Restaurants in Portage

At Timbers Steakhouse and Seafood, chefs craft dinners from a menu of surf-and-turf classics paired with all-American eats. Appetizers include traditional pub fare such as cheese fries, garlic mushrooms, and chicken wings in flavors such as buffalo, garlic, and mango habanero. Classic caesar, chef's, and spinach salads pave the way for burgers made from 100% ground sirloin. Pounds of snow-crab legs arrive with a coverlet of melted butter, whereas sautéed tilapia comes encrusted in a combination of panko and pecans.

Steak is, of course, the main event. Hand-cut rib eyes, filets mignons wrapped in bacon, and thick, unyielding portions of porterhouse that clock in at 20 ounces are dusted in the restaurant’s secret spice blend and charbroiled to order. Chefs also slice off portions of slow-cooked, tender prime rib served with horseradish sauce upon request.

In addition to the regular menu, Wednesday evenings boast a selection of Mexican food such as tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas, and Thursday shows off pasta prowess with Italian favorites. Although most dinners unfold in the spacious lower-story dining room, Timbers also makes the most of its attic. The restaurant's upper-story A-frame loft houses a banquet facility equipped with seating for up to 120, with custom menus, full bar service, DJs, and photographers available.

Named for the British prime minister’s official country residence, Chequers of Saugatuck pays homage to British culinary traditions with a focused menu of popular Scottish, Welsh, and English pub dishes, along with a few Irish staples for good measure. Shepherd's pie, Guinness stew, and fish ‘n’ chips all make appearances, as do some of Chef Adam Smith's American favorites, including crab-cake sandwiches topped with roasted red-pepper sauce. The bar harbors similarly Anglophile predilections. Taps release pours of Bass ale and Guinness, backed by a generous number of bottled brews from Yorkshire's Samuel Smith and Michigan's Saugatuck Brewing as well as Strongbow cider. Beer and bites pair off in Chequers’ two dining rooms, one modeled after classic pub decor, the other an elegant English tearoom but without the traditional potato guns stuffed with crumpets.