cookbookfetish

Several new food places have opened in the downtown Mt. Pleasant area - all worth a mention to food-friendly folks who may be passing through. I'm linking to Facebook pages... 1)Market On Main, run by the same people who own The Brass Cafe, featuring gourmet items to go, great cheese selection, cooking classes. It's a couple of doors away from the Brass on Main Street. 2) Mountain Town Station has added a fine dining restaurant called Camille's On The River. I ate dinner here recently: mussels in white wine sauce, gnocchi with beef cheek, pumpkin praline torte, and a glass of Grand Traverse Riesling. Elegant dining room, roaring fire, excellent service. 3) Midori Sushi & Martini Lounge. Fancy & friendly. Loved the hazelnut scallops with vanilla cream and watermelon salad. Enjoyed the Ninja Roll: crab salad, tempura avocado, tuna, ginger dressing and scallion. Didn't care for the fruit sushi dessert: too much rice, not enough fruit or chocolate; I think it confused my taste buds after the other items. 4) Gingko Tree Inn & Riverbluff Bistro. Haven't eaten here yet, but it sounds wonderful: Turkey, Bacon & Brie Sandwich, Ratatouille Crepes, and English Tea time every Tuesday through Sunday.

I've got 140 or so and growing...

I was just in downtown Denver for a conference and heartily recommend Rioja and Panzano as mentioned. Of the two, I preferred Rioja - and definitely make a reservation as my three-person party had to wait an hour without one. The same team that created Rioja also runs Bistro Vendome and the Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen; I don't know what those are like. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Denver...Rioja was a mightly hike, but made easier by the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall transportation. Panzano was only a few blocks away. Also on the pedestrian mall, if you're looking for something lighter I'd recommend MAD Greens - a local custom-salad place: pick from one of theirs or build your own. It's definitely not gourmet by any shot but really refreshed me after a day of travel. I wrote more fully about dining at all three restaurants in a recent blog post...

If you're driving north on 127 and happen to stop in Mount Pleasant, I can heartily recommend two places: 1) The Brass Cafe The website appears to be down at the moment, so I've linked to the FB page. 2) Risk Restaurant - no website, cash only, 10 tables. Located on Mission Street between Wisconsin and Locust in a green house. Here's an article from the local paper...