On this summer trip to Michigan, we tried a new {to us} restaurant. We’ve been going to mostly the same restaurants for years in this small town. But there was one that we hadn’t tried…

Enter The Camp.

I’m not quite sure how I heard about it, but when it was suggested, Rob’s parents had heard that the food was pretty good. We decided to all give it a try. Even though The Camp Sports Bar and Grill has a Gladwin address, it still took us about thirty minutes to get there.

The place was packed! We made our way to what seemed like the last table in the joint. It did take a while for us to get service, but it was right around the 4th of July holiday.

The décor was completely dated {Strike One for Robert Irvine from Restaurant: Impossible} and had a deer-camp feel. I seem to recall camouflage something-or-other and I have a vague recollection of antler light fixtures. Although, I can’t confirm that with photos.

There was a bar side that was separate from the restaurant side where we sat. I took a walk over to the other side while we were waiting for our food. The woodwork gave it more of a cabin feel. The bar itself was small, but the low tables were just the same as the restaurant side. My mother-in-law thought the separation of two rooms might be the former smoking and non-smoking set-up, back when lighting up was legal in restaurants.

In true Gladwin fashion, the Camp menu cannot be found online. So I snapped a few photos. This menu is quite extensive. {Strike Two for Robert Irvine}.

Like I said, there are lots of choices! Of course, there is pizza, which seems to be on the menu just about everywhere in this area. But the number of entrées surprised me! And I must say that I’ve never seen liver and onions on a menu before. {Nor have I ever tried them.}

They also have specials every day! The night we were there was Spaghetti Night. I kept seeing a small loaf of homemade bread being brought to the tables of people ordering the Spaghetti Dinner. It looked soooo good! I wonder if that was just for Spaghetti Night or if those ordering entrees received bread service, too.

Their apps include a bit more than your Usual Suspects. And as always around these parts, there’s a menu for “Mexican” food:

But I was really eyeing this part of the menu below because, for some reason, I was feeling like a salad again!

Of course there were your standard burgers, sammies and wraps for those looking for those things. There was also a menu for “Baskets of Grub,” which are actually served in a bucket, not a basket. 😉

And there were even more sandwich choices before we got done to the beverages:

The beer selection was minimal, but they know what sells. However, before we even got the menu, I was eyeing one guy’s glass of red wine. It just sounded good over beer that night. Still, I knew it was going to be house wine. I know I’ve stated never to order the house wine. But with really no other choice, {Wine coolers? Really? Those still exist?} I went with it.

Apparently Rob did was feeling it, too. Because when he said he’d take a glass of Cab, I told our server that I’d love the same. We each received a big-assed glass! Of course, I wasn’t expecting a completely proper pour, but at least they didn’t fill it to the rim.And you know what? It really suited me that night. I’m not gonna lie. It hit the spot. Little did we know {until we received our bill} was that it was also Wine Night and all glasses of wine were $2.50. That is unheard of where we live!

We waited a really long time for our food but we didn’t mind too much because we were just relaxing {Rob and I sipping our wine} and enjoying each other’s company.

I ordered:

Oh . And just so you know. A cabernet with such a salad is an oh-so-wrong food pairing. {A crisp sauvignon blanc would be more appropriate.} I really did like this salad, despite the fact that the greens were more iceberg than they were mixed.

Rob and his dad ordered the burgers – one with chips and one with fries:

And Rob’s mom ordered:

This sandwich was HUGE! It was enough for two people. And it was served on that small loaf of homemade bread that I was telling you about.

Verdict? The food is good. There is a reason why this place is popular and packed. Robert Irvine wouldn’t be needing to make a visit any time soon.

So why am I posting about this on Wine Wednesday, do you ask?  Because I normally don’t like to order the house wine in restaurants because it is a poor value and often the highest priced wine. However, this is definitely one case where it was the right move. 1) There were no other wine choices and 2) It hit the spot. There’s a time for everything.

Have you ever ordered something, food or drink, and then realized that it just wasn’t hitting the spot? What did you do?

Cheers~
Carrie