Palette Bistro

Living in Petoskey for several months for work I ate at most of the places in town. This was one of my top places to go and eat. Myself and my coworkers stopped several times and we were never disappointed. They had a seasonal menu that had pork belly and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant. Their Crème Brûlée is top notch, and even though I found I don’t like mussels, the sauce they came in was delicious. Though it is on the pricier side the flavor from apps, to entrees, to dessert are well worth it.

We went for brunch. There were five us us. We were seated promptly, drink orders went smoothly. Cocktails and orange juice were great. When it came time to order, I asked if I could get the eggs Benedict with fried egg, instead of poached (I don’t do runny yolks). The waitress told me no, they couldn’t do that. That’s how I order it at all of the other local restaurants, with no issues. So, I ordered the frittata. It was burned, as you can see in the photo. My friend ordered the sweet potato hash. It was basically a bowl of $15 broccoli soup, with sweet potatoes and peas. It was delicious. But, the menu clearly states that it comes with pork, fried egg and sour cream. We asked our waitress and she said it’s all ground up in the soup. Why have the menu state a “fried egg” or “pork”? We were very confused. Maybe it’s should say “pork, egg and sour cream broth”’. Our waitress left us perplexed multiple times during our visit. Maybe she was having an off day. As always, the view is great and we try Palette every now and again. Probably won’t do brunch again. The happy hour is our favorite. Forest floor soup and baked feta are always amazing.

Wait time too long it took them 55 minutes for apps the portion size was WAY to small for the price our food got cold waiting the lamb meatballs was mediocre the pasta sauce tased Jared the braised short ribs were a little too salty the paella is DEFINITELY not worth it over all this was very disappointing take your business elsewhere. Would not recommend.

It was our honor to have Tonya hospitably serve and help make our dinner extra special. Katherine and I had the crabcake followed by the seafood paella. Both were made with exceptional, nuanced ingredients . I have to say the seafood paella was the best we’ve ever had as a couple. The chefs achieved a flavor profile and smokiness with perfectly made rice, bay scallops, shrimp, and mussels.

The food is so good, you can easily overlook the missteps. The balsamic vinegar with the bread starter is a knockout. So simple, so tasty. The "Forest Floor" mushroom soup was to die for. It's so easy to overdo mushroom and truffle flavors but this was so smooth and perfectly savory. The paella could've been extra awesome but it really needed salt. The pizza's flavors were amazing but the crust was waterlogged and disintegrating (we still ate the whole thing with utensils - couldn't hold it at all). The lamb meatballs were so tasty but the pasta sauce was so garlicky it felt like my mouth was on fire! Again, small issues but my husband and I both agree we'd go back in no time. Still five star review, still an excellent dinner. Oh, and the service was on point!