OC Restaurant Quest: Ellen's Bakery and Cafe in Sylvan Lake

OC Restaurant Quest: Ellen’s Bakery and Cafe in Sylvan Lake

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 25, 2024)

Sylvan Lake, MI – A friend invited me out to lunch at Ellen’s Bakery and Cafe in Sylvan Lake. I’d only been there for breakfast, and that was back before the pandemic, so this was a welcomed opportunity to revisit this charming and delicious place.

My friend ordered the Salmon Nicoise, a crisp fresh salad topped with Romaine, egg, olives, roasted peppers, haricot verts (aka French green beans), new potatoes, tomatoes, and pesto balsamic.

I absolutely loved the BLT Blast, made with a generous amount of bacon with lettuce, tomato slices, avocado, sprouts, and basil aioli on lightly toasted oatmeal sunflower bread. I got mine with sweet potato fries.

Ellen’s is also known for the bakery half of their cafe, which has cases full of house-made sweets. My friend picked out the cannoli, stuffed with cream and topped with mini chocolate chips. There are a number of adorable sugar cookie designs. This week football, fall, and Thanksgiving seemed to be the themes. I picked out a cute little fox to devour for dessert.

There are breakfast and lunch options at Ellen’s. Those who like pancakes might love the cranberry-walnut version with orange marmalade butter. There’s also chocolate chip, blueberry, buttermilk, and banana pecan. For French Toast fans there are a few choices as well, including the almond crusted challah French Toast, and the Brioche French Toast topped with fresh berries. And of course they offer up eggs and meats, including omelets like the spinach and Asiago, the southwestern, the Florentine, and the goat cheese omelet with asparagus, bacon, and scallions.

For lunch one might enjoy the truffle burger made with Havarti and truffled aioli on a challah roll, or the Juanita burger with cheddar cheese, mamba sauce, pico de gallo and avocado. There’s also a crispy fried walleye sandwich, chicken and artichoke linguine, fish and chips and more.

Ellen’s also has a full bar with cocktails and wines to pair with a meal. Ellen’s is located at 2495 Orchard Lake Road in Sylvan Lake. Check them out online at https://www.cafesylvanlake.com/

Oakland County Times is on a QUEST to enjoy every local restaurant in Oakland County. This long-term project is a labor of love, supported by our friends at White Castle. White Castle is a family-owned company that is proud to be one of only 20 large employers to make the Fortune Best Places to work list in 2022. With steam-grilled sliders, crispy golden french fries, fantastic slides like onion chips or fried clams, and the best chocolate shakes, White Castle is a by far our top choice for a fast food meal. Check out their website at www.WhiteCastle.com.