Restaurant Week to be held in St. Clair Shores April 8-14

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Restaurant Week, presented by the Nautical Mile Merchant’s Association, is a little earlier this year and will feature specials from participating restaurants.

Donna Flaherty, the Nautical Mile Merchants Association director and owner of Gifts Afloat, said they’ve hosted the week for years and the Merchants Association board decided to move it to April because there is less going on.

Restaurant Week will run April 8-14. Participating restaurants include Fishbones, HOOK, Brunch With Me, Pat O’Brien’s, Pegasus, Mike’s on the Water, WaterMark Bar and Grille, Zef’s Dockside Bar + Kitchen and more. These restaurants will feature special food items on their menus.

Tom Lauzon is the co-owner of HOOK, along with chef Bobby Nehra, and this is the first year they are participating in the Restaurant Week. This is Lauzon’s first time participating in the event since the previous restaurant, Brownie’s on the Lake, closed down seasonally.

“Brownie’s was never open (during Restaurant Week), so we really never participated,” ​​Lauzon said. “So this is the first year as HOOK.”

Lauzon said Restaurant Week is a way to attract patrons to the Nautical Mile.

“We really want to start putting emphasis on the Nautical Mile again,” Lauzon said. “And all of us restaurants really work as a team, and we’re trying to attract people to the mile and then let you kind of choose where you want to eat.”

Lauzon said he’s been on the Mile for around 10 years and that the event predates his time there. He said he’s excited for the event.

Barbara Mast, office manager at WaterMark Bar and Grille, said Restaurant Week is a way to make people aware of the Nautical Mile. The event allows patrons to see the deck at WaterMark and they may want to come back in the summer. She’s excited to open for the season since the restaurant is closed seasonally.

“We’re always excited to reopen. We have new menu items,” Mast said. “Things like that. We always change the menu up every year.”

Flaherty said they have a variety of restaurants on the avenue, and they all provide beautiful specials.

“They’re all spectacular,” Flaherty said.

To find out more, visit the Nautical Mile Merchants Association website at nauticalmile.org.