Not really a secret

We decided dinner out would be a nice change so Sharon and I began the painful process of elimination.  I say painful because we never agree on where to go.  We got it down to two choices and surprisingly we both wanted to go the the Phoenix Street Cafe (http://www.phoenixstreetcafe.com) in downtown South Haven.  Well-known for it's great breakfast and lunch menus, we thought what a better time than to try them for dinner.

The dinner hour begins at 5:00pm and we arrived shortly thereafter.  We choose a window seat and was quickly greeted by a very gracious hostess who explained the evenings specials and took our drink order.  A few minutes later she came back with a small hors d'oeuvres consisting of a thinly sliced soft baguette-like bread with a salmon spread and a balsamic vinegar reduction.  All served on a decorative ceramic tile.  I could have made my entire meal on several more of these tasty little morsels.  Looked good and tasted even better.

Our hostess returned shortly and Sharon ordered the salmon dish with quinoa, mushrooms and a red pepper-tomato sauce and I picked the whitefish with pearl pasta and a citrus, mustard, and dill sauce.  Within 15 minutes our orders arrived and the presentations were flawless.

Salmon

Whitefish

Superbly fresh and a more than adequate quantity, these fish entrees were first cabin.  Delicate and unique in flavor ... this chef knows what he's doing.

So we'd finally discovered what many locals probably already knew.  The Phoenix Street Cafe is a great place to eat.  A cut above most local places but not so pretentious that you wouldn't feel comfortable in casual clothes.  We'll be back.

Yup ... we're still livin' the dream.

Phil