Traverse City Record-Eagle,  April 18, 2003
The Civilized North
Whenever we tire of things rustic and rugged and yearn for a refined, elegant evening with all the trappings, we head north, of all directions. That way lies Petoskey and Stafford's Perry Hotel, home of some of Northern Michigan's most civilized dining.

    This sort of urge seems to hit us most often at the end of a long, hard winter, and so it was one evening recently when, after a barbaric season of blizzards and below-zero nights, we sought the well-mannered shelter of the Perry's H. O. Rose dining room.

    The rich, elegant décor of another era warmed us the instant we entered the lobby, and as we examined a menu displayed on a table in the dining-room lounge, a server bid us a cheerful welcome. She expertly told us about the evening's fare, and then showed us to seats in the lounge bar when we said we'd have a drink there before dinner. Doubling as bartender, she took our orders and swiftly returned a glass of wine and a martini that was perfectly executed to rather complicated specifications. She withdrew gracefully, leaving us to our own conversation and the soft, live piano music coming from the far end of the room.

    While we sat there, smugly putting winter behind us and marveling at the refinement of an evening at the Perry, in walked two friends from Traverse, Jim and Amy Kostrzewa. They, it turned out, were at the hotel for a romantic getaway. They had booked for dinner down the street at Andante, but they joined us for a drink first. After we had chatted about food and friends for much of an hour, they headed off into the night.

    No such hardship for us. When we were ready for dinner, we simply got up and went through to the dining room.

    From the warm greeting on arrival to the cheery thank-you as we left, the service was as gracious as the Perry itself with one lapse. Right after taking orders for wine and promising bread "as soon as it's baked," our server inexplicably vanished from the room, leaving it to us to repeat the order to a busy teammate. Once our regular returned, all went well. As we contemplated our menus, we enjoyed a basket of hot, fresh bread accompanied by a fragrant, rosemary-infused dipping oil as well as a supply of whipped butter.

    Of the four Stafford's Hospitality restaurants, the Perry always seems the one that leads the way, with a menu that combines the tried, true, and familiar with the new and exciting. We've been enjoying the "Perry salad" of Bibb, berries, scallions and nuts for years. And this night, one of us started off with a thick, flavorful, seafood chowder much the same as the one we picked for our guide and cookbook seven years ago. Preceding this, however, we enjoyed the little amuse-bouche gift the chef sends all diners, a generous and savory roulade of smoked whitefish and lettuce with a shrimp sauce.

    For the main course, one of us chose the night's special: a pair of generous, beef-tenderloin medallions in a pan reduction, laid up against mashed potatoes and flanked by a lobster claw and a tidy cup of drawn butter. Alongside lay neatly sliced rank of crisp, buttered vegetables. Our other main dish was a half a roasted chicken with a tangerine-sage glaze, and accompanied by the same mashed potatoes and vegetable.

    We vastly preferred the beef-and-lobster dish to the chicken. We found the latter bland for a dish that was so enticingly described. Aside from that, and the absence of garnish to brighten the chowder, the meal was well and thoughtfully prepared, and presented with a simple elegance.

    Another nice thing about our dinner at the Perry is that the bill didn't resemble the national debt. It came to about $60 with tip, plus the price of drinks. If you're daunted by the idea of a long drive home after such an evening, we hasten to say that an overnight stay can run as little as $85 in the off season. Rates are higher in summer, of course, but when it's warm, you can also enjoy a delightful lunch out on the huge front porch.

    Although we were not guests in the hotel that night, we often do flee north for an overnight getaway in the calm comforts of the Perry, and our meal was a pleasant reminder of why.

DATA: Stafford's Perry, H.O. Rose Dining Room, Bay & Lewis Sts., Petoskey; 231-347-2516. Daily in season. (Call ahead in off season as days & hours may vary.)