Supper at The Mill

Take a peek inside Supper at the Mill, Northern Michigan’s newest destination restaurant | Eater Detroit

"Housed in a painstakingly preserved 1879 grist mill rescued from the Crystal River, this intimate 36-seat destination restaurant blends Midwestern nostalgia with worldly, ingredient-driven cooking. The team behind the project — led by owner Turner Booth with creative director Kelsey Duda, general manager Corey Smith, and executive chef Bobby Thoits — has layered the dining concept atop earlier additions to the building (a street-level espresso bar/cafe, lodging rooms and ticketed dinners), outfitting the room with Midwestern antiques, locally made vases filled with foraged white pine, and duck-inspired wallpaper. The menu is concise and communal, grouped into one-bite “Snacks,” sharable “Smaller Plates,” and family-style “Bigger Plates,” and highlights hyper-local sourcing (potatoes from Caledonia; radishes and pea shoots from Traverse City; plums from Central Lake; meats from nearby ranchers) while spotlighting distinctive preparations such as salt-baked Detroit red beets with pickled blueberries and black walnuts and shima-aji (dry-aged Japanese Striped Jack) sashimi over a kosho paste made from spring spruce tips. Pastries and savory baked components are produced at a sister operation using house-milled flour, and a tightly curated beverage program features seasonal cocktails, regional ciders and beers, and small-allocation wines. The restaurant opens to the public on April 17 and will initially operate Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 4 p.m.; reservations can be made seven days in advance." - Stacey Brugeman