Eating Local in a Small, Summertime Town.

"YEAH; EAT LOCAL!" (White-Guy's-Best-Cardi-B-Voice).

If there's ONE thing that the pandemic of last year, and the resulting government orders/local decisions did, it was to remind me how very much I appreciate our local eateries.

In fact, some of my very favorite locals right now serve from behind the bar. (When you don't drink, and the bartender is STILL your favorite person in town, you've got your own problems).

Every Summer, almost every night, you can find me at one of four places between Captain Lou's, Admiral Jacks, BRT, or Gino's East; in some kind of random order.

(Maybe in the Fall-Spring, I have it down to "Gino's..." or "BRT;" and, THEN, not quite EVERY night)...

Anyway, with the Pandemic and government orders/recommendations, I had to think on my feet to continue supporting ALL of my favorite eateries in town.

Luckily, my parents and I managed to put our heads together and decide that Wednesday's and Fridays were our "carry-out" days (and I'm NOT talking about Burger King/Pizza Hut/Arby's/etc.)

So, I've had time to think this through and want to present to you...

The List of the "Best" Places in Town...

(Any "Budgets," unless stated otherwise, are generally for one person to dine on a meal. Money to be reevaluated for soft drinks, multiple diners, etc.)

BEST TAKE-OUT

...some of the best take-out is not even one of my regular go-tos; but my dad was really impressed with their food and I've found it to be better than I remembered.

"South Haven Brewpub" is a little off the beaten-path, as you literally have to know to go downstairs in "Old Harbor Village" to find it.

From there, they serve some great pizzas (and, at 7 inches, their personal pan sized for my FitBit Journey and me). They also have great tacos, not to mention the chips that go on the side with them.

Budget: usually somewhere between $10-$15 if you're after a burger, pizza, or taco.

BEST APPETIZERS

The Clementine's Onion Rings are in a class of their own; and it's not even fair to include them in contention.

Then again, they'd make a glaring omission.

Come Summer time, locals can almost FORGET getting into "Clementines" as it turns into a tourist hotspot. There is a reason for that and a lot of it is probably their 6 inch/1 Foot stacked Onion Rings.

...Okay, so if I were to look beyond a single appetizer in the form of, strictly, Clem's "Onion Rings," Captain Lou's has a lot of great appetizers as well; some of which I'll into a meal by themselves.

Budget:

Clem's: Right around the neighborhood of $15-$20 (usually) for a meal; $7-$13 for an Onion Ring Stack.

Lou's: Somewhere around $8-$15.

BEST SALAD

Caprese Pasta Salad (Gino's East).

All that you need do is to LOOK at me to know that I have a hard time getting a salad instead of a burger/chicken strips/taco (I was quicker to switch 80% of my sodas to waters).

Convert that into a PASTA Salad and I'm there.

Runner up: ...Lou's for the "Degrandchamp Blueberry Salad" (Salad stuff, blueberries, grilled chicken).

BEST BURGER

Sort of depends how much time you have to dine...

Best "Fastfood" Burger: "Back to the 50's Drive-In" (Excellent fries and milkshakes too). (Budget: 8-15 for a meal).

Best "Tavern" Burger: It comes down to "Maple Grove Tavern" ($12-$15 or "BRT;" ($12-$15) with a slim advantage to "Maple Grove..."

BEST PIZZA

"Brewpub" takes the slight advantage from me that there pizzas are pretty small and, therefore, easy to eat in one sitting if I'm dining in or to refrigerate/save if I've gotten one for takeout.

If you're a fan of Deep Dish, "Chicago"-Style pizzas, then "Gino's East" is really the only place in town that does that that I know of (they also make a pretty good thin crust).

BEST BREAKFAST

"Captain Nemo's" for a friendly atmosphere, for Sherman's Ice Cream to COMPLEMENT Breakfast, and for being one of the few local eateries OPEN for breakfast.

Other contenders include "Phoenix Street Cafe," "Cafe Julias," or "Six Chicks Scratch Kitchen".

Budgets: $6-$9

BEST MEXICAN

Newcomer to the South Haven community, "Los Rancheros," just barely beats "Su Casa." (Though each does their own things well and the owner of Su Casa DOES do a lot for the South Haven community).

Budgets: $8-$12

BEST SMALL PLATES

"Taste" serves some great small plates in the kind of atmosphere that really caters to couples/groups of people.

I, your resident lone foodie, tend to like their sushi (usually $8-$9) with a side of Jalapeno Cilantro Rice ($3) and a Coke ($3).

BEST SCENERY

The scenic view of Lake Michigan is shared by the three restaurants who all float on it: The Idler Riverboat, Admiral Jacks, and Captain Lous.

Admiral Jack's probably sports the BEST view of the water (and of Captain Lou's across the way).

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

Here in Michigan, we're still being pleaded to dine OUTDOORS (or do take-out) as convenient until the pandemic quiets down again.

Admiral Jack's and Captain Lou's return to town in Summers to make this a lot easier...

BEST MUSIC

...When you're at these places often enough, you start to catch the atmosphere...

"Captain Lou's" usually plays country.

"Admiral Jack's" plays a lot of 80's pop/rock (It CAN depend on who's controlling the music on a given day).

"Gino's East" is usually 90's lately.

"BRT" can be pretty erratic with what comes out of the jukebox.

Every restaurant usually TRIES to get live music on the weekends. For THAT, I tend to appreciate Admiral Jacks (It's a single-level barge with the best chance to see/hear the musician, it's outdoors so the accoustics are better than other places, etc).

We're going on into some sections that I probably shouldn't add as they're extremely open to interpretation and personal experience. Besides, as previously stated, I love most of the local eateries in town and DON'T want to pit them against one another per se.

However, there comes a point when I'm having way too much fun making this list...

FRIENDLIEST WAITSTAFF

I'd say "Gino's East" and BRT both have extremely welcoming atmospheres (then again, they're here year round for me to evaluate and I'm THERE all of the time)...

Now, BRT tends to be a lot busier with a lot of bar customers to keep happy. It's understandable that they have to be friendlier to a whole lot more people.

...That being said, I do appreciate the welcoming atmosphere provided by both of the usual bartenders/waitresses at "Gino's East" when I stroll in, sit down, and there are maybe five of us regulars at the bar.

BEST BARTENDER

...for two years running (not naming her by name); but "BRT" has managed to keep their hooks in the local WINNER of the best bartender in South Haven.

For me, it's her bubbly personality and demeanor; for those who drink, she's probably really good at mixing drinks too.

PRETTIEST WAITRESSES/BARTENDERS

...and here we are with MY reason to visit at the bar; WITHOUT drinking beyond soda. (Though, slide a third Pepsi in front of me at Captain Lou's; THEN watch my personality).

This really IS subjective; and borderline offensive to EVERYONE involved (even the "winners" are summed down to eye-candy).

...Okay, I'll say it; "Captain Lou's" in the summer; "Gino's East" year round.

This concludes the part that shouldn't be read. You can peruse again...

Okay, this was fun.

Again, I love dining local (When in doubt, just look at me). My local "favorites" are all in the restaurant industry. My IDEA of supporting the local economy is to dine-out/get take-out from the LOCAL places and build them up any time I get the chance.

Thanks for reading.