Mackinac Island, Michigan is a really special place. It is located in Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsula. What makes this place so special? There are no cars on this island. You can only get there via ferry or seaplane. To get around the island you can walk, ride a bike, or take a horse drawn carriage. It really takes you back to a simpler time.
There are many things to do around the island. This includes eating and drinking. That is exactly what I decided to so when I visited the Pink Pony Bar. It is located inside the Chippewa Hotel. This pink themed restaurant has been around since 1948.
There are pink pony painted murals around the bar. There are pink lights and accents everywhere as well. Since pink is my favorite color I loved it all.
I started at the bar for a snack and a beer. They had a nice selection of craft beers to choose from. I went for the Pink Pony Ale, the namesake of the bar.
For my snack I got the soft pretzel sticks. They were served with a side of homemade cheese sauce for dipping. And they had whole grain mustard. The pretzels were nice and soft. The dough was sweet and it was accented by the salt coating the outside. The cheese sauce was fantastic. It was so creamy. It tasted perfect with the pretzel.
After a little while I met up with the group I was with and we grabbed a table for dinner. Out table had a great view out the large windows overlooking the water.
We got a few appetizers to share. The onion rings came out in a pretty cool basket. They were stacked on top of each other, creating a tower. The outside coating was super crunchy. The onion on the inside was soft and sweet. These were perfect for sharing.
The fried calamari was good to share as well. Each piece was also really crispy. They put a generous amount of parmesan cheese on top which was a nice addition.
The flatbread was the perfect size for an appetizer. The dough was slightly sweet with a little smoky taste. The fresh mozzarella was slightly melted and still in large chunks. They had great roasted tomatoes spread around which added a slight acidic taste to the creamy cheese.
Because of all the appetizers I filled up on, I ended up only ordering the French onion soup for dinner. The crock came out with a huge slice of provolone cheese melted on top of two slices of bread. The bread had soaked up the broth so well that it easily broke apart with my spoon.
The caramelized onions in the soup were so sweet. I loved how many onions they used too. The broth itself was sweet and savory. Sometimes the broth of onion soup can be really salty, this was perfect.
The food was great at the Pink Pony Bar. It was a great place to grab a drink or stay for a meal. Add this place to the must visit list if you are in Mackinac Island.
Check them out at www.pinkponybar.com or www.pinkponymackinac.com
Enjoy!
T
