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.
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.
SUE'S DINER
Location: 301 Main
Street, Munsonville, Mich.
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'"
