Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Hills, MI - REVIEW

With the changing of the leaves comes fall traditions, and one of the major ones is cider and warm donuts. The DIVAS were ready, and off we went to the Yates Cider Mill, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It's a great place to walk around in the woods and enjoy nature. What really makes it the best is the relaxing nostalgia of enjoying a place like you did when you were a kid.

Yates Cider Mill is a Michigan landmark and a registered historic site. It was originally built in 1863 as a grist mill to grind grain into flour. They have progressed to apple cider, beginning in 1876. Their mill is powered by the Clinton River, and the traditions at Yates have not changed much since then.

You will find the Yates Cider Mill alongside the Clinton River, across from Yates and Bloomer Parks, and it joins with a Shelby Township walking trail. There are more than 1200 acres total. The best time to visit is in the fall, when you can take a tour of the cider-making operation.

There is no longer an orchard on site, they have their apples shipped in on a flatbed truck from Michigan orchards near and far. As each week passes, different apple varieties can be blended to round-out the taste. By mid October, as many as six different types of apples are intermixed. They do press the apples on site, to make their delicious cider. Their cider is made without preservatives and is an excellent source of fiber.  Cider isn't all they do at Yates. They make their own assortment of apple pies, apple turnovers, caramel apples, apple butters, delicious types of fudge, ice cream, jams and jellies.  We purchased a hunk of caramel fudge for later, it tasted amazing.  

We were able to visit Yates one morning during the week, as we don't like waiting in lines. Traffic was not a problem and we were able to park close, had no line at the counter, and we walked around and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the river. Weekends are packed with long lines everywhere, but they do move quickly. There are lots of things to do for kids on the weekends. There are pony rides and a petting zoo with goats and other outdoor entertainment. They can enjoy the railroad crossing lights and bells, announcing the Pulp Car hauling its load to the dumping area. The Apple Tent is also open on the weekends, with a great selection of the best fall fruit, meat and cheese snacks, candy, gifts and apparel.

The workers at the inside counter will sell you whatever you might need for a nice picnic snack to take outside. Cider is sold in different sized containers and free plastic glasses are available on the wall by the counter. There are lots of picnic tables and benches outside on the property. But be prepared for the bees, they love buzzing around open cider and they appear instantly when you open your jug.

It is the perfect place to walk the nature trail along the river and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. The cider, the smell of the warm, fresh donuts, the sound of the water wheel... it would not be Fall without a visit to Yates.  

The Undercover Divas loved the visit.  You will, too!!

Yates Cider Mill's fall hours are Monday – Friday – 7am – 7pm and weekends – 9am – 7pm. The Mill is located at Dequindre and Avon Roads (23 Mile Rd.) in Rochester Hills. They are just 35 minutes north of Downtown Detroit in Oakland County.  

Tin Fish Restaurant in St. Clair Shores, MI and Mastro's Ice Cream Shoppe - REVIEW

Hello, all my Divettes, this is Annod again with a review that has been a long time coming. Myself and the other Undercover Divas, Suse and Gini, just love the water so we decided to try the Tin Fish, located on a canal in St. Clair Shores. It is so close to the water, just what we were looking for.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were disappointed at the response we received by two young ladies at the front desk. They were more interested in speaking to each other than they were in greeting us. We were told “there is a 30 minute wait,” even though there were lots of empty tables. We wanted to sit out on the deck but the clouds were looming and we wanted to enjoy our meal inside. Twenty minutes later we were seated in the dining room on the right. There was a huge “Tin Fish” hanging from the ceiling, and the booths were all decorated with a nautical flair and curtains for privacy. Gini was so impressed she took a few pictures for this post.

Our waitress, Ariana, was a joy. The menu had a great variety of choices, from fish to Filet Mignon and salads to pastas. I decided to try the Panko Encrusted Tilapia with asparagus and red skin potatoes. She was fine with my substitution of mashed potatoes ($12.00) Suse ordered the Pecan Pickerel, French green beans and red skinned potatoes ($14.00) Gini had the Tin Fish & Chips with seasoned fries ($10.00). Most meals are available as half servings for half price. They call it the Seniors Discount but it was available for all, if you really want a half order. Even though we are too young for the Senior Discount, we did take advantage of the offer.

To start the meal, Suse and I ordered the Wedge Salad with crumbled blue cheese dressing (small portion, $4.00). The dressing was amazing. Gini had the French Onion soup, which was good, but a little small for the price ($5.00). Ariana brought our salads and soup and some homemade rolls.

When our food came, it looked like it was pulled from a magazine! My tilapia was mouthwatering, it fell apart. Suse enjoyed her Pecan Pickerel, and Gini loved her beer battered cod (a little too much breading, though) and liked the seasoned fries. We all enjoyed our meals, but the consensus was that prices were a bit high for what you got, and half orders were just that, half a meal.

Ariana brought over a tray of desserts. They looked amazing but we had our minds set on frozen yogurt, which was located across the street from the Tin Fish. What started out as a dud in the beginning, turned out to be an enjoyable meal and great service. Thanks, Ariana! As a side bar, we think they should monitor the outside of the restaurant as we witnessed several females that were so drunk, one fell in the street. Thank goodness a cab showed up and, hopefully, drove them home.

The Tin Fish is located at 24420 Jefferson Ave., (north of 9 Mile Rd.) in St. Clair Shores, MI. Hours: Sunday through Thursday, Noon to 9pm. - Friday and Saturday, 11am to Midnight. Their phone number: 586/778-8330.

Special Attention: Now on to dessert. Just outside the long ride out of the Marina from the Tin Fish, and across Jefferson, we headed to an Ice Cream/Yogurt shop called Mastro's, for dessert. They have everything needed for a treat after a great meal. Stroh's Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt (my favorite) with all the toppings, was featured. They had regular cones, waffle cones, chocolate with sprinkles cones, soft serve ice cream, and many flavors of ice cream by the scoop. Prices are reasonable and your taste buds go crazy. What a successful evening for all three of us.

Eat Ice Cream, Be Happy.

The Undercover Divas were out last night, searching for something, but we weren’t sure what that was.  We had a delicious dinner, but it just wasn’t exactly what we were looking for.  Suddenly, Annod knew what we were missing… Ice Cream.  It was the perfect answer.  We did some investigating and learned some interesting facts about ice cream and decided to share them with our Undercover Diva friends. 

Ice cream is second only to cookies as the best selling treat in America.  Chocolate syrup is the worlds most popular ice cream topping.  The most popular ice cream flavor?  Vanilla!   Not surprisingly, 87% of all Americans have ice cream in their freezer at any given time.  Most will agree that eating ice cream is a very enjoyable experience.

A cow gives enough milk to make two gallons of ice cream per day, that’s 730 gallons per year.  It takes three gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.  It takes about 50 licks to finish a single scoop ice cream cone.  “Brain Freeze” occurs when ice cream touches the roof of your mouth.  One in ten people admit to licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream while one in five share with their pet. 

Premium ice cream has between 11% and 15% butterfat, which makes it richer, denser and high in calories.  Regular ice cream, what you would find in containers in the grocery store, contains 10% butterfat.  Reduced fat ice cream has 25% less fat than the regular ice cream.  Soft serve ice cream is the same as regular ice cream but is served at a higher temperature.  Gelato has more milk than cream, so its fat content is significantly lower.  It doesn’t saturate your taste buds as much as ice cream so the flavor seems more intense.  It is usually flavored with fresh fruit, nuts, chocolate and other natural flavors. 

July is National Ice Cream Month.  Ice cream is happiness, condensed.  Let’s go get some ice cream.  Author Carew Papritz once said, “Eat Ice Cream, Read Books, Be Happy.”