
Table Talk: A Restaurant Roundtable

Beyond the Grapes: Wineries with More to Offer

With a new restaurant that opens Friday, Coppercraft Distillery in Holland wants to showcase the possibilities of pairing food with cocktails.
Since summer is just around the corner (we hope), it’s time to dust off the patio furniture and ponder some important decisions. Number one: What will you and your friends be drinking in your backyards this season? Here’s a roadmap of sorts to the signature spirits that local distillers have to offer, and how to enjoy them at home.
Farmhouse Cider Co. is quietly helping a craft beverage revolution from the least assuming location imaginable — a generations-old family farm on a dirt road outside Hudsonville. “It’s a place unlike anywhere else,” said John Behrens. “It feels like you’re a million miles from anywhere, but you’re like 15 miles from downtown.”
All 50 states make wine these days — but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should. I mean, sorry, but can you imagine a Nebraskan Pinot Gris? Fortunately, Michigan is blessed with a climate conducive to winemaking. We decided to find out what makes Michigan wine great with the help of the folks at 45 North Vineyard and Winery, a spot known for consistent quality, beautiful facilities and happy dogs.
Hard cider and mead exist in a liquid twilight, neither beer nor wine nor liquor. Cider is light and sweet like a wine, but with the ABV and carbonation of a beer. Mead is its own beast entirely, smoother and richer than wine. So if you’re looking for something special, here’s our guide to all the fermented apples and honey you could ever want.
The rise of rosé is here, and it’s time to peel back the many layers of summer’s big sip. Summer already is flipping its hair and flirting with us and there’s no better way to celebrate than with the official wine of the season.
Wineries are a little harder to find than breweries, but that doesn’t mean we have any shortage of the stuff in West and Northern Michigan. Dozens of wineries are pumping out more than enough vino for all (supposedly thanks to a France-esque climate). Southwest Michigan and Traverse City are particularly dense with vineyards if you know where to look.
A new era of doughnut consumption has dawned. West Michigan is home to several beloved doughnut stops — Marge’s Donut Den, Sandy’s Donuts, Van’s Pastry Shoppe, to name a few — but here are some of the impressive new players that have joined the market in the past year.
When it comes to dining, strip malls get a bad reputation. The universally drab architecture of strip-mall buildings could make you think they hold no culinary gems. However, we all know it’s what’s inside that counts. With excellent food from all over the world, here’s a few strip mall sensations that deserve a visit.
Family recipes on the menu bring back the power of food made from love, magic and a little history. Whether it’s your mom, nonna or uncle’s secret sauce, you can rest assured no one slaps their name on a dish unless it has achieved perfection through generational lore.