The Pine Squirrel Bar & Grill in Gaylord, MI, USA
You could do a whole season on great Northern Michigan restaurants I found this amazing place in Gaylord that you have to check out! It's called The Pine Squirrel (Blind Squirrel sued them) It's a little outside of downtown, so it's mostly locals that are super friendly and treated me like a rock star It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's a big log cabin with vaulted ceilings and a long bar area This is some of the best food I've ever had Whoever comes up with this is a genius! The menu looks pretty much like everyone; and yet, it's different from anything you've ever had Everything has layers of flavors and textures Every restaurant in Michigan has their own version of a Harvest Salad This place takes there's in a whole new direction They call it the Squirrel's Nest Salad Along with the usual suspects of baby mixed greens, blue cheese, dried cherries It has shredded orange an white carrots, that give it sweetness an, d crunch Then it has sliced almonds for a nutty crunch They add just enough crumbled bacon to give it a slight smoky flavor The red onions do there thing with flavor and texture Finally, they use Poppy Seed dressing instead of the usual Raspberry Vinaigrette You can add chicken or shrimp, but it eats like a meal without it I ordered it as a side once and didn't touch my entre You've got to check this place out! Tell Paige that Mike Z said Hi