Northern
WINTER
DESTINATION
Restaurants with views include the
contemporary bistro L’atitudes The
Vierling, Elizabeth’s Chop House and
the North Star Lounge.
Strolling the streets of downtown
Marquette, one can easily sense the
rich history of this community built
primarily on the mining industry, with
architectural reminders from subtle
train truss benches to the enormous
Ore Dock, along with the centurion
businesses that are still operating,
that include: Getz’s clothing store,
Washington Shoe Store and its neighbor,
Doncker’s, a confectionary, soda fountain and café. Visitors are beckoned
inside by the scents of sweet smelling chocolate and can still sample
menu items from some of the original
menus, including the 70 year old Olive
and Nut sandwich offering.
Foodies also shop at the Farmer’s
Market that runs through October
on Saturdays at the Marquette Commons, or can pick up fresh produce
any day of the week at Farmer Q’s
as well as organic and specialty food
items at the Marquette Food Co-op.
While farm-to-table and lake-to-table
48 FOOD TRAVELER | WINTER 2013
offerings are quite common at many of
the local eateries, the Sweet Water Café
helped to launch local farm support
when it opened nearly twenty years
ago, proudly continuing local sourcing and offering many vegan-friendly
options and those in search of glutenfree fare will want to pop into Baby
Cakes Muffin Company.
Also helping to put Marquette on a
bigger map is the growing microbrewery scene; there are currently three in
the city, each filling a specific niche
and whetting many whistles. The first
microbrewery is located in one of the
city’s oldest buildings, The Vierling restaurant brews a selection of beers, to
be enjoyed amongst antique décor at a
century-old oak bar. Blackrocks Brewery
is set in a two-story house, decorated
with more than 1,000 beer club mugs,
all made by a local potter. Blackrocks
brews one barrel at a time, so offerings
often change daily. The newest member of the microbrew community, the
Ore Dock Brewing Company, has won
world beer championships for their
Porter and amber Dream Weaver taps.
Set in a former car dealership, much
of the materials have been repurposed
offering an industrial eco-chic vibe,
with a second floor that is open on
the weekends, which is where patrons
can also catch the Dia de Los Tacos food
truck, and if it’s not there, but spotted
elsewhere (it’s hard to miss the turquoise blue truck), it is worth chasing
down. The Ore Dock doesn’t serve
food, but encourages customers to
bring or order in from one of the local restaurants.
Downtown lodging options include
newly opened and charming historic
inns with water view rooms and an
excellent proximity to the downtown
restaurants, shopping and galleries. Whether far or near, Marquette
Michigan is a foodie destination that
should be added to the top of your
travel list.