Traverse City Record-Eagle,  June 20, 2003
Garrett's -- Something New on Water Street
The lakeside setting at the foot of Boyne City's Water Street is so perfect for a restaurant that this spring's reopening under new management as Garrett's On Water Street is welcome indeed. All the more so because new chef-owner Garrett Scanlan brings lively style to the menu while maintaining the good service for which the place was known before the former owners shuttered it two years ago.

   Boyne City has become quite a restaurant town in recent years, with the likes of Monte Bianco, Red Mesa Grill, The Manitou and Roast and Toast augmenting such local landmarks as Lena's, Pippins, and the Wolverine-Dilworth. If what we found on our first visit is any indication, Garrett's can only enhance this happy picture.

   Garrett's On Water Street made its debut in mid-May, and our first visit suggested it was already starting to establish itself as a dining destination; even on a pre-season Monday evening at least two dozen other patrons were in the dining room and bar. We can't say this surprises us. Scanlan, after all, is not without credentials, having been chef for some years at Mahogany's in the Charlevoix Country Club. Barely ten days after the opening we enjoyed a meal that could only have come from a kitchen already up to speed. We also found the service pleasant and hospitable, although still in need of refinement.

   Most especially, the menu was striking in its variety, which bespeaks a chef willing to take risks on the patrons' behalf. (The variety will only increase: One of three dining areas was still being renovated, and its steakhouse-style specialties weren't yet available.)

   Our menu began with a long list of appetizers that seemed pitched to grazers, so one of us decided on a tapas-style meal. Choosing wasn't easy, however, for the list overflowed with such temptations as oysters Rockefeller, wild mushroom strudel with Parmesan cream, and roasted mussels with plum tomatoes, saffron and fennel. We settled on a pair of lobster spring rolls (on Asian slaw with a pineapple-laced sweet-and-sour sauce) and a potato-leek cake with smoked salmon, garnished with capers, sour cream and red onion.

   Our other meal was far more traditional, but no less difficult to select. The menu offered four pasta dishes, including a Parmesan-sauced penne with tomatoes, asparagus and spinach that Scanlan brought with him from Charlevoix. (He brought several of his favorites along, for that matter; also on his new menu, along with seven other "chef's favorites," was his grandmother's meatloaf and mashed potatoes that we look forward to revisiting some chilly night next fall.)

   The "favorite" we settled on for this spring evening, however, was walleye. Like the appetizers, it was thoughtfully prepared and attractively presented in a robe of crisp potato crust and a cloak of sour-cream Hollandaise, accompanied by chive-laced whipped potatoes.

   Despite the varied styles of our meals, the server took it upon herself to time both meals well and avoided the awkward moments that sometimes occur when a grazer and a traditionalist dine together. The absent refinements had more to do with very long waits up front for bread and, later, for plates to be cleared, and with the server's unpolished manner.

   One of the nicer aspects of our dinner was that Garrett's prices hardly made us gasp. By 21^st century standards, they're almost in bargain territory considering the variety and quality of food and the pleasant setting. Grazers can make a satisfying tapas-style meal of two or three appetizers for about $20 (our spring rolls and salmon and potato cake were $8 each). The "chefs' favorite" entrees run $14-19 (and include salad), and the pastas are a few dollars less (but salad is $2.50 extra). Our bill (less tip) just topped $60 for the evening, which included a cup of pleasingly rich chowder to start, three glasses of wine with the meal, and coffee afterwards. It also included a dessert we'd as soon have skipped. Described as a "berry cobbler," it was more a warmed ramekin of compote. It was the only disappointing bite we had, although we'll add in the interests of full disclosure that restaurant desserts as a rule seldom thrill us. We took away enough good memories from Garrett's that we'll return regardless of what's for dessert.

DATA: Garrett's On Water Street, 1 Water Street, Boyne City; 231-582-1111. Two dining rooms, pub, and seasonal outdoor patio by the lake.