Information on Traverse City, Michigan and the surrounding Northwest Michigan area

04/28/2006

Let's do lunch

by doug davenport
For more restaurant profiles, see our Let's Do Lunch page

45th Parallel Café

Address: Halfway between the Equator and the North Pole at 102 Broadway in Suttons Bay (CLICK HERE FOR MAP)

Cuisine: American style breakfast and lunch, also featuring Mexican and Asian specialties.

Prices: Omelettes and hearty breakfast plates - $6 to $9; gourmet sandwiches - $5 to $7 kids' menu - $3/$4

Take a table by the window and watch the day begin at the corner of St. Joseph's Street and Broadway, where M-22 enters Suttons Bay. A sunny, light colored exterior welcomes you into an up north dining room of polished wood tables and chairs. A counter by the entrance seats five or six on high stools. When summer and the tourists arrive, additional tables are set outside under a shade tree.

The mellow sound of blues music often plays in the background. Scan the walls and enjoy the collection of art for sale from local artists, displayed here by The Treeline Gallery, also in Suttons Bay.

Favorites:
Locals favor the Morel Mushroom Omelette, the thick sliced French toast, a Baby Spinach Omelette, and the Giant Breakfast Burrito.

My Meal:
I entered the Café and was greeted by a local friend, Becky (the wine expert at Hansen Foods). She had just finished breakfast and boasted of the high protein meal she enjoyed. I followed her lead and ordered Huevos Rancheros for its robust, spicy flavor. Three eggs over easy, sautéd onions, jalapeno peppers and Monterey Jack cheese served on grilled tortillas with a side of salsa. Zesty flavors with a bit of heat. I was about to call for my check when I spotted the baked goods counter. A fresh cherry walnut muffin called to me and was the ideal accompaniment to my last cup of coffee. Delicious.

Owner Tim Lambdin brings farm fresh to the table. And right next door is the 45th's Candy World, featuring gourmet candy and everything sweet. Tim has labeled the Café, "The Latitude of Unparalleled Cuisine". Indeed.