by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: October 11, 2009

When you are visiting Greenfield Village in Dearfield Michigan and you want to have a really special dining experience the Eagle Tavern is the perfect place to stop.

This former stagecoach stop was moved to Greenfield Village from Clinton, MI. It has been feeding hungry travelers since 1831 and the menu today is very similar to what the hungry 19th century stage passenger would have partaken of. There is a menu posted outside the tavern so you will be able to decide before you get inside what you would like to try.

You will be greeted at the door by a costumed hostess. She will bring you and tell you a little bit about the history of the tavern and then you will be taken into the dining room. The tables seat eight and in typical 19th century style you will be placed at a table with other diners. In the past this was done so that travelers going east could share the news with travelers heading west and vise versa. We were seated at a table with a young couple and their little daughter.

Inside the tavern looks very authentic. The fireplace wasn't lit but there was a dimness that you never see in a restaurant today. Our waitress was very friendly and greeted us immediately. She was in character and dress for the time period. We ordered our drinks and we tried the warm apple cider which could also have been served with the addition of rum. It was delicious without the rum and welcome on a cool fall day.

The Bill of Fare the day we were there was very interesting. The soups included squash soup and family soup. The squash was butternut and included fall spices and the family soup was a beef vegetable, the portions are generous. You can order a bread basket to go with them and that includes corn and blueberry muffins and Sally Lund rolls

The side dishes included such wonders as salmagundi, bubble and squeak dressed macaroni and bean stew. We tried the bubble and squeak which is a cabbage based stew and the bean stew which is a very thick bean stew of dried beans served with corn bread.

The main courses included white fish with walnut butter, chicken croquette and pork and apple pie. The pork and apple pie had a rich gravy and a delicious flaky crust on top.

We wished we had enough room to try the pumpkin pie, apple betty or the ginger cake, We didn't though.

About half way through the meal the owner of the inn stopped by our table to tell us if we decided to stay the night that she had a separate sleeping room for men and woman and that there would be no more than three to a bed. She promised to introduce us to our bedmates so we wouldn't have to sleep with strangers. It was very funny and we got right into it asking her questions about the inn and the rooms.

If you are looking for a historic and delicious lunch, I highly recommend the Eagle Tavern.

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