Copper Harbor Restaurants

See also Eagle Harbor, Lac La Belle.

Though Copper Harbor is a year-round town, it IS well away from the rest of the world. Michigan's northernmost community is the ultimate end-of-the-road town. Be aware that cell phones still are beyond coverage in town, but reception is fine from the top of nearby Brockway Mountain. Now theHarbor Haus and some motels have wireless internet. Copper Harbor cable TV has 19 channels including ESPN, Nickelodeon, the History Channel, etc. With a short season, it doesn't pay motels to install phone lines to each room—and new phone lines are hard to come by anyway. Most motels let guests use a borrowed cordless phone on their own line. Also, air-conditioning is only at one lodging: the new Mariner North. People work together to cover the vital bases in this small, remote place.

Not air-conditioned unless mentioned specifically. Everything in town is close to The Isle Royale ferry dock and restaurants. Copper Harbor is a great walking town.

HARBOR HAUS
(906) 289-4502
Good service, outstanding and imaginative food, and a fabulous view of the harbor from all tables make Harbor Haus one of Michigan's most memorable restaurants - "in a class by itself," as one fan says. Owner-chef Ron Waara, a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, started out as a cook under the meticulous supervision of Harbor Haus founders Fritz and Maiken Ehlers.
    The German atmosphere goes way beyond beer steins and the waitresses' dirndls to include terrific coffee and rich tortes from the pastry chef. The changing daily menu includes the ever-popular fresh planked whitefish (highly recommended) and trout ($19), venison or duck with lingonberry sauce (around $20-25), uncommon meats like elk and lamb ($23), German specialties like knockwurst, sauerbraten, and wienerschnitzel with spätzle ($19 to $14). Vegetarian and other special diets are gladly accommodated with creative, off-the-menu dishes. The authentic charcoal grill uses varying woods (apple, hickory) for different flavors. Dinner portions are large, so leftovers can even provide breakfast and/or part of a picnic lunch the following day. There's a large selection of beers and a wide-ranging wine list.
    Dinner reservations are recommended in busy seasons. They are taken by phone or e-mail.
    Vacationers could eat happily here every day and never be bored. A new plus: wi-fi Internet connections for guests' laptops. Fresh vegetables, local berries, and homegrown herbs are used when possible. An ample vegetable side of perfectly steamed broccoli, carrots, and green beans turns entrées into nutritionally balanced meals.
    Lunch entrées are about $8 to $12 with potato; sandwiches and salads are from $6 to $8. The entire restaurant and deck have the same wonderful view. The Isle Royale boat always toots when it passes.
    By the entrance there's the huge piece of float copper, 1,720 pounds, whose discovery caused a sensation a few years back. The public is welcome to sit on the rear deck and enjoy the harbor view. The many-windowed hexagonal studio perched next door is now the Harbor Haus bed-and-breakfast rented for $150/night.

KEWEENAW MOUNTAIN LODGE
(906) 289-4403
Though those who have dined here have wildly different opinions about the cuisine, this has been a dinner destination for generations. Its log lodge architecture, wooded setting, and rustic ambiance is as much an attraction as the food. WPA funds to create jobs during the Depression enabled Keweenaw County to build the lodge in 1933-37. The county had an extraordinarily high percentage of jobless male residents. A county road commissioner conceived the idea, and the commission still operates the resort. The pleasant grounds include a 9-hole public golf course (which bears sometimes visit) and handsome stone walls like those in the county's smaller parks. Trees block the vistas. Today the restaurant and lounge occupy nearly all the lodge's main floor, so it no longer has a central gathering area.
    One well-known Marquette potter claims the baked whitefish topped with the sauce of the day ($19) is the best in the world. Another person writes, "The Lodge has never had good food prepared with love and it still does not today. The residents of Keweenaw County should be livid about the way the county board has run this facility. Something must be done to save this great piece of county owned history." This year a new general manager who is a head chef raised in Copper City but with 23 years of restaurant experience in Miami has been brought in, and that should affect the quality dramatically.
    This year (2010) some think the braised short rib ($19) is outstanding. The prime rib special on Saturday nights ($19) is a perennial favorite. (Dinner entrées ($18 to $25) include potato, soup and salad bar. The full menu also includes fresh fish, pasta, and steaks. For lunch there's homemade soup, hamburgers and other sandwiches, salads, and entrées ($7 to $10). Prime rip special on Saturday nights is $19.

MARINER NORTH
(906) 289-4637
Mariner North is a Copper Harbor institution run by members of the Kauppi family, perhaps the Harbor's "first family." It's a newish, very large log building with a high cathedral ceeiling, rebuilt after a fire. It combines a bar/eating area with a casual family steakhouse-type restaurant (dinner only). The bar is loudly convivial in the evening, when the action spills back and forth across the street to Zick's at The Pines.
   Food and service at the Mariner get mixed reviews. Among its fans, it is known for hearty sandwiches and soups (including "Great Lakes Chowder" in which are both whitefish & trout). Fresh-caught local whitefish is used in the popular Seafarer sandwich. It is beer-battered and deep-fried. There are pizza, steaks, Mexican, and vegetarian dishes. Occasional live music on weekends.

PINES RESTAURANT & ZICK'S BAR
(906) 289-4222.
The Pines opens at 6:30 a.m., in time for breakfast for visitors catching the Isle Royale ferry. It is now more of a grill, with a big variety of sandwiches ($8.50 and under), popular chili, and homemade soups, but owners Vicki and Ken Staiger continue to use the recipes of longtime owner-cook Red Twardzik in their cinnamon rolls (weekends in winter, more often in season) and pies. The Sunday roast turkey dinner remains a tradition. The stone fireplace, copper accents, and interesting old photos of shipwrecks and snowstorms in the back hall set just the right tone.
After the restaurant has closed, burgers are available in the adjacent bar. Also brats, pizzas, pasties.

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