Steve Dolinsky adventures through Southwest Michigan’s Harbor Country, exploring options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Michigan’s Harbor Country offers a chance to see the colors change, maybe visit a winery or pick apples.
NBC 5 Food Guy Steve Dolinsky's priority, of course, is finding the best places to eat.
Antiquing along Red Arrow Highway, and hiking through the woods works up an appetite. Good thing there are plenty of great places to grab a bite. Nearby, the Sawyer Home & Garden Center is always a reliable indicator of what’s in season. And the latest harvest is sure to wind up in the kolachkes and muffins at the nearby Peasant’s Pantry, which doubles as a late-night cocktail bar called The Historian.
Ten minutes away in charming Three Oaks, legendary Froelich’s also has a bakery – still churning out fruit Danish, massive breakfast sandwiches and fruit preserves after 30 years, but also a newer restaurant across the street for lunch and dinner.
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Next door to the bakery, artisan pizza at Patellie’s, where most of the ingredients are made in-house and the crust is as thin and firm as a respectable slice from the East Coast.
Just a few months ago, Ray & Al’s opened in the sleepy town of Galien, less than 10 minutes east of Three Oaks.
“It’s a great building, it’s a great community, and there was nothing here, so we figured we’d fill the hole,” said chef and owner Reyna Larson.
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There’s coffee, bagel sandwiches and some pastries, but lunch is the highlight, especially the sandwiches. Larson’s Cuban is a winner, Dolinsky stated.
“Roasted pork shoulder that we do here. With ham – very traditional – Dijon mustard, pickles,” she said.
Her spaghetti sandwich starts with garlic-buttered sourdough.
“And the spaghetti with the sauce we make in-house, really nice San Marzano tomatoes, Pecorino Romano,” she said.
A half hour north in Benton Harbor, James Galbraith just opened Anemel, an ode to Mexican tortas and tacos. A block away, he and his sister, Cheyenne, opened Houndstooth three years ago, and the food is as good as anywhere in Chicago.
“We focus on doing global flavors, that way we’re not pigeonholed into any single flavor or single culture,” said Galbraith.
Short rib tartare has a bit of black truffle…
“Then some shoestring potatoes, we cure egg yolks for 10 days and shave that on top. That ones been on the menu since the beginning,” he said.
A ball of creamy burrata is embedded with a sweet and sour agrodolce plus sunflowers.
“So have the sunchoke – which is the root – and it’s fried. We put the sprouts and the flowers on top and then in the agrodolce there are the seeds,” he said.
Black bean chicken is another standout – nestled in a pool of Korean-inspired gochujang aioli.
“Some chicken thighs that are marinated in a black bean paste. We did some donuts and we turn them savory. And we have some blistered shishito peppers, and we hit it some bonito flake on top; kind of moves with the heat,” said Galbraith.
Galbraith has had a front row seat to Benton Harbor’s slow comeback.
“It’s been an ebb and flow but right now it’s going up,” he said.
Also in Sawyer: Greenbush Brewing and Susan’s. One important note this time of year: most places have reduced days and hours, so typically it’s Thursday to Sunday.
Here's where you can go:
Peasant’s Pantry/The Historian
12856 Red Arrow Hwy., Sawyer, MI
269-405-1284
26 N. Elm St.
269-756-6002
28 N. Elm St., Three Oaks, MI
269-820-2066
118 N. Cleveland Ave., Galien, MI
269-545-9018
225 E. Main St., Benton Harbor, MI
132 Pipestone St., Benton Harbor, MI
269-252-5250
Also mentioned:
5851 Sawyer Rd., Sawyer
269-405-1185
5885 Sawyer Rd., Sawyer
269-405-1076
