Inside the Kitchen is taking you to a Northern Michigan staple this week, Julienne Tomatoes.
The Petoskey Restaurant is serving up breakfast and lunch, with no detail gone unnoticed in any dish.
“I did have an Easy-Bake Oven, and it is right there,” Julie Adams said as she glanced across the dining room of her restaurant, Julienne Tomatoes. “Yes, my original Easy-Bake Oven.”
She says it was a dream she was born with.
“And I always told my parents when I was growing up that I was going to have a restaurant,” she said.
Julie has owned Julienne Tomatoes in Petoskey for 19 years.
“So the tomatoes, of course, are everywhere,” she said. “At one point, some kids who are longtime customers, brothers and sisters, counted 631 tomatoes and they were scurrying all over everywhere, I’m sure there’s a lot more since.”
That theme carries over into the kitchen.
“Tomato basil, the tomato gorgonzola, as well as the tomato dill; today we’re featuring the tomato dill,” she explained.
Chef Alex Godzick says it’s — no questions asked — the most popular.
“Because that’s it’s like our that’s our staple,” he said.
A must-order for customers like David Kaplan, who’ve been stopping in since it opened.
“Has body and has good flavor,” David said. “Very good and it’s got, it’s just a well-balanced soup, it’s great, it’s homemade, it’s right here.”
Julienne Tomatoes is a breakfast and lunch joint.
Making our way around the menu, next up is the Which Came First.
Julie says the inspiration for the name was simply to have a little fun.
“Just being silly, you know, the chicken or the egg which came first,” she said.
“We got a nice hot plate here, some delicious sunny side up eggs, potato pancakes, of course, add bacon, a delicious pepper parm toast,” said Alex.
“Well, I like the atmosphere, I like that this place has character,” David said.
But people working here say it’s the characters walking in, who make this restaurant a community.
“There’s no better feeling than having a full dining room and people scurrying around…the customers are happy, and it just feels really good,” Julie said. “It’s like, you know, it’s like soul filling.”
You can find Julienne Tomatoes at 421 Howard Street in Petoskey, or call them at 231-439-9250.
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