else that can be confirmed.