The Iron Kettle in Lewiston, MI, and Sunflower Farms - REVIEW

Lewiston is a small town, located in the northeast area of lower Michigan. The town was named after Lewis Jenson of the M.H. Lumber company, in 1891. The lumber boom ended shortly thereafter but logging continues in the area. It is being done very selectively, to preserve and protect the remaining old-growth forests. You can find just about anything in this little town. While visiting Lewiston, The Undercover Divasdecided to visit one of our favorite family style restaurants, a small diner called the Iron Kettle. They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and anything in between.  

The Iron Kettle is open all day, all year round, unlike most restaurants that cut back hours during the off season. Their great soup and salad bar is the reason we chose the Iron Kettle. That was probably our biggest disappointment. What used to be great was now only average. There was a bowl of lettuce, but nothing appetizing to help dress it up. Side pasta salads and extras were a letdown. But there was a good choice of home-made salad dressings. What saved the soup and salad bar was the soup. The Iron Kettle has some of the best hot soups anywhere, and we've been many places. The soup of the day is your only choice, and it was chicken rice, and delicious, and the price of the salad bar ($2.99) was still a bargain.  

The menu is extensive, with just about every type of diner food you could imagine. There is also a menu board when you enter the restaurant, listing the day's specials. I usually get the dinner special, which often is the fish of the day, and have never been disappointed.

We arrived at noon and found some appetizing lunch specials. One DIVA had the South West Chicken sandwich with fries ($6.99) I had the Turkey Club with their kettle chips ($7.50). Both were really good.

It's not a steak house, you can find that next door at the Redwood Steak House, but a home-cooking diner. Lots of country people, in the middle of farm country, gave the place it's charm. Dress was definitely jeans. It's great to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities and just breath the clean air and enjoy the fresh, country atmosphere.

We have always experienced fast and friendly service at the Iron Kettle. Portions are large and prices are reasonable. The Iron Kettle is located at 4737 Salling Ave. (Co. Rd. 612), in the heart of downtown Lewiston. They open every day, seven days a week, at 6am, for good, hearty, country breakfasts. It's well worth a stop by.   

Special Attention: Acres upon acres of sunflowers, with fully bloomed flowers... It's beautiful indeed! If you are like us, you love the sunflowers and how nice is it to run into actual sunflower farms. That's just what happened to us as we were driving up north. Fairview, Michigan, is home to several sunflower farms along with an Amish community. Located in Comins Township within Oscoda Township, centered in the Huron Nation Forest, it runs along the Au Sable River. Wildlife are nearby, including bear, deer, eagles, Kirtland's Warblers and wild turkeys. We passed the farms while driving north on M33 after exiting I-75 at Exit 202 (Alger). The farms were just north of Mio, and there were a couple of them. What a sight to behold!!

Olds El-Bo Inn, Atlanta, MI, Review

It was time for The Undercover Divas to take a road trip to northern Michigan, the heart of Elk Country!  We traveled north on I-75 to our destination, Olds El-Bo Inn.  We were north of Atlanta, and about 35 minutes south of the Mackinac Bridge, all on M33.

Almost there, we passed a jack pine nesting habitat dedicated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to the Kirtland's warbler.  The endangered Kirtland's warbler is one of the rarest members of the wood warbler family. It is a bird of unusual interest as it nests in just a few counties in Michigan's northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, and only a few other places on Earth. Its nests are concealed in mixed vegetation of grasses and shrubs below the branches of five to twenty year old jack pine trees.  Male Kirtland's warblers arrive back in Michiganfrom the Bahamasbetween May 3 and May 20, a few days ahead of the females.   The area is on the east side of M33; don’t forget to take a look while driving by.

Just a few minutes past the warblers, we came upon Olds El-Bo Inn.  It was a small, cabin like restaurant, surrounded by miles and miles of forest.  Olds El-Bo Inn is under new ownership with a completely re-vamped menu. It offers wrap sandwiches, daily specials and specialty pizzas. The place has a great atmosphere, open for 4-wheelers and fishermen in the summer and a rest point for snowmobiles in winter months, as it is surrounded by many Michiganoff-road trails. Olds El-Bo Inn also has lots of imported beers, including Guinness, on draught.

It was an extensive menu that had lots of lunch and dinner options.  The salads looked inviting, and they had many home-made dressings available, including blue cheese.  They make just about everything in-house.  One of us ordered a club sandwich on whole wheat, very good.  Another had the daily special, which was a Philly cheese steak melt.  Both came with their delicious home-made chips.  All was excellent.   The service was friendly and the place had a down-home, country feeling.  Overall we had a wonderful lunch experience.  

You will not be disappointed, you will be delighted.  Olds El-Bo Inn is truly a hidden gem in northern Michigan. Open every day at noon, closed Mondays.  Don't miss it!