MATTAWAN, MI -- With a combined 32 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Allison Maxwell and Matt Bush were ready to bring their love of fine dining back home in a casual setting.
The couple has worked their way up the food chain from a hostess and a dishwasher to a director of operations and an executive chef of a steak house chain. Now the pair are proud to call themselves owners.
After living and working in Indianapolis for 10 years, the couple returned to Michigan to bring some big city flavor to a small town. Originally from Paw Paw, the couple settled in Mattawan with hopes of starting both a family and a business.
In 2019, both dreams came true. The couple opened Bird Dog and nine days later welcomed their baby boy, Boston. This October, both the restaurant and their son will celebrate their first birthday.
Walking downtown Mattawan, Bird Dog stands out among the pizza, sub and Chinese restaurants. The building, located at 57649 Murray St., looks like a small white house with black trim.
The goal from the start was a “fine diner” but without the grease, Bush said.
“With our steak house experience I think we’re giving a high-end experience in that casual setting,” he said.
The menu is “of the moment," taking it a step beyond seasonal, Bush said. Using his buyer experience he looks for unique and hard-to-find ingredients. Last month they introduced the wagyu hot dog. Wagyu beef is renowned for its texture and flavor and comes from a distinct bloodline of Japanese cows with a special diet.
The couple said the Mattawan community has welcomed them with open arms. Even when the menu starts to feel “pretentious" with Michelin star steaks, pasta with European truffles and duck as an appetizer. Customers have never shied away from a good meal, Maxwell said.
“Matawan has a really great community of people that have loved our restaurant which has been so nice,” Maxwell said. “It’s such a refreshing feel coming from a big city. You have people obviously that care about you but nothing like up here.”
The menu also has fan favorites like firecracker cauliflower and the steelhead trout, plus feel-good staples like mac and cheese and shrimp and grits.
All of this can be paired with signature cocktails. Bush is a connoisseur of whiskey and bourbon but the couple handed off the craft cocktail responsibilities to Maxwell’s sister who bartends in Chicago. She came up with a signature Old Fashion for the restaurant as well as seasonal cocktails.
Guests have the option to sit at the bar for a meal and watch the chefs work in the open kitchen. Maxwell said this was an intentional design. She praised her husband for bringing the Midwestern politeness to what can often end up as a foul-mouthed, hostile work space.
“I knew that people would really enjoy watching him and watching his guys' cook, because he brings a nice environment to a kitchen,” she said. “We thought it was cool for customers to get the experience that you never see what goes on behind closed doors.”
Not only do guests feel like they are audience members in a Food Network show, but they get the full sensory experience of seeing what goes into their food — including hearing the cooks' trade stories or answer questions.
“You get the chef’s table without the price,” Bush said.
Outdoor seating is also available on Bird Dog’s patio. This fall and winter the tables and chairs will be replaced with heated igloos. Especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Maxwell said they wanted to continue to offer outdoor seating to make guests feel comfortable. She joked that now customers can dine “in their own plastic bubble."
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October 17, 2020 at 06:18PM
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