What To Eat in Michigan
Really, there are two Michigans: the Upper Peninsula, which is home to the savory meat pie known as a pasty (say pass-tee), as well as to superb Lake Superior seafood, and the southern part of the state, aka “mitten” (shapewise), where you’ll find drop-dead delicious pies made from locally grown cherries and apples. The University of Michigan’s presence makes Ann Arbor an eater’s paradise, from world-class sliders to worldly foreign fare to bakeries and delis that are second-to-none.
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The pasty (say pass-tee, not pay-stee) began as a portable stew – meat and vegetables sealed inside a pastry crust -- that Cornish miners used to carry with them for lunch. Long after the mines closed, it remains a popular dish in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where families from Cornwall settled. Traditionally, pasties are filled with beef or beef and pork with chunks of potato, rutabaga and onion, but today you will encounter gourmet pasties filled with steak, pizza pasties with pepperoni and mozzarella, Reuben pasties, chicken pasties, even vegetarian pasties for meat-phobes and breakfast pasties filled with eggs and sausage.
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The Michigan cherries used for pies are tart, but because they boom with fruit flavor, they are the ideal filling. A ratio of 5 (cups of cherries) to 1 (cup of sugar) piled into a leaf lard crust yields one of the great pies in the nation. Served warm and a la mode: even better!
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Whitefish is a freshwater jewel that tastes especially right near the shore of Lake Superior. Baked or pan-fried, it has soft, creamy flesh that delivers a toasty-sweet, outdoorsy flavor completely unlike ocean fish.
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Northside Grill
One of Ann Arbor's best spots for breakfast, the Northside grill specializes in mighty egg & hash brown skillets and extraordinary oat-bran pancakes.
Palms Krystal Bar and Grill
Palms Krystal Bar is is one of the last locations serving Chicken in the Rough, an early chain known for fried chicken with piles of shoestring French fries.
Bogey’s Bar & Grill
At family-run Bogey's Bar & Grill in Fort Gratiot, Michigan, the crisp basa fish sandwich is worth ordering every day of the week.
The Raven Café
The Raven Café is part Hogwarts, part witch’s den: a cozy neighborhood spot for breakfast burritos, pastries, and enough coffee for the whole family.
Cousin Jenny’s
Cousin Jenny’s is a modern Traverse City, Michigan cafeteria that serves old-fashioned (and newfangled) pasties for both breakfast and lunch.
Crossroads Lounge
Crossroads is a spacious tavern that has a full menu and serves three meals a day. House specialty: a one-pound pasty, one of the Upper Peninsula's best.
Jean-Kay’s
Jean-Kay's is a small Marquette restaurant & take-out specializing in Michigan Upper-Peninsula pasties, made fresh daily using steak and suet.
Cherry Hut
The Cherry Hut is a Michigan restaurant serving some of the best cherry pie anywhere-- sweet and a little tart, with flaky crust that adds a savory note.
Toni’s Country Kitchen
Toni's is a cheerful small-town cafe in that bakes beautiful breads and pastries and serves one of the best old-fashioned pasties in northern Michigan.
