Restaurants in Fenton

At Luca's Chophouse, the steak gurus in the kitchen weigh plates down with hefty 24-ounce porterhouses, 14-ounce new york strips, and 12-ounce rib-eyes. They slice only all-natural beef and use only all-natural singing voices to tenderize them. Creative plates, such as almond-encrusted blueberry scallops or pasta americana dressed in a Cajun tomato cream sauce, keep the menu varied and match the colorful, flower-filled vases dotting the eatery's tables. For a fully immersed experience, the chefs recommend diners pair their dishes with a wine from their extensive list.

It's a familiar scene—plasma TVs glimmer with football games as friends clink frosty glasses of brews over animated conversations. Still, MVP Grill and Bar sets itself apart from the standard neighborhood pub with its lengthy menu of eclectic dishes, which range from hearty American classics to fine Italian specialties. Its chefs whip up their own sauces for tender barbecue and juicy sandwiches, while inserting fine cuts of meat and fresh seafood into pastas, quesadillas, and other specialties. Chefs also fire-roast their own housemade italian flatbread before layering it with gourmet vegetables and cheeses to craft tasty paninis.

To complement the chef's top-tier menu, bartenders pour pints from a selection of more than 30 microbrews. Sports knickknacks adorn the walls in the bustling dining room, and outside on the deck, tropical-straw umbrellas that shade the patio furniture create the atmosphere of a far-off island beach or the exotic-fish section of a pet store. Throughout the month, the eatery hosts special events—including live music, karaoke, and trivia nights.

It’s A Matter Of Taste re-creates rustic Italian meals with a menu that showcases the nation’s three most prominent food groups: pasta, seafood, and steak. From the tender gnocchi to raviolis filled with chicken and veal, chefs fashion many of the pastas in-house to ensure fresh, authentic flavors. Grills decorate sea scallops and Angus filet mignon with smoky lines, and the bone at the center of the osso buco–style lamb imparts a rich flavor to its barolo-wine sauce. The upscale cuisine matches an elegant interior with wrought-iron accents, exposed wooden beams, and a patio overlooking Union Lake that opens the dining room to natural sunlight and tugboat calls.

The framed photos that line the wall are a daily reminder for owner David Lum of the inspiration behind Eurasian Grill—Lum’s nieces and nephews. As an ode to their European and Asian heritage, Lum crafted a menu of dishes using Eastern and Western techniques. Veal parmesan sits near orange beef on the page, and Michigan lake perch shares menu space with Hawaiian yellow-fin ahi tuna with wasabi soy sauce. To further blend cultures, waiters sing the "Star Spangled Banner" while toting sichuan chicken and mu shu pork to linen-topped tables.

Inspired by the Italian cafés lining the streets of Europe, the dreamers behind Pizzeria Dolce populate their menu with gourmet specialty pizzas as well as paninis, calzones, and strombolis. Daily-made, fresh dough underlies each traditional or gourmet topping, such as artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and pesto sauce. The staff is consistently friendly and warm, unlike an iceberg grumpy about all those boats aiming for it. Pasta dishes such as lasagna and shrimp-scampi ravioli round out the menu or fill catering platters alongside party trays of veggies and meats. The lunch and children’s menus dole out afternoon feasts and smaller portions, respectively, which can also be carried out or enjoyed by skiers sliding in from the slopes of the nearby Pine Knob Ski Resort.

In woks at Bangkok Cuisine, snow peas, shrimp, napa cabbage, and scallops sizzle in a symphony of familiar sounds and tasty smells. Ingredients indigenous to Southeast Asia mingle in traditional Thai dishes, which also draw on the culinary traditions of the country’s neighbors. Catfish fillets marinate before chefs cover them in breading and garlic sauce, and shrimp, scallops, and squid evoke Thailand’s palm-tree-sprinkled coast. Chefs tailor each dish’s spiciness to individual palates, delighting daring diners with thai peppers that can taste mild or hotter than two astronauts making out on the surface of Venus. Fusion dishes include Chinese staples such as sweet ‘n’ sour sauce.