Strut Destination: Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?

EXPLORE, DINE AND SHOP IN MACOMB COUNTY VILLAGe

by sandra dalka-prysby | photos by brett mountain

In an age when “tear down the old, and bring in the new” is the norm, the village of Romeo in northern Macomb County has kept its small-town look and feel. Listed on the national register of Historic Places and the Michigan register of historic sites, the village of Romeo offers visitors the opportunity for nostalgia, and shopping and dining venues that make for a perfect day.

From left to right: 1. Come for a taste of Americana at the Romeo Ice Cream Parlor & Country Store. 2. Gabriel’s Garden Boutique offers a range of lavender bath products. 3. Plumm Krazy LLC offers a range of apparel and accessories, such as these hats. 4. Signs throughout Romeo toast its history.

Morning

9 A.M. BREAKFAST WITH THE LOCALS

The 88-year-old Romeo Café (125 S. Main St., 586.752.2396) continues to keep “farmer hours” by offering homestyle breakfasts starting at 5 a.m. six days a week (closed Sunday). Start your day with one of the café’s popular breakfast offerings: two homemade biscuits with sausage gravy and two eggs on top ($5.15) and a hot cup of coffee ($1.15).

10 A.M. SPA TIME

For a special treat, Main Street Spa (106 S. Main St., 586.752.1508) offers a massage with hot stones for a complete therapeutic and relaxing experience ($100 for 90 minutes). Add aromatherapy to your massage for $10

11:30 A.M. A STORE LIKE NO OTHER

For three decades, 75-year-old Vera Brandt ran a cake business out of her home until the venture grew so much that nine years ago, she moved to a 2,200-square-foot store in downtown Romeo. Vera’s Balloons-R-Fun (108 S. Main St., 586.752.7808) offers a wealth of kids’ toys, party favors, trinkets of every imaginable kind for all ages and even $1,000-plus slot machines ... and, of course, balloons.

Afternoon

LUNCH AT “ROMEO’S GATHERING PLACE”

General manager Nicole Sengstock provides diners with great food at reasonable prices in the 27-year-old casual and comfortable Thee Office Pub & Cookery (128 S.Main St., 586.752.6680, www.theeofficepub.com). Build your own 1/3-pound burger for $5.99, and wash it down with a 12-ounce Blue Moon beer for an additional $3.10.

1:30-3 P.M. EXPLORE

A visit to Romeo isn’t complete without a visit to the Romeo Ice Cream Parlor & Country Store (227 N.Main St., 586.752.0710). Owner Andrea St. Laurent has offered “healthy servings” of ice cream (try two scoops of the store’s most popular flavor, Amaretto cherry for $3.99). Relax and eat your cone in the charming old-fashioned country store, or go out the back door to the Village Park and sit in the gazebo.

Make a quick stop at Village Winery (134 W. St. Clair, 586.337.2563, www.villagewineryromeo.com) and pick up a bottle of red or white wine crafted on-site. Some of the flavors reflect Romeo’s orchard offerings, such as Peach Queen, a peach chardonnay ($7.99), and the bottles’ labels present the village’s history.

Jane Doppke brought unique ladies apparel (sizes petite to 3X) to Romeo’s downtown when she opened Plumm Krazy LLC (135 S.Main St., 586.336.7340, www.plummkrazy.com) a year ago. The shop carries casual and dressy apparel in all sizes and offers the personal service that used to be the norm.

There’s a purse to fit just about anyone’s taste at D’Maries Boutique (121 S.Main St., 586.623.4400), boasting more than 300 designer-inspired bags in leather and man-made fabrics.

Lavender fills the air when you walk into Gabriel’s Garden Lavender Boutique (111 S.Main St., 586.336.0418, www.allthingslavender.com). Owners Jennifer and Michael Vasich have stocked their shop with their Michigan-made bath and body products. Try Bath Bon Bons with fragrant skin-softening botanicals and mineral salts ($1.50 each; five for $7).

Evening

5:30-10 P.M. DINNER AND A LITTLE NIGHT LIFE

You need not be Irish to enjoy upscale tavern dining at Younger’s Irish Tavern (120 S. Main St., 586.752.4400). A comfortable and casual dining room and a new patio (the first outside eating venue in Romeo) draw diners to this eatery, where chicken, fish, beef and burgers fill the menu. Try the cedar plank salmon ($16.75) with a glass of pinot grigio ($7). After dinner, head upstairs to enjoy a live band or DJ, dancing or a game of pool or darts.

HOW TO GET THERE: Take I-75 north to M-69 toward Utica.Take the M-53 north exit toward Imlay City. Exit left at the Romeo exit, which is Van Dyke. Go north to 32 Mile Road (St. Clair Street) and you’ve reached the center of the Village of Romeo.
WHERE TO PARK: There’s ample free parking on the streets and behind the retail stores.
VILLAGE OF ROMEO INFORMATION: 586.752.1170, www.romeodda.org.stores.