Grande Mere Inn — Restaurant in Lincoln Charter Township

I'm not sure if it's a result of Michigan being so late to the game in regards to allowing indoor dining after the COVID restrictions resulting in lesser talent in the labor pool or what the cause was, but our meal on 3/20 wasn't the same quality as it has been in the past.

To start, we showed up slightly early at 7:20, for a 7:30pm reservation. We had called earlier in the day and asked if they had anything open after 7 and were informed they had an opening at 7:30. When checking in with the host we were informed that it was impossible we had a same-day 7:30pm reservation and were completely dismissed as if it were somehow our fault and were told to just go walk out to the bluff until closer to our reservation time. Luckily, the manager was able to get us in at our 7:30 time, but that interaction kind of set the stage for the evening. It took 19 minutes for our drinks to be delivered to the table once seated, after waiting close to 10 minutes for someone to greet us. My filet was cooked to medium rare, maybe slightly under, as requested. However, there was no seasoning on the steak-not even a hint of a simple salt and pepper, so it was completely forgettable. The herbed red potatoes were either left in the oven or under a heat lamp for far too long resulting in rock hard skin/starch where they were cut in half. My wife's creamy pasta that came with the Crispy Parm Chicken was swimming in a pool of oil.

The Grape Tart drink my wife had was great!

Having been quite a few times in the past, pre-COVID, we left feeling quite...

My take-aways from the two times we dined there. Absolutely first and foremost, the wine list is embarrassingly bad. It's all gas station wines with a couple of Meijer end-cap wines thrown in as the "fancy stuff". Both times we went were for special occasions and the wine list says anything but special occasion. It screams "I'm too lazy to research good wine and i dont really appreciate the dining experience". That may sound harsh, but it's a reality.

Both times we were served by "well-seasoned" servers who came off as we owed them a favor by dining there. It seemed like they punched in, served food and punched out.

The atmosphere is old-school which is what I like most, but there's nothing that stands out as awesome. The lighting is sporadic and uneven which negates any sort of flow or consistency.

The food was good. We appreciated being able to order fresh oysters and escargot which isn't on a lot of menus in Harbor Country. However, the perch were greasy and tasted like old acrid oil and the blackened swordfish was quite dry without sauce.

Perhaps i went in with higher than realistic expectations, but overall, it's a 2.5 -3 dining experience. A new wine list and a cheerier staff would make a...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at a local gem, which surpassed my expectations in a region with limited culinary choices. The establishment excels in delivering a gastronomic experience reminiscent of home-cooked meals, a rarity in today's restaurant scene. The Chicken Parmesan, a standout dish, showcased a delightful harmony of flavors and textures. The chicken, enveloped in a perfectly seasoned breadcrumb coating, was fried to golden perfection, evoking the essence of traditional home frying techniques.

However, I must note an area ripe for refinement - the bar service. The Old Fashioned, a classic cocktail, was presented with an unconventional twist of a half orange, diverging from the traditional garnish. While innovation in mixology is commendable, the excessive ice and modest portion size detracted from the rich, robust flavors of the bourbon. This aspect of the experience, though minor, left room for improvement in an otherwise exceptional dining experience. In future visits, I anticipate seeing how this establishment evolves, particularly in its...