With four weeks to go to Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer tourism season, numerous new restaurant concepts have launched or are set to open their doors shortly in Leelanau County. Meanwhile, one of the county’s longest-running culinary institutions is officially on the market, after closing its doors to business at the end of last year. The Leelanau Ticker has the latest in our May roundup of restaurant news.

The Mill Glen Arbor is open for business

It’s been a long road for the owners of The Mill Glen Arbor, who battled through massive local controversy and a ballot referendum to pursue their concept of converting the local landmark into a new coffee shop, restaurant, museum, and hotel space. The first pieces of that puzzle officially fell into place last month, with The Mill opening for business on April 14.

Currently, all daily offerings at The Mill are in the form of The Mill Café, a coffee shop and hangout spot serving coffee from Parlor Coffee, tea from In Pursuit of Tea, scratch-made bread and baked goods, and several salads and sandwiches. Mill operators have pledged to offer a menu built on “consciously sourcing ingredients with sustainable practices” and following a “daily practice of baking with simplicity and tradition.”

The Mill Café is currently open Thursdays through Sundays from 8am-2pm – though Kelsey Duda of Fernhaus Hospitality Group, which manages the property, says “expanded hours and service [are] coming soon.”

At the moment, some parts of the property remain closed and under renovation. As work in those areas wraps up in the weeks and months to come, Fernhaus is planning to roll out the other operational aspects of the new Mill. Specifically, Duda tells The Leelanau Ticker that the lodging component of the property “is slated to open for Memorial Day weekend,” consisting of two king suites and a two-bedroom unit with a kitchenette. All lodging will be housed in the farmhouse adjacent to The Mill, rather than in the Mill building itself.

Duda also says that the “museum component” previously discussed for The Mill is currently “in the works, with more signage and detail coming in the next few weeks.”

Nittolo’s unveils menu, starts accepting reservations for new Spanish tapas lounge

The Leelanau Ticker reported last November that Eric Nittolo, owner and head chef of the multi-restaurant hub Nittolo’s in Lake Leelanau, was planning to bring yet another new restaurant concept to his spacious building. That concept, called The Social and focused on Spanish tapas and wine, is now just weeks away from its opening, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17.

Nittolo’s shared the tapas menu for The Social last month. Tapas are Spanish-inspired small plates that are intended to be shared. At The Social, small plates will range from $6 to $11 apiece, with menu items including sea bass ceviche (pictured, top right), salmon and scallop tartare, fried potatoes, croquettes, mussels, octopus with roasted pepper mayo, oxtail, prawn, calamari, and paella. The Social will also offer an assortment of Spanish wines and sangria.

The Social menu will only be available in the lounge area at Nittolo’s, and guests must book reservations specifically for that part of the restaurant in order to enjoy the tapas menu. Opening night reservations are currently sold out, but tickets are still available for Thursday, May 18 and other later dates. Nittolo’s will offer the tapas menu two nights per week, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 5-9:30pm. More details and reservation information can be found here.

Black Star farms plots Bistro Polaris project

Also opening a new restaurant concept this month is Suttons Bay’s Black Star Farms, which is reimagining and replacing its existing on-site café with Bistro Polaris. Touted by the winery as “where farm meets fork and vine meets glass,” Bistro Polaris will feature Mediterranean-style cuisine but with a focus on ingredients sourced from local farms. The restaurant will offer “wine dinners, Neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas, local greens, paninis, artisanal appetizers, and local ice cream.” A sample menu is available now on the Black Star Farms website.

The new bistro concept will open on Thursday, May 25 and is intended to operate year-round, Wednesday through Sunday. Wednesday and Thursday evenings are reserved for ticketed wine dinners, which run 6-8pm. Bistro Polaris will also have general dining hours of 12-5pm on Thursdays, 12-8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10am-1pm on Sundays for brunch.

Fischer’s Happy Hour Tavern hits the market

One of the biggest Leelanau Ticker stories of 2022 was the news last November that Fischer’s Happy Hour Tavern in Northport would be closing its doors after 51 years in business. The restaurant ultimately carried on through the end of the year and had its final day of operations on December 31. Now, the business is officially on the market.

“Dearest Leelanau, you have treated our Happy Hour Family with love for over 50 years,” wrote third-generation owner Kristi Fischer in a Facebook post last week. “We are ready to pass the torch and support the next great thing. This isn’t a decision we came to lightly but the right decision for us. This building is literally a part of my DNA and something that our family and friends have loved and cherished and worked hard at. Whatever comes next for us and this great space just know how grateful we all are for the memories, the stories, the support, and the community.”

The Fischers are asking $1.5 million for both the real estate and the business, touting the listing as “a chance to own one of the most loved establishments in all of Leelanau County.” A buyer would get the 3,200-square-foot building, the three acres of commercially-zoned land it sits upon, the restaurant’s Class C liquor license, an on-premises “original 24' x 40' Leelanau barn (soon with new concrete floors),” and the three-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that sits on the upper level of the tavern.

“Ample storage, plentiful outdoor seating, and a large sparkling kitchen are just a few of the qualities this tavern offers for its new owners,” the listing notes. “Fischer's has served as a labor of love for the Fischer Family for three generations and over 50 years and is ready for its next endeavors. You'd be challenged to find a more meticulously kept, fully equipped kitchen and bar, ready for immediate re-opening. If restaurants aren’t your thing, this unique rural setting with abundant parking could serve well as a general store with commercial kitchen, brewery, full-service farmers market, event venue with a barn, or any other creative indoor/outdoor Mecca.”