Sylvan Table — Restaurant in Sylvan Lake

This was the second time we visited. The idea of farm to table while being on the farm itself is fantastic. The first time we went it was a 5 star. This time the experience missed the mark.

The atmosphere was great and was the highpoint. We were seated upstairs, removed and intimate. It has a rustic farmhouse feel and plenty of romance for a date night.

Food was decent, flavors not as exciting as the first time we went. Perhaps coming back when produce is actually in season may be a big difference.

Bee sting flatbread - met the hype

Skate Wind Meuniere - instantly caught my attention when it was explained. It's a type of fish which was intriguing. That plus the complements sold me. You get a good size portion of fish. Honestly, less fish and more sides would've been better. The fish was a tad over seasoned in my book, and there wasn't a lemon or enough acid in the fumet to balance the salinity. The pickled stone fruit was excellent and the highlight by far, but not enough of it to balance the rest of the meal. The morels (though exciting on paper) didn't add much. So, the idea was good, but the flavor just wasn't interesting enough to give it 5 stars.

Chicken under a brick - my wife got this dish, it's a safe though unfortunately boring choice. Decently executed, crispy and definitely not dry (combo of thigh and breast meat atop another). A tad over seasoned. I didn't detect much smokey or woody flavor, just chicken seasoning. Not much of the quality of the meat shone. The side of beets were good.

Carrot Cake - was solid

Apple Butter Manhattan - too much ice, ok flavor, very sweet. The apple slice was tasty. Not very memorable but was decent. Wouldn't order it again.

Service was ok, server was attentive at first but it got quite hectic, and slower later on.

What dropped the experience from 4 stars to somewhere between 3 -3.8:

Preface: I will happily tip well above 20% when the experience is outstanding

There's a 3.5% credit card fee which we knew going in - annoying but fine. There was a 20% automatically included "NYE gratuity". Again, annoying, but fine. But we were handed the POS to cash out, which asked for an ADDITIONAL tip, lowest non custom option of 20%, so make sure you read your bill. Selecting no tip has the final bill say tip: $0.00, which although I knew tip was already included in the final bill, made me feel uncertain/bad. All this combined made me feel I was being nickeled and dimed. Just increase the prices and remove these extra fees - it feels slimy like those Airbnb cleaning fees to make your prices look better on paper. Make it a cash/debit discount.

Overall, although the ambiance was excellent, the food and service wasn't good enough to keep my "definitely...

Four of us went to dinner for my sister’s birthday. We arrived early as a friend who works there gave us a quick tour of the kitchens and all the surrounding property. The vegetable, herb and flower gardens are arranged in a beautiful layout with ponds and other water features, an apiary and all is lit so the beauty can continue thru the night. The outside dining area is spacious with an area adjacent for relaxing or a game of cornhole. Inside, the tasteful and charming decor of this 300 year old barn is open, airy, comfortable and light and dark in all the right places.

Now to the meat of the review-spectacular! We all ordered different entries so we could sample more. The steak was seasoned and cooked perfectly, the brick chicken moist, flavorful and the aroma was pure heaven. The lamb ragu - Bellissimo! Perfect al dente pasta with a myriad of fresh spices and rich tasty lamb. The walleye was light, fluffy and very flavorful with accompanying garnishes that gave the fish additional texture and interest. Sides included asparagus served with a feta olive sauce garnished with strawberries. Who knew this could be such a delight. The hay smoked mash potatoes were buttery and we had a hard time not having just one more bite.

The happy ending was dessert. We only ordered three. The fried lemon pound cake with raspberries and a wonderful dollop of flavored mascarpone in a basil sauce pool was beautifully paired. Baked Alaska, a perfect creation in itself, was enhanced by an incredible honey vanilla cream ice cream. A nice contrast to these two was the rhubarb sorbet - not too sweet or tart, just right. Being a chocoholic, I was NOT one bit disappointed this wasn’t an option.

We sat next to the kitchen - it was fun to watch what could have been an episode from a TV show. It ran flawlessly and the entire staff were focused yet calm and carried on effortlessly.

Our server, Lillian couldn’t have been more pleasant, knowledgeable, attentive and thorough! Brian, the sous-chef was very friendly and also an expert at his trade. The owner is blessed to have such an amazing staff.

Thanks Jim for the tour and recommendation! I have lived (and eaten) in the best restaurants in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and my little foodie town Traverse City. Sylvan Table is now in my top five. Rarely do you find a restaurant where every food offering, from start of finish, service and atmosphere are all in perfect harmony.

Oh, and portions - I waddled out with containers to...

Sylvan Table is my partner and I's favorite restaurant. The rotating menu highlights the what is grown fresh in the gardens. The menu changes every 2-4 weeks however keeps fan favorites such as the bread service and chicken under a brick. Our last experience was the best we have had thus far, to start our server Chris was extremely knowledgeable and welcoming using his past experience in the kitchen to expertly explain the new menu and recommend the best dishes on the menu based off of our preferences. When Chris found out it was my partner and I's anniversary he thoughtfully thanked us for celebrating with them and brought us champagne on the house and ensured we had the best experience possible. Chris was hands down the best server I have ever had, his timing was perfect ensuring we had enough time between each course. Chris expertly recommended the MARZ Apple CBD Shrub Soda, it tasted like apple pie and even went the extra mile to do his best to provide me the resources to order the product as well. My partner had the Wild Mountain Honey N/A mocktail and it was fantastic highlighting the wonderful balance between the honey and lemon dancing with the ginger botanicals.

For our starter we chose the excellent as always bread service featuring a lemon thyme loaf with the three house made butters (Salted, crushed red pepper, and cranberry butters). Chris thoughtfully recommended pairing the bread service with the Campagnolo and it was absolutely wonderful. Sylvan Table is one of the three restaurants in Michigan that have a license to cure and serve meat on premises.

For our mains Chris highlighted the Braised Short Rib which I had and I loved it it was absolutely pronominal. My partner got the Heritage Breed Berkshire Pork Chop and it was amazing as it always is. We also had the shareable Roast Cabbage with Scallion Miso Sauce that was an excellent pairing with both entrees.

unfortunately we were too full for dessert however we have already made our next reservation. Sylvan Table is an excellent restaurant and the staff truly care to cater the experience of each guest ensuring there time is magical. I truly hope to see the Sylvan Table receive a Michelin star soon as they do everything to provide an experience at and above the Mechlin level.

Thank you to Chris and the rest of the team who work tirelessly to ensure every guest has a memorable experience in a jaw droppingly beautiful and...