Fine dining, indeed…read more
The Roselawn Dining Room is the restaurant adjacent to Staffords Bay View Inn. While it is part of the B & B, the restaurant is actually open to the public as well. My husband and I were staying at the inn and subsequently had occasion to eat in the restaurant several times over the past week while on vacation.
To start with, the location is amazing. It really doesn't get better than this with regard to the stunning view you get while dining. It is breathtaking (that's an understatement, to say the least). During every meal we had here, we managed to finagle a great table seated near one of the restaurant's many windows looking out onto Little Traverse Bay and the beautiful garden outside. In this case, location, location, location- it really is that important!
The restaurant was lovely, tastefully decorated and featuring one of the best views in all of Petoskey. The ambiance was definitely intimate and romantic. This place was made for couples. If I lived up here, I'd make it a regular "date night" spot.
As for the food, it was quite good. Pricey, yes, but the high quality and presentation of the food made up for the slightly elevated pricing. I had the Eggs Benedict at breakfast one morning and they were pretty good, some of the better Eggs Benedict that I've had, but the portion was definitely on the skimpier side. They were served with potato pancakes underneath and they were good as well. The homemade jams/preserves they served with the bread was delicious. One night, we had the smoked fish plate and cheese plate appetizers. They were both excellent, with the fish plate featuring cold salmon, smoked whitefish and fish sausage with crackers and a hot mustard sauce. The mustard was super hot and spicy, but I did like it, however, a little went a long way.
Another evening, my husband ordered the Pork Schnitzel while I opted for the vegetarian linguine dish. My linguine was outstanding, covered in a light cream sauce with artichokes and feta cheese. Everything about it was top notch, from the flavor profile to the perfectly cooked pasta. I loved it and would like to duplicate the recipe at home, if I could. My husband really enjoyed his Pork Schnitzel, complimenting the way it was cooked and overall taste. He told me he'd never had Pork Schnitzel that tasted quite so good until now. The complimentary bread served with our meals was excellent, freshly baked and warm after leaving the oven. One night, we ordered homemade cherry pie for dessert and it was heavenly, rich and savory, but not too sweet.
Every salad that we ordered (we each ordered both Caesar and Garden salads, on different days) was expertly plated and felt like a mini meal on their own. I especially appreciated the chef's willingness to "de-seed" the vegetables on my garden salad for me, upon request. The fresh fish was also excellent and is recommendable, as well as the Creme Brulee.
On Sundays, they only served a brunch buffet, but it was huge and impressive. You name it, they had it and a whole lot more. They had a carving station, waffle bar, cheese, fruit and fresh fish plate appetizers, quiche, baked mac & cheese, casseroles, fresh baked pastries and typical breakfast favorites, like eggs, potatoes, sausage, pancakes and more, plus juices. Everything I had was pretty good, particularly the salmon mousse dip, smoked fish and quiche. The brunch is roughly $25 per person, so it was a tad expensive, but so worth it. One word of caution, though: reservations for Sunday Brunch were strongly encouraged by the staff (we had reservations in advance). In other words, if you stroll in expecting to grab Sunday Brunch without a reservation, you might wind up leaving bitterly disappointed.
Their menu featured many seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, which I liked. The food had a lot of creativity to it and the menu, while somewhat limited in options, still had something for every palette or diet. The kitchen was able to accommodate gluten and other food allergies as well, without any problem. For vegetarians, there weren't a ton of regular menu options, but they did still have selections that were suitable and I experience any real problems finding something suitable to settle on.
Service was excellent, quite attentive, pretty much five star quality all the way. I have no complaints there. Food and drinks during every meal hit the table within a reasonable period of time after ordering and our server even boxed up my leftover linguine for me one night and had the office staff heat it up and send it up to my room later that evening. Now that's nice!
