Had a great meal, great wines, and a spectacular view last evening.
Always friendly, we arrived in the middle of a snow storm, and were greeted warmly, like old friends.
The Spinach Bundles were great, excellent seasonings.
The Swordfish was topnotch.
The wines by the glass were great, a couple of specials including a wonderful Chote du Rhone.
The ambience, service, and general feel of this restaurant is great. The bar service is good with some innovative cocktails; the view of the lake is wonderful, and the host is very friendly without being overbearing. If you were looking for a quick drink and dessert, this might be a great spot.
In the three times I have been there, unfortunately, the food has been...meh. Boring. The seasoning is just boring and the menu is a bit staid. Typically the dishes are bland but made with good ingredients.
I will try them again but for now I think two stars is justified.
We have had dinner here many times over the years. I must say after our visit last night I was pretty under-whelmed. While the service is always fabulous, the food was really nothing to write home about. Two at our table ordered steaks that were totally lacking flavor/seasoning and were very tough to eat. I have had much better steaks at Pump House or Clementine's locally (for much less money). My husband had the pork which was nothing special, either. When you spend over 150 dollars for dinner, you want to feel like it was worthwhile; needless to say I left feeling disappointed.
Review Source:What do I love most about Grand Mere Inn? Â Is it the cozy atmosphere? Â is it the unpretentiousness of this well established business? Â Is it that you will get a very good meal that doesn't pretend to be anything besides really good food? Â Excellent martinis served with the "extra" in a glass on side? Â The owner who personally visits each table? Â The way that diners can linger over their meal and not feel rushed? Â None of the above. Â
I love that it is still a local Michigan place, one that has not been invaded by tourists who deem it not to their standards, who snub it because it is not trendy in the slightest. Â This is simple, honest, very well prepared food that will leave you satisfied, pleased with the service and glad you came. Â
Old fashioned it is. Â But excellence never goes out of style.
We ate here for my b-day dinner and it was a wonderful experience! Â First, the service is outstanding...truly truly the best I've experienced in a long time. Â We had our 2 kids with (6 and 8) and the server brought out their drinks, bread plate and fruit.plates for the kids immediately! Â
Our dinner was phenomenal (i was beginning to believe there weren't any "great" restaurants in the area at all)...I had the crab legs (done to.perfection, cracked in the back for me), hubbs had stuffed shrimp (he liked it, I didn't...I think they used blue crab in the stuffing and I dislike blue crab...too fishy...would've been a thousand percent better if they used king crab) and kids shared the full rack of ribs (they didn't love it...very strong clove flavor).
Our server asked if the kids could go in the kitchen and make their own dessert...uh, YEAH! Â (can I come too?). Very cool...the look on their faces when they came back with their creations was priceless! Â I received a complimentary dessert.for my bday and enjoyed every.last.bite.
Will most definitely be back! Â Can't wait to bring my gramma! Â Lots and lots of silver-haired people here...which I thought might be a bad sign but wasn't stuffy at all! Â
P.s. beautiful, stunning view at sunset!
My wife and grand kids took me here for my birthday. They had huge burgers but I choose the fresh lake perch. The meals were done to perfection and I am picky about my fish. They did a great job and even though it's a drive from the west suburbs of Chicago I'll go back. It was worth every mile.
Review Source:This was a wonderful dining experience. Not only is the food wonderful but the service was above the top. Everything was delicious especially the  blackened swordfish which I highly recommend.  I was always greeted with a warm smile which made my dining experience that much more memorable. You really cant go wrong with any selections you make because everything tastes delicious. If you love chocolate martinis they make it fabulous. This can be a romantic or family friendly dining experience that overall has an excellent price for the quality of food and service. My favorite fine dining experience in south west Michigan.
Review Source:My wife and I go here fairly often and really enjoy the food, the drinks and the service.
The specials are usually a good bet, they almost always have whitefish and the sauces that accompany it are very good.
The prices are fair with dinners coming with a salad and a side. There is a bar menu if you are looking to save some money.
The servers do a good job and the bartenders really know what they're doing.
My favorite foods are the perch, the blackened swordfish and the softshell crabs when it's in season.
This place has possibly the greatest food in the area. Â Every time I go here I always pick a different dish to get, and I'm never disappointed. Â Ever. Â The service is great, the food is wonderful, and you get a great view from any seat. Â Last time I went there I got the vegetarian lasagna and my boyfriend got shrimp. We also both shared crab legs and the calamari appetizer. Â The owners surprised us by bringing us a free dessert because it was our prom night dinner. Â This is just a special and unique place, my parents went there for special occasions and now my boyfriend and I do.
Review Source:This place was great. Â A number of friends and I were up in MI for the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Grand Mere Inn. Â We loved the pate spread for the bread. Â The blue cheese dressing was fabulous. Soup was awesome. Â Steaks were wonderfully done and the seafood perfect. Â When we did have a problem with one of our appetizers, they immediately took it back and removed it from our bill. Â Service was great with them attentive but not hovering. Â Only wonder why they have a parking lot in back which, when filled with cars, interfers with the lovely view. Â If you are in the area, it is definitely a place to stop.
Review Source:Based on the reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  Started with their house salad with honey dijon - the dressing was homemade and very good.  I had the filet for an entrée.  It was cooked properly and tasty.  Took a look at the desserts - they made all but one at the restaurant.  Decided to try the mousse.  It was smooth and delicious.  The service was good.  I'd go back.
Review Source:I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that the people who wrote these great reviews for this restaurant actually don't know anything about good food.
I will be the first to admit that I'm a food snob, but if I'm paying over 20 dollars for a meal, I think I have the right to be one.
This place was seriously worse than Red Lobster. The steak was tiny, tough and overcooked, and totally flavorless (I actually had to ask for some A-1 to liven it up). I also think they didn't get the memo that a "mixed green salad" doesn't mean iceberg lettuce and baby carrots. Also, my side of vegetables looked like it came out of a freezer bag that said: Green Giant Vegetable Medley.
Terrible, terrible food.
Truly. I truly and sincerely mean that.
I'm not trying to be unfair to the restaurant, I just want to help to steer people looking for a romantic and delicious 5 star meal away from there. This was my husband's only romantic meal on our weekend getaway, and disappointed doesn't even come close to describing my experience.
Once upon a time, this was probably the best you could expect from fine dining in the midwest. Â Good, strong, drinks, and relatively simply prepared fish, steaks, etc., with french fries, baked potatoes, and the like. Â But that time was probably 30 or 40 years ago, and standards have risen a lot since then. Â Or so I would have thought.
There was nothing *wrong* with our meal-- I had a fresh seafood special, a salad, and a good manhattan-- and you may not be able to do better in the area, but it was nothing to write home about.
While on the SW Michigan winery circuit you'll probably notice a real lack of places to eat... Â Someone at Free Run recommended this place to us... Â It was an excellent, excellent recommendation.
We showed up at what seemed like just in time... We got a table in the bar area, the dining area facing the lake was packed. Â The bar area at the time was nearly empty, but soon after was PACKED with people standing everywhere.
The food was pretty good. Â I had fried walleye, SO had fried perch. Â The perch was better than the walleye. Â They had a butternut squash as their special side that night, it was very, very good. Â Â Food was all pretty good overall. Â I imagine it is probably the best restaurant in the area.
Their wine list was fairly inclusive. Â We opted for a local Pinot Noir that we had had before, yum.
I guess if you plan to go to this place, try to call ahead for reservations.
Amazing food, friendly staff and an amazing view make this a premiere restaurant in Southwest Michigan. The large windows highlight the to die for sunsets over Lake Michigan and dunes of Grand Mere State Park. The food here is always fantastic and the staff and owner makes you feel right at home. Â I will go and have gone here many times over and over again!
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