Feb. 4, 2005

Trattoria Funistrada
A Go-to spot after Lakeshore outings
We've enjoyed Tom and Holly Reay's cozy little Trattoria Funistrada near Glen Lake ever since they opened five years ago, and it's particularly inviting after a day's outing in the Sleeping Bear area. Even more so in the off-season when they stay open while so much of Leelanau just shuts down.

We sought haven there most recently in the company of two food-loving neighbors who'd never been. Our dinner followed an afternoon of calorie-burning on some favorite National Lakeshore trails that ended with a trek to the top of Pyramid Point for the spectacular view of the Manitous.

It was a chilly and invigorating day, and the outing had us all in the mood for food, and when we finally landed at Funistrada at dusk, we quickly remembered why we like it so much as we started with a celebratory glass of prosecco, Italy's answer to Champagne, and looked over the menu and the day's blackboard of specials.

We proceeded slowly, taking the edge off our appetites with a preliminary round that we shared around the table. This consisted of a bowl of mussels steamed in a garlic-basil broth and a plate of sublime lobster ravioli splashed with garlic and olive oil.

These two dishes alone would be worth our trip to Glen Lake. The raviolis, both savory and soft, might best be described as "plush" if the word can be applied to food. As to the mussels, we'll just say that Sherri had never much cared for them until then, but now scans menus for them eagerly. By the time we'd sponged up the last of the broth with our Stone House bread, we were ready to approach the generously plated, classic antipasto salads and move on to bigger things.

Our main-dish orders were all over the menu, which let us all sample everything. We concluded in the end that the hit of the evening was an entrée of veal-stuffed raviolis in a bright marinara sauce. Tom Reay just has a way with ravioli.

Three out of the four at the table found Graydon's chicken and penne puttanesca very flavorful, with its marinara sauce, red wine, capers, anchovy and kalamata olives. But Graydon, alas, isn't into food-induced pain and found it uncomfortably spicy-hot. That was hardly the kitchen's fault, however, because he knew perfectly well what puttanesca means and ordered it anyway.

Fortunately, one of our companions fared far better with his penne dish, tossed with a generous supply of spicy Italian sausage, coated with that terrific marinara sauce, and topped with Parmesan. The serving was enormous, which provided some surplus for Graydon to share.

The weak link of the evening was Sherri's baked sea bass, served on wilted spinach without garnish or sauce. The fish itself was lovely, quite fresh and perfectly cooked, but the dish was so bland and austere that we thought at first it had been whisked out of the kitchen unfinished. In the big picture, however, we had forgotten all about it by the time we'd finished an absolutely killer dessert of tiramisu and were sipping our coffee.

The Reays are true to Italy when it comes to their cellar, and there's just enough regional Michigan wine to satisfy the chauvinists. We enjoyed an excellent Chianti riserva for a mere $26.

The food prices are generally upper-middle range. Starters run about $8. Pasta dishes are about $17 and entrees $19-25, and all come with bread and the nice antipasti salads. Funistrada is a small place and booking is a good idea, even in the off-season. Holly and her energetic wait staff stay right on top of things and we've always enjoyed excellent, efficient, friendly service.

"Funistrada," the "dish" for which the restaurant is named, is totally imaginary, made up in the 1970s by some experts hired by the government to survey military personnel about their chow. The experts salted their survey with some imaginary dishes just to keep the troops honest, and were amazed at how many said funistrada was one of their favorites. The Reays' Funistrada is one of our favorites, too, but there's nothing imaginary about it.

DATA: Trattoria Funistrada, 4566 MacFarlane Rd. (C-616), Burdickville; 231-3340-3900. Off-season hours, Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m.