Great Lakes Boating magazine

Dockside Dining

When visiting a new port of call, sometimes it’s hard to know where you can get a good meal in a boater-friendly environment. Want to know where can you pop in clad in khaki shorts and Docksiders? We’ve scoured the Great Lakes for the best boater’s grub!

Milwaukee
Milwaukee Ale House
233 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, WI
(414) 226-2337

The Milwaukee Ale House, known for its handcrafted beer, live music, and food, was founded in 1997 to cater to those mingling on the Milwaukee River. Located in a brick and timber warehouse downtown in the Historic Third Ward, the establishment offers patio dining in the summer and late night dining on the weekends for those pulling into port after hours. “We offer a full service bar on our lower deck where boaters can get a hot meal and take fresh beer to go,” General Manager of Operations, John McCabe says.

Among the choice menu options that the Milwaukee Ale House offers, start out with the escargot, baked in garlic butter, served with toast points. Or, try the Jumbo Beer Pretzels served with coarse mustard. For dinner, the Ale House serves everything from pasta to specialty pizzas to seafood and steaks. Among favorites are the Barrel Stacked Lasagna, with four cheeses and Italian sausage, and the 8-ounce tenderloin fillet served with a demi glaze and a fresh seasonal wild mushroom blend.

Six public slips outside the Milwaukee Ale House make it an easy stop for boaters stopping in the area before heading back out on Lake Michigan. “The attire is casual, certainly ‘boating attire’ is welcome,” says John McCabe, “For Milwaukee, this is truly boaters’ paradise.”

The Milwaukee Ale House also sponsors five major fundraisers every year. The largest fundraiser is a sailing regatta sponsored by Mt. Gay Rum called Louie’s Last Regatta, which is held the first weekend of October. The regatta benefits the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. In 2005, 102 boats participated in the event and raised $83,000.

For more information visit www.ale-house.com.

Detroit
Beach Grill
24420 Jefferson
St. Clair Shores, MI
(586) 771-4455

Located twenty minutes east of downtown Detroit, the Beach Grill is located on Lake St. Clair’s Nautical Mile. The restaurant and resort is known for its Floridian inspired menu, most notably their Alaskan king crab, which is “windowed” and steamed, as well as their pan seared Canadian Salmon. Among their other specialties are rich topping-laden pizza and French onion soup.

The restaurant, which is the former site of a lakefront amusement park, is a comfortable place for boaters to relax. For those who are looking for a nighttime spot, the establishment offers a full-service bar and a large dance floor in their Aqua Bar Room, which is separate from the dining area. Happy Hour is held every Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., boasting a tropical drink menu.

As far as entertainment is concerned, The Beach Grill offers live Caribbean and Top 40 bands on their 5,000 square foot waterfront deck every Saturday and Sunday, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. While dining on the deck, patrons can enjoy the outdoor Tiki bar.

“We are as boater friendly as it gets,” says the proud on-hand owner, Mark DiMaso. The establishment has a 300-foot boardwalk to accommodate any size watercraft and docking right at their dining deck. “If you need [assistance] our dock hands are at your service every weekend to lend a helping hand,” DiMaso says. What should you wear when stopping by the Beach Grill? DiMaso comments, “Our dress code is boater casual. Come on in as you are, with your tennis shoes, shorts, and baseball caps.”

The Beach Grill is open every year March through October and closed November through February.

For more information visit www.beachgrillrestaurantandresort.com

Mackinac Island
Pink Pony Bar and Grille
100 Main Street
Mackinac Island, MI
(800) 241-3341

Located beside the Mackinac Island Marina on the historic Haldimand Bay and adjacent to the Arnold Line Dock, the Pink Pony Bar and Grille in the Chippewa Hotel is the place boaters mingle on Mackinac Island!

Start your night off with the Pink Pony’s Shrimp Wawatum appetizer, black tiger shrimp stuffed with crab, rolled in bacon and flash-fried. Next try their whitefish, prepared three ways: broiled, herb crusted, or pan seared. The Detroit News voted the Pink Pony third place for the best restaurant for whitefish. Not in the mood for seafood? Try the Asian Marinated Grilled Flank steak served on a bed of jasmine sticky rice, fresh Asian vegetable medley and finished with fried carrot rings and wonton noodles.

The establishment is the only bar on the Island with an adjoining private dock for guests. “The mantra at the Pony is ‘Yachts and tachts of fun’ so you can be sure to run elbows with the best of the Great Lakes yachters,” the 2005 Mackinac Island Visitors Guide boasts.

Renowned as the yachters’ place to stop for both the Port Huron to Mackinac and Chicago to Mackinac annual yacht races, the Pink Pony sponsors the Port Huron Race Committee Reception each year. The annual Snag n’ Brag Fishing Tournament in mid-August is also hosted by the restaurant each summer. In the past two years, all profits from the event have been donated to the ‘Race the Bernida’ fund.

The Pink Pony offers a stage for live music and other entertainers to perform. Pool tables and dartboards are also available.

For more information visit www.chippewahotel.com. For more information on ‘Race the Bernida’ visit www.bernida.org.

Cleveland
Shooters
1148 Main Ave.
Cleveland, MI
(216) 861-6900

One of the first developments on the West Bank of the Cleveland Flats, Shooters on the Water is the place to stop for casual waterfront dining. Start out your meal with Shooter’s hot crab dip; a special blend of fresh crabmeat, cream cheese, and spices served with toasted pita points. Also recommended is the Calamari Dibattista, tender Atlantic squid, lightly breaded and then fried and tossed in virgin olive oil, with garlic, banana pepper rings, and roasted red peppers. For the main course, Shooter’s offers a variety of fare from pasta, to specialty pizzas, to steaks. Try Shooter’s Lake Erie fried perch for a taste of the Great Lakes! Not in the mood for fish? Try the Cajun shrimp pasta tossed in a velvety cream sauce.

“We serve boats of all sizes,” Manager Mike Zitney tells us of the popular summertime spot. Boater friendly, customers can pull up to get a bite to eat right in front of Shooter’s docks. The indoor and patio dining are popular in the area for people and boat watching in Shooter’s panoramic waterfront setting.

More than just a restaurant, Shooters on the Water has been entertaining boaters for years with their sound and light show on the patio overlooking the Cuyhoga River. If you are in the mood for dancing, look no further. Shooter’s hosts local bands and D.J.s to mix up music for some after-dinner enjoyment as your make your way back to your pleasure craft.

For more information visit www.shootersflats.com.

Barker’s Island, Superior, Wisconsin
The Boathouse
300 Marina Drive
Superior, Wisconsin
(715) 399-0076

If you are near Duluth, Minnesota, stopping for a bite at The Boathouse Restaurant on the edge of Lake Superior is a must! Start with a Jarlsberg Cheese Tart or Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach in Pastry. For dinner, feast on Charred Lake Trout, Glazed with Tamarind, with Duck Foie Gras au Torchon, Wild Rice Compote, and Fresh Orange or Wood-grilled Lamb Chops with Apple and Sweet Potato Stuffing, Walnut Potato Pancakes, and Scandinavian Glogg Broth. Among other menu items are fresh-caught fish, local vegetables, and organic Scottish Highland beef. Speaking of The Boathouse’s menu, chef Kirk Bratrud explains, "It's the kind of stuff out of Gourmet or Bon Appetit magazine that people would cook at home for special occasions," he said.

California native and Duluth publicist, Claire Kirch, is a fan of The Boathouse, saying, "It's a world-class restaurant to me. It amazes me that it's here in Superior, Wisconsin.”
Duluth News Tribune reporter Tom Wilkowske reminisced of his July 2005 visit by saying, “I had a great meal that was an excellent value, especially considering the Boathouse's reputation. I'll be back for the whitefish tacos.”

In September 2003, Bratrud, a sailing enthusiast, and his family designed The Boathouse to be a sailboat dining spot. The physical look of the restaurant was designed to attract boaters and many people from the interior, far from shores, who nonetheless yearn for the sea. One customer put it to partner and manager Grant Bratrud this way: “You have managed to be nautical without being Disney.”

Docking is free and another free multi-slip dock for smaller boats is just a short walk down the boardwalk. Casual boating wear is welcome. “On any summer night, there will be people in jackets and ties, and people in shorts and shirts,” says Grant.

In our May/June issue we will visit Cleveland, Sault Ste. Marie, Bay City, Toronto, and Buffalo for the best dining on the Great Lakes!

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