The Lakeshore Dining Divas chose an exceptionally memorable date for our September dining adventure - Wednesday, September 7. Why is this such a special day?
Because it's Diva Bari Johnson's birthday! So, where should we go to celebrate Bari's OMG birthday?
The Divas have talked for months about trying the Se4sons Gastropub at Muskegon Country Club, so we all agreed that this was the perfect opportunity! A gastropub, according to its website, is a pub that specializes in high-quality food, beer, wine, and cocktails. The Se4sons Gastropub is open to the public; you do not need to be a member of Muskegon Country Club to enjoy lunch or dinner there.
The weather that evening was threatening. Rain clouds loomed on the western horizon. Nevertheless, when we arrived at MCC, we were greeted with a scene on Muskegon Lake reminiscent of a Manet painting--about 30 sailboats floating on the water for a night of races. It was probably Muskegon Yacht Club’s Wednesday night races.
Although the sky was growing steadily darker and gloomier, we opted to sit on the outdoor patio as we feasted on Burrata and the Bread & Butter Bomb as pre-dinner shared plates. The menu described the Burrata as "creamy fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, cracked black pepper, fleur de sel, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and warm bread." The mozzarella was gooey and yummy; red, yellow and green heirloom tomatoes were a colorful treat, and the basil leafy-fresh. Really good!
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| The Burrata $11 |
The Bread & Butter Bomb ($5), described as a “mini hodgepodge sourdough loaf, checkerboard cut and loaded with roasted garlic, Parmesan and shallot butter,” is absolutely delicious. It's likely a cardiologist's nightmare or maybe dream.
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| Bread & Butter Bomb ($5) |
When raindrops started to fall, we gave up our magnificent view to stay dry. So we moved indoors for dinner. The Gastropub offers a mix of seating options at the bar, booths and tables. It's a fun, upbeat atmosphere with huge windows overlooking the golf course.
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| Bari Johnson's OMG Birthday celebration! |
"What a wonderful way to celebrate my actual birthday because I’d already begun the celebration! And, let the celebration continue.... One of my go-to celebratory drinks is a vodka martini, dirty ($9) with extra blue cheese olives. The martini was excellent; however, the extra olives amounted to only two--not nearly enough. I was excited to try their Burrata since I hadn’t seen it on a menu around here. Nancy described it well. My only disappointment: it wasn’t as creamy as I expected. Regardless, it was quite yummy. Now it’s on to the decadent Bread & Butter Bomb, which was “the bomb”! (Decadent almost doesn’t describe it does it, Krystal George?) It could easily be a meal with soup and/or salad added to it.
Actually, their menu of shared plates looks wonderful. I’d like to return to try more: Buffalo Sprouts ($3), Zucchini and Crab Tots ($11), Lobster Fritters ($14), Crispy Avocado ($9), Coconut Shrimp ($10) among others.
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| Lake Perch ($22) |
There were many delicious sounding soups and salads, entrees, and sandwiches from which to choose. I decided on the Lake Perch ($22) described as follows: “drakes dusted and flash fried lake perch, french fries, coleslaw, house tarter, lemons.” It arrived in a basket lined with newspaper-like paper. The perch was very good, although I didn’t expect flash fried would be quite so greasy. The tartar sauce was a good companion to the perch, and the crispy fries came as I ordered them. Finally, the coleslaw was creamy and nice.
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| Bari's birthday rum cake by Ellen Vonesh of Desserts by Design in Grand Haven |
The Se4sons Gastropub staff was very nice to cut my birthday rum cake made by Ellen Vonesh of Desserts by Design in Grand Haven. A martini glass topped the fun cake with a faux dirty martini in it. Although we were all nicely full, we enjoyed the cake. I think there was a chorus of “Happy Birthday” also. Thanks to one and all for a delightful birthday evening!"
Sharon "I enjoyed a delicious vodka martini ($9) with our outstanding appetizers. I thought the Bread and Butter Bomb was about the most decadent and yummy appetizer ever to touch my lips! Just the right amount of butter, garlic and cheese. The Bomb is killer and could be my entire meal. The Burrata was heavenly as well: creamy perfection on a perfectly toasted baguette.
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| Mamma Muccie's Linguine ($16) |
After perusing the wonderful menu, I decided on the Mamma Muccie's Linguine ($16) described as “garlic-parsley linguine with lemon-caper cream, zucchini, summer squash, gourmet mushrooms,arugula, shaved parmesan” topped off with grilled shrimp ($10). I requested the vegetables be on the side; they graciously honored that request. Ithought the pasta dish delicious and interesting with a creamy lemon caper sauce that I thought could be lighter, vegetables sautéed perfectly--tender-crisp. I enjoyed a glass of Poppy Chardonnay ($7.50), which worked beautifully with the rich pasta dish."
Kelle "I missed Bari's big birthday party the previous Saturday since I was in Aspen that weekend for a music festival at Snowmass. So I told Bari that I think the Diva's need to celebrate with her on her actual birthday (7th) and she gets to pick the place. I was happy she chose MCC. I was there for the first time over the summer and really enjoyed sitting on the deck and watching the sailboat races. What a view! It's almost equally nice inside (almost!) with the view of the golf course, too. We were fortunate to have both views that night with appetizers on the deck and our entree inside.
On this occassion, Otto’s Chicken Risotto ($24) caught my eye. It’s described as “pan-seared local chicken breast, with slow cooked freekeh, goat cheese, cauliflower, summer squash, zucchini, radish, and crispy shallots. Bari told me that freekeh is an ancient cereal grain made of wheat. The whole meal looked and tasted healthy with all the veggies and protein. I couldn't help but steal a few glances at our Mystery Diva's scallops since it looked divinely delicious.
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| Otto's Chicken Risotto ($24) |
Nancy "I ordered a glass of the J. Lohr Cabernet ($7.50) before dinner. For my entree, I decided to try Chef Sean's award-winning baby back ribs, which are smothered in an interesting pomegranate BBQ sauce. The ribs were moist and tender. A half-rack is $18 and a full rack is $26. They served the ribs with whipped garlic potatoes, which I guessed would be nothing special, but were light, fluffy and delicious;and a combination of green and yellow string beans.
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| Chef Sean's award-winning baby back ribs ($18) |
Mystery Diva "I decided to order from the special menu and glad I did since my meal was simply amazing. I chose the “Pan Seared and Maple-Glazed Sea Scallops, Creamy Boursin-Blue Corn Grits, Carmelized Onions, Peppers, Bacon, Steamed Asparagus ($31)."
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| Pan Seared Sea Scallops ($31) |
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| Executive Chef Sean Marr |
Executive Chef Sean Marr, formally from Spring Lake Country Club, came out to greet us. He shared his favorite menu items, almost the entire menu actually, making our decisions even more difficult. We enjoyed his recommendations. And, he had no idea we were there to do a Dining Diva review!
The Se4sons Gastropub
Se4sons.net
The Divas want it to be noted, with all due respect, that the views and opinions shared in this venue do not represent those of the Grand Haven Tribune and are entirely based on each individual dining experience we encounter. Perhaps on any other occasion, they may differ. Our dining experience is entirely at our own expense and not covered by the Grand Haven Tribune or any dining establishment.
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