November 6, 2019 – Gator Girl

I was invited to a wedding in a small Michigan town called Bad Axe. There were a few local places that were recommended to check out. For dinner I visited Rachel’s which was extremely busy for this small town. It was one of the most popular restaurants.

Since I was visiting in July they had a Christmas themed cocktail menu for “Christmas in July”. It was a cute theme. I went for the Merry Mule. It was cranberry liqueur, orange vodka, fresh lime juice, a homemade simple syrup, and ginger beer. It tasted like Christmas to me. It was sweet but had a slight hint of spice. It reminded me of cranberry sauce that I enjoy with turkey.

They brought out fresh, homemade bread. It was right out of the oven so it was nice and warm. They served it with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

I got a few appetizers for the table. The calamari were a hit. It was cut into ling strips and then fried. The calamari were very tender.

I also tried the Broasted Mushrooms, which were their version of fried mushrooms. They used whole, fresh mushrooms, and lightly breaded them. They served a homemade Cajun ranch dipping sauce on the side. The mushrooms were very tender. The sauce gave it a nice little kick.

For my dinner I got the Blackened Mango Salmon. They used a bunch of Cajun spices to create the perfect blackening. It was spicy and crispy. The salmon itself was cooked perfectly, still being flakey when I cut a piece.

They topped it with a fresh made mango salsa. The sweetness of the salsa complemented to salty spice of the blackened coating. They also served a generous portion of crispy brussels sprouts and seasoned rice.

I definitely saved room for dessert. The first one I tried was the Key Lime Pie. The filling was firm and had a great tangy, tart taste. They topped it with a citrus whipped cream and sprinkled toasted coconut shavings on top. Both added extra sweet flavor to the pie.

The other dessert was the Sticky Toffee Bundt. This was a mini bundt cake that was served warm. They covered the cake with a warm caramel sauce. This added a rich taste to the cake. The cake itself was very moist. They served a side of vanilla ice cream on the side. The ice cream was very creamy and melted as it touched the warm cake.