Clearbrook, oh Clearbrook, how the mighty have wandered slightly off-course! Visiting this erstwhile sanctuary of gastronomy and ambiance, my guests and I found ourselves adrift in a sea of... surprisingly watered-down martinis. Once known for its steadfast dress code and genteel atmosphere, we instead found ourselves docked beside a raucous crew of golfers, whose decibels suggested they'd mistaken this for their nineteenth hole.The culinary voyage was, shall we say, a mixed bag. The duck, a summer feature promising boneless bliss, harbored a few unexpected "quacks" in its presentation - bones where there should be none and a flavor that was just okay. Our steaks, aimed for perfection, sadly missed the mark, landing in the realm of overcooked.Yet, amidst these turbulent waters, the crew--ah, the waitstaff!--remained a beacon of friendliness and hope. Their service was a reminder of the Clearbrook we cherish, a port we're hopeful to see return to its legendary status. Here's to hoping future voyages rediscover the magic course!
Marc Palmer (Fire On The Dark Star)
Excellent food and experience as always.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marni Hochman
Old-style place in a historic building. Well-cooked fish and good cocktails. And decent service. Also, loved the women's bathroom! Very much enjoyed our meal there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cedar-Plank Whitefish
Mark M.
I have been visiting Saugatuck a couple times year and trying new restaurants along the way. I will say that the Grill Room Restaurant at the Clearbrook Golf Club provides a member's only experience. The restaurant is open to the public and is off the touristy beaten path of downtown Saugatuck. Mind you, its a rainy night in March, definitely not peak tourist time. So, The Grill Room may be busy too during the summer. I sat in a private, warmly lit booth overlooking beautifully lit terrain outside. The design of what looks to be a historical building, has several corners/wings of tables, one with a huge fireplace. Other tables /booths face the golf course or outside terrain. Anyone who visits Saugatuck plans on eating at their favorite spots and finding new restaurants to explore. So, its highly possible that one may enter a restaurant having indulged on great food the night before. This would be me. The interesting thing about the Grill Room restaurant is that it has snacks, light eats/dishes, homemade personal pizza, burgers, and nice size portioned entrees ( I would find out). I started with a glass of Da Luca Prosecco, which was a perfect with a hint raspberry sweetness. I was contemplating Steak Diane, meatloaf, or pizza. My server, Serena, helped me decide. My mom always told me never to get meatloaf at a restaurant because you never know what's in it or what it will taste like. This advice proved to be correct in most venues. However, my decision to get meatloaf at the Grill Room Restaurant proved to be the right one. Before getting the meatloaf, I ordered a salad that came with the entree. I opted for the house made Ceasar dressing. The salad was a sizable portion of fresh, crisp greens, carrots, and onions and the Ceasar dressing was delicious. The meatloaf was a generous portion as well along with brown gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, and pan friend spinach, broccoli, and onions. The meatloaf was a blend of beef and pork with the typical spices used in meatloaf. The mash potatoes and pan-fried veggies were cooked perfectly. The meatloaf, veggies, and mashed potatoes (especially with the gravy) were delicious. I felt guilty not eating everything on my plate, an unspoken rule of my Italian mom. For dessert, I had a cup of decaf and a "petite" portion of espresso creme brulee. The coffee was fine. The espresso creme brulee was, indeed, petite. It was just enough and tasty. I asked Serena how the chef was able to carmelize the sugar on top in such a small ramekin. An answer she did not have. I highly recommend the Grill House Restaurant at the Clearbrook Golf Club in Saugatuck MI. If you find yourself in the Grill House, request Serena. She was patiently present to my sharing experiences of being a server in a member's only club in downtown Chicago on top of the Prudential Building, which closed years ago.
Rob Campbell
Our car club has enjoyed this restaurant for many years. Even though we are a large group, the limited winter wait staff handles the situation well. The employees are always hospitable and treat us like family. My trotter steak was delicious and cooked to perfection. Vegetables and appetizers were good too. In the off-season, this venue offers a lot of charm and gezellig (coziness).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trotter Steak
Leann Kuebler
Good place to eat. Great main dishes and drinks. Friendly staff and great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Salmon
David Dinh
Our favorite restaurant in Saugatuck. Service is consistently excellent. Menu is diverse, drinks are strong, and food is delicious.
As winter light faded across the impeccable outdoor view from our window-side table, my bride of 33 years and I were warmed, surrounded with polished wood, perfect mood lighting, and cocktails crafted by a genuine, skilled bartender. The staff handled the full house calmly and efficiently. From the crisp, fresh salad, pumpernickel bread, perfectly timed entrees, to the chocolate "lava" desert, we were spoiled beyond our expectations. Clearbrook provides the perfect setting, you provide the loving gaze across the table. Don't wait to enjoy this establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Erik Stratton
Let me tell you, if you are in the area and have time to grab a meal at this wonderful place do so. Food, ambiance and staff are stellar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trotter Steak
Ronald Penna
It was our first time at Clearbrook for dinner and they earned 5 stars in every category! It was a very pleasant surprise!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lemon and Herb Stuffed Bronzini, Trotter Steak
Great experience. Nice fish dinners. Loved the salad too!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paul Foster
Had a great time with Family and friends. The food is great and our service was amazing. Open all winter and has a great menu. The duck and Walleye are very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
shelley johnson
I can't recall our server's name, but he was a delight. His assistant Patrick was equally wonderful. Food was fabulous! Drinks were spot on. For dessert, we had the Creme Brule, which was good, but it was an amazingly small amount.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Missi R.
This place is truly impressive. Outstanding service, amazing atmosphere, excellent food. Reminds me of a Wisconsin supper club. My first visit here, along with several friends. We all agreed that this is our new favorite place to meet for a special dinner. The view is beautiful. We were seated at a large table that overlooked the golf course, and the fall leaves were in full color. We ordered three different starters to pass around. The house salad and bread were both wonderful. We all ordered different meals so we all sampled everything. We all agreed the whitefish was the best. The grilled salmon was very good but we all agreed the poached salmon lacked flavor, also the rice that came with it was bland.The mashed potatoes were delicious and perfectly seasoned. Lobster pasta was excellent. Cheesecake was so delicious. It was thick, rich, and creamy. The outstanding service really made this experience special.
Clearbrook, oh Clearbrook, how the mighty have wandered slightly off-course! Visiting this erstwhile sanctuary of gastronomy and ambiance, my guests and I found ourselves adrift in a sea of... surprisingly watered-down martinis. Once known for its steadfast dress code and genteel atmosphere, we instead found ourselves docked beside a raucous crew of golfers, whose decibels suggested they'd mistaken this for their nineteenth hole.The culinary voyage was, shall we say, a mixed bag. The duck, a summer feature promising boneless bliss, harbored a few unexpected "quacks" in its presentation - bones where there should be none and a flavor that was just okay. Our steaks, aimed for perfection, sadly missed the mark, landing in the realm of overcooked.Yet, amidst these turbulent waters, the crew--ah, the waitstaff!--remained a beacon of friendliness and hope. Their service was a reminder of the Clearbrook we cherish, a port we're hopeful to see return to its legendary status. Here's to hoping future voyages rediscover the magic course!
Excellent food and experience as always.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Old-style place in a historic building. Well-cooked fish and good cocktails. And decent service. Also, loved the women's bathroom! Very much enjoyed our meal there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Cedar-Plank Whitefish
I have been visiting Saugatuck a couple times year and trying new restaurants along the way. I will say that the Grill Room Restaurant at the Clearbrook Golf Club provides a member's only experience. The restaurant is open to the public and is off the touristy beaten path of downtown Saugatuck. Mind you, its a rainy night in March, definitely not peak tourist time. So, The Grill Room may be busy too during the summer. I sat in a private, warmly lit booth overlooking beautifully lit terrain outside. The design of what looks to be a historical building, has several corners/wings of tables, one with a huge fireplace. Other tables /booths face the golf course or outside terrain. Anyone who visits Saugatuck plans on eating at their favorite spots and finding new restaurants to explore. So, its highly possible that one may enter a restaurant having indulged on great food the night before. This would be me. The interesting thing about the Grill Room restaurant is that it has snacks, light eats/dishes, homemade personal pizza, burgers, and nice size portioned entrees ( I would find out). I started with a glass of Da Luca Prosecco, which was a perfect with a hint raspberry sweetness. I was contemplating Steak Diane, meatloaf, or pizza. My server, Serena, helped me decide. My mom always told me never to get meatloaf at a restaurant because you never know what's in it or what it will taste like. This advice proved to be correct in most venues. However, my decision to get meatloaf at the Grill Room Restaurant proved to be the right one. Before getting the meatloaf, I ordered a salad that came with the entree. I opted for the house made Ceasar dressing. The salad was a sizable portion of fresh, crisp greens, carrots, and onions and the Ceasar dressing was delicious. The meatloaf was a generous portion as well along with brown gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, and pan friend spinach, broccoli, and onions. The meatloaf was a blend of beef and pork with the typical spices used in meatloaf. The mash potatoes and pan-fried veggies were cooked perfectly. The meatloaf, veggies, and mashed potatoes (especially with the gravy) were delicious. I felt guilty not eating everything on my plate, an unspoken rule of my Italian mom. For dessert, I had a cup of decaf and a "petite" portion of espresso creme brulee. The coffee was fine. The espresso creme brulee was, indeed, petite. It was just enough and tasty. I asked Serena how the chef was able to carmelize the sugar on top in such a small ramekin. An answer she did not have. I highly recommend the Grill House Restaurant at the Clearbrook Golf Club in Saugatuck MI. If you find yourself in the Grill House, request Serena. She was patiently present to my sharing experiences of being a server in a member's only club in downtown Chicago on top of the Prudential Building, which closed years ago.
Our car club has enjoyed this restaurant for many years. Even though we are a large group, the limited winter wait staff handles the situation well. The employees are always hospitable and treat us like family. My trotter steak was delicious and cooked to perfection. Vegetables and appetizers were good too. In the off-season, this venue offers a lot of charm and gezellig (coziness).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trotter Steak
Good place to eat. Great main dishes and drinks. Friendly staff and great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Salmon
Our favorite restaurant in Saugatuck. Service is consistently excellent. Menu is diverse, drinks are strong, and food is delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charlie Trotter Steak, Cedar-Plank Whitefish, Grilled Salmon, Trotter Steak
As winter light faded across the impeccable outdoor view from our window-side table, my bride of 33 years and I were warmed, surrounded with polished wood, perfect mood lighting, and cocktails crafted by a genuine, skilled bartender. The staff handled the full house calmly and efficiently. From the crisp, fresh salad, pumpernickel bread, perfectly timed entrees, to the chocolate "lava" desert, we were spoiled beyond our expectations. Clearbrook provides the perfect setting, you provide the loving gaze across the table. Don't wait to enjoy this establishment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Let me tell you, if you are in the area and have time to grab a meal at this wonderful place do so. Food, ambiance and staff are stellar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trotter Steak
It was our first time at Clearbrook for dinner and they earned 5 stars in every category! It was a very pleasant surprise!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lemon and Herb Stuffed Bronzini, Trotter Steak
Restaurantji Recommends
Great meatloaf!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cedar-Plank Whitefish, Grilled Salmon, Ribs
Great experience. Nice fish dinners. Loved the salad too!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a great time with Family and friends. The food is great and our service was amazing. Open all winter and has a great menu. The duck and Walleye are very good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I can't recall our server's name, but he was a delight. His assistant Patrick was equally wonderful. Food was fabulous! Drinks were spot on. For dessert, we had the Creme Brule, which was good, but it was an amazingly small amount.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is truly impressive. Outstanding service, amazing atmosphere, excellent food. Reminds me of a Wisconsin supper club. My first visit here, along with several friends. We all agreed that this is our new favorite place to meet for a special dinner. The view is beautiful. We were seated at a large table that overlooked the golf course, and the fall leaves were in full color. We ordered three different starters to pass around. The house salad and bread were both wonderful. We all ordered different meals so we all sampled everything. We all agreed the whitefish was the best. The grilled salmon was very good but we all agreed the poached salmon lacked flavor, also the rice that came with it was bland.The mashed potatoes were delicious and perfectly seasoned. Lobster pasta was excellent. Cheesecake was so delicious. It was thick, rich, and creamy. The outstanding service really made this experience special.