Diverse, Interesting, Vivacious, Adventurous - is our definition of DIVA! This sums up the personalities of this group of women and makes our dining adventures so much fun.
Our second review, we decided, should take place in one of the most charming and quaint towns along the West Michigan lakeshore - Saugatuck. We chose the Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend for the 35-minute drive to this wonderful resort town, where we felt like tourists in our own state.
Saugatuck is well known for its many art galleries and speciality boutiques so we knew in advance to don our most comfortable pair of walking shoes for the few hours we planned to stroll around town. Since all the Divas enjoy cooking, our first stop was at The Butler Pantry, which was brimming with fun cooking gadgets and entertaining accessories.
We heard from a source well familiar with the Saugatuck scene that we might want to try Hercules, well known for their Mediterranean cuisine. They had no idea we would be doing a little "note taking" of our own while we were there and assumed we were tourists with one Diva taking pictures.
To add even more spice to our tableside conversation, we decided to invite a Guest Divo (male) to join us. A special thank you to Steven Steenrod from Albuquerque, NM for sharing his time with us!
We were instantly smitten when we walked through the door of Hercules. Who would have guessed that a cozy, European-style ambiance was well hidden behind the historical store front appearance?
Instead of going straight to our reserved table inside, we decided to take a peek at the outdoor dining area. It was quite impressive with lush green landscaping and a privacy fence, so we resolved to return on a bright, sunny day for lunch or dinner. Later in the evening, our decision for an indoor table was affirmed when we heard the rain and saw the outdoor guests make a mad dash for the inside open tables.
The staff was non-stop busy taking care of everyone on this packed holiday weekend night. Our server seemed a little stressed and we asked if something was amiss. She admitted the owner, who usually greets guests and helps clear tables, was in the hospital that night. His absence was being felt as the staff noticed how much he did to help them out. Nonetheless, the staff was fantastic, happy and energetic.
We thoroughly enjoyed this dining experience and were delighted that our Guest Divo could share it with us!
Diva Tips:
The lighting and ambiance gives Hercules a romantic feel, so this is a great place if you want to impress a date or your spouse.
Even though Saugatuck is a casual town, you might want to dress up a little for this sophisticated eatery. You'll be glad you did!
You can easily plan an overnight or weekend getaway to Saugatuck and feel like you've taken a vacation from home. There is a magical feel to this town that makes you relax and unwind.
Our second review, we decided, should take place in one of the most charming and quaint towns along the West Michigan lakeshore - Saugatuck. We chose the Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend for the 35-minute drive to this wonderful resort town, where we felt like tourists in our own state.
Saugatuck is well known for its many art galleries and speciality boutiques so we knew in advance to don our most comfortable pair of walking shoes for the few hours we planned to stroll around town. Since all the Divas enjoy cooking, our first stop was at The Butler Pantry, which was brimming with fun cooking gadgets and entertaining accessories.
We heard from a source well familiar with the Saugatuck scene that we might want to try Hercules, well known for their Mediterranean cuisine. They had no idea we would be doing a little "note taking" of our own while we were there and assumed we were tourists with one Diva taking pictures.
To add even more spice to our tableside conversation, we decided to invite a Guest Divo (male) to join us. A special thank you to Steven Steenrod from Albuquerque, NM for sharing his time with us!
We were instantly smitten when we walked through the door of Hercules. Who would have guessed that a cozy, European-style ambiance was well hidden behind the historical store front appearance?
Instead of going straight to our reserved table inside, we decided to take a peek at the outdoor dining area. It was quite impressive with lush green landscaping and a privacy fence, so we resolved to return on a bright, sunny day for lunch or dinner. Later in the evening, our decision for an indoor table was affirmed when we heard the rain and saw the outdoor guests make a mad dash for the inside open tables.
The staff was non-stop busy taking care of everyone on this packed holiday weekend night. Our server seemed a little stressed and we asked if something was amiss. She admitted the owner, who usually greets guests and helps clear tables, was in the hospital that night. His absence was being felt as the staff noticed how much he did to help them out. Nonetheless, the staff was fantastic, happy and energetic.
We thoroughly enjoyed this dining experience and were delighted that our Guest Divo could share it with us!
Diva Tips:
The lighting and ambiance gives Hercules a romantic feel, so this is a great place if you want to impress a date or your spouse.
Even though Saugatuck is a casual town, you might want to dress up a little for this sophisticated eatery. You'll be glad you did!
You can easily plan an overnight or weekend getaway to Saugatuck and feel like you've taken a vacation from home. There is a magical feel to this town that makes you relax and unwind.
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| Hercules is located in a restored 19th century historical building. |
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| Hercules outdoor dining even allows dogs! |
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| The staff told us this horse won fourth prize at the 2012 Art Prize competition in Grand Rapids, MI. |
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| The Divas reserved an indoor table in this cozy ambiance. |
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The Divas: "We couldn't resist giving him a new nickname while he was here. He will be fondly remembered as *** Divo Steevo!"
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| Mezethikia is a Greek appetizer of gyro, hummus, tzatziki, feta, kalamata, olives, pita chips, tomatoes, and pepperoncini ($14.95)
"We decided to split the Mezethikia appetizer which includes a nice sampling of some traditional Greek dishes. It received a forks up from all of us! Just a hint - this appetizer could easily be an entree for one or two people."
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| Hercules salad |
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| Quinoa Tabbouleh |
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| Melody's Crabcake appetizer ($9.00) "Hercules is my go to place to eat when I have my little Yorkie...Chico with me. I know that we will be greeted with a smile at their back patio dining area, plus they have great food and a welcoming atmosphere. On this occasion I started out with a single crab cake appetizer and was a bit surprised at the price, but it actually had lump crab in it and was excellent. I asked for it to be served with tartar sauce versus the red cocktail sauce. For the entree I order the same thing every time I come here...the Pastitso. It is absolutely my favorite Greek pasta dish with seasoned ground beef and penne pasta, topped with a parmesan and bechamel custard. It takes me back to the many times I've spent visiting Greece!" "I started out the evening with a Cosmo which was served in an 8 oz glass versus a 4 oz like other restaurants. It was excellent." |
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| Bari and Kelle's entree: Ruby Trout Almondine ($21.95) "Can you believe by the time this wonderful entree arrived we weren't that hungry after filling up on our hearty appetizer and pita bread! Gotta be careful on the pita bread since it is tasty. One of the servers stopped by our table and recommended we try the trout. It was delicious. We agreed that had we known the portion size was so big we would have split this meal. One entree came with the roasted potatoes and the other with rice pilaf. It was a little disappointing since both starches were bland. The roasted potatoes would have been perfect had they been seasoned in advance. But we weren't about to let this dinner go to waste, so we packed up the rest and enjoyed it the next day!" Bari: "The dirty martini I had before dinner was excellent. The wine I had with dinner was generous and good!" |
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| Nancy's entree: Salmon "Plaki" ($18.95) "I would have ordered a gyro plate as an entree, except it's not on the dinner menu. I'll have to go back sometime for lunch since it's on the lunch menu. Instead I decided to go with this entree which is grilled wild caught salmon on a bed of sauteed spinach with diced tomatoes, feta, and capers. It's served with rice pilaf and a vegetable, but I swapped for roasted potatoes. The vegetable du jour was asparagus. Since all entrees are served with soup or salad, I chose the Caesar salad. The dressing was very tasty and seemed freshly prepared versus bottled. But alas, Hercules has no anchovies, a must have, as far as I'm concerned, on a Caesar salad! I didn't know what "Plaki" meant, but the description sounded good...and I'm a sucker for spinach and feta cheese. Upon returning home, I did a Google search for "Plaki" and found that according to Wikipedia (the font of knowledge), it refers to giant baked beans! I remain puzzled over "Plaki". I was also puzzled that there weren't more traditional Greek dishes on the menu...pastitsio was the only dinner offering (e.g., no spanakopita (spinach pie) or moussaka." |
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| Steven's entree: Pastitso ($15.95) "I'd give a big tip of my hat to the chefs at Hercules for creating a delectable mainstay Greek entree and ample salad, not to mention the sizable and delicious Mezethekia appetizer platter! I returned to my local Greek/Mediterranean restaurant in Albuquerque (Yanni's) with a few friends to refresh my taste of their pastitsio offering, and, although it was still good, I think the dish at Hercules was actually better....some subtle differences, but basically similar between the two restaurants." "I'm often expecting to see retsina, a dryish white with a distinct nose of pine boughs on the list at Greek restaurants, but there was none such...I wasn't overly disappointed as there was an abundance of German style whites to which I am also partial." |
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| Carla's entree: Blackened walleye with mango chutney salsa (special $21.95) "There was a lot of Diva envy over this entree! Needless to say, I was very happy with the walleye...a good sized portion that was well seasoned, flaky, and moist. The asparagus was done just right. Hercules is so charming and lively, plus the menu was extensive. Great evening!" "I opted for a nice Chardonnay that was generously poured." |
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| Suzanne's entree: Ahi Tuna (special - $21.95) "I decided to order one of the specials which was the ahi tuna (done medium) on a bed of spinach....it included the rice pilaf and asparagus and salad. I opted for the Caesar salad rather the house. It was actually very good, but perhaps it had a little too much dressing on it for my taste. However, I'm usually not a fan of croutons, but these were delish! The tuna was tasty and covered with a tomato mixture. I found the pilaf to be a little bland...it was light but lacked all the flavor that the broth would normally provide...though it was fine with the tuna tomato mixture over it! I had enough left over dinner to take some home for lunch. All in all...no complaints!" |
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| Baklava ($4.95) "We split this dessert amongst us." Melody: "I had a small bite and thought it was very good...just like I remember from my Greek bakery where I grew up in New Jersey." Kelle: "I never order baklava since it's usually too sweet for me, but this is the best I've ever tasted! I even had it in Greece." Suzanne: "Baklava can be difficult for even the best of chefs, but I found this creation to be yummy." Carla: "The baklava was flaky, not too sweet or oozing with honey. Best I've had!" Bari: "Baklava is usually too sweet for me, but I wish I would have tried this one." Steven: "I had one bite of the baklava and thought it was delicious." Nancy: "Whenever I dine at a Mediterranean restaurant, my final "sweet treat" is always baklava. So I ordered it for dessert, and was very pleased to find that instead of one tiny triangle of this savory pastry, there were two good-sized pieces...enough for sharing around the table. As Rachel Ray would say, "Yummo!" The baklava was deliciously crispy and not overly syrupy. A sensational finish to a divine dinner with the Divas (and Divo). " |
Hercules Bar & Grill
236 Culver Street
Saugatuck
Wait to be seated: None
Dress Code: Casual
Parking: Street
Ambiance: Cozy indoor dining, screened in porch, outdoor garden patio
Full Bar
Reservations: Yes 269.455.5112
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9p.m. Sunday-Thursday
11:30 a.m.-10p.m. Friday and Saturday
Call ahead - hours may change seasonally
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