Reporter Food: Pesto
Chicken & Kettle Chips at Northern Oak Brewery in Holly
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 3, 2016)
Holly, MI – By now it is no secret that Holly is my place to get away from the city and escape to. What a pleasant surprise it was to learn that a fellow business owner from my hometown of Ferndale also sneak offs to Holly to enjoy the sunshine, trees and pristine lakes.
In midtown Holly is a relatively new restaurant and brewery called Northern Oak Brewery, located at 806 N. Saginaw Street. It was so much fun going to dinner with one of the entrepreneurs at this neat little up north spot.
“You are going to love the kettle chips,” he said. Which is usually not something to be said with such serious exuberance, but indeed they were pretty amazing. Per the menu, these crispy appetizers are “Michigan made kettle chips, smothered with Gorgonzola dressing, diced tomatoes, red onions, bacon and scallions and topped with cheddar and Gorgonzola crumbles.” Yum.
For dinner I ordered the pesto chicken sandwich, which comes with grilled chicken, house-made pesto mayo, sliced Roma tomato and fresh arugula served on foccacia bread. My boss friend had a burger that he seemed to really enjoy. We talked about the way Ferndale and Holly are such a great balance – two very laid back places with strong senses of community and unusually creative spirits.
Ferndale has eclectic stores and markets, like the Rust Belt Mark, Candle Wick Shoppe, Blumz by JR designs for floral decorating and events, and R&S Resale, Darwin’s Home Furnishings etc. And in Holly there are stores like Pigeon in the Parlor, Shops at 101 and Marta’s Closet. Both are great places and it was so much fun sharing a Holly meal with a Ferndale person.
Northern Oak Brewery also has a nice selection of brews, including their own specialties. I don’t drink beer so I can’t really speak to it, but you can check out a list here.
Check out more of Northern Oak Brewery’s offerings at http://www.northernoakbrewery.com.