Journeyman Cafe in Fennville, MI

Saw this restaurant mentioned on Chowhound and had to try it since it's in our own back yard. We just had our second meal there this afternoon and are fighting over the leftovers tonight. Thought others might be interested if you're traveling in the area late summer or early fall for apples.This cute place is just down the road from Crane's Orchard and a few minutes from Saugatuck/Glenn and not far from Holland/Grand Haven/Grand Rapids.

They use local, mostly organic ingredients and have a spartan but interesting menu that changes every few weeks. All bread and sauces are made fresh daily. Today we had an herb and cheese omelet served with a mesclun salad and grilled ciabatta. We also had an artichoke, onion and olive with walnut pesto pizza. The eggs were good; the wood fired pizza was terrific--the dough was great and the roasted veggies perfect. It was not a tiny little gourmet thing either--this large pizza which would feed 2-4 depending on how hungry you are.

On a past visit we had the raw tomato soup which was impressive, too--the tomato and onion flavors were amazingly intense but light--perfect for a summer day. This kitchen definitely knows how to mix ingredients. Another menu item we've had was gnocchi with wild mushrooms--a small portion but very good.

They had lovely fresh loaves of various types of bread for sale: sunflower seed, sourdough, ciabatta, sea salt and mixed olive today. They serve Intelligentsia coffee and are closed Mondays and (I think) Tuesdays. There are a few tables outside and the inside is very comfortable/casual. The service is leisurely/erratic depending on your point of view--I wouldn't eat here if I were in a hurry, but it was a perfect setting for Sunday brunch.

Journeyman Cafe
114 E. Main St. (M-89)
Fennville MI
269-561-2269

This place sounds interesting. Do they serve meat, or is it strictly vegitarian?

This place is definitely not vegetarian--in fact, I would hesitate to go there again after a major amount of bacon ended up in my "vegetarian" gnocchi...but it was at least fancy bacon (guanciale, je pense)--ha. But the food was so well done otherwise, I'll keep at it. 90% is aimed at carnivores. Please let me know if you try it.

EB

gauncaile is cured pork jowl (cheek) and other than being cured has little in common with bacon (which is smoked/ cured pork belly).

I would like to thank Veghead for this recommendation, and add a STRONG vote of support. Journeyman Cafe should be a destination spot for anyone in the Saugatuck region.

The primary strength is the woodburning oven, which turns out absolutely top flight pizza crust and bread. There were three types of bread when we were there, a pain au levain, a ciabatta (oddly shaped like a bagette) and a salt crusted bread with cumin and other seeds. These were truly outstanding breads, all made in the woodburning oven, that would be top flight in Chicago. We had lunch on Saturday and stopped back again on Sunday to bring some loaves home with us.

For lunch, I had a sandwich made with house-cured pastrami and my wife had a lovely squash and celery soup. The pastrami was just O.K., but it was an enjoyable sandwich. We also had an anchovie pizza on which the topping was O.K., but the crust was charred and heavenly. More N.Y. thickness than Chicago cracker. If I went back, I just have one of the simplest pizzas they made, just to revel in the crust.

The place is very friendly, as mentioned uses organic and local ingrediants where possible, and also sells some cheese and sweets. It has a bit of a hippy-diner feel in decor, but not in the food.

It's just a few minutes off the highway, one exit south of Sagatuck.

Jonah

Now that summer is coming and a lot of people will be making the trek up to the Saugatuck/Douglas area, I thought it would be a great time to give the Journeyman Cafe some love.

The Journeyman Cafe bills itself as a "community centered" restaurant which serves, whenever possible, locally-produced food.

While their excellent wood-fired pizzas have been discussed here, Jouneyman's dinner service is easily the best in the area. In fact, it would fit in nicely in Chicago, but then, the owners wouldn't have as easy access to all that local product which makes it such a gem.

One of the many things that is so nice about this place is that it feels like a secret, which I guess, in part, it is. If it was in Chicago, it'd be jam-packed, loud, and getting a ton of press. Here, the owners, Matt & Amy, toil quietly off the beaten path in a sleepy downtown where the whistles of the nearby trains that still regularly pass are audible. There's a bit of irony in that I'm willing to bet that most of the food they serve would be more familiar to a Chicago clientele than to the locals. Nevertheless, the "local, seasonal" mantra is generally given a lot of lip service in Chicago, but here, it's the real deal.

A couple weeks ago, I had a wonderful dinner there on a gorgeous spring day. (I apologize that my pictures are not so great- but hopefully, the ingredients speak for themselves.)

Journeyman now has a liquor license with a fabulous wine list. Of course, I had to have the red currant martini to start:



I started with a fiddlehead fern salad with pickled red onions, smoked mozzarella, watercress and a blood orange viniagrette (I marred the presentation because I dug in before I remembered to take a picture). But you can see it's teeming with fresh fiddleheads:



My dining companion had a charcuterie plate, which I didn't get a picture of, but Journeyman uses Paul Bertolli and Armando Batali's cured meats. Journeyman also makes sausages, pates and terrines in-house. (I wish I had a picture of the sausages in the choucroute I had there a couple of months ago.)

For entrees, I had the fresh buckwheat pasta, asparagus, morels and spinach. My server told me that she had picked up the asparagus and spinach from the farmer's market just before dinner service. I tried to get a close-up of the huge morels:



And the blue lip mussels pasta in a light white wine broth:



Anybody who has had their breads, muffins or sweet breakfasts knows that desserts would be a strong point here.

I had a delicious maple pouding chomeur (aka poor man's pudding) with creme fraiche. If I'm recalling my server's description correctly, the cake is baked in an individual casserole over a maple sauce, which gets warmed in the oven and flavors the cake (which it did wonderfully by the way). The creme fraiche added a cool, tangy counterpoint:



My friend had a rose-scented white chocolate pot de creme, which is great if you love the taste of rose:



Fennville is located a few miles east of the Saugatuck-Douglas area. From there, you would take Blue Star Highway (A-2) south until you reach the intersection of M-89, where there is a produce market and a Shell gas station. Take a left onto M-89 (follow signs there east to Fennville) through bucolic farmland into downtown Fennville. Journeyman Cafe is located on the right side of the street.

Journeyman Cafe
114 E. Main street
Fennville, MI 49408
269.561.2269

Hours:
8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday

aschie30, a great report. I had lunch there about a month ago, and was just as impressed as I was a year ago. We never get to sample much during lunch, so I've always been curious how they hold up for a full dinner. Glad to hear that they seem even better for a full meal.

For anyone thinking of a food tour in the area, within 10 minutes of Journeymen's Cafe, you can go to Crane's Pie Pantry, which is an apple orchard. I don't recommend the restaurant, but the cider, home made pies and jam and apple doughnuts are terrific. 5 minutes from that is Fenn Valley wines. Their wines are not the best, but they have a great tasting room and with folks who love to talk about their wine. A year ago we did get a terrific ice wine from them, but, alas, they didn't have any this year and are not likely to in the future due to warmer winters.

Jonah

Thanks. That's very exciting stuff, as I will be in MI a lot in the coming months. There's quite a palate with which to work there. Right now, the markets are lousy with great asparagus and rhubarb. I honestly never tasted asparagus like the stuff they pick and walk over to the farm stand, then sell for a buck and a quarter a pound.

I actually think the wine list could be stronger on local products, but the rare Wyncroft chard at $75 is clearly a statement about local produce.

JeffB wrote:I actually think the wine list could be stronger on local products, but the rare Wyncroft chard at $75 is clearly a statement about local produce.

I agree, but I think there's still a prevailing snobbery about Michigan wines and, as a business, I guess they have to defer to that to some extent. But I'm glad to see that a dedicated foodie establishment such as this has the courage to place those local wines on the menu nevertheless.

Well, I've written about the joys of the Journeyman before, but now Phil Vettel has caught on:

http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2007/0 ... -fennville

I guess now is the time to go before the crowds do.

Thanks again for bringing this place to everyone's attention. I dined at Journeyman on Saturday and had a really terrific meal.

Standouts were a Manhattan with local cherries, a truly remarkable dry-aged strip steak from a butcher in nearby Holland, house-made spaghetti alla chitarra with local grape tomatoes and fresh (but obviously, not local) grilled sardines, and grilled MI peaches with triple-creme cheese. Nice selection of Wyncroft wines, which seem to exist on their own plane among Michigan (and possibly all Midwestern) wines. Good cured meats from Batali Sr. and TN country ham. Many of the dishes are cooked in an impressive Mugnaini pizza oven, as is the terrific bread.

An interesting option is to get some of the knockout meats and cheeses on a pizza cooked in that oven. The pies looked heavier and thicker than what we'd call Neapolitan or even NY style -- more of the Roman style. I can't comment specifically, however. We were warned off of the largish heavy pies as an appetizer. It seemed counterintuitive that they would have pizzas that don't fit into a full meal. On the other hand, the pizza might be an inexpensive way to enjoy this place without investing the time and cash in a full-blown night out. Given the presumably low rents in tiny Fennville and the limited customer base for such a place, Journeyman seems to be reaching people at various price levels. The only thing I wanted to see on the menu, but didn't, was local fish. I think they could do something great with walleye, so why feature Alaskan halibut as the "safe choice" entree for those not interested in the local pork belly or quail?

This is a very serious restaurant though the place is completely relaxed. It definitely has the feeling of a restaurant in California "wine country."

I thought our meal, while a bit more rustic, compared favorably to Blue Hill in NY, Zazu in Sonoma and various other places that focus on local, organic, natural, etc. To amplify what's already been said, it's not just good for where it is; the cooking would stand up in a large market.

PS, I should reiterate that Journeyman is now a full-service restaurant with a menu that is not any less complete than what you might see at, say, Blackbird for example. The earliest posts in this thread go back to a time when the place was much more limited in its mission as a restuarant than it is now. I hope they can continue to pull it off as well as they are now -- at the top of the summer high season during the first year operating at this level.

My boyfriend and I took our yearly visit to Saugatuck this weekend and we decided to try the Journeyman cafe based on the recommendations I read in this post. My boyfriend, being a vegetarian, opted for the "fruits and vegetables" 3-course dinner, while I decided on taking full advantage of the artisan meats Journeyman boasts on their menu. My first course was a plate of cured meats, including Benton's country ham and Batali Sr.'s cured salumis. The country ham (if it was so), tasted like a very fine prosciutto, and there were three types of salami. One had pieces of coarse peppercorn, another spicy, and another one tasting almost a bit gamey. They were served with an olive tapenade, which I found a bit overpowering to the salty cured meats, and some dried organic figs, which complemented them perfectly.



My boyfriend started his three course fruits and vegetables meal with a chilled plum soup that was very refreshing and tasty.



Since I'm on a recent pork belly kick, I ordered the Crestwick Farms pork belly with sweet corn cakes and sweet corn foamy puree with a port and plum reduction sauce. The pork belly was seared perfectly and the sweetness of the corn cut through the salty fattiness of the pork belly (the good kind of salty fattiness, btw). With both of my dishes, I truly believe you can taste the love in these artisanal meats.



My boyfriend, as his second course, received a heirloom tomato napoleon with chevre, with a sort of balsamic parsely vinaigrette. He was being a champ about eating the tomatoes and the chevre, both being items he doesn't usually enjoy. I found the acidity in tomatoes and the creaminess in the cheese to be balanced very well with each other. The picture turned out a bit blurry, but please forgive me, because this is my first photo post



His third course was seared lobster mushrooms in a delicious garlic butter broth. He ate it so quickly I didn't get a chance to get a picture

For dessert, we shared a local peach cobbler with gelato. The cobbler was delicious in every way, it might have been one of my favorite desserts ever. The local Michigan peaches were a wonderful way to end this meal that showcased local and artisanal ingredients that were prepared with such care and pride.



All the information about the restaurant in the above posts is correct, the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please check their website, as their menu does change quite often. I checked the menu Saturday before I left and it was a bit different by the time Sunday dinner rolled around. But it does show that the owners want to put out what is freshest and of the highest quality. The Journeyman Cafe will now be an addition our yearly Saugatuck trip.

Sharona

Sharona wrote:The Journeyman Cafe will now be an addition our yearly Saugatuck trip.

Sharona,

Though your boyfriends meal sounds quite good after looking at the pictures and descriptions I can't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Enjoy,
Gary

Mm! Thanks for the pictures! We'll be travelling there this week.

Barn Bash/Pig Roast - October 12, 2007

For one weekend every October, the small town of Fennville celebrates "Goose Fest," a celebration dedicated to geese, as Fennville is a stopping over point for Canadian geese migrating south for the winter. The Journeyman Cafe decided to celebrate another animal that same weekend -- the pig -- by holding Porkapalooza! last weekend. There was a myriad of events dedicated to all things pig, but I only got to the barn bash/pig roast last Friday.



The pig roast was held at a family farm at the corner of 62nd & 122nd. The farm is for sale and was originally a working orchard some years ago.

Onto the pig. It was dusk when I shot these. Here is a picture of the small pig roasting on the spit:



A makeshift smokehouse for ribs:



And the star of the show, an 82 pound hog, was roasting nicely underground in a pit that was "heated" through a pipe connected to a nearby wood fire:



All pork was provided by local outfit Providence Farms. The ribs were really excellent - some of the meatiest ribs I've had. The owner of Providence Farms was there, enjoying himself, but also fielding questions/inquiries from people about his product.

I have to admit that the digging up of the huge pig from the pit felt a little like a Sopranos episode, especially as it took two men on each side to lift out the pig. I *wish* I had pictures of the finished product (and/or video of them carving up the the hog), but it quickly became too dark for my camera.

It was an all-local fest - wine was provided by a vineyard up the road (Fenn Valley) and the beer was provided by New Holland Beer Company from nearby Holland, MI. The local band (Jive at Five) was excellent as well. The chill in the air made for a perfect fall night. People later gathered near a large-ish bonfire to warm up. The very friendly crowd was an eclectic mix of locals and weekenders from Chicago.

I'm told that the Barn Bash will become a yearly event for Goose Fest. I can't wait for next year.

News of note re: Journeyman

Haven't had a chance to visit yet. Hopefully soon.

FENNVILLE -- The Journeyman Cafe's husband-wife owners have branched out next door.

This weekend, Matthew Millar and Amy Cook opened a pub offering a music next door to their eclectic restaurant.

The informal eatery and bar RYE at 112 E. Main St. had its grand opening Friday night.

"We wanted to find a way to be a little more a part of our community," Millar said.

And with a large chunk of the Journeyman Cafe's clientele gone during winter months, they also wanted to generate more business, he said.

RYE offers a cuisine with foundations in West Michigan's agricultural heritage coupled with French, English and Italian influences. The menu includes domestic beer and wine.

"There are a lot of things that we're going to do in RYE that we wouldn't do in Journeyman Cafe," he said.

Those differences include lower prices than those featured at the Journeyman Cafe, Millar said.

In just reading the above post about what the owners of the Journeyman are doing, I can see why they would want to try something new or in addition to their current business. Many in the area wondered if the gourmet or "fancy food" (e.g., foie gras, wood roasted pork belly, bobwhite quail, et al) served at the Journeyman is a good fit for the Fennville community. I am not knocking their food at all as I've never tried it, but from what I experienced last year, I just wonder if the business can succeed.

One evening last summer my wife and I were visiting the Fennville winery and decided to eat in town at around 6:00 p.m.. While we hadn't decided where to go to eat, I remember as we walked past the Journeyman's storefront that there were some good reports about it posted earlier on the LTH forums. We peeked inside and saw the staff moving around, but no customers sitting at the tables. The place looked really nice, but we wondered if it wasn't a little fancy for our casual dress (shorts and bluejeans), as well as a little pricey after seeing the menu. I remember that I was surprised that there seemed to be no diners in the restaurant, but they were open for business.

We glanced down the street and noticed a number of people going into the Blue Goose Cafe a few doors east of the Journeyman and wandered down there. The Blue Goose Cafe is a small mom and pop, home food cafe type of place, nothing fancy at all, with a number of old 1950 style restaurant tables that could hold about 50 or maybe 60 people if tightly packed. Well, it was fully packed that evening and we luckily got the last table. And there were a lot of people who walked in just after us looking for table space but they then had to wait in line outside to be able to eat when tables cleared up. We had been to the Blue Goose before and like I said, nothing fancy, but just good old-fashion country cooking of sorts (fried chicken, beef dinners, Mexican dishes, meatloaf, sandwiches,fish, daily specials up on the board, etc.).

We ate our meal and fully satisfied our appetites. With most meals you get a hot bowl of soup included, at not extra charge, and it was very good. Our bill came to around $13.00 in total for the both of us and that included tax and beverages. That was dirt cheap and I thought to myself that I could barely get an appetizer at the Journeyman down the street for that price.

As we walked back to our car we passed the Journeyman again and noticed that there still appeared to be no customers in the restaurant, but it was open for business and the staff was milling about. I was curious and opened the door and asked them if they were open for business and one person said they were and that we were welcome to come in. As we got into our car, my wife and I expressed the thought to each other that it was amazing that the little old fashion Blue Goose Cafe was doing such a banged up business and the Journeyman wasn't. I think the Blue Goose may have had a fish fry that evening, but we thought that couldn't account for the large disparity in business. One restaurant packed and the other a few doors down empty. I know the fancier and more high-priced place caters somewhat to a different clientele and that they cannot expect to get the number of diners that the other does, but still, it would seem, they should have been doing a better business than it was. I know one can say that maybe it was just an off night, and maybe it was, but on a subsequent visit to Fennville it didn't seem much different, although I can't say that I looked at it that closely.

But in any event, I think it is a very good idea for them to try to branch out and meet some other needs in that community for food and drinks. I know the Journeyman has a lot of far away fans, but I don't know if they are enough to sustain the business.

According to this article, Journeyman's Cafe was started in 2003, so they must be doing a pretty good job of fulfilling a need:
http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/fennville32.aspx

I also applaud a place that tries to raise the standards of a community that others might think can't support such a high quality establishment.

Jonah

Journeyman Cafe is pretty special, at least in the Midwest. I know there are several such places in California wine country, and I'd expect the same in the exurbs that serve as retreats for New Yorkers and such.

Not to take anything away from the Blue Goose, but I wouldn't drive a couple of hours for a trip focused on its food. For Journeyman, I would and I have. (Would I go there only to eat and not also to enjoy the drive, check out the nearby beach, or pick up some local fruit? Maybe not, but that's a purely hypothetical question without much value.)

Of course an entirely ordinary and mundane, even if comforting and well-executed, neighborhood mom and pop will do better sometimes. And it's a wonder in today's America that a main street like tiny Fennville's still has independent, storefront businesses (perhaps too small for an Applebees, luckily). I'm all for it, and the locals are very lucky to have both.

The time I went to Journeyman (a Saturday last summer), it was packed.

Was your experience on a weeknight?

PS, for better or worse, LTH has a symbiotic relationship with places like Journeyman. We take it upon ourselves to speak for these places, and sympathetic listeners listen. Katy's still gets much less traffic than does the phe Pizza Hut in the parking lot of the same strip mall -- but not nearly so much as before. We can only hope Mr. Red Shirt is happy about it (not an assumption to be made lightly), but we know lots of noodle-lovers are.

[In full disclosure, I have a house in Fennville near Hutchins Lake , so I have been to the Journeyman many times and through that, have come to know its owners. As a property owner there, I also have an interest in its success (it's not a vested interest - I'm not an investor or anything like that).]

This part of Michigan has a bustling summer/fall resort business, especially being only 5 miles from the Lake Michigan beaches. Things quiet down significantly after the holidays, as visitors are mostly limited to cross-country skiers/snowmobilers and the like. As you said you visited in summer, BTB, I'm surprised that you found the Journeyman empty except that 6:00 can be pretty early for dinner up there. During the summer, it typically does not get dark until 9:00-9:30, and many fervent recreational boaters/anglers don't pull up anchor until after then (or at least close to then) as every bit of daylight is savored. Thus, it's not entirely unusual for meals to be taken pretty late. Perhaps that's why?

But my many (almost weekly) summer experiences at the Journeyman have been similar to JeffB's - it's been crowded - and as a regular, even I make a reservation (but, then again, I usually eat after 8 pm).

The Blue Goose is not even in the same league and vastly inferior even for low-brow diner food. It doesn't cater to the same clientele as the Journeyman, which would explain why one may be crowded and the other empty at any given time. Given Fennville's still significant agricultural roots, there are two different economies. The Blue Goose caters to the lower income townsfolk, who while very nice and hardworking, are looking for an inexpensive, rib-sticking meal and are certainly not interested in the higher-priced foie gras on offer at the Journeyman.

I hope to check out Rye soon and report back. Frankly, I can see why, from a business perspective, the owners would want to cultivate a casual offshoot, but I also think it's a natural extension of the restaurant as well. They have been cultivating a music series in a rather austere space next door, so it just makes sense to turn it into a casual restaurant that serves food and focuses to a greater extent on local beer (which tends not to be favored as an accompaniment to "fancier" food). I don't think Rye is, or will ever be, an attempt to pull customers from the Blue Goose -- rather, I think it will provide a reason for some others to go out more often in Fennville without having to sit down to a more focused dining experience.

aschie30 wrote:The Blue Goose is . . . vastly inferior even for low-brow diner food. It . . . caters to the lower income townsfolk . . . looking for an inexpensive, rib-sticking meal (who) are certainly not interested in the higher-priced foie gras on offer at the Journeyman.

Eh . . . yep. But if you counted votes by peoples' feet that Friday evening, the low-brow diner food would have been the clear winner. But what do those farmers know.

I know what you mean about the boating thing, tho. After a day of boating out on our lake (about 30 miles south of Fennville), we usually don't get out till late for dinner. Unfortunately in our area, places are starting to close up then and we have to travel into South Haven, St. Joe. or Kalamazoo. We will have to make a point of trying out the Journeyman next summer when we return to Michigan.

BTB wrote:

aschie30 wrote:The Blue Goose is . . . vastly inferior even for low-brow diner food. It . . . caters to the lower income townsfolk . . . looking for an inexpensive, rib-sticking meal (who) are certainly not interested in the higher-priced foie gras on offer at the Journeyman.

Eh . . . yep. But if you counted votes by peoples' feet that Friday evening, the low-brow diner food would have been the clear winner. But what do those farmers know.

Given your selective quoting, you seem to imply that I'm taking a snobbish view of farmers ("but what do [the farmers] know"). The farmers I know (mostly my neighbors) are not (by their own admission) interested in expanding their culinary horizons beyond their bellies (which have to be full by 6:00) . . . Therefore, I wouldn't be inferring too much into the fact that a diner at 6:00 had more people in it than a high-end restaurant. Apples to oranges.

Holy Quiche.
I didn't expect this.
I didn't expect to be blown away. I knew the food was rumored to be good and I knew that the owner participate in "slow food" but really, I was knocked to the floor with my first bite. I generally eat like an inmate, with my left arm covering my plate as the right arm shovels food in, but here I was inclined to eat every bite slowly caressing the flavors in my mouth and getting every last bit of goodness on my tongue.
I'll admit, I wanted an omlette. I 'settled' on the quiche, and will never ever doubt a suggestion from any one at this wonderful restaurant. My settlement included a quiche with perfect consisitency, perfect crust and melty goodness I haven't seen in many a creme brulée.
Then we went back for lunch. I would have stayed in the gap, but I had to pretend that there was something i'd rather do than sit around in this warm and inviting space so I didn't look like the creep from Chicago with nothing better to do than order everything on the menu.
Oh well.
It's only two or so hours away.

Michael Nagrant (aka MJN) has a feature on the Journeyman here.

We had an absolutely fantastic meal at Journeyman Cafe this weekend--the kind of meal that made me want to extend my trip so I could try everything on the menu. Unfortunately, I only had a camera phone so the photos aren't great.
We started with an herb salad and an assortment of cheeses--both were excellent. The highlight was a local "smokey blue" served with fresh honeycomb. The meal was served with homemade breads--a sourdough and one with salt (can't remember the name).
For entrees, I had a curry dusted lamb loin served with white beans and spinach as well as braised leeks. This was some of the best lamb I've ever had. Even my friend who doesn't really like lamb that much thought it was delicious.

My friend had the Lake Huron walleye pike which had pecans somewhere in the preparation (I believe--don't quote me) and served with homemade spaetzle. I had a few delicious bites but I was mostly focused on my lamb

We finished with their homemade truffles. The espresso was quite good, peanut butter just so-so and the mayan absolutely heavenly.
During dinner we noticed several people ordering pizzas as an appetizer from the adjoining pub (Rye).
We couldn't stop thinking about our dinner so we returned to Fennville the next day to try the pie at Rye.
We started with an apple, cheddar and watercress salad (great combo!):

then moved on to a pizza with roasted tomato sauce, homemade sausage and local chevre. Great pizza, great ingredients, really amazing crust. I love Coal Fire pizza. I thought the crust at Rye was even better (though the sausage wasn't quite as good)--for me, that's quite a complement.

I hope this isn't the last post that's written for this restaurant, but it doesn't look good. A headline in our local paper today read:

Fennville farewell - critically acclaimed restaurants Journeyman, Rye seized by state


Seems that they weren't able to pay their state taxes...the story can be found at The Holland Sentinel:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1720664692/Fennville-farewell-critically-acclaimed-restaurants-Journeyman-Rye-seized-by-state

That is terrible news for Southwest (Or is that Southwest Central?) Michigan.

jmc wrote:That is terrible news for Southwest (Or is that Southwest Central?) Michigan.

Neither. It's Western Michigan (along the coast). But it is terrible news. I had heard that after the summer business dried up, they were hit hard like a lot of businesses from the economic downturn. A lot of people in Michigan are just scared to spend money right now.

Per K'Zoo Gazette 12/3:

FENNVILLE -- The Journeyman Cafe and its sister restaurant, The Rye, may be down, but don't count them out, the owners say.

More: http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/news/index.ssf/2008/12/state_seizes_restaurants_for_b.html

We went by the Journeyman the other day and found it closed with no apparent activity (windows had paper taped all over them). So . . . went to the Blue Goose Restaurant a few doors east. Place was so packed that we had to wait for a table. And we enjoyed the meal there very much. Not the gourmet style of food, but just some regular home style cooking.