For nearly two decades now the restaurant at Apple Mountain Resort known as Kathleen’s has provided the Great Lakes Bay region with an undeniably delectable recipe of top notch cuisine, a lush beautiful atmosphere, and impeccable service and attentions to detail that have crowned the establishment as a destination point for special occasions & banquets.
Now this venerable resource has broadened its lens and also expanded the range of appetites that it seeks to satisfy by revamping their impeccable menu to service both Lunch & Dinner.
According to General Manger, Russ Chanin, whom has been involved with the restaurant for 14 years, “Starting May 16th we will be open 7-days a week starting at 11 AM and our menu has meticulously undergone a complete overhaul. We now have nearly 52 items on our menu – everything from shareables to entrees; with the goal being to attract anybody from the golfer looking for a satisfying lunch to somebody that just wants to come out for a nice dinner.”
One of the more notable evolutions of their menu is the introduction of Flatbreads, which has never been featured before, to the introduction of ‘Comfort Foods’ such as Old Fashioned Pot Roast, Meat Loaf, and Vegetarian Stir-Fry.
Fresh and carefully savored seafood has always been a signature quality at Apple Mountain, and their featured creations on that front vary from Lake Superior Whitefish to Ahi Tuna, Mahi Mahi or Grilled Shrimp Tacos, to Pan Seared Halibut, all reasonably priced from a range of $10 - $27; plus they continue to offer Fresh Lake Perch Dinner specials on Fridays. Pasta & Fine Cut Meat selections additionally populate their freshly developed menu offerings, alongside the Shareables that include Fried Calamari, Bruschetta and Baked Garlic Bread with Cheeses.
“Essentially, we’re trying to evolve the lunch & dining experience defined by Kathleen’s and expand and promote it more as the ‘Restaurant at Apple Mountain’, explains Chanin.
“When you ask most people where they are eating they usually say ‘Apple Mountain’, so this is a logical evolution. Plus, our goal is to appeal to everybody from the health-conscious to the guy who wants to bring his wife out for a nice dinner. We feature many gluten-free items on the menu, along with items under 500 calories; and we still have our house favorites. This change is different than what we’ve ever done here before.”
Given that Chanin himself has such a divergent background in the restaurant business, starting in it at age 16, hails from Connecticut, and made his way through college by working in restaurants, managing one in South Carolina for 10 years before starting at Apple Mountain 14 years ago as their restaurant & banquet manager, what does he feel distinguishes Apple Mountain’s restaurant the most?
“I would say with this menu we’re offering a truly wide variety and range of items, which is a lot different than many establishments throughout the region that have gone to a smaller menu. And of course you can’t beat the atmosphere out at Apple Mountain. You can sit and dine on the patio and not see a road.”
“We’re trying to get out of the notion of us being solely a ‘special occasion destination point’,” concludes Russ. “We’re here for everyone, our price points are very good, but to my mind our greatest attraction is still the atmosphere. This is the best menu we’ve developed so far here and a lot of thought has been put into it, taking us months to finalize.”
Additional nightly specials consist of Prime Rib Tuesdays, Spare Ribs on Wednesdays, Flatbreads on Thursdays, the aforementioned Friday Lake Perch, and Saturday they run a Surf & Turf Special. They also conduct many special events, and just did a party for Derby Days and have the Summer Concert Series coming up.
“We’ll be working into more events as we move through the summer,” adds Chanin. “We will probably be featuring different Happy Hour Specials as we get rolling; but for now we just want to get the word out that we have a newly expanded menu, reasonable price points, and are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.”
Apple Mountain is located at 4519 N. River Rd, Freeland. Phone 989-781-6789 for reservations or questions; and check out more at applemountain.com.
info@review-mag.com
989-780-4162
May 19, 2016
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