Mill Creek Tavern, 3874 West River Dr NE, Comstock Park MI ~ 7/9/24
Back in 1890, this building opened as the North Star Saloon and Hotel which closed sometime in the early 1900s. It became Mill Creek Tavern in 1999, and no one we talked to was definite about the time in between. But to be fair, our servers were all fairly new. The current owner, Scott Ingersoll, bought the business in December of 2021.
From comments in some facebook history groups (thanks, Jamie Wasilchenko & Nan Schichtel), the following information came to light. Joseph Thiel was an immigrant from Germany who owned the hotel at the time of his death in 1913.
And courtesy of Travis Brown: When the Soldier's Home (Veterans Facility) was built along the Grand River near North park, there was a federal law that prohibited alcohol sales within one mile of the Soldiers Home. Comstock Park was just beyond that one mile threshold and as a result numerous bars sprung up there. Betty's BBQ was somewhere near Mill Creek Tavern, and Louie's may have been at this location or a few doors down.
Other people suggested it was later known as Seth's Tavern, The Comstock, The Swinging Door, and/or Timothy's. All we know for sure is that we really like this place as it is today 😊
The space is long and narrow with a lot of natural light.
Specials are listed on the boards.
We noticed "The North Star" drink, which is a nice nod to the history of the building (but none of us ordered it). Two Heinekens and a Founders All Day IPA, along with Scott's tots, started us off.
The appetizing tots were house-made with bacon, cheddar, green onions, and ranch.
Our first entree was a black bean roasted garlic patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, and 1000 island dressing on a brioche bun. It was an excellent burger in spite of it falling apart, which is the nature of a black bean burger 😉
The perch dinner was solid with a a light corn meal batter. It arrived with well-seasoned fries and creamy slaw
Shaved ribeye, cheese wiz, peppers, and onions on a hoagie bun made up their steak and onion sandwich. It was a little off with the sauce tasting more like a sloppy joe and the peppers being hard to taste.
Our last selection was the Grilled Chicken Skewer Pita: 6 oz marinated grilled chicken tenderloin on grilled pita with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, and pickled red onion. It was well prepared and the flavors all combined nicely.
The servers all work with each other and our service was excellent. This is Maddie, who has been here about a month.
And this is Bryce, who has worked here about 4 months.
The trivia ladies started to make the rounds but we were on our way out.
The restaurant is pretty quiet with scattered no-sound TVs and acoustic ceiling tiles. Around 6 the music got louder as the place geared up for Trivia Night.
As we were walking out, we noticed the beautiful bar and a man seated at the bar proceeded to give us all kinds of information about it (it's a Brunswick), and we wish we had run into him sooner. His name is Dan and he's one of the bartenders here (but off tonight).
Here is a staircase leading up to what was the hotel, and an empty adjacent restaurant space.
We really liked this place and want to return for more historic information, so until next time!
Where the tavern got its name 😊
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