As General Manager of the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph, Brady Cohen feels safe in contending few others in the entire community can share his level of enthusiasm for the recent advent of warm weather. Hearkening back to the perfect weather of parade day Saturday, Cohen is psyched over the fact that later today his new Torch & Tapas waterfront dining venue will debut just off the edge of the front porch of the Inn giving his resort property three distinct outdoor, waterfront, dining options all with different menu options.
At 4pm today, Thursday, May 10th, Cohen and his team will conduct a formal ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Torch & Tapas venue while simultaneously marking the 4th anniversary of the opening of the Inn at Harbor Shores and also opening the nearby Dockside Bar for the season in an afternoon of celebrations along the inner harbor.
Torch & Tapas is Harbor Shores new sophisticated small plates opportunity on the St. Joseph River, featuring about 40 to 50 seats, and becoming another amenity for hotel guests and the community alike to enjoy. Dubbing it “Food With Flare,” Executive Chef Elton Mann has created an array of tapas menu items, to appease all palates. Tapas is Spanish for “small plates,” so he put his spin on them, it’s not all Spanish small plates, but a variety of or combination of items there.
Cohen says, “Our mission and vision is to be Southwest Michigan’s premiere resort destination, and we’re proud now to offer a unique new dining experience here along the St. Joe River.”
Literally steps away from the water, with two beautiful waterfront fireplaces, featuring seating with chairs and umbrella tables all around that patio, Torch & Tapas presents a nice comfortable atmosphere. The restaurant’s hours run daily from 4pm until 10pm, for dinner service only. In the peak season, Cohen says they may open up those tables for overflow from Plank’s porch and dining room at lunch for regular Plank’s patrons to avoid back ups. On nice days there’s often a wait list, so this will help ease that crunch a bit.
Several signature menu items are on the new card, like an open face chilled tamale, very fresh paella, oysters, calamari, pork belly tacos, and others on the signature list.
Cohen encourages everyone to enjoy the amazing flavors, the waterfront views and, “Most of all our new restaurant with flare.”
Today looks to be a pretty big day with the 4th anniversary of the Inn, the ribbon cutting at Torch & Tapas and the seasonal opening of the Dockside Bar, and he invites every to come join the festivities, live music from a five-piece band playing outside so long as the weather permits.
The event will feature some drink specials out by the Tiki Bar, some food samples of the new menu for the ribbon cutting for Torch & Tapas and even free waterfront chair massages from The Spa at Harbor Shores.
The Dockside Bar opens at 4pm during the week, and from 11am until 10pm on the weekends. Brady admits that “Last year was a little inconsistent, so we’re hoping to hold to that schedule unless there is inclement weather or high winds.” That venue also features live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer, starting Memorial Day weekend.
Looking back on his anniversary, Cohen says, “The first four years have been great. We’ve made a lot of changes as we adapted to meet challenges and customer demands. Being a seasonal resort-style property, the first four years have been a great success for us, and we continue to try to add more amenities for the Harbor Shores resort community, and all of our local business and leisure travelers.”
As the entire Harbor Shores Resort community continues to expand, Brady will have some 76 new homes right in his own backyard as the Harbor Shores Village neighborhood builds out. He says, “It’s like our own little community which I think is going to be fantastic for the hotel and the restaurant offerings. Hopefully, we will be their kitchen!”
The photo accompanying this story at Moody on the Market was taken just minutes after the new Torch & Tapas furniture had arrived. This afternoon’s unveiling will showcase the complete picture with colorful umbrellas and more. Stay tuned.
