The restaurants we visited were the perfect example of “earth to table.” I see no reason for them to label their food organic, it just is. Local fish and fruit and vegetables are found on the menus and prepared with pure elegance.

From each restaurant’s front door you cannot even begin to judge what the food will be like. The venues are not fancy — in some cases needing a fresh coat of paint. Our favorite was French restaurant L’Effet Mer. Very small — maybe seats 30 people at a time – this eatery had neon lights on the outside with an almost a brothel-feel.

We hesitated before entering, but were glad we did. The meal was so exciting — excellent wine list, creative preparation and flavors to die for. It made us dance in our chairs.

The fish that night was the red snapper. Caught fresh from the ocean that day, it was presented to us as a whole fish then de-boned table side. It came with a small salad, risotto and a parmesan cracker.

My husband ordered scallops. They were very good as well. The most interesting on his plate was the truffle ice cream. Yes, ice cream made out of mushrooms served in a small ice cream cone. “Well, I never!” Just too cool.

A variety of dishes were used to serve meals —  I really liked the pieces of slate, decorated with some sort of red spice (we all tasted it, could not figure out what it was and the server did not know how to say it in English).

Presentation of the dessert was like a side show. Stuffed with chocolate mousse, fruit and Pop Rocks, our chocolate ball the size of a large Christmas ornament, decorated with detailed colored sugar. Yes, I did say Pop Rocks, like the ones you used to eat when you were a kid.

Doused in brandy and lit on fire, we giggled with excitement as the chocolate ball melted and all the goodies inside poured out.

At the end of this meal complimentary champagne was served, so we toasted to a great meal.

We enjoyed several other restaurants, and could not find a bad meal on strip. Anything from outdoor barbeque to fine dining can be found on the strip of Grand Case, St. Martin. Italian, Mexican, French and seafood cuisines are all available. As you walk down the strip trying to figure out where you are going to eat, restaurant owners are outside waving you in. One right after the other,  lined up and decorated with vibrant colors, it is like attending a food carnival — which restaurant do you want to take for a spin?

Dining at a venue that sat right on the ocean seemed to be our favorite location. As the dining rooms on this side of the strip are fairly open, the cool breeze and sounds of the waves and birds fill the room. I do not think you can pay for this kind of atmosphere.

St. Martin is on my top ten list for dining experiences for sure.

Nestled inside of an old candy factory, North Peak is a pretty large restaurant, able to handle large parties or the single couple looking for a relaxed, modern place to dine. It’s seen some minor changes over the years, but all in all it’s remained true to its original self.

Being a brewing company, it has a circular bar area, but most of the restaurant is used for dining. Featuring an open kitchen concept, you get an up-close look at exactly what goes on in the kitchen — whether baking phenomenal wood-fired pizzas or flipping  gourmet burgers and sandwiches.

But on every visit, there’s always at least one consistency for me — the appetizer. I always start with a bowl of cheddar ale soup ($4.95). If you’ve ever eaten at HopCat, this is similar, but features pretzel bits and is much thicker. It’s absolutely the most amazing way to start a meal up north. A little bit of rustic, and full of flavor.

And because the soup is so good, I order the rest of my meal around that. I’ll purposely order a bowl of the cheddar ale and stick with a smaller sandwich that I know won’t make me want to burst after eating it. On my most recent visit, I went with the Herbed Monte Cristo Sandwich ($9.50), which is both light and full of flavor. The meat is packed generously into the sandwich, and with its side of cherry preserves, the hint of sweetness is certainly a great combination with the soup.

But really, you can’t go wrong with what you order. The barbecue chicken pizza (which isn’t on their menu — you’ll have to ask for it) is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, and is definitely a great choice as well. Likewise, the grilled chicken quesadilla is great  to split as a starter — it comes packed full of meat and cheesy gooeyness.

The service is usually above par as well. Nearly every server I’ve had is friendly and responsive. You won’t find yourselves waiting a while for your meal to be delivered, either.

For drinks, North Peak is hard to beat too. In its partnership with Jolly Pumpkin and Grizzly Peak breweries, North Peak combines its own brews and offers several different beer options to satisfy. They also make a mean root beer, served straight from the keg.

And with the summer coming up quickly, North Peak is a perfect destination for those traveling up to Traverse City on vacation or to enjoy the National Cherry Festival. I can only hope that they’ll never run out of that cheddar ale soup though — that completely makes my meal.

AAA, which began field inspections of lodgings and restaurants in 1937 with introduction to a formal rating system in 1963,  share where to find complex and delicious meals on the road. AAA polled its professional inspectors for their favorite places for vegetarian dining. Five of their top picks are below, showcasing restaurants to visit for fresh new menu options and flavorful meat-free renditions of old favorites.

3 Sisters Cafe, Indianapolis, Ind., AAA Two Diamond Restaurant

Locals and tourists alike flock to this slightly worn, yet charming Victorian house turned restaurant offering plenty of vegetarian and vegan options (beyond just “take off the cheese”) in addition to standard fare. All-day breakfast is the main draw for patrons looking for a homey atmosphere. Vegan favorites include multigrain porridge with almond milk, grilled tofu scrambles and a homemade black bean burger.

Claire’s Corner Copia, New Haven, Conn., AAA One Diamond Restaurant

Claire’s appetizing vegetarian dishes include all-day breakfast items, bakery treats and distinctive kosher, Italian and Mexican creations featuring mostly organic ingredients. Join the Yale students and locals who have patronized this gourmet spot for more than 30 years. Checkered tile flooring and original artwork for sale on the walls add to the charm.

Commensal Vegetarian Restaurant, Toronto, Ontario, AAA/CAA Two Diamond Restaurant

The upscale self-service buffet, right in the city center, combines fast, delicious and good for you. Diners pay just for what they take. Creative, exclusively vegetarian options include eggplant in ginger sauce, meat-free sweet potato shepherd’s pie and decadent desserts like walnut raisin caramel pie. The casual and contemporary setting includes a changing display of paintings.

Dragonfly Neo-V Cuisine, Columbus, Ohio, AAA Three Diamond Restaurant

This well-established vegetarian and vegan restaurant graces the older, urban University District neighborhood. Chef-owner Magdiale Wolmark draws his menu exclusively from plant-based foods, offering a full selection of courses from soup to dessert. Entrees include mock duck, a house-made gnocchi with barnier olives and confit garlic and a “mac and cheese” made with orzo pasta and a vegan cheese topped with cornmeal-encrusted broccoli.

French Meadow Bakery and Cafe, Minneapolis, Minn., AAA Three Diamond Restaurant

The small cafe offers a full line of tempting baked goods including vegan breads. The brown rice bread is a AAA inspector favorite. The menu at this farm-to-table restaurant — it has partnered with a local farm to supply fresh produce — features organic, all-natural ingredients for casual breakfast and lunch options such as Cajun hash browns and free-range chicken wraps and more elegant dinner selections such as pumpkin risotto with morel mushrooms.

Professionally trained AAA/CAA inspectors use published guidelines to evaluate and rate properties as a service to members. AAA rates more properties than any other rating entity, and is one of only two that conduct physical, on-site evaluations. AAA/CAA Approved lodgings and restaurants are assigned a rating of One to Five Diamonds.

For more selections across the U.S. and Canada, visit AAA’s travel blog at AAATravelViews.com.

Mia and Grace is a contemporary restaurant and bakery that would easily fit in Chicago or New York’s dining scene. Instead, it operates in a building that stood vacant for 15 years, previously home to Big Bob’s, (“the omelet king”), in a relatively unimpressive area of Muskegon. Mia and Grace resides on Third Street sits next to Brown Bag Boutique and an empty for sale building. Its immediate success since opening in July of 2008 definitely contributes to the regentrification of downtown Muskegon. Once inside the shoebox-shaped structure, soothing acoustic music filled my ears and the sight of the large brown packing paper menu hanging on the peachy back wall soothed my eyes. It’s like seeing precious land from a ravaged boat. That may seem exaggerated but it’s true for the foodie types. But Mia and Grace is a place for anyone looking to indulge in quality, hand crafted, satisfying cuisine.

My server, Nikki, greeted me from the counter under the fluctuating menu — this establishment adheres to the ethos of farm-to table, seasonal food — in a friendly tone. Nikki informed me of popular dishes and allowed me to choose my table. I slyly selected a table in the nook of the room, next to the kitchen. The black swinging doors allowed a glimpse into where the magic happens.

To begin my food coma, I selected the creole onion soup ($3, $5 for bowl). The tastiness was presented in an elegant teacup along with a glass of refreshing water. Similar to French onion soup, soft thinly sliced onions in beef broth was topped with homemade croutons rather than the traditional cheese. The creole seasoning offered a nice bite to the already fulfilling flavor. My only wish was for more than two croutons. My house made hot dog came in a timely manner with a side of beautifully flushed apple-fennel coleslaw and three spheres of sweet pickles. The taste shot all other hot dogs to hell, but the outside texture was a bit rough and hard to bite. Table manners will go out the window when eating this, you need to rip and pull rather than bite. It was annoying. So ask for more napkins.

Mia and Grace makes everything in house, even soda. Per custom, I ordered the lavender vanilla bean cream soda in all its white cloud, creamy goodness. The fusion of flavor is both unique and likeable. Choose from others like root beer, ginger ale, and lemon thyme. These flavor provocateurs also make ice cream from root beer and Cajun butter pecan to candied bacon.

I deftly concentrated on my surroundings. Juxtaposed peach and periwinkle blue walls house local art. Behind the bakery counter displaying a variety of desserts and baked goods sit locally-crafted teapots and teacups. Mia and Grace operates as a truly hyper-local restaurant with numerous partnerships with Michigan farms and businesses. Local artist and Community College professor, Lee Ann Frame, is one of the featured artists whose piece “The Offering,” hung above my dark mahogany table. Sunlight streamed in from the large front windows casting light on the lightly baked wooden floors.

Owners and executive chefs, Jeremy and Jamie Pacquin found the perfect spot to bring their decadence to West Michigan after moving from Houston. Mia is the name of their two year old daughter and Grace is Jeremy’s grandmother and sister. This food gem features unique dishes imbued with intense flavor through a passion for cooking and compassion for building locally.

While the mechanics of eating are the same everywhere in the world that you eat, the way you eat can vary greatly. In Milan, a meal is enjoyed. No one calls a waiter over, impatient for a check. The waiter knows when the meal is done and will approach you at the proper time for payment. Dinners can last for hours as you linger over amazing bottles of Italian wine and sweet desserts.

And early birds need not travel to Milan to eat. It is unheard of for a restaurant to be open before 7 p.m. in Milan. Traffic does not begin until at least 8 p.m. Italy is a country that moves at its own slow, delicious pace.

With that out of the way, I am convinced it is impossible to find a bad meal in Milan. Like Paris, each restaurant is a gem. Restaurants in Milan are numerous, small and wonderful in every way. I ate mostly Italian meals in Milan, including a spectacular three course fixed menu meal in Monza that cost a paltry 10 euros. It was divine.

I also went off script a bit and ate at a wonderful Chinese restaurant in Milan as well. It is interesting to try an ethnic restaurant in other countries as they tend to absorb some of the local culture and mix it into their dishes. For example, at the Chinese restaurant, the spicy shrimp I ordered were in a chunky, rich red tomato sauce, which reflected the local cuisine. The hot and sour soup could be better described as hot and sour and slightly sweet. Still, it was a wonderful meal.

The local cuisine is focused on fresh — think perfectly al dente spaghetti with a simple, chunky tomato and olive oil sauce. The bread everywhere was spectacular with a thick crust and warm soft inside. Fish, shellfish and chicken is popular. So are magnificently cured meats. While on the subject of cured meats, I ran across a certain meat on the menu of one restaurant that might give most American’s pause: Horse meat. Yes, I could have tried a horse meat bresaola in Milan, but I didn’t.

The foods in Milan come in true courses. A meal there is slow and methodical. And it feels as if everything I tasted was cooked with passion.

There are a few fast food places in Milan. I saw several McDonald’s and a couple Burger Kings. But that’s about it. Milan is a city of food lovers and the fare I sampled was amazing. But when you are done, don’t forget to save room for gelato. Milan is know for it (and for good reason).

There are so many places to choose from in Vegas. But if you are looking for traditional Italian food that just warms your heart and belly, Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar is the place to go.

When we arrived on a Friday night the place was packed, so I highly recommend reservations. The bar was filled with people watching the NCAA Tournament with roaring excitement every time their team made a basket.

Families were dining as well as business professionals who were in for a trade show. However the atmosphere was like eating thanksgiving meal at home, as there was much laughter, eating, drinking, hugging and kissing when their guest arrived at the table. No matter what their reason was for being in Vegas, they all seemed to have the same goal at Ferraro’s — Mangi (eat), Bevi (drink) and Diverteti (enjoy yourself).

When the waiter joined us at the table, he explained how everything was homemade from family recipes — pasta, sausage, sauces and desserts.

We had such a hard time figuring out what to order — we all wanted one of everything. So the waiter helped us out. We discussed the possible choices, selected a few, then the kitchen split them all up for us on individual plates, so we all could have little of everything. You know the food is good when your table gets quiet after the food is served. There was complete silence at our table — other than the mmm sounds.

My husband ordered the award-winning Osso Buco ($41). I know how difficult it is to make this dish. It needs to cook for at least 24 hours before it can be served. As he cut into it, the meat fell off the bone. Tender and flavorful, the Veal Shank was cooked to perfection, braised in a red wine reduction.

If you have never had this dish before, it is really something everyone should try once. Yes a bit pricey, but the amount of work that goes into this dish justifies the cost. If you have to eat hot dogs for the rest of the trip, it will be worth it.

Our son ordered the Veal Piccata ($28) prepared with lemon, white wine and capers. Veal can be a difficult meat to get tender. But not for Ferraro’s, the veal was tender and flavorful.

Our daughter ordered the Agnolotti ($22), a ravioli filled with spinach, mascarpone, ricotta and mortadella, covered with tomato sauce. The ravioli’s were quite large and stuffed full. There is such a difference when you serve homemade pasta. It literally melts in your mouth. As my daughter took her first bite, she looked at me with such love in her eyes, but I know it is for the pasta — and because we thought to bring her here.

Our guest ordered the Pappardelle Mimmo ($39). Served in a large bowl, this is a long,wide pasta with scallops, lobster, asparagus, butter sage and truffle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen pasta this wide or long — kind of fun to eat.

The table finished off with Tarmisu for desert, would expect anything else?

Located at the end of the strip at 4480 Paradise Road, Farraro’s offer gluten-free pasta for those who can’t handle gluten. All this topped off with an award-winning wine selection. One more piece of advice: consider sharing entrees because the servings are large.

Much-loved by their locals, and frequently visited by returning visitors, Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar is one place you can go to in Vegas that is not a gamble.

Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and is a melting pot of nationalities, which greatly enhances is food scene. In a single block you can find Pakistani restaurants, along side a Korean restaurant, next to a Polish eatery. It is a wonderful city for a foodie to explore.

It is a special treat when you are advised by locals. On a recent trip to Toronto to visit office furniture maker Teknion, I was invited to eat with Mark Harris and Anna Arsenault, the pair responsible for corporate communications at the company. They took me to one of their favorite Thai restaurants, Thai Bamboo. This wasn’t a trendy downtown Toronto eatery, instead it was tucked in a strip mall in a mostly industrial area just outside Toronto.

What the restaurant lacked in ambience, it made up for in flavor. Unlike so many Thai wannabes in West Michigan, the flavors exploded off the fork. The food was expertly prepared with fresh ingredients. It is no wonder that the restaurant is packed nearly every day for lunch.

It was Fat Tuesday, so I decided to eat with abandon. I started with an order of crispy spring rolls ($3.95). They were fried to perfection and brought fresh to the table steaming hot. I was tempted to try the fresh spring rolls ($2.95) with fresh lettuce, coriander, mint, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, cucumber and vermicelli noodle.

I decided to try the Pad See Ew ($8.95) for my main dish. It is a dish found on the menus of many Thai restaurants, so it is a good gauge for the overall eatery. Unlike Pad Thai, Pad See Ew uses wide rice noodles, more akin to the width of an egg noodle found in Western dishes. There were heaps of fresh broccoli, tender chicken and fat shrimp in this version. It is bound together with a bit of egg. I asked for it spicy and it was perfectly done — spicy, but not to the point where it distracted from the taste of the meal. It wasn’t the best Pad See Ew I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t bad either.

Mark picked the Pad Thai, a dish he said he gets almost every time he eats at Thai Bamboo. Anna went lighter with the mango salad ($6.95), a beautiful dish filled with slices of green mango with red onions and shredded carrots in a sweet-sour spicy sauce garnished with shrimp and crushed peanuts. I was told the vibrant colors on the plate matched the stunning flavors on the plate. And it was large enough that Anna had some to take home.

If Thai Bamboo has one achilles heel, it is the service. Though our waiter was pleasant, she seemed overwhelmed by the lunch rush. We were promptly served our tea, but when we asked for water later, it never arrived. We had to ask again before we got it. Both Anna and Mark said service can be spotty at best.

Thai Bamboo certainly is off the beaten path, even for those who frequent Toronto, but its food makes a visit worthwhile if you happen to be in the area. The food is good and the portions massive, which on my visit was important, since I wouldn’t eat again until I reached my final destination of the day, Calgary, at 11 p.m. mountain time.

I was immediately reminded of Uno, or Malarkey’s, when I first walked into Ashley’s. It has a very similar casual, rustic sports bar-type experience. But the menu tops them all, with several pages worth of beer (there has to be over 100), and appetizing selections that’ll fill you up quite nicely.

We started off with an appetizer of the Boardwalk Fries. What seems like a heart attack waiting to happen, Ashley’s puts its homemade beer battered fries on a plate, and tops them with homemade chili and Cheddar Ale sauce. It was probably one of the best appetizers I’ve had in a long time, and it certainly exceeded my expectations. I washed it all down with an Edmund Fitzgerald draft, which is just as thick and creamy as a Guinness, but with hints of chocolate and a bit more hoppy-ness.

Choosing an entree from the menu proved to be quite the difficult task. There were about four things I debated on, before finally deciding to go with the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($7.99), served with homemade potato chips. One thing I forgot to mention here — everything is homemade. When my sandwich came out, I knew immediately that I was in for a treat. The bun was filled full of pork and a sweet barbecue sauce, and the chips were extremely crunchy. Even the ranch sauce, which our waitress recommended for the chips, tasted perfectly. The pork melted in my mouth, and with the bun and barbecue sauce, it literally was an amazing combination.

My dining partners couldn’t agree more. Sam went with a Philly Cheese Steak ($7.99), which featured sliced rib eye steak sauteed with onions and peppers, and then topped with cheese. Ashley, who recommended the restaurant to us (I can’t imagine why…), went with the Chicken Caesar Wrap ($7.99).

The service matched the food as well. Our waitress was energetic and extremely helpful in my beer selection. She dropped off two beer samples for me at different times during my meal, which is almost unheard of in any bar today. Our meals were filling, and the whole experience makes me want to drive down to Detroit next weekend and try something else. All in all, Ashley’s is a must-visit Detroit or Ann Arbor eatery, and I can only hope that they expand to the west side of the state soon.

Ordering from their extensive selection of sandwiches is done from a menu board. After you ante up, you find a seat and one of the staff will bring your order to you. We had no more than a 10 minute wait, and this was at lunch time with a packed house. Sandee, my better half, and I both ordered 4-inch sandwiches (the smallest size) which turned out to be quite filling. They don’t scrimp on what goes between the bread slices. The sandwiches come with a side; chips, coleslaw, or warm scalloped apples. Sandee had the turkey sandwich and apples and I opted for the tuna salad sandwich with slaw. Our sandwiches were topped with lettuce tomato and mayo and were quite good.

The sides were another matter. Sandee felt that if they had only added a little cinnamon to her apples they’d be quite tasty. Perhaps it’s just a matter of tastes, but I prefer a slaw with finely diced cabbage and a creamy dressing. Pekadills uses a very watery dressing. The big problem though, was the cabbage which was trimmed into long (two inch) narrow threads. No matter how much I tried to get it all on my fork, there was always at least one dangler. This is not a good thing for guys with beards.

The highlight for us though, was the homemade asparagus soup which was made with asparagus harvested in the Montague area. We each had a cup of the yummy goodness which had a light but creamy base and plenty of asparagus.

The total bill for two 4″ sandwiches with sides, two cups-o-soup, and two pops was a twenty and a few pennies. In spite of our disappointment with the apples and slaw, we’d go back if only to try something from their ice cream counter and savor it on the patio. So next time you wander up into northern Muskegon County, give Pekadill’s a try.

Before we ventured out, I discovered the Showboat Restaurant on Broad Street (M-57) at Chapman in picturesque Chesaning. Several restaurant sites featured rave reviews by patrons so I figured it was worth a try on our trip home. Our experience: Okay. Just okay. Not bad, but not exceptional either.

My wife Sandee ate light: A bowl of New England clam chowder and a side of cottage cheese. She shared a spoonful of her clam chowder with me, and we both agreed that it was tasty. But then, so is the stuff that comes out of that can with the red and white label. As far as cottage cheese goes, unless it’s green and fuzzy, there’s not much you can do to screw it up.

Our daughter Stephanie ordered the Tuscan Romaine, a pasta and chicken entree. Her dinner came with garlic toast and a trip to the salad bar. She found the salad bar rather disappointing, with a limited selection. This is surprising for a Friday evening which is a prime time dining out night. Her meal was again, okay, but light years from say, Olive Garden.

I ordered the Mary Jo salad, a bowl of lettuce, chicken breast, apples, red seedless grapes, croutons, and walnuts with a raspberry vinaigrette on the side. Our waitress said that it was a house favorite. That may be, but I’ve found similar salads elsewhere much tastier.

On the plus side, the Showboat Restaurant is Chesaning’s oldest dining spot, so this mom and pop operation must be doing something right; I found rave reviews online. Perhaps we just caught them at an off time, or perhaps it was just us. (Consider that we had spent the afternoon at Bronner’s, bedazzled by a gazillion ornaments and flashing lights all while listening to Burl Ives’ “Holly Jolly Christmas.”) The Showboat’s decor is comfortable and the service was fast and friendly, and they don’t scrimp on portion sizes. Our bill for our meals plus soft drinks all around came to a little over $27.

All things considered, we probably will give them a try again some other time. However, we spotted at least one interesting eatery while passing through Owosso, and we have yet to explore Saint Johns. Yup, I think M-21 is the new road to Christmas mecca for us. I only wish the late Mr. Ives would just rest in peace and stop singing to me.