Great food near Grand Haven Michigan?

My wonderful husband surprised me with a long weekend at the Double JJ Ranch and Resort in Rothbury, Michigan in mid-May. I always do my restaurant research when I travel 'cuz I hate to have a bad (or even mediocre) meal. The resort has bad food-I checked tripadvisor.com. I can't find any other info. Anybody got suggestions? Rothbury is about 20 miles north of Muskegon, 30 miles from Grand Haven and about an hour north of Saugatuuck. We will travel long distances for a great meal.

The Rowe Inn is an outstanding restaurant, but the drive probably is a longer distance than you want to go.

Bruce,
Thanks for the recommendation. I looked at their menu and any fine dining establishment that serves an appetizer course of wild mushroom pierogi is great by me. Unfortunately, it's a 3 hour drive from Rothbury, so we'll have to try the Rowe Inn another time.
CTB

Well, Northern Michigan (not to be confused with the UP, way Northern MI) is not a foodie paradise. I live in Holland and we head to Chicago for "special" culinary events. So take these recs with that in mind.

I'll give you my picks for the US 31 route I assume you'll take to get to the ranch. Note that I'm writing from a vegetarian point of view, but since a decent vegetarian meal is rare in this area, most places that do such a thing well have a cook/chef that knows something. I'll start closest to Rothbury and move south...sorry in advance if this is way too much info!

Nearby Whitehall/Montague are neat old towns on White Lake which are worth a stroll (esp. the General Store and the Pitkin Drug & Gift Shop in downtown Whitehall).

For a casual place on White Lake, Scales Fish House & Steaks is decent. A friend from Chicago raves about their fish tacos, though I didn't see them on their web menu which seems to have changed since I was there last year.

For an espresso & scone, we like The Book Nook in Montague.

If you want a nice water view, Michillinda Lodge on Lake Michigan just south of Whitehall is nice. The food is a cut above standard for the area and the view and service were good during our visits.

Scales Fish House & Steaks
231-893-4655
302 S. Lake Street, Whitehall, MI
http://www.scalesfishhouse.com/

The Book Nook and Java Shop
231-894-5333
8726 Ferry Street, Montague, MI
http://www.thebooknookjavashop.com/

Michillinda Lodge
(231) 893-1895
5207 Scenic Dr, Whitehall, MI
http://michillindalodge.com/


Muskegon is tough. Famous India is a new and surprisingly good (but not Devon Street quality, I'm sure) place between the Sternburg and Pontaluna exits off US 31.

We've also had decent soups and sandwiches at The Hearthstone; both places are very near US 31.

Famous India Restaurant
(231) 798-9998
6022 Harvey St, Muskegon

The Hearthstone Restaurant
(231)733-1056
3350 Glade Street, Muskegon
http://www.hstonesoup.com


Grand Haven is definitely worth the stop for food, shopping and a beautiful walk on the boardwalk to stretch your legs.

Nearest to US 31 is one of my favorite W Michigan restaurants, Morningstar Cafe, a VERY good Tex-Mex leaning breakfast and lunch spot. (Breakfast items include huevos rancheros, blue corn flapjacks, frittatas and oatmeal topped with apple slices, dried cherries and wheat germ.)

If you want to eat nearer the water, the Deelite has giant farmer's breakfasts (a mound of American Fries smothered with eggs, ham, mushrooms and cheese) followed by a wide ranging menu at lunch and dinner. The Kirby Grill and its upscale sister, The Grill Room, get decent reviews from meateating friends, but I can't find much there, so I haven't been in a long time.

On the water are the recently reopened Bilmar (go there for drinks and the spectacular view, not the food, unless they've drastically improved) and Snug Harbor, which has standard casual fare and a nice deck.

Morning Star Cafe
711 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, MI
616 844 1131

The Kirby House
616-846-3299
2 Washington, Grand Haven, MI
http://www.thegilmorecollection.com/Kir ... kirby.html

Snug Harbor
616-846-8400
31 S. Harbor, Grand Haven, MI
http://www.harborrestaurants.com/snugharbor/index.htm

BIL-MAR
(616) 842-5920
1223 S. Harbor, Grand Haven, MI

Dee Lite
616-844-5055
24 Washington, Grand Haven, MI
http://www.harborrestaurants.com/deelite/index.htm

For Holland, Saugatuck and Douglas, here's a link to a post I made awhile back. My top picks are Unkh's for very good Japanese, Margarita's for Mexican, The Piper for romantic dinners on Lake Macatawa (all in Holland) and the Blue Star Cafe in Douglas for Greek-leaning casual meals.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... +saugatuck

Margarita's Restaurant
495 W 17th St, Holland, MI
(616) 394-3069

Piper Restaurant
616-335-5866
2225 South Shore Drive, Macatawa, MI
http://www.piperrestaurant.com/

The Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant
616-394-0024
322 E Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI
www.unkhs.com

Blue Star Cafe/M&M Ice Cream
269-857-1030
141 W. Blue Star Highway, Douglas, MI
http://www.saugatuckdouglas.com/memberpages/MM.html

Thanks for all the great recommendations. So nice to find someone who knows the area so well.