The Cooks’ House — Restaurant in Traverse City

We are foodie folks and I made a reservation here as soon as I knew we were planning a trip to Traverse City. There just happened to be one at 9pm on the Thursday we would be there. In the meantime, while watching the James Beard Awards, I noticed they were nominated within the same category as one of chef's from our hometown Cincinnati!

The place is actually a house, and we were seated right next to the kitchen. Our server, Dillon, was great. We were happy that we both didn't have to order the tasting menu, so I had it, and my wife ordered a la carte (this is the first place we have been to that you can actually order whatever way you would like, nice!) The wine list isn't huge, but it is nice that the glasses are all the same price. As other reviewers said, there is a lot of staff for the 25 seats in the place.

We were offered a pickled Amuse Bouche and a mushroom tea that we could have had every day. It was SO good.

Here is what we ordered and what we thought; Starter - Smoke whitefish salad- very good and the fish was delicate and fresh. Loved. Gemelli pasta- they were absolutely fine substituting other cheese for the goat cheese, which we don't care for. We had one with blue cheese and one with parmesan. Both were great and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Whitefish with Tom Yum Vinaigrette - first time having whitefish and it was excellent. Flavors on point. Would order again and again.

5 course tasting - Cucumber Buttermilk Soup - light and earthy tasting, and very pretty! Gemelli pasta - see above New York Steak - didn't appear to be a strip. It was chewy and a little gamey. I had to pull gristle out of my mouth a lot. However, the chimichurri sauce was fantastic and the potatoes were buttery deliciousness. Grilled Turnips - unique flavors. I was getting full so I didn't eat all of it. Lemon Posset - perfect ending. Creamy and lovely.

We had the pleasure to talk to chef Calvin because we were right next to the kitchen. He specifically talked to us about what cheese we would prefer on the gemelli, and then when I asked where he likes to eat in town, he suggested a few places. He checked in on us regularly throughout our meal, which really made the experience intimate and personal. He also made some browned butter for our excellent bread because we didn't care for the goat butter...nice touch.

They are deserving of the kudos and award nominations...

I will start by saying the food was incredible. Very approachable menu items with a good variety. Everything we ate was perfection - did the 5 course tasting menu. I give the food 5 stars and the service 0/5 stars. I have never had a more uncomfortable dining experience. I come from the restaurant industry and love everything from hole in the wall dining to Michelin star experiences. I have never seen such uncomfortable and service from a staff in my life. I dined there about two weeks ago and still unsettled from how our large party was treated. We mixed up our reservation time for a large party by 30 minutes. I understand this is unacceptable on our part but an honest mistake. I am surprised we did not get a phone call after the standard 10 minute late to a reservation. We were waiting for what we thought was our reservation at a bar across the street. Again, completely our mistake. However, we were greeted with eye rolls and were very apologetic and thankful through out the experience but continued to receive eye rolls and very uncomfortable cold presence. Drinks took very long and a bottle of wine was forgotten and we were told it was in the cellar and they still need to get it after 30 minutes of ordering it. Which is fine but the snap with the comments were hurtful. The worst moment of all was when we heard the server apologize to the friendly table next to us as they were leaving. They apologized for our behavior? We were a group of 10 but very tamed and not yelling across the table but how they apologized on our behalf right next to us where we could hear the exchange. We exchanged in friendly conversation with the table next to us so an apology was necessary and hurtful for a few in our party to hear this. This dining experience was a highlight of our weekend in Traverse City and something that was looked forward to well in advance and turned out to be something I have lost sleep over. Again, A+ food and very well crafted menu, but this needs to be addressed or perhaps do not accept...

The Cook's House is a 5-star fine dining kind of establishment. The kind of place to take a significant other to celebrate an anniversary or special occasion. There is very limited seating here, it's essentially just one room that fits about 28 people, so be sure to make reservations ahead of time. They say the dress code is "just clothes", but if you're dressed down your going to feel slightly out of place.

We opted for the 5 course meal with wine pairings. This included (in order) mushroom tea with olive oil, an amuse-bouche with goat butter olives, fresh bread and butter, asparagus soup, pasta, steak (or walleye), a fig salad, and an olive oil cake for dessert. They also brought out kettle corn and small bite lemon cookies at the end. Everything was spectacular, don't even bother asking if the food's good. The chefs cooked at Michelin star restaurants and trained under André Rochat. The food being exquisite is a given. Although, for the record, I thought the asparagus soup was the standout.

The wine pairings were all delicious and paired to the courses with intention. I'm not a wine connoisseur by any stretch, but I watched as the servers and bartenders here dutifully explained every pour to patrons with questions who knew what they were talking about.

The price is pretty steep. For the two of us with 5 course meal, wine pairings, and tip, we were all in for about $300. It's a fancy French dining experience and it shows in every way, including the bill. But it goes with the territory and if you want a truly memorable evening, then The Cook's House will give you all...