Thursday 9th of September 2010 03:43:05 PM

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Big Buck is a survivor. It's location in Gaylord is a large northwoods themed brewpub. It's interior is log cabin-esque with wildlife artwork, antlers and bears. The main room is open and airy. The dining room is the main focus with an open kitchen on the south side, restrooms to the north, and the bar on the west. The glass encased brewery stands behind the bar.

Big Buck menu is american steak house. Various cuts of beef are the focus. Pasta, sandwiches, fish and a few game entrees round out the menu. The strip steak I had was quite good, and I also tried the mac-n-cheese with venison sausage. The sausage and tomatoes in the pasta were more exciting than the cheese. Burgers were reported as very good.

Big Buck has gone beyond just beer. They've added a distillery and winery to their operations. They also make their own root beer, black cherry soda and cream ale. The beer selection on my recent visit was very sparse. They had just three beers online: Buck Naked Light Lager, Rasberry Wheat, and Stout. The stout was a dry stout pushed with co2, and it's a good beer. It was just disappointing that they only had three house beers on tap.

I've enjoyed my stops at Big Buck. The foods good, but know it's not cheap. It's got a hunting lodge atmosphere that I like, but I wonder what the locals think. Is it someplace they visit, or is it just tourists? If you are traveling I75 through Gaylord, Big Buck is worth visiting.

Sunday 25th of July 2010 02:13:28 PM

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Stopped in for dinner on the way to Petoskey with my wife and 3 kids. Interior is uber hunting lodge but open and airy.

Got the sampler which included a seasonal Summer Sour which was interesting - maybe not fully baked, but you could pick up notes of that tang. Fairly standard microbrew selection (oatmeal stout, a red, an APA, an American light, an IPA) and all were reasonable.

Food was fairly good as well - nothing out of the ordinary, but good american fare.