Nov. 26, 2004
Giving Thanks for Hanna
(and all our great TC options)

Northern Michigan food lovers have a lot of things to be thankful for, and the recent blossoming of new restaurants in Traverse City is one of them. The town is alive at all seasons with musical, cultural and artistic events, and many of the people who are drawn here for them enjoy dining out. But there were limits to the number of people who could squeeze into Amical, say, or Poppycock's.

Now, however, the seeds such pioneers planted some years ago have blossomed into a whole garden, and we are thankful, indeed, for all the options -- from Amical, Poppycock's and North Peak, to newcomers like Trattoria Stella and, now, Hanna. For the first time in memory, we even have some good choices for supper after a concert or show.

Hanna, of course, is the hip, urban bistro on Cass Street where Jim Milliman and Rob Giffer transplanted themselves after selling Hattie's in Suttons Bay. Hanna, however, is definitely not Hattie's II. It has none of the cool, elegant, gallery-like austerity, for one thing. The only rules he laid down for the friend who decorated Hanna, he said, were to "give it feminine appeal and use nothing but food colors." The resulting ambience of buffed woodwork, carpeted floors, comfortable seating, muted eggplant and avocado walls, and lacy copper-mesh lampshades impart a sense of clubby intimacy, even as the bar just inside the front window maintains a firm link to the city outside.

Our first visit to Hanna left us thankful for a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a well-drilled staff, and especially for a very interesting menu -- always a Milliman hallmark. The menu signals Hanna's specialty right up front, with a whole page of tempting seafood and fish entrees (this alone won our hearts). Then, on succeeding pages, it offers a varied progression of appetizers, salads, pizzas, and meaty comfort foods.

Giffer's innovative wine list is unusually customer-friendly. It organizes 25 reds and 25 whites into 10 categories of five labels each, describing each category in thoughtful prose. Cabs, for instance, appear under "robust, big and rich" while the Pinot Noirs are under "elegant, refined." Each category also offers a range of prices, always one bottle around $20 and almost all under $30. Giffer's approach lets the savvy wine drinker find his way quickly, while guiding the novice without a hint of condescension. (The list we saw had no Michigan wines, but Giffer says he'll soon add a comprehensive regional selection.)

Hanna offers an astonishing variety of outstanding bistro fare at prices that range from just plain reasonable down to very reasonable (entrees generally run $12 to $18). We had to make two trips to sample the menu properly, and even that's not enough because the menu is so varied. (We have our eye on veal meatloaf with shiitakes, which Milliman describes as a "blue-plate" classic with potatoes and gravy.)

The first time there we opted for seafood entrees -- wood-grilled salmon and sautéed cod, both on a bed of flavorful wild rice and wheat berries. The salmon was sauced with a tangy cranberry vinaigrette and the cod surrounded by savory roasted tomato slices. We began with salads, one a "Hanna House" with lemon dressing and Asiago and the other a "Caesar wedge" of Romaine with anchovy, shaved cheese, and crunchy croutons. The tab was under $40 before wine, tax and tip.

On our second trip, a week later with friends before a concert, we tried a lighter approach by sharing three dishes. First came a generous salad of julienned apple slaw with coconut, roasted pecan, and toasted cumin dressing, then an appetizer of crisp morel raviolis in a rich and creamy sauce, and then a classic tomato-pepperoni-and Mozzarella pizza on a crispy crust. All that brought our tab to just $30, and it was more than enough. We took half the pizza home to enjoy another day. (Wines this time were a "sturdy, rustic earthy" Shiraz and a Sauvignon Blanc from the "bright, crisp, bracing" category.) Our entire table of six shared a single dessert of homemade cookies and house-made chocolate ice cream laced with chunks of milk chocolate.

Hanna has very quickly become very busy, so you might want to book. And if you pick a night when it's too busy for them to fit you in, don't worry; downtown TC has become such a food destination that you have all sorts of terrific choices.

DATA: Hanna Bistro and Bar, 118 S. Cass St., Traverse City; (231) 946-8207.