Ivy Dining Room

Over this past weekend, my family, along with Tim and I, went up to Port Huron, Michigan to watch my younger sister compete in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant.  Luckily, after a difficult and nerve wracking two day competition, she was crowned Miss Michigan Teen USA 2012.  We were all ecstatic and immediately went out to celebrate.  Unfortunately, there are few decent restaurants in Port Huron, since it is not much of a cosmopolitan town.  To our surprise, we stumbled upon quite a nice restaurant inside the hotel we were staying at.  The Ivy Dining Room, located inside the Thomas Edison Inn just beneath the Blue Water Bridge, offers its guests a breathtaking view of the St. Clair River, along with the a premier view of Canada as well.  The Ivy Dining Room is decorated magnificently in a sophisticated English Tudor style, requiring guests to dress business casual, especially during the evening.  Many guests of the hotel, along with Port Huron locals, enjoy the exceptional dining experience given in the Ivy Dining Room.  Once our party walked into the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by the friendly hostess and Maitre’D.  The warm and comfortable atmosphere of the Ivy Dining Room truly enhanced our dining experience that evening.  The cozy booths, oversized chairs, and gorgeous view of the St. Clair River made our table enjoy the restaurant even before we peeked at the menu.  The large menu listed numerous hors d’oeuvres, each sounding more delicious than the first.  Our table could not resist trying the calamari, hot spinach artichoke dip, basil tomato bruschetta, and the oven roasted stuffed Portabella mushrooms.  After we finished every last morsel of our various appetizers, our soups and salads arrived promptly.  The Michigan onion soup and Thomas Edison Inn salad were two favorites of ours.  At this point, all of us were already full, each positive we could not have another bite.  Although, when our Entrées were set in front of us, we quickly changed our mind.  Char-broiled filet mignon, lemon pepper white fish, oven roasted rack of lamb, and sautéed penne pasta were enjoyed by my family.  Regrettably, I did not get to try the Surf and Turf, which was a Thomas Edison Inn favorite, according to our server.  All in all, the breathtaking view, friendly and well-trained service, and outstanding cuisine make The Ivy Dining Room inside the Thomas Edison Inn a unique restaurant ideal for vacation getaways, wedding receptions, business conferences, and more.