LOCAL DISH

Foodie Find

Meet Patrick and Michael Evans, Traverse City natives and talented chefs who are planning to spice up your life, coming in hot with a new tantalizing take-out restaurant, Crocodile Palace. They have taken over the former Habibi space on Cochlin Ave. They have been sprucing up the building and will soon be the newest hot spot in our local food scene. The menu will highlight Chinese Sichuan and Cantonese fare. “The food overall will be spicy; there’s nothing quite like it here, we are just going to go for it,” says Pat. They discovered the flavors in San Francisco. Both worked at Michelin-starred restaurants and frequented the hip food scene on days off. “It’s food Mike and I enjoyed eating.” Dishes such as dan dan noodles, pork wontons with chili oil, and salt cod and chicken fried rice. If you frequent Little Fleet’s Monday take-overs, Crocodile Palace is a cuisine you’ve sampled when the brothers and chef friend Ryan Corbin premiered it to rave reviews. Pat also tells us easy take-out ordering it will be available online with a hope to be serving up spice by mid-November, just in time for the cold nights. 124 Cochlin St. Traverse City

Every success has a great story. The new Playa Bowls on State St. has a really great one. Playa Bowl franchise owners, Amy and Lee Goldberg, were living in West Chester, PA. Always mindful of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, they loved eating at Playa Bowls for smoothies, coconut, acai, and pitaya bowls. It was easy to eat healthy with the freshest and highest quality ingredients without the wait. The Goldbergs dreamed of moving to Traverse City ever since their 2017 wedding at The Boathouse. In 2020 they finally did. After a few weeks they both came to the realization: “We need a Playa Bowls here!” So, they bit the bullet and purchased a franchise, becoming store #156. The origin of Playa Bowls goes back to two surfers from New Jersey. On surf trips to exotic locations like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica, each beach town offered a unique version of fresh acai and pitaya bowls. Back home, they made a deal with the owner of the pizza shop they lived above and bought a blender, a patio table, a fridge, and a freezer and set up a makeshift pop up stand on the sidewalk. They spent a lot of time educating their customers about the benefits of the superfruit acai and it took off. Pretty crazy! So, back in TC, Amy and Lee just opened a few weeks ago and it’s already doing great. “We are doing good so far! We are also on DoorDash,” says Amy. 222 E State St Unit 101. Traverse City playabowls.com

Healthy Fast Food: Superfruit

Hostess Helper

When you have a passion of making nibbles look pretty for family and friends, why not start your own business? That’s what Paige Hooker did with the fun name Graze by the Bays. She calls it “Artistic Charcuterie,” and she is specializing in serving the Grand Traverse region! “It’s in its baby steps. I just started,” she laughs. You wouldn’t believe that from her amazing website. Simple, great photos, set prices, and easy to order in your cart—done and done (thanks to her talented stepbrother). “Each order is custom, handcrafted, and delivered fresh right to your door.” The timing with the holidays upon us couldn’t be more perfect. Plan your parties galore and take the less stress route. You can be the hostess with the mostess by working smarter not harder.

grazebythebays.com

Paige Hooker in her kitchen with Darric from Folgarelli’s

Holiday With the holiday season quickly approaching, many wonder what wines to pair with foods. For the most part, I suggest you drink what you WINE PICKS like. If you are into sweeter wines such as Late Harvest Riesling, don’t force yourself to drink a huge, bold and tannic wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon. But for those that enjoy drinking a wide array of wines, here are some suggestions for you to pair with your holiday feast. If you are cooking Turkey or another lighter meat, I would suggest you pair it with a fuller bodied white such a Chardonnay or a lighter bodied red such as Pinot Noir. The chardonnay typically carries enough fruit with balanced acid to accompany these types of dishes while the lighter bodied pinot noir, with great aromatics and bright flavors works well. For those planning to cook a bit bolder meal such as Beef Tenderloin of a heartier Game Meat, pairing up a bolder, more structured red is the way I would go. A big Napa Valley Cabernet with bold tannins, dark fruit flavors and a rich mouth feel holds up to the rich flavors of the beef. Another suggestion would be a delicious Nebbiolo from Piedmont Italy boasting earthy flavors powdery tannins and dark fruit flavors. There are obviously a great number of other wines that would match up to any type of dish you are preparing, so just stop in and we can help you out. Just remember that wine is part of the meal and just plain out fun. Enjoy the holiday season.

Cheers, Darric

Folgarelli’s Market & Wine Shop