Tabor Hill and Chocolate Garden

So, still in a wine tasting mood after the Traverse City trip, I gathered up my girlfriends and we headed to Buchanan, Michigan -- home of Tabor Hill Winery.
After hearing about this spot we were anxious to try the restaurant which sounded appealing because it overlooks the vineyards.
Thankfully, the scenery wasn't the only thing it had going for it. The food didn't disappoint either. I chose the Chicken chopped salad with sliced avocados pictured above. One of the other dishes at our table was the Raspberry Chicken below.
The menu also features grilled bison, an interesting addition since you don't often see it served anywhere. They have many other unique but delicious sounding dishes that I'm anxious to try on a return trip; especially on the dinner menu which features heartier fare. After dinner we went to the lobby of the winery to try some of the wine being offered, and also visited the shop. Here I wanted to purchase a souvenir of our visit, so I chose a pair of wine glasses with the Tabor Hill logo. Luckily it was a beautiful day for a road trip. We continued from Tabor Hill on to Coloma to visit "The Chocolate Garden."
This is an "all truffles" shop, but they are delicious. You can purchase boxes of them, but I chose the packages of two so that I could put together my own variety. I chose dark chocolate raspberry, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate hazelnut. They are smooth and creamy, but what makes them really delicious is the outside texture created by rolling the truffle in chocolate shavings.

It was a fun and delicious day.


The Chocolate Garden, 2691 Friday Road, Coloma, MI 49038, (269) 468-YUMM

Tabor Hill Winery,185 Mount Tabor Road, Buchanan, Michigan USA 49107, (800)283-3363

Traverse City

It's hard to give up and let go of a beautiful summer like we've just had in Michigan this year. Once we've finally accepted the idea that it's over and are ready to move on, Fall in Michigan is eagerly anticipated.
A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I headed up North to the Traverse City area for a few days. With us traveling from Southwest Michigan, we were hoping to find that the trees up there were way ahead of ours in color, but they were only just beginning. Still, it was enough to give us a fresh sense of Autumn in the air, and add to the ambiance of our planned itinerary. Our stay for our three nights was based at the Grand Traverse Resort, which is actually in Acme, right next to Traverse City. There, we had a very nice, even though somewhat basic, room. The main draw at the resort, for many, is probably the three signature golf courses designed by golf legends, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and William Newcomb, but I didn't hesitate to book myself a hot stone massage at the luxurious spa. In addition to these offerings are the upscale shops and three restaurants. There are many good restaurants in this area. One of my favorites is amical. Our visit there was a return trip for me. It is a French Bistro style restaurant, but many of the dishes seem to lean toward Italian. It's casual, yet its menu selection and ambiance are upscale. The decor is inviting with its black and white checkered tablecloths, and makes you feel like you could be in Paris. As soon as you walk in the door you're greeted with glass cases full of mouth watering gourmet caramel apples, cakes, tarts, and other pastries. They also have outdoor patio dining in the front. One of the things that I like about this restaurant is that the menu has selections that you don't see every other place you go. We were here during lunch time, so wanted a fairly light meal. I chose one of the three gourmet pizzas they had to offer because its hard to find really good thin crust pizzas very often. I was hesitant at first to try a pizza that included salami, but this pizza, that also included roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella, on cracker thin crust was delicious. My husband had the Tomato Soup en Croute, which is roasted tomato soup in a puff pastry. I tasted this also, and loved it, so we ended up sharing both. Their autumn menu also features Stuffed Acorn Squash, and Pumpkin Ravioli.


The hills in Michigan's wine country in the northern part of the lower peninsula, are not quite as pronounced as those in Napa Valley, but the landscape and winding roads are just as beautiful. Wine tasting here is a popular past-time this time of year, and when done on a nice sunny autumn day like we had, it makes for a memorable event, even for my husband who doesn't care for wine. We visited three wineries over the course of two days. Each were set in beautiful rolling hills surrounded by vineyards.
Chateau Fontaine was the first one we visited, and turned out to be my favorite, both in the experience and the taste of the wines. It is a bit further out then some of the others, and may be the reason this one was less crowded. Or it could be because we visited this one on a week day, and the others on Saturday. I'm sure either of these reasons could be why the experience here was less rushed feeling and more personable. They also offered crackers with a Chardonnay garlic and cilantro cheese ball that was so delicious I had to buy the mix to take home. Even though I'm usually a white wine girl, my favorite at this winery was the Woodland Red which is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. Our tour the next day took us to Bowers Harbor Vineyards and Chateau Chantal. Both of these wineries were very popular and drew large crowds. At Bowers Harbor, surrounded by vineyards and located 10 miles north of Traverse City on the Old Mission Peninsula, visitors are greeted by a very large dog named Cooper, a Bernese Mountain dog. A grapevine covered walkway leads to the tasting room, which was originally a horse barn.
Chateau Chantal, which is also a Bed and Breakfast, looks like an old world castle, and its location on Old Mission Peninsula offers panoramic views of rolling vineyards and Grand Traverse Bay. My favorite wines at these visits were not necessarily the ones that won the biggest awards, but that just goes to show that no matter how many awards a particular wine has won, wine choice is really a matter of personal preference.


We concluded our trip to Traverse City with a visit to Music House Museum. Housed inside is a large collection of antique automated musical instruments. These were given by many contributors, and are all authentically, and beautifully restored. A guide gives an escorted tour giving the history of the instruments, while demonstrating many of them starting with some of the smaller and older pieces, and ending with the largest. Some of the larger ones ranged from an organ grinder to reproducing pianos to a dance hall organ. It was an interesting and enjoyable hour and a half. Our tour concluded with a visit to the gift shop, which offered musical themed gift items and recordings.


amical, 229 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI, ph. 231-941-8888

Bowers Harbor Vineyards, 2896 Bowers Harbor Road, Traverse City, MI, ph. 800-616-7615

Chateau Chantal, 15900 Rue de Vin, Traverse City, MI, ph. 231-223-4110

Chateau Fontaine Vineyards and Winery, 2290 S. French Rd., Lake Leelanau, MI, ph. 231-256-0000

Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI, ph. 800-236-1577

The Music House Museum, 7377 U.S. 31 North, Acme, MI, ph. 231-938-9300

From one of my favorite past vacations -- Louisiana Pizza Kitchen in New Orleans

Seeking out new restaurants is one of my favorite hobbies.  Whenever I travel it seems that there is always one restaurant that stands out as most memorable among the ones I visit.  In New Orleans, a place renowned for its rich French Creole cuisine, there was such a place.  But not for the reasons you would expect in a city that employs some of the world’s best chefs.  To my surprise it wasn’t one of the restaurants my friend and I so anxiously waited to visit after our careful pre-trip planning.  It wasn’t Brennan’s – so famous for their Bananas Foster and breakfasts with their unique egg dishes, such as Eggs Sardou, or even Antoine’s, one of the keepers of New Orleans and Mardi Gras history and oldest family-owned restaurant in the United States.  Nope.  After visiting one pricey restaurant after another in this seafood and rich sauce heavy city, our stomachs, not to mention our pocketbooks were ready for something different and affordable.  We found it in the Garden District at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen.  This is a popular pizza chain in Louisiana, and also had three other locations in New Orleans.  The pizzas here are absolutely delicious.  They should be.  Louisiana Pizza Kitchen was voted “Number One Specialty Pizza Restaurant” in New Orleans for nine years and “Best Caesar Salad” eight years in a row by New Orleans magazine.  The thin crusts made of flat bread and olive oil and baked in wood-fired ovens seem to be the secret to perfect traditional Italian pizza.  The gourmet toppings are a refreshing departure from the usual sausage and pepperoni choices, although these and other traditional toppings are on the menu too.  A favorite is the Roasted Garlic pizza with fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta and mozzarella cheeses.  Other ingredients feature local tastes, such as alligator sausage, okra, crawfish and andouille.  There is also an array of pasta dishes and salads on the menu, along with fresh baked bread.  The ambiance was cozy and inviting with the expected Italian-themed décor and featured artwork by local artists.  We were also happy that the Garden District location on Carrollton Ave was convenient to the St. Charles trolley stop, which was just across the street. 
With so many recommended restaurants to try in New Orleans, it will take many return trips, so when we need a break between Commander’s Palace and Galatoire’s, a second visit to Louisiana Pizza Kitchen will definitely merit a place on our itinerary.