Plank's Tavern on the Water — Restaurant in Saint Joseph

Although Plank’s Tavern on the Water is several years into its existence, I had yet to have a dining experience there. Granted, I had met there before to connect with friends at their dockside tiki bar along the St. Joseph River but had not actually sat down for a meal until recently. The upscale gastropub, located inside The Inn at Harbor Shores is bringing exquisite food to casual dining. They basically have four dining areas, depending on your preference and the weather. Between the tavern area, the restaurant and the outdoor patio, they can seat up to 160 people. They just recently added a new waterfront dining area and are installing two fire-pits. Now you can eat and drink right at the water’s edge. We started with a Charcuterie Board appetizer. This alluring presentation had a variety of meats, spreads, exquisite cheeses, jams and artisan crackers. This a great appetizer to share with a group. Next up, was another appetizer called Tuna Poke. Doug was quick to point out that a “poke” is a raw fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. (He’s still gloating over his recent vacation in Hawaii.) This masterpiece takes fresh tuna and a variety of unique ingredients and somehow fashions it into a cylinder-shaped explosion of flavors. If you like sushi…you’ll LOVE this. The wasabi aioli and the spicy fried wonton really bring this dish to life and excite the taste buds. The first entrée we split was the Fjord Sea Trout, which looks like salmon and tastes similar, but I think it is more tender. It had beautiful marbling and a mellow taste. It was pan roasted and served with cabbage, ancient grain salad, drizzled with black truffle butter and lemon caper oil. Just typing now is making my mouth water again. As I looked around at other guests’ dishes, I noticed they use a lot of micro-greens and edible flowers on many entrees. It makes for spectacular presentation and unique nuances to the flavor portfolio of each dish. We decided to also try the BBQ Pork Ribeye. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Pork Ribeye. Turns out, it’s like a boneless pork chop taken from the rib area of the loin. Imagine the meatiest ribs you’ve ever had, but without any bones or fat. It was tender, thick and juicy. The Traverse City cherry bourbon BBQ sauce had Asian hints that played beautifully together with the cut. This dish is served with a crock of goat and gouda baked radiatore. It’s like opulent mac –n- cheese! Many could make a meal out of just the radiatore. Fantastic! We finished with blueberry cobbler with ice cream. It was served on a powdered-sugar-dusted cutting board in the shape of Michigan with the Plank’s logo carved into the board. It was presentation was matched by the taste of the fresh blueberries in the cobbler. Many think that Planks Tavern is just for hotel guests or that they are outlandishly expensive. I couldn’t disagree more. It’s very affordable, especial for the quality of food and service. Planks Tavern is making a splash with its beautiful view, attentive service and high-grade cuisine. Great views of the river, outdoor dining when whether permits and fair pricing make this a...

Been here twice now for dinner, so can’t say anything about the great water view I would otherwise see during the daytime. I do like the ambiance and food presentation though. Also, the service here is top-notch!

Now, for the food, I really wanted to love this place, but my food has been consistently underseasoned with salt. My last visit with a group was earlier this week. I ordered their 3-course meal. Started with ahi poke served with chips. Presentation was on point with the diced cucumbers, mango, and red onions around the poke, seasoned with mayo base seasoning. It wasn’t salty enough, and I am the type of person who does not like salty stuff! The group ordered calamari, brussel sprouts, and big *ss pretzel. Calamari was a little overcooked (as most restaurants do), the Brussel sprouts were excellent, and the pretzel was pretty good. There were 5 big men and I at that table and we couldn’t even eat half of it! It was that big! Or we just had too much appetizers to go around.

For main course, I ordered their soy sauce glazed sea bass. Sea bass was a little overcooked. I didn’t mind it, but the bed of rice underneath it was doused in soy sauce! Couldn’t even eat it as it was inedible at that point. The side marinated veggies gave it some needed zing though.

For dessert, I had the lemon custard mousse. I liked that it was the right amount of sweetness and tartness. I shared that with my toddler, and while picky, she loved it!

I had the espresso martini and it was very good. My husband always orders the double-smoked old-fashioned because he loves it. He comes here often with his coworkers.

Before last week, I came here the first time for dinner last month. For appetizer, we ordered the bread with the edible duck fat candle. Wasn’t a big fan of it due to its pronounced gaminess.

For main entree, I ordered their braised short ribs. Loved that it was so tender, but it wasn’t seasoned enough with salt. I really liked the cheesy mashed potatoes with the wine gravy over it. My husband had the cherry chop and he loved it!

Had the tiramisu after dinner. I am a purist, but am willing to try other versions. The one I was served had sweet cream all over it with chocolate and white chocolate drizzles on top. Not a huge fan of it. I ate the rest after scraping off the extra cream on top.

I still haven’t found a really great place to eat around this area, so I may be coming back here because I really like their...

Very disappointing experience. Our party of 8 was here for the first time this past weekend celebrating a girls day out. We had reservations for Sunday at 1:30. We arrived a little early, and politely asked the hostess if there was any way we could sit outside. The hostess snarkily replied that we didn't specify we wanted to sit outside when we made the reservations and they didn't have a table. I was simply inquiring. Once we got to our table, the server promptly got our drinks and took our orders. This was unfortunately the last good service we would experience. We waited over an hour for our food to arrive after ordering, which was confusing as the dining room was basically empty and there were only 8 or so tables outside. No one offered any explanation or apologized for the wait. When the food came out, one person's eggs were cold and another's eggs were fried hard when they had been ordered over easy. The server did offer to replace the eggs, but this took the kitchen 12 minutes to do so. The rest of the food was sub-par. We had ordered one plate of banana bread french toast to come out shortly after our other food, but we had to wait 20+ minutes after we had finished eating our meals just for it to come out with burnt bread. We had to flag down our waitress to ask for our checks after sitting there for awhile. We then waited 10+ minutes for her to return to settle them and eventually had to get up and ask the manager if she could help. Gratuity was included in our bill because we were a large party and offered much more than was deserved. Three people paid with cash, and while two were exact change, one was not. The server eventually brought the checks back to sign and did not ask if the person with cash wanted any change. So the server kept an extra $4.50 resulting in almost a $10 tip for a $30 bill. We were so fed up we didn't want to wait to flag down the server and ask for the change. Over two hours and only poor service and mediocre food to show for it. Would definitely...