Gibby’s on the Lake
23510 Island Hills DriveHoliday celebrations are getting close to getting back to normal.
Mother’s Day 2020 was really our first “holiday” where we had to improvise. We ended up at J’s parents, fully masked and outside for about 20 minutes just to say “Happy Mother’s Day.”
2021 we were really hoping to do things a little more traditionally. We’re still hesitant to go to restaurants because the kids aren’t and won’t be vaccinated for a while. We thought we had found a place we could enjoy a meal outside….that is, until the rain got in the way.
Gibby’s on the Lake is at the Island Hills Golf Course just outside of Centreville on Shimmell Road south east of the Village. The restaurant is in the club house which is a pretty far drive on Island Hills Drive once you turn off Shimmell Road. When my in-laws moved to this area a few years ago, the building that’s now Gibby’s on the Lake was Cassandra’s at Island Hills. They had eaten there a few times but J and I never did. Also, if the name sounds somewhat familiar, Gibby’s in Mendon is one of my in-laws favorite eateries in the area.
Our plan was to eat on the large patio where you can kind of see Lake Templene in the distance. It was raining too much to enjoy our Mother’s Day Brunch outside so we switched gears and asked if we could cancel the reservation and put in a to-go order instead. The restaurant had a waiting list for reservations so they were more than happy to accommodate.
My mother-in-law put in the order while we were on the road heading towards her house. We offered to pick it up since the golf course could be on our way (we usually go a different route but this route isn’t any longer).
I parked out front since J was waiting in the car and headed inside. The feel of Gibby’s on the Lake is that of a golf course clubhouse. The dining room is kind of sterile….no real character…and it’s divided in to a couple of different rooms.
The waitress working that main room saw me walk in and came over to help me. I told her I had a to-go order. She knew who it was for right away and led me back to the bar where my order was waiting.
We had six entreees and two to-go drinks…a bloody mary and a mimosa. The cost wasn’t bad at around $80. It was Mother’s Day and we did kind of change plans on them at the last minute so my MIL told me to “tip really well.”
Gibby’s on the Lake does brunch on the weekends and this was Mother’s Day so that was actually what we were hoping for.
I ordered the Tram Slam Burger. This burger, which I assume is named after Tigers great Alan Trammell, is a half pound freshly made burger patty topped with American cheese, bacon, a fried egg, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. My in-laws like Gibby’s for the burgers and it’s not hard to see why. This isn’t a dive bar burger like you expect. It’s really good. This is actually the same thing I ordered when we first ate at Gibby’s Bar & Grill not long after my in-laws moved to Michigan. I really liked it that time and I really liked it this time. The sandwich came with fries…a lot of fries. By the time I got to the bottom of my to-go container, I was stuffed.
J and both her parents ordered the Chicken & Waffles. This entree is what it sounds like. Fried chicken on top of “fluffy waffles” served with an “amazing sweet and spicy syrup.” The broasted chicken is one of the things I hear a lot about when it comes to Gibby’s but these were just chicken tenders. No matter..the chicken was tender but still really juicy while being crispy on the outside. The syrup was that perfect mix of sweet and spicy.
There wasn’t a lot on the brunch menu to choose for the kids. J got bold and ordered them the Stuffed French Toast. J liked this a lot more than the kids do but the kids aren’t big French Toast fans. I think she thought the sweet cream cheese filling and strawberries would draw them in but both took a bite and passed on it. J and her mom were happy with that pass as they both tore off pieces to add to their meal.
We also did one order of the Eggs Your Way and added on extra bacon. L likes toast and B likes eggs so we just had them share this. Since they didn’t like the French Toast, we probably should have ordered two of these…and way more bacon. That’s really all either kid wants.
We never ate at Cassandra’s because Cassandra’s was a little more fancy. Gibby’s is not fancy but man, do they have good food. I mentioned earlier Gibby’s Bar & Grill is one of my in-laws go-to’s. This one near Centreville is a little bit closer to them than Mendon so it becomes not only the default let’s go grab a drink or two, it also becomes the default go-to I don’t feel like cooking after a day on the lake let’s get carry-out.
SW Michigan Dining 