Traverse City Highlights: Northern Journey Part 2

Welcome to the second half of our trip to Northern Michigan. This in no way is an exhaustive review of things to do in the Traverse City area. Rather its a snapshot of things that I loved and would highly recommend. I hope you enjoy!


Day 1: First lets back up: my husband while driving up north had previously become fixated on having me eat a traditional local dish. I was not so keen, the name of it was weird, and it didn't sound all that appetizing. He was so set on it, he insisted it would be great for the blog...I said no. Little did I know...


Traverse City has a nice downtown, its a beautiful walk with a mixture of quaint and modern shops and a variety of restaurants. With the lovely weather we had (70-80 degrees each day) we decided to walk and explore different lunch options.


If my husband and I were animals, he would have the metabolism of a camel, and I of a squirrel. Couple that with the fact that we wanted to see everything before we made a decision, it was over an hour later, and we had walked very far...and I was about to fall on the ground. 


Then we saw it, the holy grail : Cousin Jenny's

Meet the Pastie.

I think the pictures really speak for themselves, they were warm, flaky and oh so yummy! Cousin Jenny's had a variety of flavors, but pasties take a while to bake, so once they sell out for the day, that's it. We chose the ham (left) and chicken (right) and liked them both especially with the simple gravy on top. So my husband was right and I had instant tummy gratification...win/win.


Day 2: We spent the day at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Its about an hour drive west of Traverse City, and has been voted as the most beautiful place in America by Good Morning America. There are no food highlights, my only recommendations is if you are not keen on diner food, pack a lunch and head back to the city before dinner! Here's a few shots to show you the beauty that is nature and old towns. 

We both agree that dinner that night was a highlight. If we're honest, it may be one of the best things about the trip. While walking downtown, we came across Hanna Bistro, and after reading the menu-we were hooked. What struck us the most was that they creatively used local ingredients to make the most delicious sounding fall selection of gourmet meals- and the prices were very reasonable. The atmosphere was wonderful as well: candle lit, old and new decor tastefully combined, local paintings and very cordial waitstaff. 

Clockwise, here are the restaurant's descriptions of our meal: 

The Chevre Spiced pine nut encrusted warm & creamy goat cheese with arugula and Michigan apple chutney with Fustini's Cinnamon Pear Balsamic and Blood Orange Oil (top right)

Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken with layered sweet potato and spinach, drizzled with honey bourbon butter

Double Cut Pork Chop  Thick and juicy, grilled and served with our own Tart Cherry BBQ Sauce, made with Leelanau cherries, served with parmesan, buttermilk potatoes    

Day 3: On our third and last day, we decided to take a trip up Old Mission Peninsula. Before we did, we decided to stop at the one place that everyone seemed to recommend online for a delicious breakfast or lunch: Frenchies Famous

The place was run by a quiet gentleman with local ingredients, handmade bread, rich and potent endless cups of coffee, homemade root beer and quaint decor. Only 6 people can fit in the dining area at a time, and if you can find a seat, I highly recommend making the stop for a drink and a meal-you will not be disappointed! We had french toast with local maple syrup and a mile-high pastrami sandwich with coffee and root beer, and mmmm...mmm was it good!

Last but not least, we made the trip up to the Peninsula and stopped at the highly acclaimed Chateau Chantal Winery. Another locally made product is cherry-flavored wine, as both succulent cherries and amazing grapes grow well in Northern Michigan. The winery is beautifully set on the top of a hill overlooking fields of grapevines and the lake. Wine tasting is free, and the gracious staff provided us with great advice on different wines to taste. We ended up leaving with a bottle of "Tonight" a lightly fruity champagne, Cherry-infused red wine for cooking and a Sparkling Cherry bubbly for a wine tasting party that weekend. The wine I do regret not picking up is the "Late Harvest Reisling" with a white wine with subtle notes of fruity apple-it was so good! 

I would definitely go back to the area, just because I feel that we only scratched the surface of things to do. Traverse City is an inexpensive place to visit and the variety of nature and local fare to enjoy is worth experiencing!

Oh and the sunsets were gorgeous too!