Shay’s M22

We took our daughter-​in-​law to Shay’s for her birthday. Two of us ordered the queen size prime rib. ($ 25) Medium to medium rare came done. The medium rare came raw on one end with fat and something questionable on the other end. Both orders were covered with gravy. I never ever had prime rib covered with gravy. It wasn’t au jus — it was gravy. The third person ordered blackened walleye. His piece of fish was smaller than one perch fillet. The birthday girl ordered a steak. She said it was good. I noticed she didn’t finish her cup of beer cheese soup. Our vegetable side didn’t even fill the boat. No problem with the staff and the service was fast. The Red Dragon Martinis were good. We won’t go back.

This place is just eh, nothing special. Food was ok, the staff was friendly and polite though.

Had high hopes for dinner at Shay’s. The food was quite good: Walleye and a pasta special. The Walleye was prepared well. The pasta special was appropriate, though the ‘extra’ meatball was tasty and small — the size of a shrunken golf ball.
Service was … interesting. I asked for the pasta special and asked whether a salad was included. Clearly «no» was the response. I ordered a Caesar Salad for $ 5 additional. After our server left I noticed the board listed a salad as included with the special. I mentioned this to our server on her return and she left to check with management. Confusion ensued and we were left feeling the effects of what seemed to be discord between management and wait staff.
Long story short. our server returned to offer the accompanied salad (with a $ 2 uncharge — no problem). She seemed seriously chastised … no smiles/​cold service the rest of the way. Bummer.
The food was good … the feeling … am ambivalent …

Red Dragon Martini was fresh and yummy. I had the baked mac and cheese. It was delicious and had a slightly smoky flavor. The only downside is that the décor is lacking a lot. It’s very boring inside. But they do make up for it in flavor.

Let me start by saying that décor doesn’t matter to me nearly as much as food and service. We were traveling with my little dog. When I called and asked if we could bring him and eat on the patio, Aloha told me that the patio was closed on weekdays, but she would give us a table on the front porch. We were somewhat reticent because of the mixture of former reviews, but a local friend had recommended Shays. When we arrived, out table was clean and a listing of specials was on the table with our menus. My husband went in to order our drinks which arrived almost immediately. My husband praised the bartender highly as someone who obviously saw his position as an art. We started with the spinach artichoke dip. Instead of the usual cold combination of cold cream cheese, frozen spinach and artichoke hearts with tortilla chips that one usually expects in chains like Chilis or Applebees, we received a delightfully warm, creamy concoction served with soft, freshly baked pita dusted with parmesan. Since we always split our meals, we ordered a large spinach salad with dinner, it came with a side of obviously homemade warm delicious dressing, lovely green spinach with fresh red onions, mushrooms, boiled egg and apple smoked bacon on top. Aloha made sure transitions from one course to the next was seamless and that we had anything we needed. Our main course was the Walleye. A lovely white fish I had not eaten since I was a child in Michigan. My husband, not being a fish person, ordered a skewer of shrimp as an afterthought when our order had already been submitted. This came out after the fish, but this was perfectly understandable under the circumstances, The fish was PERFECT. Fresh, delicious and even my husband had to contain himself from taking the lions share, something he never does with fish. It was served with an excellent rice pilaf and steamed asparagus. The shrimp skewer came cooked to perfection with melt in your mouth shrimp. We had noticed peanut butter pie (a childhood favorite of my husband’s) and a chocolate cherry martini on the specials menu. We started with the martini, which was delicious, but does not win a rave from me. We ordered espresso with the pie. Aloha’s peanut butter pie is «so good you’ll slap your momma» as we say in the south, it was light and delicious with a lacing of chocolate sauce. I am not a peanut butter pie fan and was stuffed by this point, but ate at least half the pie anyway.

Don’t be fooled! When we walked in, we almost walked out. The décor is dated and needs an update, but the food was EXCELLENT! We ordered. The blackened walleye and the surf and turf. Both entrees were awesome, best part was the chef/​owner came out and was telling another table about the asparagus he had dropped off that morning which was picked 2 days prior. (Asparagus was perfectly cooked too, only complaint is that for $ 24 I’d like more than 4 pieces). Great food!

Winter wallet friendly menu-​good idea. Had the steak, was cooked just as I wanted it and my wife enjoyed the ravioli. Thanks! Will be back again!

Wonderful location with a selection of vegetarian options! I had the veggie burger and loved it! Fast service and yummy food! The owner came out to greet us after our meal.

Shay’s Chop House needs to change their name.
This is a nice restaurant, with a nice view of Portage Lake (which is just across the road), and a lovely outdoor garden and patio space. We’ve been stopping in here every other summer for about 7 years now, and the service and atmosphere are always nice. They have a small bar up front, and a clean, open dining space inside with large windows looking out onto Portage Lake.
The menu has a good deal of variety, but this is NOT a chop house! on our most recent visit, they didn’t even have a steak or a pork chop on the menu (prime rib doesn’t count as a ‘chop’). Which is fine, because they have a lot of great menu items, and the last time I did have a steak here, it was a ‘nothing special’ broiled ribeye.
Shay’s has several very good seafood entrees whenever you come in here. They have a very good variety of fish, scallops, shrimp, lobster, etc. it is a real great place for seafood. And Shay’s has EXCELLENT PIZZA! 14″ hand-​tossed build your own pizza with several crust options (plain, herb, parmesan, etc.). Our kids can be mercilessly picky with regard to pizza, and they love Shay’s pizza (as did the parents). There is a carry out place in Manistee that seems to have a great following, and our kids won’t touch that pizza. Shay’s is now our pizza place when we come up to Manistee County.
To sum it up: nice restaurant, great views, good menu with a wide variety, good drinks (cocktails, beer, wine), and good service. Just not a chop house.
Maybe they’ll change their name to «Shay’s Lakefront» for our next visit…

We have a vacation home within a few miles of Shay’s. Rick and Aloha the owners always make us feel welcome in a «Cheers» kind of way. They are a very nice couple who are constantly working to improve the appearance of their establishment and menu. Their Parmesan crusted pizza is the best! Their signature Parmesan white fish is one of our favorites. Went over tonight for broasted chicken. The portion size is so big, we have leftovers.
They have added an outdoor bar/​eating area with a pizza oven. When you walk up, the smell of pizza cooking is heavenly. The indoor bar area has been increased. There are always nice people there to talk to. We have always had a pleasant experience at Shay’s.

My wife, 6month old and I stopped by here for dinner on a Thursday night. The service was excellent as I always had a nice old beer in my hand! The food was real good. The broasted chicken was excellent as was my wife’s whitefish with parmesan. The fresh green beans were a smaller serving. The deserts were real good as well. We would definitely come back.

Outstanding food, reasonably priced. The local fresh water fish was a breath of fresh air to these salt water tasted buds.

Was here on vacation… so I am a little more forgiving. I can only comment on what I had (whitefish with parmesan) and what my daughter had (mac and cheese with seafood) – both were delicious. The mac and cheese is not only excellent ‘comfort food’ but the portion was so big we took it home and had another meal out of it.
We had a spinach dip that was rich, creamy and delcious. My friend’s petite filet looked a bit dry but her sides were quite good.
The server was nice, and extremely helpful.
If I ever come back to the area, I would consider coming back.

Stopped here on a whim & glad I did. Interior is ‘different’ with a lot of different knick-​knacks & place looks dated. Aside from that service was good. Eggplant parmesean was delicious & hubby had perch which was fried perfectly & came with homemade fries. Didn’t have anyone in the party order steak so cannot comment on that but overall would stop in again.

The house trailer in the back loomed as an ominous sign that we were not about to have a good experience. Our appetizers were good but it ended there. My mother ordered the petite filet which was supposed to be medium. What came out looked like a bad attempt at beef tenderloin medallions. Yet they were overcooked so bad they were about as big as a White Castle burger, maybe thicker but you get the point. I had a rib eye which was more of a sandwich rib eye than an actual steak. For $ 20 hardly worth it.
Maybe being from Chicago we are spoiled but i have been to a couple supper clubs in Wisconsin and they all have great food. Avoid this place!

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit it has been several years since I ate here. However, my experience left such a sour taste in my mouth (yes, both literally and figuratively), that I had to speak my piece. Frankly, I’m surprised the joint is still open.
Ahh, memories… We started with stuffed mushrooms, which were inoffensive, though cold in the middle. For an entrée, I ordered a filet cooked to medium rare, and here’s where the train went off the rails: said filet arrived garnished with an orange slice and a sprig of parsley.
Really? An orange slice and parsley? Are you TRYING to nail that 1985 Ponderosa vibe? If so, then bravo, Mr. Shay. Brah. Vo.
I looked at the steak and thought, «I’d bet anything that mofo is medium well at best.» Indeed, cutting into it revealed a sobering gray wall of flesh. Now, in the hundreds if not thousands of times I’ve eaten out, I’ve sent food back maybe twice; I just prefer to suffer in silence, particularly when the only way to rectify the situation is to cook a new item. But for whatever reason, that night… that night was different. Something about this overpriced and overcooked abomination inspired me to take action.
I complained to the server, who graciously apologized and took it back. Minutes later, a dude arrived. «Hi, I’m Rick Shay, the owner of the restaurant. I understand you weren’t satisfied with the temperature of the steak. Now, we’re going to cook you a new steak, but that’s how we prepare it when medium rare is requested. Do you want yours more on the rare side?»
After years of restaurant work and personal gluttony, I’ve served or eaten steaks numbering in the thousands. Blindfold me and give me a bite of cow, and I can tell you what color that piece of beef is and the name for said color. Mr. Shay, if you think that filet looked medium rare, then you need either an appointment with an opthalmologist posthaste or an intensive review of a steak temperature chart.
That’s what I wanted to say, but instead I just glared at the prick and said, «Yes. I prefer it more on the rare side.» What came out of the swinging door next was a charred hunk of flesh, seared on the outside and ice-​cold in the middle. A big ol’ «Eff you, mother-effer…calling my steak overcooked. I’ll show you,» courtesy of the kitchen.
Needless to say, I’ve never been back. I freely admit to holding a grudge based on one awful experience, but it’d take an act of god to get me to give them a second chance.

Prime rib ($ 21 a serving) was gristly and drenched in fatty meat drippings that we had to pour off to even be able to cut up our meat without having it spill all over us. We could only eat about half before the taste became unbearable. «Fresh» vegetable side was cold, canned three bean salad (only vegetable side offered). We asked for all romaine lettuce on the house salad and when waitress delivered it to our table our salad consisted of romaine and two small cucumber slices. The waitress explained she left off the tomato and carrots so we wouldn’t be up-​charged for the special salad order. Despite the place being mostly empty, we were served our salads and entrees after the people who arrived after we received our drink order got theirs. If you like dusty dead, stuffed racoons staring at you from the wall near your table and having to wear your mittens because the temperature is so cold you’ll enjoy the ambiance of this place. We won’t get going back.

I went here recently while on vacation in Onekama.
All the rest in my party, who were 55 – 65, complained about the noise. I didn’t think it was so bad, but the acoustic in the room was a little weird. There is not much ambiance, but there are some nice views of Portage Lake.
The spinach salad was a favorite, and their signature dish, which is a whitefish with Parmesan, was good. The steak had some gristle and was ‘mediocre at best’ to quote the person having it. Fried fish looked good, but my uncle thought he’d had better. The desserts were great. The food overall was better than average, and I think we would probably go back.
Table next to us got pizza and it looked good!

To be fair, I’ve only been here 3 times, each time after a camping trip up at Sleeping Bear Dunes. My wife and I have a tradition of taking the same route back to Chicago, and this place happens to be a close drive away from Empire.
There’s not much to brag about, the interior is bizarre, and the food decent. Modeled after a crazy uncles apartment, there is areas in the main dining room that seem to have a theme (living room, dining room, dance floor). It’s a large space, but whenever we’ve been there, we’re really the only ones.
The menu is chaotic, and seems to never be the same. There’s a whiteboard that has some wildly price items, and a menu of equal confusion. Breakfast is good and basic, so is the pizza. I happen to be a fan of their Michigan Cherry Burger, as it’s not something I’ve found anywhere else.
What we enjoy is the staff. Sadly, our usual waiter was not around last time, but his female equivalent was. Small town 20 somethings whose personalities seem to shift with each visit to the table. Their really nice people, but come with their quirks.
Hitting up Shay’s is actually something we look forward to on our trips. Why? Well, this review is going to be the best I can do. You really just have to see it for yourself.