![]() “We’re not going to cut corners or skimp just because it’s a lower price point and a faster menu. “Everything we do at dinner, we carry that same mindset into lunch,” said Peterson. Peterson’s personal favorite is the (gluten-free) baked chocolate pudding with butterscotch sauce. When it comes to Palette’s sweet side, there are two particular desserts that the restaurant is known for: crème brulée and cheesecake, in varying flavors. That crusty bottom layer of rice that is the hallmark of a good paella - the socarrat - develops very nicely in that oven.” “We also do wood-fired pizzas,” said Peterson, “and when you’ve got a beautiful stone oven like we do, we make sure that we are utilizing it for a variety of different dishes, such as our roast chicken and our paella. Mussels are another staple on that list (with chorizo, garlic aioli, shallots and grilled bread). On the small plates section of the dinner menu, one very popular item is the forest floor soup (a variety of roasted mushrooms, stewed leeks, cream, and Fustini’s white truffle oil). ![]() “We make our own sauces, dressings, spreads, and sausages, and we grind our own meat for our burgers - because if you want to control the quality and consistency, that’s what you do.” The restaurant’s salmon from John Cross Fisheries in Charlevoix always gets a Mediterranean-influenced presentation, currently leaning toward the Middle East (dukkah crumb crust, broccoli-spinach-Brussels sprouts salad, harissa-yogurt sauce, and feta).Ī linguine pasta dish gives a nod to Morocco (with house-made lamb merguez sausage, chicken confit, marinated tomato, mushrooms, harissa and arugula). ![]() When you take a look at the Mediterranean, it’s a pretty wide geographic area, so it does give you a lot of choices.” “Spain, Italy, and France are our three primary sources of inspiration,” said Peterson, “but we also pull from places like Lebanon, Greece, and North Africa. Palette describes its ambience as “casual upscale dining,” and its cuisine as “Mediterranean-inspired.” A classic example of the latter is the menu’s signature dish, paella, which the kitchen prepares in both a seafood version (shrimp, scallops, mussels, house-made chorizo, peas, arborio rice, sherry, saffron, and smoked paprika) and a vegetarian version (peas, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, arborio rice, sherry and smoked paprika). ![]() “When they were brainstorming for the name of the restaurant, that kind of all came together - the palate and the palette - and after all, food is art, too,” said Peterson. Group has a close relationship with Petoskey’s Crooked Tree Arts Center, collaborating with the organization to showcase in the restaurant works by local and regional, rotating the collection regularly. The first one was to do a play on the word “palate,” and the second one has to do with the arts - an artist’s palette. The name “Palette” was chosen for a couple of reasons. The storms of November and the icy sunsets to follow might yet be far off for Little Traverse Bay, but capturing spectacular moments and artistry is something Palette Bistro has strived to do since The Wineguys Restaurant Group - which owns Petoskey’s Palette Bistro, City Park Grill, all overseen by executive chef John Norman - opened the double-decker restaurant in 2010. And there’s something very special about seeing a sunset over the frozen lake in the dead of winter. “It’s spectacular any time of year, but I especially love watching the storms of November approaching as they make their way across Lake Michigan and roll into the bay. The windows, high above Petoskey’s waterfront, reveal a panorama stretching from east to west over Little Traverse Bay and across to Harbor Springs. “This is a hard office to show up to every day,” said Palette Bistro General Manager Shawn Peterson, with a mock sigh and a wide smile as he waves his arm toward the wide bank of windows behind him. Its Mediterranean-inspired cuisine will transport you to sunny climes, even in winter. That came as no surprise to the many full-time and seasonal residents of Petoskey, as well as visitors, who have already been regulars for years at this quaint and welcoming dining spot on Bay Street. Opened just short of a decade ago in downtown Petoskey, Palette Bistro was recently named one of 2019’s “Top 9 Best Small Town Restaurants in Michigan” by the online magazine Only in Your State. Palette Bistro Artful Mediterranean in Petoskey By Janice Binkert | Sept.
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