Salt of the Earth- rustic American eatery & bakery
| Address: | 114 E Main St, Fennville, MI 49408, USA |
| Phone: | +1 269-561-7258 |
| Site: | saltoftheearthfennville.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | Closed Closed 5–9PM 5–9PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 10AM–2PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Alexander Mager
My wife and I went here while on a trip for our first anniversary. We had both heard great things about it, and I can understand why. Some of the food is very, very good. However, we both left underwhelmed with our visit. We started with an order of pierogies. They were not a typical Polish style pierogi, and with my wife being Polish she can be a stickler about authenticity. However, we both loved them. They had a great flavor and were served with a delicious homemade green onion dressing. We also received some of their homemade bread, and it was also delicious. Things started out very strong, but it was all downhill from there. I ordered the roasted squash carbonara, and my wife got the whole hog pizza. My dish had about 20 homemade noodles that were cooked at varying levels of doneness. Some almost crunched, and others were cooked very well. Either way, I finished my food in about 2 minutes and was still left hungry. And it was over $20 for that dish. We couldnt figure out what ingredient in the food would have made it cost so much, even if it is all locally grown. It did come with the brussel sprouts which we both liked, but as I got to the bottom of the bowl, the balsamic became a little too overpowering as they were sitting in a pool of it. However, if you traditionally dont like brussel sprouts and are afraid to try these, dont be afraid. They really are good, and are unlike any other brussel sprouts Ive tried. My wifes pizza wasnt much better than my pasta. The menu said the pizza was woodfired, but it seems like they were using that term as a substitute for it having flavor. It was bland, and underwhelming even though there were slight undertones of the woodfired flavor. If we lived closer to Salt of the Earth, we would probably give it a second chance, because I think we may have just ordered the wrong menu items. However, we were only in town visiting on vacation. Next time we would go for a meat dish instead of pasta and pizza. However, based on our first impression, we were left disappointed after hearing all the rave reviews both from the online community and from locals. tl;dr - The bread and appetizers were awesome, but the entrees left us very underwhelmed especially for the price.
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Noah Salter
My only experience with this restaurant has been on the phone and internet. If you are a person with food allergies, you need to know that this restaurant does not know what they are talking about in this regard. They have gluten and dairy free menus that are in fact neither of those things. Here are two easy examples of this: They claim their fries are dairy free. I called them about this and they do not have a designated fryer for non-dairy (or non-gluten), which means that the fries being cooked are in fact contaminated with the dairy from other things on their menu that they fry that include dairy ingredients. They claim their Salt and Vinegar Potatoes are GF. Then listed in the description of those potatoes is Malt Vinegar, which in fact is not gluten free. Another negative experience I had was calling them to ask about a reservation, being placed on hold for two minutes, lady came back and asked how many people, another hold for two minutes, then the line was disconnected. I called back, got another person, explained what just happened, and he did not apologize or even sound apologetic for them hanging up on me, even if it was on accident. So please keep in my mind I havent eaten at this place, but people with serious food allergies likely will want to avoid, given they dont exactly know what they are doing in this realm. And the staff could learn some manners as well.
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Preston Stell
This is our favorite dinner place to eat anywhere! The house made breads are worth stopping by just to get even if you arent going to sit down and have the best dinner you can get anywhere in Allegan County, or really in neighboring Berrien County. With food almost exclusively sourced from Allegan County, and year round at that, it is hard to imagine a restaurant that you could feel better about ethically speaking. Where can you get a loaf of bread that is organic that is not in a big super market like Meijer or Whole Foods save this place!? Plus I guarantee that organic loaf of bread is not going to taste as good as the bread at this place. Add to all this that they have cocktails which are always delightful and a wait staff that is happy to tell you anything you want to know about the food they are about to serve you or the drinks you are about to enjoy. There really is nothing around white like it. Go and enjoy. I promise you will have a five star experience like we do every time! Oh and dont be an idiot....when it comes to dessert, I normally say "pass" anywhere I go, but the house made smore is crazy to pass up on. You will not be disappointed!
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Kevin Smith
I visited on a Saturday night and got sat immediately. The wait for food was long, but it is all made to order from scratch, so I am not sure why everyone is complaining in the reviews. Are you a toddler? Eat a snack. Everything was great and cooked well. We started with the perogies and a couple glasses of wine, which were perfect. I had the bluefish with curry for an entree. The fish was cooked perfectly, but I thought the curry overpowered the fish and didnt compliment. Of course, this is just a difference in tastes between myself and the chef, so dont let this deter you! Dessert was a strawberry and whipped honey dish that was ethereal. Service was great, food was great. Well worth the stop.
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A Private User
Journeyman (and its sister restaurant Rye) is nearly good enough to get us to drive from Detroit or Indianapolis where we live just for dinner. The restaurant has a wonderful balance of being high end food, yet unpretentious. We recently had friends visiting from L.A., Brooklyn, and Virginia and dinner at Journeyman/Rye was one of the main highlights of the trip. We particular recommend the fruits and vegetables menu--it "almost" makes me consider being a vegetarian. We have never had a problem ordering off the Rye menu at Journeyman or the Journeyman menu at Rye--so ask for both menus. See the sunset on Lake Michigan and have dinner here--life is pretty good.
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Greg Reed
Hidden in rural Southwest Michigan in the tiny little town of Fennville is a restaurant you simply must not miss. Its in an unassuming building near the edge of the towns only "block". Inside, the decor and the ambiance are laid-back; the wait staff frankly amicable, in a typically Midwestern manner. But dont be deceived. This is no backwater small-town diner. Within the walls of this establishment you will find some of the best farm-to-table dining available anywhere. If you ever find yourself even remotely close to Fennville, make a reservation at Salt of the Earth and make the drive. Youll be glad you did.
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Denise N
I was very excited to try this place and was having a great time until I got my entree. I ordered a burger and it was so salty I couldnt finish eating it. The ingredients were great and the pickled onions were awesome but I dont understand why they would add so much salt to such good quality meat. We also ordered the Cacio e pepe and I know its literally pasta with "salt and pepper" and cheese but the salt in that dish was also way too heavy to attempt to finish the dish. We were drinking water endlessly for the next couple of hours after dinner. I dont think this is why they call it salt of the earth.
