Parkview Lodge and Grilll is a large place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The lodge has 16 rustic rooms ready to house those enjoying the snowmobile and ATV trails nearby.  Attached is a large bar and restaurant open 11 to 9, seven days a week.  It was opened in 2005 by two sisters and their husbands, but after 10 years they closed for 2.  In the middle of being closed, it was taken over by their brother, Scott Johnson who started doing renovations.  The bar and restaurant can hold up to 200 people and one new feature was the addition of some cutout trees dividing the bar and restaurant.  They are fabric covered to help with noise.  We didn’t have any noise issues as it was empty when we stopped but the middle of the afternoon would be prime time for the explorers to be outside.  The bartender took our order, helped with suggestions and was very friendly.  I don’t know about staying here but it’s definitely a place I’d recommend for a good burger.

Set-Up

 

Food

All burgers come with fries, white or sweet potato. The Whiskey River was the bartender’s favorite.  It was made with 1/2 pound fresh Angus Chopped Steak topped with crispy onions, melted cheddar cheese and their bourbon-infused Western sauce.  With this one we got regular fries.  The meat was cooked a nice medium rare as requested and had lots of flavor and juiciness.  The crispy onions were lightly battered onion rings and really delicious as well as adding a wonderful texture to the sandwich.  The sauce was slightly sweet but the combination was really tasty.  The fries were crisp and hot and a lightly coated fry.  The coating does keep them crispy outside while leaving a soft potato interior.  The cup was ketchup.

 

The Parkview burger was also 1/2 pound Angus steak topped with zesty BBQ sauce, bacon, fried onions and American cheese.  Another nice juicy piece of ground beef and this one had sautéed onions and meltier American cheese.  The sauce was a sweet bbq and the bacon was smoky with good flavor.  Another winning combination.  The sweet potato fries came with a cup of ranch dressing which was good on them.  They were less crisp and slightly sweet.  A good alternative but I preferred the regular fries.  Not sure which burger was the best though.