Only a few years ago, Mount Pleasant's primary dining options were limited to dozens of burger joints and chain restaurants, with only a couple fine-dining establishments within the city limits.
The future is looking a little brighter for mid-Michigan foodies, however, with the recent openings of Risk Restaurant, specialty bakery Flour Uprising and a planned sushi/martini bar downtown, in addition to other hot new restaurants.
Within the first weeks of opening, gourmet food lovers were already giving Risk Restaurant, Chef Bill Walz's latest venture, high marks on
Yelp.com. Located at 437 S. Mission, the "New American cuisine" restaurant offers international cuisine on Wednesday nights, a four-course prix fixe menu on Thursdays and a seated brunch on Sundays.
Walz, who previously owned the Lemon Grass and Good to Go eateries in the same location, says he enjoys pushing the envelope with innovative menu offerings.
"I have the freedom to do what I want with food," he says. "If I'm down at the farmer's market and I see morels, I just put them on the menu; I don't have to check with someone first.
"That's the trend with better restaurants throughout the world -- you change the menu on a daily basis based on what's freshest," says Walz, who first earned his cooking chops working at a restaurant in Florida alongside chefs who trained in France. "In a corporate restaurant, you can't do that."
The "risk" concept refers to both the restaurant venture itself and the customers' willingness to try new foods, which are developed based on Walz's observation on what's going on with cuisine on across the globe. He keeps tabs on what restaurants are offering in South America and Europe, and tries to emulate those offerings using fresh, organic Great Lakes ingredients.
A recent Moroccan-themed dinner menu included an appetizer of Kofta, ground beef sausage with yogurt-cucumber sauce and tabouli; Harira soup; mixed salad; stuffed Chicken Galantine -- local organic chicken stuffed with dried fruit, pine nuts and spinach, with chicken stock reduction and almond jasmine rice; and a sweet pastry with fresh fruit and honey for dessert.
"He has the unique ability to put foods together that most people wouldn't think of," says Deb Smith, the restaurant's main server. "The food is really extraordinary."
Risk is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch; 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch on Sundays. Credit cards are not accepted, and because of the limited seating space, reservations are recommended.
A few blocks away, the women behind
Flour Uprising are also working hard to carve out a niche with organic, local ingredients in their baked goods.
Co-owners Annette Pratt and Linda Spyke started hawking their famous baked goods during Mount Pleasant's farmer's market two years ago, and graduated to a storefront location at 112 N. Main St. last October.
Their logo, two Rosie-the-Riveter inspired women wielding rolling pins above their heads "refers to the revolutionary idea that baked goods could be healthy," says Pratt. "So many baked goods are made with white bleached flour" and puffed with air.
In response to demand for healthier, organic and local ingredients, the women have even created their own flour mixture using rolled wheat from a farm in Eaton Rapids.
"Our vision was to make great breads, indulgences and baked goods healthier -- we wanted to provide (an option) for vegans and people with allergies to eggs and gluten," says Pratt.
Though finding gluten-free flours and other alternative recipes to cater to people with particularly dietary needs is challenging, the women enjoy the fact that they can provide a product not easily found in Mid Michigan.
The concept has already created a few loyal fans. Thanks to Flour Uprising, a few local children with egg allergies or other food sensitivities have been able to celebrate their birthdays with their first decorated birthday cakes.
"I think everyone should have the opportunity to have same treats everyone else has," says Pratt, whose specialty indulgences include brownies, whoopee pies, torts and sweet breads, many available in a vegan or gluten-free option. Pratt has even started working with cakes, including vegan wedding cakes.
"No one except us is baking vegan right now," she says.
Spyke, who retired from teaching art and selling art in galleries, is enjoying the new venture as the shop's bread baker, making artisan bread, rolls and buns, among other baked goods.
"I've found it's a little easier to sell food than art," she says. "You put a chocolate brownie underneath their noses and they're going to say, 'I want that.'"
The shop now offers lunch, including vegan and non-vegan soups, salad and a slice of homemade bread. Store hours are currently 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though they will expand to 5 p.m. in the future. They accept specialty orders at 989-779-8000.
Gourmands should also be sure to check out these other new and upcoming restaurants:
•
Tavola Gigi's, an Italian restaurant that opened in 2009 in the space Risk now occupies, has relocated to a larger space at 1506 W. High St.
•
Isabella's, inside the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort offers an upscale Italian dining experience.
• Construction on
Midori Sushi and Martini Lounge at 105 E. Broadway St. continues with an unknown opening date.
• Los Aztecas, featuring authentic Mexican cuisine, opened at 4445 E. Blue Grass Rd. last summer.
• And for an innovative drive-thru experience, check out
Oh My Burgers and Fries, a locally owned restaurant at 1501 S. Mission that opened in late 2010 featuring fresh ingredients in burgers, veggie burgers, hand-cut fries and shakes.
Cynthia J. Drake is an award-winning writer, poet, and columnist based in Michigan. Since beginning her professional career in 2001, she has been an entertainment writer, a newspaper reporter, and a magazine editor. She specializes in travel and lifestyle features, corporate public relations and marketing, and higher education writing.