A winter visit to South Haven

We are usually only drawn to this coastal Southwest Michigan town in the summer when all the shops are open, and we can walk out to the pier to the lighthouse, admiring along the way the big pleasure boats coming in off the lake or docked at the marina. With its location on the shore of Lake Michigan, South Haven is a popular destination in the summer for visitors from Chicago and all over Michigan. We are only a little less than an hour away, but winter driving on that side of Michigan with its lake effect snow doesn't make it very inviting. Also, some of the shops can't afford to stay open after the summer tourists leave, followed by the Christmas shoppers, so they close for the winter. Some do stay open, though, as well as some of the restaurants. I had taken note of one in particular during one of my summer visits, that I hoped to try soon. I had a chance when a late summer lay-away purchase that was ready to come home with me gave me an excuse to make a rare January trip to South Haven. We stopped first at The Perfect Setting to pick up my long awaited necklace. This small jewelry shop has always been a favorite stop for my girlfriends and me. It is part of the collection of shops called Old Harbor Village on the Black River on Williams Street. Here we find unique and beautiful handcrafted jewelry with stones set in sterling silver and gold. The pieces here are not cheap, but most are within reach and are fun to look at, wish for, and sometimes purchase. My necklace was purchased on one of those such days with a friend when we were "just looking and wishing."
We both admired the beautiful purple and turquoise quartz necklace, and while trying it on, my friend suggested I buy it. After protesting that it cost too much, she then asked questions of the sales girl. "Do you have lay-away?" "You do?" After a few more questions I was talked right into it. Lay-away! Isn't that great! Customers here will also find the sales staff to be very friendly, personable, and helpful. Our January visit this month was by appointment only. They are closed from January through March, except by appointment.

After my husband and I made our pick-up here, we headed over a couple of streets to Tello Italian Bistro on Phoenix Street. We were immediately impressed with the ambiance. It was dark, cozy, and elegant looking. We were also lucky to be here on a day and time when there was only one other table besides us. Our waitress didn't smile much at first, but we were polite and friendly anyway, so she opened up more, and became more talkative and helpful throughout the rest of our visit. I started out with a salad of baby greens, goat cheese and pine nuts, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was simple, but good. We both were very pleased with our entrees. My husband chose Lasagne al forno. It was tasty, but very different because of the bechamel sauce and Bolognese with pork, in addition to the beef. We both have enjoyed Bolognese in the past, so I chose Parpadelle Bolognese which was pasta with the Bolognese sauce of pork and beef. These were both served with fresh parmesan. My Pinot Grigio, that I ordered, was a nice complement to my pasta. We skipped dessert, but they had several tempting ones to choose from including Tiramisu and Canoli, both made with mascarpone cheese. Maybe I can try one of those on a future visit.

I am very much looking forward to summer, with or without another trip here, but South Haven will again be on our agenda.

The Perfect Setting, 515 Williams St., South Haven, MI, ph. 269-637-8385

Tello Italian Bistro, 524 Phoenix, South Haven, MI, ph. 269-639-9898