Specific Brew Recommendations for Traverse City

RE: Wine. I like 45 North on Leelanau and 2 Lads and Brys on OMP. A smaller winery with a great owner is Longview.
I have had success with my young kids at Stella. I think they were 2 or 3 and 5 at the time, and Stella made pasta with butter or oil for the kids, and us adults had a great meal!
This is a really great thread.

 

If you are in the Dunes area then I suggest Leland. Probably my favorite town up here. Fishtown is such a unique little spot with neat shopping and great food. A pretzel bread sandwich at the Village Cheese Shanty is great. The Cove has some decent food with a kid friendly environment. The candy store is cool if you are into that. Also fresh smoked fish and good cheese is all available in fishtown as long as you are there before 6.

In regards to wine, I work at L Mawby so I have to mention that, lol. We only make sparkling stuff but we have something for everyone including some great cider. 45 North is great for wine and Cider including some good hopped cider. Left Foot is a great option since its downtown, kid friendly, and their stuff is great too. Rove has an awesome view and is paired with Gallaghers so you can do donuts and animal petting on the farm there. Black Star Farms on Leelenau has great wine and a farm where kids can pet the horses and goats. Mari on Old Mission is worth checking out just to see it. St. Ambrose Cellars is one of my favorites and offers a pretty kid friendly environment. They make some really good wine, mead, cider, and will soon have beer available. They would be a good stop if you make your way out to Stormcloud.

Feel free to look me up for a beer while you are in the area. I always like meeting some of the fellow BA's. Either way, enjoy your visit.

 

We like Cook's House over Stella. We were ther in May, and had the 7 (or was it 8) tasting menu, with wine parings. It was outstanding.

 

I've been visiting Northern MI for wine going on 15 years now. I'd say my favorites are Left Foot Charley, Chateau Fontaine, Peninsula and Verterra. My wife and I love sparkling wine and have always wanted to like L. Mawby, but we never have a good experience there (sorry @fishmich!). Longview is a nice little one in the town of Cedar as well, which was mentioned above. Some of the best views are at wineries on Old Mission (2 Lads, Chantal) but the wine or experience has not been great for us at them.

Our kids had a great time at the petting farm at Black Star - you could take the kids there and let your wife & MIL taste wine. It's a good time.

 

I also prefer the Cooks House but can be tougher to get into.

 

I'd love to hear what wasn't to your liking(via pm if you prefer). Always good to hear constructive criticism. I work in production rather than the tasting room so I'd be interested to hear if its the wine or the experience that put you off. Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings, lol.

 

I have only been to Cooks House once and was treated like royalty. We didn't have reservations and the Chef welcomed us with open arms. It was a very special dining experience for my wife and I. I should have included it in my list.

Only being there once it slipped my mind. I do prefer Stella only slightly, because of the many great meals my wife and I have enjoyed and a slight edge in ambiance. Stella's reasonably priced cellared Bigfoot is also nice.

 

Early May, midweek, not much of a problem. Right now until Fall, yeah, that is a problem.

 

I have been to all but a couple breweries in the TC area. Terra Firma had the best quality across the board. I think Hop Lot is the best overall due to the place as a whole.