Fitzgerald's expands menu offerings in Eagle River

Fitzgerald's Restaurant in Eagle River on the Keweenaw Peninsula has been through some changes in its lifetime, but the latest is definitely bringing into the new decade.

The current owners could rightly be called both new and old; Mike LaMotte and his partner Marc are the new blood in the operation, but LaMotte's father also is part owner, and he's the original founder of Fitzgerald's, when it first opened in 1980.

This season, visitors to the restaurant, which is associated with the Eagle River Inn, will find quite a few changes to the menu and improved offerings from both the kitchen and bar.

Barbecue is a major new addition, since LaMotte says they've bought a smoker and spent the winter experimenting with recipes using it.

"It's something we'd wanted to do for a long time, but we didn't have the money to do it right until after last season," says LaMotte. "I do all of the preparation and most of the cooking on the smoker, and our head chef Damon Mount handles everything else. He's a young guy like us who's from this area, and he cooks circles around guys with culinary degrees that I've worked with in the past."

So, guests can expect to see barbecue items on the menu, in addition to the familiar Firzgerald's staples. Some dinner entrees also are new, such as grilled lamb chops with a rosemary-infused olive oil, and vegetable risotto.

The restaurant is seasonal, so LaMotte says he may explore catering and off-site events in the off season, in late 2011 and early 2012.

And if fresh-made barbecue isn't your thing, Fitzgerald's also has what could be called without bragging the best whisky bar in the U.P.

"We take pride in carrying things that most other places in the U.P. might not; we've got a fantastic selection of craft beer, and our true niche is our whisky collection," says LaMotte. "We carry around 50 single malt Scotch whiskies, and another 50 whiskies from America and around the world. I might be a bit biased, but I think we're a really cool place."

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Mike LaMotte, Fitzgerald's Restaurant