THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Morels, A Michigan Bistro

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Morels, A Michigan Bistro Restaurant Review:

From whitefish pâté to wines from grapes grown near Lake Michigan, this fine restaurant pays tribute to the state with a menu that showcases the earthy and elegant produce of Michigan. Michigan ingredients not only star in many dishes but also garnish such out-of-staters as Chilean sea bass, shrimp and Arctic char. Many fresh herbs come from the in-house herb garden glimpsed through the big windows in the dining room that overlooks the woodsy atrium. Two full-time horticulturists maintain the garden that offers a panorama of the changing seasons. Proprietor Matthew Prentice, who also oversees such restaurants as Northern Lakes Seafood and Duet, calls Morels’ style upscale peasant food. Single-page, daily-dated menus offer the day’s array of appetizers, soups, salads, pastas and main courses, but not so many as to confuse the diner. Certainly, the titular mushroom appears frequently, but so do many other wild mushrooms in dishes such as the house mushroom bisque made with three varieties of the fungus. Perennial favorites include cedar-planked salmon, Lake Superior whitefish and roasted duckling with mustard-maple glaze. Each dish is garnished separately with appropriate trimmings. Sturdy breads, from olive and French to fruit-studded scones are the work of baker Andy McGrath. The simple, understated décor of the dining room is the perfect foil for well-prepared food and the wines chosen by master sommelier Madeline Triffon, who oversees all the wine lists for Prentice. Consistency is one of the hallmarks of this outstanding restaurant.