Dinner at Tapawingo - Ellsworth, MI

[tammylc]

Saturday night my husband Eric and I went to Tapawingo in Ellsworth, MI. Any SF readers in the crowd will be familar with the "Restaurant at the End of the Universe." Well, Saturday we had dinner at the "Restaurant in the Middle of Nowhere." To get to Tapawingo from Charlevoix (a resort town where we'd spent the afternoon), you take the main highway out of town, then turn onto a country road. Travel 10 miles until you reach the stop sign with blinking light, and turn left. Travel a few more miles, and you reach a sign welcoming you the Village of Ellsworth, and a few scattered buildings. Turn left at the stop sign and you'll see a sign on your right that says Tapawingo. So far as we could tell, this would be your only reason for coming to Ellsworth (not quite true, there's supposedly another good restaurant there too, the Rowe Inn). And come they did - the parking lot was almost full at our 7 pm arrival time, and when we left there were cars parked on the grass as well.

Tapawingo has been around for over 10 years, and has gone through a couple of chef changes. Their current chef, Stuart Brioza, was just named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine Magazine.

When I made the reservation, I told them it was our anniversary, and our menus had "Happy Anniversary Tammy and Eric" printed on top - a nice touch. The restaurant is pretty - very open and airy. A little too open, in some ways - our table was on the other side of a half wall from a larger table, and we were less than a foot away from our neighbors. But we had a lovely view of the patio and the lake out of the big windows.

The menu is five courses - two set hors d'oeuvres, and then your choice of a first dish, a principal dish and dessert. The price of your meal is based on your choice of principal dish, and ranged from $50-$58 the night we were there. The complete menu from Saturday is currently posted on the website, but they change it pretty frequently, so it might not be the same depending when you read this (in fact, looking at it closer now, it appears that there are a few subtle differences from what we had Saturday).

We started off with a glass of champagne, it being our anniversary afterall. It was just that night's house champagne (and at $15/glass, not a cheapie) - I can't remember what exactly it was, and it's not on the wine list from the website.

The first hors d'oeuvres was Tomato and Basil "Salad." The quotation marks were a tip off that that this would be something unusual, and it was - a round of tomato gelee on top of basil olive oil, with fresh shaved parmesan and crushed black pepper on the side. All the flavors of tomato basil salad, but with a twist. I thought it was tasty and fun, but Eric found it too frou-frou for his tastes.

The second hors d'ouvres was Chilled Golden Beet Soup. This was served in a tiny little cup, and tasted pretty much just like beets. Which was, of course, the point. Eric, not being a fan of beets, wasn't thrilled with this one either. I thought it was fine - fairly simple and one-dimensional, and not something to write home about, but good.

For our first dishes, we ordered two, ate half, and then swapped. I started with the Seared Spice Cured Salmon - Fresh Hearts of Palm, Avocado, Figs & Fava Beans with Moroccan Broth. This was quite good. The Moroccan broth was intensly flavorful, and the salmon perfectly seared on the outside and still raw in the middle. All of the accompaniments meant that there was quite a lot going on in the dish, but the variety of tastes and textures worked well.

Meanwhile, Eric got the Morel & Toasted Rye Soup - Brie Cheese Custard. The soup was a beautiful dark brown, with lovely tender morels floating in it. In the center there was a little cheesy custard, and the whole thing was garnished with some tiny strips of toasted rye bread. Wow. The soup was very rich and earthy and flavorful, and the morels were, as I've said, lovely and tender. The custard was sort of pointless, however, as the soup overwhelmed any brie-ness to be found. But this was not a dissapointment, as the soup itself was just delightful.

After some discussion with the sommelier (Ron Edwards, formerly of Five Lakes Grill in Milford, who was great), we settled on a half bottle of the 2000 Terrabianca Scassino Chianti Classico for our main courses. At $25 this was an amazing deal. Really excellent wine, with good cherry fruit and plenty of structure and depth.

On to the main courses. Eric ordered the "Tagliata" of Corn Fed Beef Sirloin-Arugula Jus, Lemon Rind & Parmesan Flan, Trumpet Royal Mushrooms & Virgin Olive Oil. Cooked medium-rare, as the chef suggested, we both thought it would have been better rare (but that's how we like our steak, so we're biased). The meat was nicely flavorful, and the accompaniments worked well. The arugula jus was a bright green paste of pureed arugula and was awesome with the beef - I love arugula, and the peppery bite came through wonderfully in the jus. Another cheese custard, but this time it worked perfectly, with the parmesan really front and center.

But I was the big winner in the main course selection. Shrimp Crusted Black Sea Bass - Turnips & their Greens, Shitake Mushrooms, Soy Beans, Vidalia Onion-Soy Black Truffle Oil Vinaigrette. Beautiful presentation: there were two stacked pieces of sea bass, with turnip greens between them. The top piece was crusted with shrimp and sesame seeds. This sat in a pool of the vinaigrette, with four separate garnishes - baby turnips sliced in half to the left, soy beans (edamame) at the bottom, carmelized onions to the right, and mushrooms at the top (both shitake and at least one other kind, maybe enoke?). I just can't say enough about the sauce - light but complex, perfectly seasoned, with sweet from the vidalias, salt from the soy, and depth and earthiness from the truffle. The sauce was very similar to something I'd had at Tribute last year, but much better executed, with a more subtle and less overpowering combination of similar flavors. Awesome. Maybe the best dish I've ever had, in fact.

And then, it was time for dessert. The sommelier came by to see how we'd liked the Chianti, and mentioned some of the dessert wine pairings. Eric and I talked and agreed that he was willing to drive back to camp, so if I wanted to indulge I should, and he'd get a cappucino. The most interesting thing on the dessert menu had to be the Strawberries n' Cream Tart - Pink and Black Peppercorn Cookie Crust, Basil Ice Cream & Strawberry Rhubarb Salad. I seriously regret not ordering it, but I'd been seduced by the siren's song of the Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse - Passion Fruit Sauce, Pecan Meringue Cake and Caramelized Bananas. This was a fine dessert, although the mousse was layered between pieces of bittersweet chocolate, so eating it was a bit of a challenge - I ended up striking the chocolate pieces sharply with the tines of my fork to break them up. With it I had the suggested wine, a Banyuls from Domaine de Mas Blanc - there are three on the wine list, and I don't know which I had, unfortunately. As promised, this is a wine that goes very well with chocolate - the nose on it is quite chocolatey, actually, with some hints of cloves and spice as well. A red dessert wine, this is similar to Port, but without the addition of Brandy that gives Port its high alcohol content, and less sweet than many ports I've tried. I like my dessert wines on the less sweet side, so this worked well for me.

Eric had the Tasting of Creme Brulee - Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Raspberry and Chocolate Mint. All three were good, although the just plain vanilla was his favorite.

And then, of course, there were the petit fours. A candied almond for each of us, and a sugared passion fruit gelee and peanut butter-chocolate truffle that we split. The truffle was awesome. We lingered for a bit as Eric finished up his cappucino and I my wine, and then we headed out into the twilight for the drive back to the campground (we were combining my anniversary wish for a fancy dinner with his anniversary wish for a camping outing with friends).

Little bits: Much attention to cutlery - Eric and I got different cutlery from each other for our main courses - I assume that the 3 tined fork and funny shaped knife are considered appropriate for fish.... And how could I forget to mention the bread? The baguette in particular was spectacular, with a perfect crust. Eric was annoyed by the cup his cappucino was served in - it was a fancy painted cup, but the handle was an artsy little thing that you couldn't actually put your finger through, making drinking the cappucino without burning yourself a challenge. He ordered a second cappucino, and they were able to accomodate his request for a different cup. And lastly, Just a little before we left, a four-top was seated across the way from us. The sommelier knew them, and informed them that they wouldn't need menus, as the chef would be cooking for them, and he'd be choosing their wines. Nifty.

[glomer]

i had dinner at tapawingo two years ago and had an amazing dinnner there. stuart brioza is an incredibly talented chef with so much up his sleeve it's amazing. his passion for food is inspiring and ability to execute a remarkable dinner is outstanding. i had a chance to eat his food while he was here in chicago a few years back as he was the sous chef for savarin. his food may be simple but i would never think of it as being one dimensional. his flavors are right on and "less may be more". i think over saucing and over seasoning is one common mistake you will find in many restaurants and chefs. it's challenging to find ingredients that "compliment the star of the dish". it's about enhancing the flavors and bringing it to another level...which i believe stuart does very well. if any of you have the opportunity to eat at tapawingo, go, it's worth the drive up.

[MatthewB]

Tammy,

Thanks for the great report!

We're heading up to Charlevoix for a weekend in August. Plan is to eat at both Tapawingo & the Rowe. I'll report.

Cheers.

[annieb]

I had dinner (with five others) last summer at Tapawingo and it was wonderful. I love beets, and generally think golden beets are not as earthy as I like my beets, but the golden beet soup was a revelation. I've wanted to eat at Tapawingo for many years and finally got to.

If you do a google search on Tapawingo you'll find out some history of the place. The owner is a refugee from the car business, I believe, and cooked at the Rowe Inn before opening Tapawingo. The restaurant has been added on to since it opened, and has beautiful gardens around it.

I'll be up that way later this summer and may try to go for lunch, if I can find somebody willing to go with.

[MatthewB]

I'll be up that way later this summer and may try to go for lunch, if I can find somebody willing to go with.

Call ahead, make reservations, & note that you'll be dining alone as you so want to enjoy the experience.

They may pay you some special attention. (I hear Keller does this with all solo diners at FL.)

[shadow]

Just thought you'd like to know that our recent trip to Michgan was all your fault When I read your post on Tapawingo, I remembered how much my husband and myself had enjoyed that restaurant several years ago. So I called for reservations on the Fourth of July weekend, thinking they probably would not have any. Luckily, they did and as my husband said " we drove 500 miles for dinner".

Since we wanted EVERYTHING, we had the tasting menu with wines.

It was an excellent menu, managing to go together as a whole , and the wines, several from Michigan , were a revelation. By the way, we stayed at the House on the Hill bed and breakfast about 10 minute away and liked it very much.

Thanks for the push!

[tammylc]

Shadow - I'm so glad your 500 mile drive for dinner was worthwhile, and that I could inspire such a fabulous outing!

By tasting menu do you mean just the regular four/five courses with choices, but with the wine for each course, or was there a special tasting menu?

[Sam Iam]

I realized that I never posted the Tasting Menu from Memorial Day weekend at Tapawingo. This was served May 25, 2003. I had called apprx. three months earlier for a table of six. I mentioned that the group was a "gourmet club" and were looking for a fun evening! I also stressed that one woman had a severe (life threatning level) allergy to crab and lobster. The dinner is offered either with wine pairing or without wines.

Service was absolutely perfect! I'm pretty sure that we had our own busboy in charge of silver, plate removal, and water. Maybe two.

Ron Edwards, the Sommelier, introduced himself as soon as we were seated and presented the Tasting Menu. He is very personable and knowledgable.

One small glitch... Peekytoe Crab was listed on the menu TWICE! The first time was a typo. The Amuse did not contain crab, but the soup did. I believe that there was a breakdown in communication between the office and the kitchen.

Anyhow, here's the menu:

Amuse: Tomato & Basil "Salad" with Ployez-Jacquemart Brut N.vV., Champagne

Asparagus Soup, Neither Hot nor Cold, Peekytoe Crab & Saffron-Lemon Citrus with 1999 Wyncroft Avonlea Vineyard Riesling, Lake Michigan Shore

Braised Veal Cheek, Russet Potatoes, Morels, Sweet Onio Vinaigrette, Pheasant Egg, Snap Pea Salad with 1999 Domaine la Garrique Vacqueyras, Southern Rhone

Roasted Tasmanian Sea Trout, Smoked Bacon, Fois Gras, Ramp Broth, Sunchoke, Morels, Smoked Ham Hock & Sage with 1997 Qupe Roussanne Alban Vinyard, Edna Valley

"Tagliata" of Corn Fed Beef Sirloin, Arugula Jus, Lemon Rind & Parmesan Flan, Morels & Virgin Olive Oil, with 1997 Agricola San Felice Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany

Strawberries n' Cream Tart, Candies Ginger Cookie Crust, Basil Ice Cream & Rhubarb Strawberry Compote, with 1998Peter Lehman "The Barossa", Barossa Valley Australia

Hazelnut Torte, Espresso Ice Cream & Espresso Caramel

A "suprise" serving of the fantastic golden beet soup (served in a very small expresso cup) was added, along with a sorbet. Pricing was a reasonable $75 for the dinner and $50 for the wine pairing.

All in all, well worth a 500 mile round trip from SE Michigan. One couple has a family home on Mission Peninsula, near Traverse City. We stayed there, about 50 minutes from Tapawingo. We're going to try to retun sometime this fall, perhaps also visit the Rowe Inn.

Sam

[shadow]

Hello!

Yes, there is a special tasting menu-- it changes with the chef's ideas and the season. I think it is reasonable for what you get. $75.00 for menu and $45 for wines.

Here's what we had

Amuse-Tomato and Basil " salad, cold pea and anise soup with iced rhubarb

Champagne--don't know what kind

I don't usually care for anise and my husband does. I liked the pea and anise soup and he didn't . Go figure.

Razor Clam Salad

Smoked sablefish, grapefruit, chervil, picked red onion and cucumber with sevruga caviar

2001 Hugel Gentil , Alsace

Cold smoked golden tomato soup

salt cod and vidalia onion tart with smoked paprika

2002 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc California

Shrimp Crusted Halibut

turnips and their greens, shitakes, soy beans, vidalia onion-soy black truffle oil vinagrette

2002 Gaia Estate 14-18h Agiogitiko Rose, Greece

Nine spiced Loin of Lamb

Marcona almonds, roasted fig, prosciutto, gorgonzola and tomato-Cille " salad"

1998 Wyncroft Shou-Lake Michigan Shore ( really good--I never would have guesses I'd like this wine)

Yogurt Mousse

strawberry salad and Basil ice cream

2000 Black Star Farms Acapella Riesling icewinw--Old Mision Peninsula ( trying to get some of this--no luck so far)

Milk Chocolate Malted milkshake

bittersweet chocolate dried cherry cookies

YUM!

[tammylc]

Damn. The tasting menu must have been added between when I went and when you guys went, because it was definitely not offered (nor on the website, although it is now) when we were there. Bummer.

[stubrio]

Tapawingo offers a printed 5 course tasting menu through the "gastrotourism" months of July, August & September. The restaurant can accomodate advanced requests for food & wine tasting menus in the off season months as well, ranging from 5-9 courses. Also, during the summer months July 1-Labor Day (weather permitting), an "a la carte" menu which features the dining room menu selections is offered on the patio outside. The entree portions are similar in size to the first course selections & allow guests to sample many items. Wines by the glass have also been pre-selected to compliment each of the dishes if one desires. Reservations are taken that day after 3 pm. I hope this was helpful.

[tammylc]

Thanks, stubrio - that was helpful. Now can you help me convince my husband to drive four hours for dinner again?

Welcome to eGullet!

[ulterior epicure]

any recent visitors out there? i'd love an update. i've had my eye on tapawingo for a couple of years now, but never quite made it up there.

cheers.

ulterior epicure.

[Alex]

any recent visitors out there?  i'd love an update.  i've had my eye on tapawingo for a couple of years now, but never quite made it up there.

cheers.

ulterior epicure.

←

You really owe it to yourself to get there. If you have the extra $$$, stay overnight at The House on the Hill.

The House on the Hill also is hosting wine weekends, one each month through May, featuring a Friday dinner at the Inn, a Saturday wine/food tasting menu at The Rowe Inn, and the possibility of a Sunday/Monday cooking class at Tapawingo.

We last dined at Tapawingo this past July -- I returned home fully intending to make a complete report, but, well, you know....

We opted for the Chef's Tasting -- $135, including wine pairings, exclusive of tax and tip ($85 w/o wine). Here's the menu, along with a few comments.

Squash Blossom Tempura

stuffed with shrimp mousse, with basil, green peas, and an orange aioli

- Gloria Ferrer Blanc des Noirs Brut N.V. -

> Very light, a good way to get the taste buds going.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

with Peekytoe Crab, Wild Steelhead Roe, Cherry Tomatoes, Gooseberries, Lemon Yogurt Sorbet, Mint, and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

- 2002 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Kabinett -

> The hit of the evening, for me at least -- mint and crab, what a combo!

Yellowfin Tuna Tartar

held together with Glidden Point Oyster and Lettuce Emulsion, also with Petite Asian Greens, Yukon Gold Potato, Soft Boiled Quail Egg, and Black Truffle Vinaigrette

- 2003 Domaine P. Jacquesson Bouzeron Aligoté -

> The best wine pairing of the evening, imho >

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras

Homemade Bolt Farm Strawberry Jam, Gingerbread, Almonds, and Muscat Caramel

- 1989 Domaine Baumard Quarts des Chaumes -

> At this point, a woman who smelled like cheap strawberry lotion was seated at an adjacent table. I don't think this was intended to be part of the course. Fortunately, the odor faded before too long.

Sauteed Soft Shell Crabs

Basmati Rice, Roasted Pattypan Squash, Mustard Greens, Garlic Puree, and Saffron, with a Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

- 2002 Domaine Baillard Chablis -

> no particular comment here

Cinnamon Crusted Veal Sweetbreads

Baby Beets, Sunchoke & Hazelnut Puree, Huckleberries, Blueberries, and Porcini Mushrooms

- 1996 Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva -

> Beets and cinnamon -- who'da thunk it? -- but it worked. Killer wine, too.

Roasted Domestic Rack of Lamb

Shaved Summer Truffles, Pattypan Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Fava & Cannellini Beans, with a Port Wine Sauce

- 2000 Pavillon des Connectable -

> The weakest dish of the evening. My notes say, "OK, but not exciting" and, concerning the truffles, "sort of a waste here."

Raspberry Sorbet

Artisanal Cheese

Levezou, Sheep's Milk, Pyrenees, France; with Crab Apple Mostarda

- 2003 Artazuri Garnacha -

> My only note for this course was a smiley face. At the Heartland Gathering the following weekend, tammylc and I cruised a couple of wine/cheese/specialty food shops. At one of them I spotted a display of this very same cheese. After some liberal sampling, I mentioned Tapawingo. Turns out these folks were the ones who recommended and sold the cheese to them.

Bolt Farm Strawberry Neapolitan

Lemon & Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Strawberry Mousse, Candied Almonds, and a Funnel Cake

- 1999 Zimmerman Graeff Niersteiner Gutes Domtal Auslese -

> Very light; an appropriate finish for this extensive meal. The wine was tasty but a sweeter one would have been a better complement for the dessert.

Edited January 4, 2006 by Alex (log)

[ulterior epicure]

Sauteed Soft Shell Crabs

Basmati Rice, Roasted Pattypan Squash, Mustard Greens, Garlic Puree, and Saffron, with a Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

- 2002 Domaine Baillard Chablis -

> no particular comment here

um - yum?

Cinnamon Crusted Veal Sweetbreads

Baby Beets, Sunchoke & Hazelnut Puree, Huckleberries, Blueberries, and Porcini Mushrooms

- 1996 Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva -

> Beets and cinnamon -- who'da thunk it? -- but it worked. Killer wine, too.

um - double yum!

Roasted Domestic Rack of Lamb

Shaved Summer Truffles, Pattypan Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Fave & Cannellini Beans, with a Port Wine Sauce

- 2000 Pavillon des Connectable -

> The weakest dish of the evening. My notes say, "OK, but not exciting" and, concerning the truffles, "sort of a waste here."

must i do a triple?

thanks for that review! i do hope i make it up there soon!

ulterior epicure.

[Expat Russ]

Way back when, I used to live/work in East Jordan, MI...unfortunately, I was just out of college and had neither the time, nor the appreciation to eat at Tapawingo...my foodie nature was just maturing...thankfully enough to appreciate the morels that grew in my backyard...you have inspired me to travel up to my old stomping grounds from my new homebase of Detroit....good idea for the wife's dreaded 4-0