Rocks Landing — Restaurant in Lake Township

Mariah is easily the least welcoming, accommodating, or friendly hostess I’ve ever come across. I have worked in hospitality for years and my whole family was baffled by the way she treated us. There was a confusion with our reservation and we admittedly messed up the date. When we asked if they had any other availability that evening, she smiled and said “no” smugly. I was on resy and saw they had availability for a later time that night and when I asked if we could put our names down and come back later she said “I suppose” and rolled her eyes. When we came back, she looked panicked that we were 10 minutes early for the reservation and said “you’ll have to wait on the patio” to which I asked if she could turn on the heater because it was 60°. She, again, rolled her eyes and said “it’s not like you’ll be out there for a long time” and I said 10 minutes is long enough, can you please just turn it on if we can’t wait inside. She told me she couldn’t, but would find someone. She never did. When our table was ready, she didn’t even look at us and just exclaimed “your tables ready.” We were hoping to have a nice evening out and it seemed like she genuinely didn’t want our business. We were by no means being difficult and she was condescending and pretentious during every interaction. They were out of a lot of entree options, so I opted to have an app as an entree. My mom got the halibut and it was incredibly over cooked, but we didn’t want to complain because we felt like they already were bothered by us. When we finished our meal, I asked to take my leftovers to go, and they wouldn’t give me a box. Besides that debacle, our waitress was attentive and nice. There are plenty of better places in Frankfort that have friendly service. Don’t waste your...

We finally were able to enjoy a dinner at Rock's Landing recently. We live about an hour south and saw this quaint spot on our frequent M22 trips. The menu looked spectacular and the wine list too.....oh, and the setting! Our server was amazing. A little quick to move us along, but not bad. I guess we'd prefer quick service to slow... Started with a couple apps....the crispy brussel sprouts and garlic shrimp. The brussel sprouts were divine, best we have ever had. Crispy exterior, nice soft center, sauce borderline too salty but very very tasty. The shrimp were nearly inedible. Rubbery, overcooked and sauce had a bitter overly garlicky ( not good garlicky ) flavor. Needless to say, we fought over the sprouts. Entrees we ordered were the halibut ( one of my favorite fish ) and the scallops. Scallops were absolutely superbly prepared....great sear, centers soft, not overdone. However....every bite had sand in it. Every bite. Some bites quite a bit of sand. Pea puree was excellent. Halibut....overcooked and ( hard to believe ) tough. The dish was one note texturally.....all soft. Fingerling potatoes...soft. Fish ( even though tough to eat ) soft. Leek confit....soft. So many opportunities to add texture either in the roast on the potatoes or possibly the leeks could be crispy.... Now, the vichyssoise sauce was excellent. On to dessert....probably the best lime pie we've had in the north. We live in the Keys in the Winter and have amazing lime pie there. This rivaled some of the better pies we've had down there. Wine list is awesome. Great selections. Atmosphere is great....on the shore of beautiful Crystal Lake. Probably expected it to be more on point because of price...

Most restaurants have one or two things going for them. Maybe food or maybe location or maybe service. Rarely is there a restaurant that excels at all three. Rocks landing is one of these rare gems. The location and view of Crystal Lake are amazing. The small menu has something to offer everyone. And the best part was the service. The hostess was welcoming, Gabe, our waiter was charming and friendly. And the manager (owner?) came out to check on us at the culmination of the meal. This type of humble Midwest hospitality was deeply appreciated. And I hope it remains forever so.

As for our meal, we enjoyed the Michigan cheese board for an appetizer. My wife and I split the striped bass which we ordered because it reminded me of fishing off the coast of Maine. My first choice for fish is raw (a.k.a. sushi), however, when it is cooked it must be served hot. In this regard, Rocks Landing did not disappoint. The meal was delicious.

Parking is a little tight so we wondered if they might put in a dock some day to allow people to arrive by boat. Of course, it would be important for this not to effect the view.

If you time it right, Point Betsy is five minutes away so you can stop there for sunset afterwards.

Thank you, Rocks Landing for a great...