Restaurants in North Branch

With three generations of restaurant-owning experience, the Kozlak family puts forward high-quality American fare with an emphasis on excellent service in a comfortable neighborhood setting. Only certified-Angus-beef steaks and prime rib, as well as fresh seafood, are found on the extensive menu. House cuts include the Bone-In Steer Tenderloin ($41.95), which is considered the finest steak available, fusing the flavor of the bone with the tenderness of the filet. The Filet Oscar ($42.95) is topped with crab meat and crisp asparagus and finished with smooth béarnaise sauce. For all non–beef eaters, the pinnacle of comfort food is found in the creamy abyss of the chicken pot pie ($12.95). There are many other chicken, lamb, pasta, pork, and seafood choices, including a dish that consists of watching neighboring diners feast.

Head chef and owner Jonathan Hunt changes al Vento Restaurant's menu daily, dreaming up seasonal dishes to showcase the many facets of southern Italian cuisine. Bubbling pizzas rouse palates from morning stamp-licking circles with crispy crusts and toppings such as fresh basil and tomato ($9.75) or juicy fennel sausage with herbed goat cheese ($11). Pasta dishes harness summer's rampant produce for plated tours of the countryside fueled by fettuccine mixed with asparagus, english peas, and cherry tomatoes ($14). Cooks complement tender chicken breast with italian pork sausage and velvety spinach risotto ($16.75) as knowledgeable servers help guests crown meals with jewel-toned beverages ($6−$10) from the wine and drink lists. Desserts, such as creamy, frozen pistachio custard with chocolate shavings ($6), soothe excited taste buds and cool heated arguments between spaghetti-Western cowboys.

Stabby's menu features a wide variety of roadside staples, including a heaping pile of breakfast options. Biscuits and gravy cross paths with homemade sausage gravy slathered over two fresh, open-faced mountains of biscuit ($6.49, $7.49 with two eggs). Gourmet omelettes, served with specially spiced hash browns and toast, range from Kristin’s Vegetarian Revenge, which combines veggie sausage, tomato, onion, mushrooms, and choice of cheese ($8.99), to Farmer Pete, a concoction of bacon, onion, in-omelette hash browns, and sausage gravy ($8.99). To pamper a pancake palate, feast on the likes of gingerbread-banana pancakes, banana-blueberry pancakes, and pancake pancakes ($2.99–$4.49 for one, $4.99–$5.99 for two).