Cru Cellars

Is delicious too bold? Well, if I’m to be fair, delicious isn’t the word for the array of cuisine at Cru. The Bucatini is to die for and the chicken dumplings are awesome. If you can fit in an app, go for the corn fritters and cheese curds. They are amazing. Best of all, the wine selection is perfect and the service was great. My favorite part of our vacations up north is our dinner at Cru, and the second best is chilling at their bar. Happy summer everyone!

Good place… if they are open. We have been here in the past and enjoyed their wine selection and food. However, we have tried to come twice recently only to find they were closed even though their website and storefront state they are open. Tonight when we arrived at 8pm, two employees were sitting at the bar and told us they were closed (hours posted were 10pm). Why have the door unlocked and signs on your door saying you’re open and then turn away paying customers? Truly disappointed.

We stumbled upon this place in August 2013 and LOVED it. For the past two years, my husband has been talking about the burger he had here, on a pretzel bun with poached pear. We live in Washington DC where you can get about 3 948 305 394 varieties of burger, and yet this is the one he still names as his favorite. So needless to say, when we realized we were going to be in northern Michigan this year, we planned for a dinner here!
Their website says «fall hours», open until 10pm on weeknights. So, we figured it would be fine if we walked in at 8:00, right after we finished watching the sunset. Well, we walked in at 8pm on the dot, and even though they were open, we were told we could not get dinner.
Now, I have worked in several restaurants and I *totally* understand that sometimes it makes sense to close when you aren’t busy. However… if it says fall hours on your website, and you stop serving a full two hours before you are supposed to close… super uncool. Either open only on weekends during the off season (though is September really off season?), or, suck it up and stay fully open. At least have the decency to put up a closed sign or lock your door once you stop serving.
Sorry for the rant, but we had planned this dinner carefully and went out of our way to get here. Ended up going to Coho down the street which was very good.

Still a worthy visit in Northwest Michigan, but I lowering my star ladder a step based on a couple of recent visits. The food quality is still well beyond what you would expect for a sleepy, northern town and the wine selection is on point, but the service although very friendly and enthusiastic could use some training and oversight from its management.
That said, it’s a great place with interesting choices. Do try their charcuterie selection — the presentation is outstanding and their meat and cheese selections are thoughtful. The pork belly is a must to and the burger is downright sinful.
You’ll feel quite comfortable bringing children young or old here, too, despite the relative upscale feel — and their flatbreads and mac-​n-​cheese will keep them happy.

Another great dinner. We love Cru Cellars for their food and wine.

Really enjoyed this place. I had the Study Abroad flight of red wine. For appitizers we shared the Humus and fried cheese curds. The décor is welcoming. This is a place to come back to!

(Disclaimer — this review is from 7÷31÷13)
I stopped by Cru on my last night of vacation with my boyfriend. I had been excited to try the new additions to downtown since my visit last summer and was especially happy to find a wine bar with an interesting selection of plates.
The bar was very busy, which I was happy to see, and we took a seat at the bar by the window. We ordered two wine flights – one red and one white – and the whitefish pâté. We were told it was going to be a wait for the food but we didn’t mind – we were content to sit and enjoy the ambiance while reflecting on our trip. A dish came out a few moments later and we happily dug in (more on that later), however as we neared the end of the crustini supply and were hoping for a couple of glasses of water, and to add a few more small plates to our order (they have a charcuterie & cheese menu available, too), the waitstaff was nowhere to be found. Knowing that there was a wait in the kitchen, we thought it’d be best to get the order in early. Seeing that the folks at the actual bar were seeming to have a bit more luck being served, we moved our plates, our flights, and our silverware to the bar and made sure to make eye contact with a staff member behind the bar to let them know we had moved. However, once at the bar, it was pretty clear that most patrons were having the same luck we had been.
About ten minutes later, a server brought us our whitefish pâté (leaving us to wonder what we had been eating – turns out it was a order that someone else had put in before we got there and [I guess] left before receiving).
Overall we were happy with the selection of wine, and the food was beautifully presented (I wasn’t a fan of the pâté – it was a bit too salty for me, but my boyfriend enjoyed it). It’s a shame the wait staff was so overwhelmed/​inattentive. We were hoping to try some of the other items on the menu but were getting increasingly frustrated trying to get the staff’s attention. We ended up just paying for our food and then heading down the street to a brewery instead.

This place was adorable! We came here for dinner two nights in a row and loved our experiences both times. The first time we sat at a table and the second at the bar. The food was very well executed and the charcuterie plate was big enough to fill the both of us up! The prices were a little unexpected for such a small town as were the wine prices, but the quality was well worth it. I would highly recommend checking this little spot out while in the area. My only gripe was when my boyfriend had a fruit fly, apparently they are rampant in that area, land/​floating in his beer, the bartender just took a knife and fished it out. It was kinda gross! He didnt seem to mind, and kept on drinking. Other than that we had a great experience both nights.

If you like being ignored, this is the place for you. I wish we had an idea of how the entrees were, but after waiting for about 25 minutes after we got drinks, we paid our bill and left. Thankfully, the waitress at the bar down the street made us feel welcome.

We were on vacation and decided to get some drinks and apps at Cru. It is a darling place with a lot of wine to choose from. The front bar is fun and open, but with no windows in the back it can feel a bit closed in. We ordered a local Michigan Pinot noir, and at $ 52 a bottle was good, but a little pricy for a Michigan wine. We ordered two flatbreads, one of which never came out, and it did seem to take a while for the apps to arrive. But the apps we did get were quite tasty. I would have liked to have dinner there. The menu looked very good. I liked all the wines they had out front, all of which were sold at much better prices than those on the menu. We took home the same Michigan Pinot noir we drank at the table for $ 52 for a mere $ 23. I would like to try this place again for dinner.

We are on vacation in the area and had additional family visiting. We were trying to find a place in Frankfort to accommodate our party of 15– including a few small children. We were greeted by the owner of Cru who was happy to take our large walk in party. He warned us the kitchen might be a little slow since they were not expecting us — our group took up probably half the table space in the restaurant not including the bar. The waitress was wonderful, they brought out the little kids meals right away and the wait for the rest of us was very reasonable. The food was excellent, I had the short rib and polenta. The rib was so tender I cut it with my fork and the sauce was delicious. Between the group I think we ordered every dish on the menu and everyone raved. The wine selection is of course extensive and the local beer options are great! My youngest also loved the homemade Mac & cheese and everybody devoured the Parmesan truffle fries.
I can’t thank the owner and his staff enough for their hospitality. What could have been an awful night waiting 45 minutes for a table with hungry little kids to eat glorified bar food turned into a wonderful dining experience and a beautiful evening with three generations of family.

We went to Cru expecting a lovely dinner given our experiences in summer 2013. Tonight it was so loud we couldn’t talk, the food took 1.5 hrs to arrive for flat bread and burgers, and — unlike last year — the food flavors were exceedingly heavy handed and unbalanced (eg balsamic glaze too strong for mushroom brushetta, too much/​too sweet fig jam for prosciutto flatbread). We are disappointed because this used to be the best restaurant in Frankfort MI. Be warned– 18% gratuity automatically added for parties of 6.

I think I start almost every 2-​star review by saying, «I really wanted to like this place, but I just didn’t.» So… insert that line for Cru.
We were happy to get seated right away when walking in shortly before 7 PM on a busy summer evening. Sadly, this is where I stop telling you about things that I like and start telling you about things that annoyed me. A lot.
We waited over 5 minutes to even get greeted by a server, only to be hurriedly told with a fake smile, «I’ll be right with you.» by a man who I assumed to be the manager. Another 5 minutes later he was over to simply state, «What can I get for you.» This. Annoys. Me. So. Much. Do you not realize that you are being tipped on your service, not the food? Can’t you at least say «Sorry for the wait!» or «Hi! How are you?» or even «My name is _​_​and I’ll be your [shotty] server for the night.» The rest of the meal continued with this demeanor and tone — hurried and incredibly impersonal — and I just do not understand it at all. He walked by twice after we got our food without asking us how it was, but on the third trip this seemed to be the right time to ask. Of course he walked away before we even got the words, «good» out of our mouths, but at least he asked, right? No. Not so much. Taking a mere 30 more seconds to really pay attention and CARE about your patrons makes a world of difference. Why even ask how the meal is, if you’re not asking right away in case something IS, in fact, wrong with the dish? Or secondly, if you clearly don’t even care enough to hang around long enough to hear the reply? I’m sure he was annoyed by my less than usual tip, but his blasé attitude was so incredibly off-​putting that I really don’t feel bad about it at all.
Wow, sorry. Rant over.
All in all, the food is meh (nothing original or exciting on the menu, but what is there is at least done decently), and the service (in our experience) was incredibly distasteful. I wouldn’t ever waste my time again going back, unless it was to pick up a nice bottle of wine (which is actually reasonably priced and they have a decent selection.)
Boo Frankfort, Cru’s the first thing I’ve found that I don’t like about you.

I ate at Cru last night for the third time and continue to be impressed. Everything my family and I have tried has been outstanding. The menu is small but eclectic. The short rib is probably the best thing I’ve tried. The meat is fork tender with excellent flavor. Last night I had the walleye, which was served as a sort of stew with clams, chorizo sausage, beans, spinach, and a tomato sauce. Fantastic. There is a nice list of meats and cheeses to choose from to do a charcuterie board as an appetizer.
There are a lot of options for wines by the glass, and they’ve added some Leelanau County wines this year as an option. They have several options for wine flights, which are a pretty good deal. There are also several Michigan beers available, as well as a diverse cocktail menu.
The décor is very clean and modern — lots of gray and white. They added sound dampening panels to the ceiling at some point, which helps tremendously. Our first dinner last year was like eating in an echo chamber. Despite the good food and slightly upscale atmosphere, the dress code is definitely casual. There are plenty of people eating in their shorts and t-​shirts, although one could also dress up a bit and not be out of place.
This is definitely a spot in Frankfort worth checking out.

My family and I got there, and right away we felt a bit uncomfortable. No one sat us for about a minute, and once we were seated the waitress didn’t come to our table until another 10 minutes. The food was alright and the atmosphere was nice, but I got a feel like our table wasn’t important and our food took 45 minutes to arrive, and it wasn’t very busy.

I stopped by Cru on my last night of vacation with my boyfriend. I had been excited to try the new additions to downtown since my visit last summer and was especially happy to find a wine bar with an interesting selection of plates.
The bar was very busy, which I was happy to see, and we took a seat at the bar by the window. We ordered two wine flights – one red and one white – and the whitefish pâté. We were told it was going to be a wait for the food but we didn’t mind – we were content to sit and enjoy the ambiance while reflecting on our trip. A dish came out a few moments later and we happily dug in (more on that later), however as we neared the end of the crustini supply and were hoping for a couple of glasses of water, and to add a few more small plates to our order (they have a charcutie & cheese menu available, too), the waitstaff was nowhere to be found. Knowing that there was a wait in the kitchen, we thought it’d be best to get the order in early. Seeing that the folks at the actual bar were seeming to have a bit more luck being served, we moved our plates, our flights, and our silverware to the bar and made sure to make eye contact with a staff member behind the bar to let them know we had moved. However, once at the bar, it was pretty clear that most patrons were having the same luck we had been.
About ten minutes later, a server brought us our whitefish pâté (leaving us to wonder what we had been eating – turns out it was a order that someone else had put in before we got there and [I guess] left before receiving).
Overall we were happy with the selection of wine, and the food was beautifully presented (I wasn’t a fan of the pâté – it was a bit too salty for me, but my boyfriend enjoyed it). It’s a shame the wait staff was so overwhelmed/​inattentive. We were hoping to try some of the other items on the menu but were getting increasingly frustrated trying to get the staff’s attention. We ended up just paying for our food and then heading down the street to Stormcloud Brewery to try their charcuterie plate instead.

Over the top! A wonderful place with wonderful wines and great eclectic food. Great for lunch or dinner.

I have high hopes for this new restaurant and wine bar in downtown Frankfort. We came to the soft opening after a movie and were pleasantly surprised. Beautiful build-​out, tasteful décor and a great selection of wines.