"When Traverse City chefs talk about the area restaurants they respect, Cooks’ House is almost always part of the answer. This 24-seat restaurant that’s been open for more than a decade is as on-point as it’s ever been, and it surprised absolutely no one who eats here regularly when the James Beard Foundation named the restaurant a finalist in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category this spring. Dishes such as radishes prepared three ways (butter poached, pickled, and raw), salt crust-baked celeriac with black garlic, or a kabocha creme brulee with bhel puri are served as part of a five- or seven-course tasting menu. Reservations are available through Tock." - Stacey Brugeman