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Iron Bay to serve up ‘creative comfort food’ and History

Iron Bay to serve up ‘creative comfort food’ and History

MARQUETTE — Years ago, the building at the corner of Lakeshore Boulevard and East Washington Street in Marquette housed an early automobile prototype. At one point it acted as a foundry and manufacturing center, and later served as a dance hall for local teenagers.

Now, it’s a place where people can get a tower of meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Set to officially open Monday, the Iron Bay Restaurant & Drinkery intends to offer diners “creative comfort food” in a historic setting.

“The harbor here, the bay is called Iron Bay, so that’s on the 1860 maps all the way up to now, it’s still called Iron Bay,” said Joe Constance, one of the restaurant’s partners.

The restaurant space most recently housed L’Attitude Cafe & Bistro, which closed in 2015 and was managed by Constance and Jill Hayes.

Constance has owned several restaurants in Marquette, including Big Al’s Full House, while Hayes — Iron Bay’s other partner who also acts as the restaurant’s chef — has about 30 years of experience in the food industry, both at large chain businesses and independent restaurants, Constance said.

Iron Bay’s menu will feature a few of the more popular items from Big Al’s, including the restaurant’s classic burger and hammy sammy. Bacon wrapped jalapenos, a bloody Mary brisket, whitefish tacos and whitefish tater tots are also on the menu.

“Jill calls it creative comfort food,” Constance said, adding that whitefish was one of the biggest sellers when L’Attitude was open. “We used to advertise that our whitefish was in school yesterday, because it comes from Thill’s (Fish House) … right across the street.”

The restaurant will have an extensive wine selection, specialty liquor drinks and 12 beers on tap, and Constance said the plan is to open a tap room later this summer that will have 24 additional taps, reserved for craft brews.

In addition, desserts from Peace Pie Co. will be sold, as well as a special blend of coffee from Milwaukee-based Stone Creek Coffee.

“Jill and I think this is the coolest place in town as far as location,” Constance said, noting Iron Bay’s outdoor patio seating that overlooks Mattson Lower Harbor Park and Marquette’s iconic ore dock.

Following the closure of L’Attitude, Constance and Hayes attempted to purchase the business from former owners, and after a long process, finally took ownership in December 2016.

The building’s past, and that of the region is something the partners tried to capture with their interior remodeling, which Constance said began heavily in March.

The restaurant still has the original floor from 1907 when it acted as a train depot, and the old brick walls are adorned with historical photos and artifacts, including a “Marquette” sign that Constance said used to be at the trolley depot on Presque Isle.

“We wanted to go back and re-create history and bring the historical things back to life,” Constance said. “There’s so much history that went on in this building … The world’s first outboard motor in the world was invented right here on this floor. One of the very first automobiles, seven years before Henry Ford built his first automobile, was prototyped here.”

The original building on the site, built in the mid-1800s, was damaged in 1868 when a fire consumed much of Marquette’s downtown structures. Then owned by Iron Bay Foundry, the wooden building was replaced with a brick one in 1872. It later went on to serve as a train depot in the early 1900s, and eventually several teen dance halls occupied the space during the 1950s and ’60s, including the Tri-Hi Dance Hall, the Golden Age Club and the Water Front Dance Hall.

“We’ve got a huge blow-up photo, and we’ve already identified some of the people who’ve come in and seen the photo, and they’re just excited to see it because it’s so cool,” Constance said.

Constance said this summer the restaurant’s operational hours may be expanded later into the night and earlier in the day to include breakfast crowds, but that it will currently be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.

For more information, visit www.ironbaymqt.com.

Ryan Jarvi can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 270. His email address is rjarvi@miningjournal.net.

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