Page 9 - AAA Northwest Ohio - AAA Now! May/June 2013
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MAy/june 2013
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, the state’s
second most popular tourist attraction and one of the
world's 100 most visited art museums. This open-air
venue combines sculpture installations and horticulture
throughout its 132-acre site, incorporating 10 themed
gardens, including an interactive children’s garden and
tropical plant conservatory. Sculptures at Frederik Meijer
Gardens include works by Rodin and Degas, and the
breathtaking The American
Horse, the 24-foot bronze
made from sketches and
studies by Leonardo di Vinci.
The facility is 100 percent
barrier-free.
For more outdoor fun, take
in a West Michigan Whitecaps
game at Fifth Third Ballpark,
explore the nearly 20 miles
of bike trails at Millennium
Park or head west from Grand
Rapids to the Lake Michigan
beach town of Grand Haven.
You may recognize the much-
photographed Grand Haven
Lighthouse when you enjoy a
walk on the Grand Haven Pier.
If your interests include presidential history, don’t miss
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in downtown
Grand Rapids. Exhibits include a full-scale replica of the
Oval Office, an interactive Cabinet Room and a section
of the BerlinWall. President and Mrs. Ford are buried at a
hillside spot on the museum grounds.
A great meal is easy to find in Grand Rapids, especially
during Restaurant Week, August 14 – 24. Participating
restaurants will offer "farm-to-fork" three-course dinners
featuring fresh, local ingredients for just $25 per person.
With so much to do in and around the city, you may
need to get away to Grand Rapids more than once. To
plan your trip, visit
.
Foodie Fantasy on Lake Erie
Some people might be surprised that culinary
excellence and adventure can be found in the little
towns of north-central Ohio, but one trip to Chez
Francois in Vermilion or the Culinary Vegetable Institute
in Milan will convince even the biggest skeptic.
The laid-back beach town of Vermilion is a great
destination for a lot of reasons – the quaint downtown,
beautiful public beaches and its penchant for festivals,
just to name a few. But for many people, one of the
town’s top attractions is an unassuming little restaurant
at the mouth of the Vermilion River that has been
serving fine French cuisine for 27 years. Chez Francois
has received numerous accolades, most recently being
named one of the top 100 restaurants in the U.S. and
making the list of top 100 wine lists, both courtesy of
OpenTable, a leading provider of free, real-time online
restaurant reservations. The Zagat Guide rated Chez
Francois 29 out of 30, and named it the best restaurant
in the Midwest.
Chez Francois is located in the Sail Loft building, 555
Main Street, built in 1840 for the storage of sails and
sailing equipment, and later serving as the headquarters
for the Vermilion Yacht Club. As if in homage to those
days, Chez Francois offers waterside dining on its open
deck complete with its own boat slips, so diners can
sail in for a bite. Inside, the historic building’s exposed
brick and beams give it a European ambiance, and
make it a perfect setting to
enjoy Chef John D’Amico’s
exquisite cuisine. Selections
on the summer menu
include Artichaut à l’Alouette,
California artichoke hearts
sautéed and stuffed with
Alouette cheese, lightly
breaded with hazelnuts and
served with a Dijon honey
mustard/raspberry sauce
– and that’s just a starter.
Summer entrées include
sautéed breaded medallions
of Provimi veal tenderloin
with Maine lobster, cold water
shrimp, Maine sea scallop
and asparagus spears topped with a Normandy wine
sauce, and a roasted Australian rack of lamb topped with
a roasted tomato-herb crust, summer beans, braised
cipollini onions, eggplant and garlic.
In addition to its regular dinner service, Chez Francois
offers special event and wine-tasting dinners throughout
the season. For reservations or more information, visit
or call (440) 967-0630.
Down the road in Milan, the Culinary Vegetable Institute
(CVI) hosts delectable events including monthly “Earth-
to-Table”dinners featuring guest chefs from around the
country. CVI is the research and development arm of
The Chef’s Garden, a family farm just a fewmiles south
that has provided naturally grown vegetables, herbs
and microgreens to chefs around the world for nearly
30 years. June’s Earth-to-Table dinner features Food
Network’s Chef Tyler Florence, and the November event
is a good-natured Ohio State-Michigan faceoff, with
the two schools’ catering teams going head-to-head,
vying for culinary supremacy. To get details on all the
Goodale Park, Columbus, Ohio
"Arms And Legs," Frederick Meijer Gardens
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