Six food devotees shared some of their all-time favorite eats in Northern Michigan with us for our annual MyNorth Food Finds. In our Food Finds 2016 series, originally published in the March 2016 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine, discover 42 tasty eats from Northern Michigan foodies. Then you can put their picks on your culinary bucket list and start tasting!

Meet the Foodie: Marina Call

Marina’s foodie résumé began at birth in SoCal with an engraved set of silver gifted by her Spanish mother and used at every childhood dinner of paella, lentil soup or Tortilla Espagnola.

After spending eight years in Italy earning an MBA and reviewing European hotels for an online reservation company, Marina followed her husband, Warren, to Northern Michigan, where she now serves as marketing director for the National Writers Series and DJ’s Canal Latino on WNMC.

A passionate home cook and patron of the TC food scene, Marina loves cooking Mediterranean cuisine for her family.

Marina’s Food Finds

Caramelized Pink Grapefruit

Grand Hotel 286 Grand Avenue, Mackinac Island 800.334.7263

Nothing boosts your breakfast citrus like a brûléed crust of turbinado sugar, white glove service and panoramic peeks of the Straits.

Toasted Coconut and Local Raspberry Sorbet

Hilltop Soda Shoppe 7117 South Street, Benzonia 231.882.9697

Fresh Benzie County berries gladly give it all to this to silky sorbetto laced with sweet, nutty flakes of toasted coconut.

Morel Soup

The Cooks’ House 115 Wellington Street, Traverse City 231.946.8700

The earthy nuances of the North’s number one fungus are expertly extracted in The Cooks’ House’s coveted spring soup.

Brussels Sprouts

Traverse City Golf & Country Club 1725 South Union Street, Traverse City 231.947.9140

Caramelized on the cut side and drizzled with balsamic reduction, these little green flavor grenades are an ideal après-golf snack.

Taquitos

Georgina’s 236 East Front Street, Traverse City 231.943.1555

Front Street’s hopping taqueria kicks out hundreds of these crispy corn cylinders filled with braised beef or pork and served alongside legit Cuban black beans and fried plantains.

Olive Burger & Vanilla Shake

Slab town Burger 826 West Front Street, Traverse City 231.932.1760

You’ll gladly sacrifice a second aorta to Slabtown’s signature patty built up with Swiss cheese, green olives, and mayo. Seal your fate with a vanilla shake sidecar.

Steak Frites

Bistro FouFou 118 Cass Street, Traverse City 231.421.6583

Chef Guillaume deftly sears a flavorful shoulder steak, sauces it with Béarnaise or caramelized shallot butter and brings it to you on a bed of crispy pommes frites. Très bon.

Linguini alle Vongole

PepeNero 800 Cottageview Drive, Traverse City 231.929.1960

PepeNero’s play on the sublimely simple Ligurian classic draws out the briny liquor of baby clams cooked with garlic, white wine and premium olive oil.

Meet PepeNero owner and chef Giorgio Lo Greco, and watch how he makes Linguini all Vongole in this MyNorth Media video.


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Photo(s) by David Weidner