Traverse City--A foodie Destination

[scb460w]

Well, is it?

[ak994]

I was going to say yes-- Cook's Shop and Stella are both great, and even Aerie in the Grand Traverse Resort is really, really good. But I just now learned that Bay Leaf, which was my favorite place of all, is closing after just over a year. :-(

So TC still has fine food and great food, but the interesting, adventurous, fun place is gone.

[cookbookgeek]

I'd unreservedly say yes, if by "foodie destination" you mean a place where you can find a week's worth of really good food to go with the gorgeous scenery. Cook's House and Trattoria Stella in TC itself along with La Becasse and Funistrada out on the Leelanau Peninsula would make for a great four meals anywhere. In terms of farm-to-table menus and chefs taking pride in their work with terrific ingredients, the Traverse City area is way ahead of Grand Rapids, Lansing, and even Ann Arbor with the number of good restaurant choices.

[Wahooty]

Add Frenchie's to your list in TC. Tiny, good coffee, housemade pastrami, utterly charming.

[tokyo]

Hmm... That depends on your expectations.
If you are interested in exploring the natural beauty of Grand Traverse/Benzie/Leelanau Counties, tasting your way as you go, it can be a lovely, soul-satisfying adventure. The region is one of the most beautiful in the state. This, combined with a local farm-to-table movement, and several food/wine/arts events held annually, make for an active 'foodie' scene. As a total package, I say 'Yes! Don't leave Michigan until you visit this area!'
I cannot say, based on food *alone*, that it outshines any other sizable Midwestern city's offerings.

[rainsux]

I believe that TVC punches above its weight class when compared to cities of equal population.

[berkleybabe]

Nicely said, rain = +1.
The natural beauty only adds to the great chow and wine.

[tokyo]

I don't want to get off track, but I didn't mean to imply that TC's food offerings are standard for a town of it's size. My intent in commenting on 'other sizable Midwestern cities' was to give the OP a barometer for comparison. Sizable Midwestern cities would include Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Madison, etc. These are mostly larger than TC, all have 'foodie' highlights, but would they be considered "foodie destinations"? It depends on your exposure to good food thus far and what you value personally. For a town of TC's size, I agree with rainsux and berkleybabe, but I'm sort of looking for the OP to define their criteria.

[rainsux]

Thank you for the clarification. I was a tad uncertain how-to interpret your post.

[tokyo]

Sorry. I suffer from wordiness (in case those two giant paragraphs I've already posted didn't make that clear. Whoops, here I go again!...)