Everything about this review is fictional, except for the food, which, alas, is only available if you prepare it at home using recipes from the BryonySeries cookbook.
Information on ordering is at the end of this review.
All characters referenced in this review appear in the BryonySeries.
First shared at a WriteOn Joliet meeting as part of a group assignment, probably in 2013.
You see, my family had owned that restaurant for many decades, up until my mother's valiant fight against brain cancer. I ate most of my boyhood meals in that diner's kitchen, earned my allowance by bussing tables, and spent my weekends sitting in a fishing boat with my father.
However, what most people do not realize is that Chef Marchellis, although at first appearing an unlikely prospect for this diner's culinary success, was actually the perfect individual to take this historic piece of the village to this level. To understand why, please allow me to digress.
In 1975, a couple of years before I was born, the village had purchased a mansion in Simons Woods from Chef Marchellis' family. The previous owner--John Simons--was apparently a rather famous pianist and composer in the nineteenth century.
Because of this, as well as rumors that the mansion was haunted, village officials had planned to convert Simons Mansion into a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, a fire burned the structure to the ground before any serious renovations had taken place.
Now in the fall of 1975, several months before the fire, Chef Marchellis and his family had actually lived in the former servant's quarters on that estate. In fact, I believe the structure still stands as a storage unit for park maintenance.
Anyway, in that cottage, one of the village employees, Steve Barnes, whose parents had founded Sue's Diner in 1922, took the future chef under his wing and taught him all of his family's secret recipes. Steve later became Chef Marchellis' stepfather, moved away with the family, and opened a cleaning business.
After Steve's death, Chef Marchellis expanded the cleaning business and franchised it, but when my mother became sick, Chef Marchellis sold the business, enrolled in the world renowned culinary arts program at Joliet Junior College, and initiated conversation with my family about selling the diner. And as a "by the way," Chef Marchellis was also the uncle of my childhood best friend.
So you can see why Courtney and I were most anxious to see the new Sue's Diner, and believe me, we were not disappointed, even before we got through the door. The dingy gray exterior is now a fresh white with blue-gray trim; matching window boxes hold wildflowers from Simons Woods. Just beyond the diner, a spacious parking lot replaces the ramshackle fishing cottages that were once the mainstay of Munsonville's tourist season.
Inside, was even more jaw-dropping. No more tacky blond paneling. The walls had been painted white and adorned with blue-gray shelving and free-standing cabinets displaying items that had once played useful roles in homes of the early settlers: cast iron cookware, vintage photographs (including those of village women cooking over wood stoves), homemade fishing poles and nets and antique dinnerware.
The threadbare carpet has given way to gleaming wood floors (compliments of Simons Woods); the metal chairs with their stained blue-green cushions and the Formica-topped tables were replaced with polished wood benches, chairs, and tables, all locally crafted from Millers Fine Furniture in Shelby, whose original owner, Russ Miller, is also a born and bred Munsonviller. Sue's Diner servers are professionally trained and wear blue-grey and white uniforms, no exceptions.
All fish on the menu has always been freshly caught from the waters of Lake Munson. However, the produce is now locally grown from the community garden and restored orchards on the grounds of the former Simons estate. This is a project the pastor of the Congregational Church initiated nearly 20 years ago as part of the youth ministry he began with the now-famous emporium orphans, which has since reached its full flowering, so to speak.
In addition to the signature dishes Sue's Diner patrons have enjoyed through the decades--Boiled Fish with Gravy, Fish Loaf, Fish Chowder, Lemon Chicken, Shepherd's Pie, my grandmother's house salad and Apple Pudding (not to mention the diner's popular tartar sauce, which my Great Uncle Gabe ate by the cupful)--Sue's Diner now features recipes Chef Marchellis learned directly from Steve, recipes the Barnes family did not share when my grandparents bought Sue's Diner in back in the '50s.
For our first Sue's Diner meal as official tourists, Courtney and I shared a jalapeno-corn dip with homemade tortilla chips for an appetizer and sampled each other's entrees: a very hot vegetarian chili for her and pork roast with cabbage, grated apples and fresh sauerkraut for me. Beer and wine offerings were slim but expect some diversity here in the near future as Chef Marchellis is currently experimenting with making his own.
At dessert, Chef Marchellis himself served complimentary slices of his very rich, eight-layer, "Best Ever" chocolate cake, the very first dessert he'd made with Steve. We enjoyed it with Sue's Diner coffee, still freshly ground with a hand grinder.
The next morning, we split an order of Toffee-Apple French Toast, as the portions were so large, we wanted to save room for lunch. We spent the morning wandering through Simons Woods and generally reminiscing, returning to Sue's Diner after the noon rush had passed. Courtney then ordered the baked ham sandwich--featuring a unique onion-poppy mustard--and I ordered a giant barbecue made with Chef Marchellis' own smoky, non-tomato-based barbecue sauce.
That night at dinner, Courtney and I again shared an appetizer, the black avocado dip, again with homemade tortilla chips. Chicken ruled our dinner plates: pot pie for Courtney and pan-fried chicken slices with string beans in sour cream gravy for me. We had considered sampling other desserts--trifle comes to mind--but caved to Chef Marchellis' "Best Ever" chocolate cake.
We left Munsonville early the next morning but not before treating ourselves to a breakfast entree we've not seen anywhere but Sue's Diner and a favorite of mine growing up: batter dipped ham pieces and Scarborough Puffs. All in all, our entire experience at Sue's Diner was a highly satisfying one. Chef Brian Marchellis, I salute you. It took nearly 50 years, but thanks to your efforts, Munsonville now has its tourist attraction.
Editor's note: Dr. Trenton J. Cooper is chief of neurosurgery at Jenson Memorial Hospital, a former classmate of mine, and the perfect person to review Sue's Diner, as Dr. Cooper has now experienced both sides of its kitchen. Interested in submitting a piece to Michigan's official tourist magazine? Contact me at cchandler@experiencemichigannow.com.
SUE'S DINER
Location: 301 Main
Street, Munsonville, Mich.
From "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From 'Bryony'"
Information on ordering is at the end of this review.
All characters referenced in this review appear in the BryonySeries.
First shared at a WriteOn Joliet meeting as part of a group assignment, probably in 2013.
Sue's
Diner, a Review
By Dr. Trenton J. Cooper
Exclusive to Experience Michigan Now!
For me,
moving to a city near my hometown meant foregoing the unpacking of bags until
my wife Courtney and I had experienced Sue's Diner in Munsonville.
Yes, I
know Sue's Diner has become the "it" place for good eating in Beulah County ever since executive chef Brian Marchellis bought the place last year,
but that's not why Courtney and I immediately headed over to the small fishing
village for an overnighter.You see, my family had owned that restaurant for many decades, up until my mother's valiant fight against brain cancer. I ate most of my boyhood meals in that diner's kitchen, earned my allowance by bussing tables, and spent my weekends sitting in a fishing boat with my father.
However, what most people do not realize is that Chef Marchellis, although at first appearing an unlikely prospect for this diner's culinary success, was actually the perfect individual to take this historic piece of the village to this level. To understand why, please allow me to digress.
In 1975, a couple of years before I was born, the village had purchased a mansion in Simons Woods from Chef Marchellis' family. The previous owner--John Simons--was apparently a rather famous pianist and composer in the nineteenth century.
Because of this, as well as rumors that the mansion was haunted, village officials had planned to convert Simons Mansion into a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, a fire burned the structure to the ground before any serious renovations had taken place.
Now in the fall of 1975, several months before the fire, Chef Marchellis and his family had actually lived in the former servant's quarters on that estate. In fact, I believe the structure still stands as a storage unit for park maintenance.
Anyway, in that cottage, one of the village employees, Steve Barnes, whose parents had founded Sue's Diner in 1922, took the future chef under his wing and taught him all of his family's secret recipes. Steve later became Chef Marchellis' stepfather, moved away with the family, and opened a cleaning business.
After Steve's death, Chef Marchellis expanded the cleaning business and franchised it, but when my mother became sick, Chef Marchellis sold the business, enrolled in the world renowned culinary arts program at Joliet Junior College, and initiated conversation with my family about selling the diner. And as a "by the way," Chef Marchellis was also the uncle of my childhood best friend.
So you can see why Courtney and I were most anxious to see the new Sue's Diner, and believe me, we were not disappointed, even before we got through the door. The dingy gray exterior is now a fresh white with blue-gray trim; matching window boxes hold wildflowers from Simons Woods. Just beyond the diner, a spacious parking lot replaces the ramshackle fishing cottages that were once the mainstay of Munsonville's tourist season.
Inside, was even more jaw-dropping. No more tacky blond paneling. The walls had been painted white and adorned with blue-gray shelving and free-standing cabinets displaying items that had once played useful roles in homes of the early settlers: cast iron cookware, vintage photographs (including those of village women cooking over wood stoves), homemade fishing poles and nets and antique dinnerware.
The threadbare carpet has given way to gleaming wood floors (compliments of Simons Woods); the metal chairs with their stained blue-green cushions and the Formica-topped tables were replaced with polished wood benches, chairs, and tables, all locally crafted from Millers Fine Furniture in Shelby, whose original owner, Russ Miller, is also a born and bred Munsonviller. Sue's Diner servers are professionally trained and wear blue-grey and white uniforms, no exceptions.
All fish on the menu has always been freshly caught from the waters of Lake Munson. However, the produce is now locally grown from the community garden and restored orchards on the grounds of the former Simons estate. This is a project the pastor of the Congregational Church initiated nearly 20 years ago as part of the youth ministry he began with the now-famous emporium orphans, which has since reached its full flowering, so to speak.
In addition to the signature dishes Sue's Diner patrons have enjoyed through the decades--Boiled Fish with Gravy, Fish Loaf, Fish Chowder, Lemon Chicken, Shepherd's Pie, my grandmother's house salad and Apple Pudding (not to mention the diner's popular tartar sauce, which my Great Uncle Gabe ate by the cupful)--Sue's Diner now features recipes Chef Marchellis learned directly from Steve, recipes the Barnes family did not share when my grandparents bought Sue's Diner in back in the '50s.
For our first Sue's Diner meal as official tourists, Courtney and I shared a jalapeno-corn dip with homemade tortilla chips for an appetizer and sampled each other's entrees: a very hot vegetarian chili for her and pork roast with cabbage, grated apples and fresh sauerkraut for me. Beer and wine offerings were slim but expect some diversity here in the near future as Chef Marchellis is currently experimenting with making his own.
At dessert, Chef Marchellis himself served complimentary slices of his very rich, eight-layer, "Best Ever" chocolate cake, the very first dessert he'd made with Steve. We enjoyed it with Sue's Diner coffee, still freshly ground with a hand grinder.
The next morning, we split an order of Toffee-Apple French Toast, as the portions were so large, we wanted to save room for lunch. We spent the morning wandering through Simons Woods and generally reminiscing, returning to Sue's Diner after the noon rush had passed. Courtney then ordered the baked ham sandwich--featuring a unique onion-poppy mustard--and I ordered a giant barbecue made with Chef Marchellis' own smoky, non-tomato-based barbecue sauce.
That night at dinner, Courtney and I again shared an appetizer, the black avocado dip, again with homemade tortilla chips. Chicken ruled our dinner plates: pot pie for Courtney and pan-fried chicken slices with string beans in sour cream gravy for me. We had considered sampling other desserts--trifle comes to mind--but caved to Chef Marchellis' "Best Ever" chocolate cake.
We left Munsonville early the next morning but not before treating ourselves to a breakfast entree we've not seen anywhere but Sue's Diner and a favorite of mine growing up: batter dipped ham pieces and Scarborough Puffs. All in all, our entire experience at Sue's Diner was a highly satisfying one. Chef Brian Marchellis, I salute you. It took nearly 50 years, but thanks to your efforts, Munsonville now has its tourist attraction.
Editor's note: Dr. Trenton J. Cooper is chief of neurosurgery at Jenson Memorial Hospital, a former classmate of mine, and the perfect person to review Sue's Diner, as Dr. Cooper has now experienced both sides of its kitchen. Interested in submitting a piece to Michigan's official tourist magazine? Contact me at cchandler@experiencemichigannow.com.
Reservations: Suggested but not mandatory. Walk-ins
welcome, but expect a wait.
Price: Most
breakfast and lunch entrees are between $7 and $12; dinner ranges from $15 to
$25, not including appetizers and desserts. Homemade soup included with every
order.
Charge Cards: All major credit cards accepted
Hours: 5:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m, seven days a
week
Parking: On street (when available), valet
parking
Cuisine: Home-style with
gourmet flair
Call: 989- 826-5514
Visit:
www.suesdiner.com or find "Sue's Diner" on Facebook.
From "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From 'Bryony'"
All proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy
Counties. www.bbbswillgrundy.org.
Order the cookbook at www.bryonyseries.com.
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