Ironwood Restaurants

BAKE'S COFFEE CABIN
906-932-0151.
is a fun coffee house, not a restaurant at all, but a good stop for espresso drinks, muffins, pastries, candies, and ice cream. Tracy Baker, who prepares specialty desserts and cheesecakes at a different location, has created a charming, comfortable setting that's at once stylish and down-home. It's in a strip mall; look for the big coffee pot sign.

DON & GG'S
906-932-2312
Fresh ingredients, a warm, cozy atmosphere with booths and a bar, and creative touches make Don & GG's a standout and, some would say, the area's very best restaurant. It serves several vegetarian dishes, focuses on fresh ingredients, and offers little touches like homemade fries accompanying deli sandwiches. The all-day salad and sandwich menu includes homemade soups, smoked trout or raspberry chicken salad on greens, and burgers. The Manitowish salad with cranberries, almonds, and gorgonzola cheese is a favorite. Dinners ($10-$16) include pastas, steaks, chicken, and specials like chicken marsala. Fresh Lake Superior whitefish is almost always available as a sandwich or dinner. There's a pleasant outdoor deck, the only one in town.

ELK & HOUND
906-932-3742.
Diners here can enjoy good food in a country club setting at reasonable prices. The 1920s Tudor-style clubhouse sits on a hilltop. The big windows of the main dining room look out onto the Gogebic Country Club golf course and the hills beyond. The atmosphere is come-as-you-are comfortable, yet the setting is rather romantic. The sandwich and salad menu is available any time, and now there's an all-day salad bar ($6-$7). Ten sandwiches are under $7 including fries.
     Lunch specials are under $8. The grilled steak salad on romaine with raspberry vinaigrette ($8) is quite a hit. The most popular dinner items are prime rib ($13 and $17), ribs on Saturday, and Friday fish fry ($6.50 and up, depending on fish). Nightly dinner specials, Friday-night fish fry, and all-you-can-eat buffet. Elk & Hound caters many parties. Specials can sometimes be creative. Reservations recommended for weekend evenings and for six or more.

JOE'S PASTY SHOP
906-932-4412
Joe's enjoys a huge local reputation. One discriminating foodie feels that of all commercial pasties in the area, theirs is the "best balanced" between meat and vegetables. Joe's makes the "authentic" U.P. version of the Cornish pasty (ground sirloin, with rutabagas) for $4, a breakfast pasty, a Finnish pasty (adds carrots), a veggie pasty with fresh vegetables, and a specialty pasty that changes each month. Most business is takeout. (Internet sales are a hit for the homesick.). The downtown Joe's is also a diner with burgers and more. Mario and Karen Barbara stick to the original family recipe from 1946, when Joe's first opened.

MANNY'S
906-932-0999
The handmade ravioli ($10.45 at dinner) and lasagna at Manny's are very good, and the meat sauce, though nothing exotic, is tasty, too. It's worth seeking out this comfortable, casual family restaurant and lounge for local atmosphere. It's way off the beaten path in the Norrie mining location. Don't expect anything in the way of decor, but the young staff is exceptionally helpful. Dinners, including steaks, chicken, and stir-fries, are mostly $10 to $15, including soup and salad bar. Chicken pizza with white sauce ($10.25 for 12") is a hit. Vegetarian sauce is available on request. $6 Friday fish fries feature cod - beer-battered, steamed, or baked with parmesan. Burgers ($2.75-$6) and meatball subs are always available. Breakfasts have unusual touches, too, like pancakes with maple syrup ($3.75). All prices from 2004. The $6.45 noodle omelet, a specialty. Lunch specials ($5.50 including soup and salad bar) are a pizza buffet (Mon, Wed, Fri) and pasta (Tues & Thurs). Reservations or early arrival recommended for weekend evenings and Sunday after church. Smoking is permitted in the main dining room, and some smoke is evident in the non-smoking section.

THE PINES CAFE
906-932-4207
The perfect small-town diner: friendly folks, lots of laughing, good food, thoughtful décor. Also, you can get malts and milk shakes, other fountain treats, and homemade pies at the original soda fountain with vintage glassware. Changing home-cooked lunch specials are around $7-$8. Breakfast specialties include Eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, sausage country gravy on a biscuit, and omelets your way. Breakfast and lunch any time. "This is my party time," says owner Jan Miskovich, a native who has returned after over 20 years managing the food service at Green Bay's Holiday Inn.

TACCONELLI'S TOWN HOUSE
906-932-2101.
This is a favorite lunch and dinner spot known for BBQ pork ribs (at both lunch and dinner) and homemade gnocchi, pastas, and sauces. The extensive buffet, also all homemade, is under $9 at lunch and dinner. Pasta entrées are mostly $8 to $10. The full menu includes steaks, seafood; a lighter menu; and a children's menu. Reservations advised, even at lunch. Lighting is subdued; décor is very green.

TAIT'S COFFEE CABIN
(906) 932-0151
A fun coffeehouse/ice cream parlor, this isn't really a restaurant at all, but a popular stop for espresso drinks, muffins, pastries, specialty desserts, plus ice cream. A charming, comfortable setting, it's at once stylish and down-home. Now it has a drive-thru.

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