Scalawags Whitefish Chips
226 E. Central AvenueMy last day of work in Mackinaw City was supposed to be one where I could get off the Island early and get on the road. Of course, that didn’t happen.
We were just about to hit the 5:00 ferry back to Mackinaw City when we got a call from our boss. We needed to stick around until probably the 6:30 and pick up an extra assignment. It was a bummer but we did what we needed to do then got on the 6:30 ferry back to the city.
My co-worker typically stays Thursday night in Mackinaw City then heads home Friday morning. I’m more of a let’s get out of here type of guy so I come Monday night and leave Thursday night.
I was actually heading over to Traverse City from Mackinaw City. The kids had a figure skating competition Friday and Saturday and it made no sense for me to go home. J drove the kids up Thursday afternoon and I met them there.
I had already checked out of my hotel so it was just grabbing my car and getting on the road.
But I needed something to eat first.
I didn’t want “fast food” but I wanted something quick.
I picked Scalawags Whitefish & Chips in downtown Mackinaw City. The restaurant is on Central Avenue near Henry Street..but it’s a little hard to spot at first. That’s because it’s actually behind the Kilwin’s. If you walk on either side of Kilwin’s, you’ll come to a little courtyard with some tables and a few storefronts. This is where Scalawags is located.
This is weird. I don’t actually like fish…but I’m going to a fish place for dinner? Fried fish places also usually have some fantastic chicken..so I took a gamble.
The restaurant is divided in to two rooms. You enter in a smaller room with a couple of tables and an order counter. The menu is hanging on the wall behind the counter and yup, they had chicken tender baskets.
I ordered the Chicken tender basket that comes with fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies. The cost was just under $15.
I was handed a receipt with a number on it then on it then headed in to the dining room to wait. The theme is pretty obviously nautical. The dining room itself is pretty large and opens up in to the courtyard where you could also sit on a nice Northern Michigan day.
It took less than 10 minutes for someone to come out with a bag of food. I grabbed it then headed to the car to start my trip to Traverse City.
I started with the fries once I got on the road. They were frozen skin on fries that were nice and crispy. They could have used a little more salt but they were fine as a precursor to the chicken.
I was right about a fried fish place having delicious fried chicken. The hand cut and hand battered chicken strips were amazing. They were super juicy and tender and the batter was light and airy. I knew walking in these weren’t going to be typical restaurant chicken strips. They were better than I could have hoped for.
The end of the meal was two hush puppies and slaw. I didn’t eat the slaw. I’m just not a fan of slaw. I did eat the hush puppies though. They were fine. Not a huge hush puppy fan. These were a little heavy on the onion which isn’t my favorite flavor. They were a nice end to a solid meal though.
Scalawags Whitefish& Chips was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It’s a fairly inexpensive, delicious, quick meal. I assume their fish is really good if you like fish. I’m just weird and don’t…but the chicken tenders were pretty darn tasty.
SW Michigan Dining 