We had dinner at the Sardine Room and were seated right away. The atmosphere was fantastic, very cozy and the staff (all wearing hats and welcome smiles) were forthright about the selections, something I consider very important!

When asked to suggest a selection, the last thing you want to hear from the staff is ‘Everything is great’. You won’t find that at the Sardine Room, instead, you be asked a few questions and then offered a recommendation.

For a drink, I had the Pomegranate Martini which consists of 2 oz citrus vodka, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/4 oz fresh pomegranate juice, 1 oz simple syrup all shaken with ice and strained into a chilled martini glass. A dash of rose water was added and garnished with flamed orange peel. If you haven’t tried one yet, you’ll be surprised!

Dinner was the Brandy Buttered Scallops and a Brandy Dijon Filet Mignon. These big beautiful sea scallops were pan seared and drizzled with brandy butter and served with the house rice. Not one grain of sand and by far the very best scallops I have had yet! I don’t say that lightly - I’m a big scallop fan and these were absolutely fantastic not to mention filling!

The Brandy Dijon Filet Mignon was a tender 8oz. chargrilled filet mignon covered with fresh mushrooms sauteed in garlic butter and finished with a creamy Dijon mustard / brandy peppercorn sauce. The steak was cooked exactly as ordered!

Established in 98, the Sardine Room with its striking 20 foot arched ceiling, stone fireplace and beautiful marble bar make for a comfortable, warm and inviting dinning experience. The owners, Dave Biesiada and chef, Chris Anderson bring years of experience to the table and make the Sardine Room what it is today. It is a must visit!

The Sardine Room
website: http://www.sardineroom.com
2536 Henry St
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 755-5008

Coming soon, our review of Hobo’s Tavern located in North Muskegon. We’ll tell you all about the service we received, the quality of food and the atmosphere.

What happened to Darrin Ryan — owner of Scales Fish House and Steak in Whitehall? Why is the Wild Iron Chop House and Piano Bar, which was under lease from Thrasher, now gone?

Stay tuned for details and reviews!

Hobo’s Tavern
1411 Whitehall Road
North Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 719-0247

Founded in 1952 by Gin Chan, the House of Chan (then called the China Gardens) introduced Muskegon to some of the finest Chinese cuisine. Chan Shew (locals call him Joe), under the tutelage of Gin Chan, now runs the House of Chan and can be found on site overseeing the daily operations and providing the excellent service that customers have come to expect.

Built with a theme that centers around the Great Wall of China, the House of Chan offers a wide selection of the world’s best wines and extraordinary cuisine prepared by master chefs from Hong Kong and China.

Not only can you find traditional Chinese food, but specialty dishes as well, such as their Cantonese Dishes which include Beijing Shrimp, Szechuan Chicken and Shredded Peking Sauce Beef.

To our surprise, they are the only place we know of that offers a true surf and turf. I have yet to try the New Zealand Lobster Tails and Filet Mignon, but I plan to center my next visit around this combination and will be sure to report back!

Joe’s Steak House

House of Chan also has a section for American dinners called Joe’s Steak House, which offers Prime Rib, Porterhouse Steaks, Fried Lake Perch and more. Although I plan to visit Chan’s soon, if you beat me to it, please leave a review!

So far, the House of Chan offers the Best Chinese American Buffet we have had in Muskegon. Joe takes great pride in his restaurant and as we have mentioned before, the best managed restaurants are those where the owners are personally present.

Buffet or Traditional Dinner, stop by the House of Chan for a remarkable experience!

House Of Chan
Website: http://www.houseofchan.net/
375 Gin Chan Ave
Muskegon, MI 49444
(231) 733-4346

The Bear Lake Tavern, referred to as the Muskegon BLT is known for its perch dinner and massive burgers. Their burgers weigh in at almost a pound each (3/4) and are guaranteed to fill even the biggest of bellies!

BLT Muskegon is located on a channel that connects Bear Lake to Muskegon Lake, then onto Lake Michigan and is the perfect place to dock your boat and fill up with food and drinks.

There is a hometown feeling to the tavern that puts one at ease the minute you walk through the door and staff are as friendly as they get.

BLT Muskegon

The Bear Lake Tavern is now under new ownership. Knute Beckstrom, who also owns Beckstrom Mold Technologies in Muskegon, has made a number of positive changes. One change you cannot miss is the overall cleanliness, such as the shine from the kitchen, which grabbed our attention.

I always say, the best restaurants always seem to be the establishments where then owner is personally involved. The Bear Lake Tavern has great food and great service; stop by Muskegon’s BLT and test them out for yourself, the price is right and you’ll love the food!

Wireless? When we stopped by, they did have free internet access with a SSID of BLT.

Bear Lake Tavern
360 Ruddiman Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 744-1161

I recently visited Rafferty’s for the Texas hold’em and although the game was great, the service was awful! We sat in the bar section to have a few drinks and unwind (the bar was empty) when the waitress informed us (very rude) that we should be sitting at the bar, not the table and that the little round tables with comfortable chairs overlooking the lake were for dinning customers. The area was empty and it was long passed dinner time; the seats were nice, but not that nice!

Although we didn’t have food, I can point you to some people that did and report very bad service. I simply did a search on Google and grabbed the first reviews that came up, both just happened to be bad!

These two reviews are by different people who have both visited Rafferty’s in Muskegon and both gave the restaurant very bad reviews, visit here to see the reviews.

Rafferty’s Dockside Restaurant
730 Terrace Point Boulevard
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 722-4461

It doesn’t get much better than the hearthstone restaurant located in Muskegon. The service is top notch and can be attributed to low turn over, a clear indication that management knows what they are doing.

This bistro, bar and grill produces a monster 18 ounce Bone-in Delmonico Steak covered in béarnaise butter and served with roasted layered potato and onion gratin partnered with a house made creamed spinach that you won’t forget! My favorite.

The salad selection is vast with preference to the Texas steak char grilled chicken salad with meat served over mixed greens with black beans, smoked cheddar, grilled corn, peppers and onions garnished with crispy tortilla strips and topped off with a creamy red pepper parmesan dressing.

Soups are just fantastic and they are more than happy to bring out a free sampler. Our five-year-old daughter loves the popcorn soup!

The atmosphere is just right for those looking for quite conversation, great service and incredible food.

The hearthstone’s casual dining has a contemporary Bistro look with intimate, sultry lighting, cherry wood and vintage French and Italian bistro posters that drape the interior of the restaurant.

The Hearthstone in Muskegon also has weekly promotions that are extremely popular, such as their Two Moo Mondays & Tini Tuesday. Concerned about price, don’t be, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

A must visit!

Hearthstone
Website: http://www.hstonesoup.com/
3350 Glade Street
Muskegon, MI 49444
(231) 733-1056

The Fat Cat in Muskegon (North Muskegon) is one of the few places you’ll find beer from around the world. In fact, the Fat Cat is the only place that sells such a wide variety of beer in Muskegon City (or N. Muskegon). I’ve been there many times and never left disappointed.

Going to a party? Why show up with your average beer, instead, show up with a case of Golden Monkey. This Belgian style ale has the richness of German malts yet tempered by a sparkling approach that gives it a fruity note you’ll be sure to enjoy. Watch out though, it’s 9.5% alcohol by volume and just two will do the trick!

Better yet, try Fat Cat’s Trappest Beer, brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium (seriously!). There is an entire story surrounding this beer and it comes with an information card so you can talk like a pro!

If you’re not sure what a beer tastes like, just ask. Sharron, the owner, is usually on hand and is a walking encyclopedia of information; she or the staff will help you find exactly what you’re looking for. I especially like the ability to pick one of each beer and create my own variety pack - try doing that at another store!

I was also impressed with their wine and cheese selection. Sharron helped me pick out the perfect combination and explained that: as a very general rule, the whiter and fresher the cheese the crisper and fruitier the wine should be. The heavier, richer soft cheeses can be partnered with a big white like a Chardonnay or a light red. The harder and darker the cheese, the heavier and richer the style of wine can be and that most blue cheeses go great with sweet wines.

With more than 100 beers, impressive selection of wines, and cigars to top it all off, the Fat Cat in North Muskegon is by far the classiest pad in West Michigan!

Fat Cat
Website: http://www.fat-cat.info
325 Center St
Muskegon, Michigan, 49445
(231) 744-7010

Pablo’s Tacos
1427 W Sherman Blvd
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 759-8400

I would like to submit Pablo’s Tacos on Sherman in Muskegon for review. They have a delicious dish called carnitas (#10) that I would recommend getting it with the American shells and a side of Pico. They also have old school Coke in the bottle which is mandatory with this dish. The taco dinner is very good as well. Their weakest link may be the chips and salsa but you can judge for yourself.

Thank you,

Heather Oliver

Bernie O’s is one restaurant that specializes in Pizzas and Subs and let me tell you, they really are as good as people say! In fact, they have the “Delicious Guarantee” which states, “If ever your BernieO’s isn’t delicious, we will make it right, no questions asked”.

I am a big fan of their subs, especially their Turkey and Bacon which comes with roasted turkey breast and crispy bacon under melted cheese, topped with may, lettuce, tomato and Jalapeno.

They also have an awesome Pizza called the Twist with honey mustard sauce covered with Bernie O’s cheese blend, breaded chicken chunks and bacon strips. The pizza is finished after baking with fresh pineapple, tomato, yellow and jalapeno pepper with homemade ranch.

Bernie O’s delivers locally if you have an order of more than $10 (a small delivery fee of up to $4 is added). They also accept debit, major credit cards and checks.

If you are looking for great subs or pizza in the Muskegon area, then this north Muskegon pizza factory is for you! It has a hometown atmosphere, friendly employees, great service and exceptional food!

Bernie O’s Pizza
Website: http://www.bernieos.com
321 Center
North Muskegon, MI 49445
(231) 744-4900

We heard that Dockers Fish House (called by many locals as Dockers Waterfront Cafe) in Muskegon was expensive and that a tie was required. We heard wrong, and in fact found the price to be very reasonable and the dress casual – after all, it’s on the water and frequented by boaters.

We started with drinks and appetizers that consisted of an awesome Sangria and Hot Rocks. The Hot Rocks are fried shrimp in buffalo sauce, one of my favorite appetizers that I have found many restaurants just cannot seem to get right. Dockers in Muskegon not only got it right, they turned out to be the best we have have had yet!

The major interior renovation of Dockers Fish House and the new urban contemporary look can be attributed to Jennifer Harris, an interior designer who specializes in residential kitchens. The atmosphere was very busy and loud, but we were still able to talk without much problem (it was probably busier than usual due to Mothers day).

For dinner, we enjoyed a stuffed New York Strip and Lobster with Crab Cakes. Both were prepared perfectly and service was very fast considering the number of customers.

Our waitress set the tone and made us feel at home, big smile, excellent service and attention to detail. We enjoyed watching the big cigar boats roll in and found the views to be very relaxing.

Overall, the all new Dockers Waterfront Cafe in Muskegon had great food, reasonable pricing and wonderful service.

We’ll be visiting again!

Dockers Fish House
Website: http://www.dockersfishhouse.com/
3505 Marina View Pt
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 755-0400

This review is on C.F. Prime Chophouse located in Norton Shores, Michigan.

The date of our visit was March 3rd, 2007, dress was business casual.

CF Prime chophouse is said to have some of the best steaks in the area and we were not disappointed on our visit. As you enter the chophouse, you are welcomed with a wonderful atmosphere containing low lighting, wonderful décor and friendly staff eager to assist you.

We ordered their Filet Mignon, with chopped salad, French onion soup and calamari for an appetizer.

The Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection and the best steak I have had the pleasure of eating in a long time. Ruth’s Chris Steak House still holds first place, but CF Prime came close. I would highly recommend this chop house to any steak lover, you will not be disappointed in the food.

The Calamari and sauce was fantastic as well! We expected good and pleasantly surprised at how well this appetizer was prepared.

The French onion soup left something to be desired and after the first few sips, I had to set it aside. I love French onion soup and was not impressed with their version of it, but in light of the fantastic meal and appetizer, it was of little consequence.

The atmosphere and décor was great, however, if you plan on intimacy while eating, CF Prime is not the place. We found ourselves whispering as was the couple seated next to us; this made for a very uncomfortable dining experience. To make matters worse, there was another couple seated up high and facing our table (theater style seating) and it was abundantly obvious that they were as uncomfortable as we were.

There wine bar was impressive and busy, a similar, but more inviting feeling than you’ll find at the Sardine Room.

Overall, fantastic food but the layout left something to be desired.

There is no question we’ll eat at CF Prime again, but we’ll do it when it’s not so busy so that we can truly enjoy a night out and talk in private.

C.F. Prime Chophouse & Wine Bar
Website: http://www.cfprime.com/
948 West Norton Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49441
(231) 737-4943