Restaurant Week is back

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Restaurant Week on the Nautical Mile is coming back with a wide variety of restaurants and specials to choose from.

It starts April 21 and ends April 27 along the Nautical Mile — Jefferson Avenue from Nine Mile to 10 Mile Road — in St. Clair Shores.

This year’s participating restaurants are Johnny Blacks Lakehouse East, Baffin Brewing Co., Brunch With Me, DOX Grillhouse, Fishbone’s, HOOK, Leo’s Coney Island, Mike’s on the Water, Nautical Deli, Pat O’Brien’s Tavern, Pegasus Taverna, Watermark Bar & Grille, and Zef’s Dockside Bar + Kitchen.

Donna Flaherty, director of the Nautical Mile Merchants Association and the owner of Gifts Afloat, said a trolley will be available to take patrons along the Nautical Mile 7-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Patrons can park their cars at St. Clair Shores City Hall, located at 27600 Jefferson Ave.

The trolley will run on a designated route on the mile, picking people up and dropping them off at the restaurants along the way. The trolley and the promotion are sponsored by the St. Clair Shores Tax Increment Finance Authority.

“I love that we have so many restaurants, a variety of restaurants involved, and they’re all involved,” Flaherty said.

She said all of the restaurants have specials for the week, and those can be found on the Nautical Mile Merchants Association website at nauticalmile.org.

Ed Firestine, managing director of Johnny Blacks Lakehouse East, said they have three different specials for Restaurant Week and they’re happy to be open in St. Clair Shores. At the time of publication, the restaurant had been open for around three weeks. Firestine said it has been a great experience so far and the community has been overwhelmingly kind.

“We have 13 locations, and we’re excited to be in St. Clair Shores, and we’re excited to bring our style and service to the area,” Firestine said.

“We’re excited for Restaurant Week. We can be able to show our stuff,” Firestine added.

Mike LeFevre, the owner of Mike’s on the Water, said he’s been on the avenue for around 56 years and that they’ve been a part of Restaurant Week since it began. He has a variety of specials available for patrons during the week.

“I’m the one who started (the) Nautical Mile back in the way-early days,” LeFevre said.

LeFevre said he’s ready for the week and has all kinds of promotions planned.

“Especially April and kicking off the season,” LeFevre said.

He said there is road construction down on the Nautical Mile, but they are going to stay positive. He said anything that brings people down to the avenue to patronize restaurants is a plus.

“People ask me all the time, ‘Mike, what do you think of this new restaurant here?’ I say, ‘Absolutely, we need more of them,’” LeFevre said. “Like I say, people draw people, cars draw cars. I’m excited for all of it down there.”