Thursday, May 29, 2014

Plank's Tavern


 The newest addition to the Harbor Shores campus in Southwest Michigan is now open!  The Inn at Harbor Shores is a brand new hotel and dining facility located port side of the St. Joseph River.  I'm originally from St. Joseph, so when I heard that this hotel was opening up, I knew I had to check out their food.  My family and I decided to celebrate Memorial Day together last Monday by having brunch at Plank's Tavern, the restaurant located inside the Inn.  To celebrate the holiday, they were running their brunch menu that is normally only available on Saturdays and Sundays.  


 The facade of the Inn is beautiful and compliments the view of the river quite well.  The interior of the Inn is equally as fabulous as the view, complete with a large glass chandelier located just inside the entry.  This glass artwork was created special for the hotel, and each glass piece was handcrafted.  Isn't it beautiful?


 The service was excellent as well.  My family is very Italian and we really like to take our time when we are gathered around a table sharing a meal and they were very kind about how long we enjoyed our view.  My parents are quite the romantics in the photo below.  My mom really enjoyed a couple blackberry bellinis.


Once our food came however, our table fell silent.  The presentation of each dish was beautiful and everyone was very satisfied with their choices.  Chef Tim Hendren does an excellent job of balancing flavors and textures on each plate.  I'm so happy that there is now a wonderful brunch spot in my hometown!

My mom ordered the Roasted Mushroom Crepes which looked so delicious that I had to try a bite! (or two)  They had mushrooms, caramelized onion, gruyere, and were garnished with a mushroom cream sauce and fried tarragon.  Sounds delicious right??  It was!


My dad ordered the Plank's French Toast which had hints of citrus and bourbon in the toast itself and then plated with a bourbon maple syrup, fresh berries, and a light mascarpone topping. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try his dish but he raved about it!


Kenny is a classic breakfast kind of guy, so of course he orders the dish called the Classic on the menu. It came with 2 eggs, crispy bacon, fried potatoes, and toast.  Just what he wanted!


Kevin and I both ordered Eggs Benedict's, two different ways.  We love eggs Benedict so we were super excited to try it here!  Kevin chose the classic benedict, and I went for the portabello version.  Both were incredible, and were served on an english muffin, Kevin's had canadian bacon and mine had a portabello mushroom, poached eggs, and a creamy hollandaise sauce.  Mine also came with caramelized onions and roasted garlic.  


Kevin couldn't even wait to dig in before I could snap a picture!


All in all, we had a great meal and got to spend quality time with family.  If you're in the St. Joseph area for the lovely Harbor Shores golf course, or you're visiting for a weekend getaway, I would highly recommend stopping by the Plank's Tavern before you leave!


Feel free to check out the brunch menu or any of the other delicious menus on their website, http://www.innatharborshores.com/planks-tavern.html



Enjoy!