Crosswinds on the Lake

I’m just not sure. I didn’t like what I ordered, but that was my fault, not theirs (I chose poorly). Wife’s food was fine, but not memorable. The appetizer was some sort of wasabi thing, which was done quite well. But the appetizer came the same time as the meal. I wanted to try one of the duck options, but they were out of that. Reading other reviews gives me the impression they have a hard time anticipating off-​season demand (I went in March).
So, I will return and try it again. The menu has a lot of options that go beyond the more typical and boring west Michigan fare.

Passing through Whitehall his evening and were bummed to see that Harborview is out of business, so we decided on this place– really hoping for the best with a good lake view– at least the lake view is there.
The menu was about what I’d expect for a harbor adjacent property– skewing toward an older demographic with no shortage of prime rib and an outdated interior. That’s all well and good– I expected it– but that’s when the surprises started:
I ordered a drink from the cocktail menu (which is lacking just about anything classic/​appealing– heavy on fruity flavored liquor/​liqueurs drinks that don’t seem good combinations) but they didn’t have the right mixers.
I ordered an appetizer but they were out of that, so forget the appetizer– I’ll have one of the specials on the «specials» menu… Out of that.
my girlfriend ordered fish— about ten minutes later the waiter comes back — - «we’re out of that.»
Apparently they were changing over the menu but, what DO you have? I overheard at least a few other patrons being told the same things about dishes they were trying to order– different dishes than what we were trying to order.
So, when we finally ordered something they had and got our food (which took way too long for a place that only has 4 different options apparently), we basically just wanted to leave. The food was OK, but overpriced and after the first round of trying to order– we should have just left. Sorry waiter, it’s not your fault.

Ordered the whitefish which is supposedly fresh. I did get a nice size piece of fish which was tasty and cooked well. The fish was served with mashed potatoes and corn so the plate looked rather bland, everything on the plate was yellow or white. I think the chef needed to throw something colorful on there like orange or green. Kind of pricy for what you get.
Nice lake atmosphere but it was dark already so not much of a view. Go when you can enjoy the viee.

The view of the patio is spectacular. However, the left much to be desired. I would suggest only greying appetizers and beverages.

My friends and I at here a few nights back. I thought the view over the lake was beautiful. They have a killer location. The food I thought was good or as Unilocal likes to say A-​OK. We ordered two different kinds of fish. I thought they were good, not big standouts but pretty solid. I did enjoy the New England clam chowder, it had nice flavor. I thought this was a decent place to go in Whitehall. At the very least, go for the view and a drink on the patio.

The service was good and the view is nice but the food was very underwhelming and overpriced.

They were trying but dropped the ball. My Husband and I went here with our kids for our wedding anniversary. We were seated outside. It looks like they hadn’t swept the deck seating area all season.
But they had a great special menu with $ 29 filet mignon, crab legs, and stuffed flounder. So It sounded delicious and we looked forward to a great meal. Our food took forever. The kids were getting hungry. When our meals finally arrived, my daughter ordered fried shrimp and fries. It came with two, yes, two shrimp. The rest of our food seemed fine. But we never received drink refills, the waitress barely came to check on us. Disappointed with the service. The place, especially outside could use some cleaning up/​sprucing up.
I know they seem to be trying. But need some help.

Ordered the Walleye, pan-​fried. While the green beans were fresh and nicely cooked, the fish came with a weird breading on it that wasn’t mentioned and the fish was overcooked, leaving it tough and rubbery. The «cheesy potatoes» were a bit dry and overall unimpressive. I may have had two bites of it at most. The food wasn’t bad, but I hesitate to call it good. At $ 21.95 for the entrée it’s absolutely overpriced, but the view is nice if you get to sit outside. I wouldn’t eat here again and honestly kind of regret coming here to begin with. The strawberry-​poppyseed salad dressing is decent, but if that’s the best compliment I can give to a restaurant (the view & and the salad dressing), it’s not worth going. Take your business elsewhere, you won’t miss anything here.

Hubby and I went here for dinner and had a great time. To start, they had some of the best iced tea I’ve ever had and wish I knew how they made it. The lady said it was a white iced tea with citrus. Hubby had a beer. Then the salads and dressings were very fresh (me the strawberry poppyseed dressing, hubby blue cheese). The dressings were home-​made and very good. They give you dinner rolls which look very basic, but they are very tasty. He had the pork chops (one was a little dry, but the second one was good) and I had the schnitzel. The mornay sauce on the pork schnitzel was outstanding and the schnitzel itself was cooked perfectly. It came with a side of broccoli, which was freshly steamed. Dessert was very good, too, just the right amount for two to share after a full meal.
The service was good. And when we got the bill, even though we knew the prices ahead of time, we were shocked by how inexpensive it was.
We would definitely go back when we are in town.

Excellent food! So glad we stopped here! The bread is AHmazing and the food was equally as good! Next time we’re in town we will definitely come here again!

Been here several times over the years and have always had a good meal. Additionally, I like that it overlooks White Lake.
The menu is varied with beef, chicken, seafood and more to choose from.
Lots of parking out the back door.
I’ll keep stopping when in the area.

Stopped in before a show at the Howmet Playhouse. Really wish we would have chosen someplace different for dinner.
We ordered some kind of cracker cheese bread for an appetizer since the server said it was wonderful. It came out and she mentioned that it was not how it’s usually made and had some other kind of cheese on it. Needless to say it was not edible.
I got the jambalaya risotto which had undercooked risotto in it. Sausage it’s only saving grace.
The smoked whitefish chowder was the only good thing about the meal. Had great flavor and wasn’t overly smoky.
Fiancée got the perch which tasted like it had been breaded, sat in a cooler, and then frozen.
Will not be going back.

wow! the service SUCKED!!! this was a 2 hour meAl for a salad and 2 glasses of wine. And they screwed up the order. People who arrived 30 minutes after us got their food 30 minutes before we did. no apologies. no bill relief. even after I complained.
the food was good (thankfully) but, folks can do better I am sure. (nothing spectacular and absolutely not worth the price and wait). do not waste your time. also. women’s restroom was disgusting!!!

Great food with a variety of selections. Between all of us in my family, we enjoyed the white fish, clam chowder, fish filet, fish tacos & Korean noodle bowl. The service was friendly & fast. We will be back the next visit to the area.

crosswinds is in a beautiful location, right on the water. But as soon as i walked in I could tell it was going to be rough. The customers tell it all… mostly an elderly age and almost all overweight. The interior was the same as when i was a small child… about 12 years ago. The staff was nice! but the food was totally stale. The chips were stale. The bread was soggy and drenched in fat. The pork was overcooked and totally dry. My girlfriend’s meat was spongy and old. The food came out so fast that i can only believe half of the items used in the dishes were cooked yesterday or early today and kept in hot boxes in back. The portion sizes were outrageously big (like the customers). I will never return here.

I had the fried perch dinner with house salid, which was better than some. My young daughter had the kids shrimp and a cup of shrimp chowder that she said was to die for… The wife had a lobster BLT she said it was «different». When i asked what that meant. She said the lobster was fried, which is not what she was expecting.
Their beer selection was short, but good.
Serving staff was friendly.
Over all, it was a nice place to relax have some food and look at the Lake.

Another Unilocal find while traveling. The patio on the lake was great. The drink prices were below average. The food was good. I had the Jambalaya Risotto. It said it was a small plate, but it could be a full meal. It was perfectly spiced. Only complaint was the crawfish were a little tough. My wife had the apple salad which she enjoyed. Nice find to close out the night.

This is a hidden gem. It sits at the back of a boatyard. In impressive from the outside, but wait! The menu is eclectic. With some Asian dishes as well as your standard fish and meat dishes. Start with the fried clams with ranch dressing. The seafood combo platter is more fried food but not greasy fried. The wine list is short but impressive. The service is friendly and quick. Stay for the locals who come in later!

Dined out on the patio at about 8 pm. Watched the sunset over the lake with a nice glass of Chardonnay on a beautiful summer’s eve. I highly recommend this.
Truly enjoyed the frog legs. Also recommended!

My wife and I were traveling from Georgia and touring the shores of the great lakes. We were looking for a good local fish restaurant. I guess we expected more like the seafood restaurants found in most ports around the Atlantic. What we found was Crosswinds. There isn’t anything really wrong with Crosswinds, it just didn’t meet our expectations of a place to find good local fish. All they had locally was whitefish which my wife said was OK. I had catfish which probably came off a fish farm from Georgia (we grow a lot of them there and in Alabama.) Salads were excellent and the service was good.
The view was OK but they were doing pipeline work right outside the deck that blocked much of the view when we were there.
I’d eat there if I were a local — but its definitely not a place tourists should seek out.