The heart of the county is buzzing with culinary announcements this week. Chef Eric Nittolo and family are opening a third venture: a members-only speakeasy in the lower level of their Lake Leelanau pizza-and-seafood restaurant. Fiddleheads, the new breakfast/sandwich shop on Main Street, is revving up with daily service and Saturday night pop-ups this winter. And a cute-as-can-be coney counter called Capital Dog is coming this spring to the original fire station at the Narrows. Here’s more:

After a quiet opening October 6 at 202 W. Main Street in Lake Leelanau, Fiddleheads has hit its stride with a chill counter-service vibe and healthy comfort food that incorporates hyperlocal ingredients.

The breakfast — all day! — and lunch spot is currently open Wednesday through Sunday. “We look forward to being open seven days a week starting the week after Christmas,” says Joshua Deters, who co-owns Fiddleheads with Richard Roberts. The two are also proprietors of the VI Grill in Suttons Bay. 

The new pedestrian bridge at the Narrows has been a boon for dining-out activity in the village, says Deters, and that paired with Fiddlehead’s newly procured liquor license has made it the newest county destination for brunch with beer, wine and freshly made cocktails. (Libations are available for carry-out as well.)

Now the culinary team is starting Saturday night pop-ups, catered to locals and with a focus on Michigan products. “For burger night we had Michigan-raised beef with cheeses from The Cheese Lady in TC; for Fiesta Night, a local woman in Suttons Bay made the homemade tortillas and tamales,” says Deters.

Next up? Pasta Night on December 4. “We have handmade pasta from Raduno; craft-made sauces, responsibly sourced proteins, salad and bread plus special Italian wines to have in-house or to go.” Pop-ups run every Saturday night this winter, with the new menu dropping the first full week of December on Instagram and Facebook.

The Lake Leelanau chef’s life has been good to Eric Nittolo.

Since last February when he and his family raised the curtain on Nittolo’s Pizza (104 Main Street, Lake Leelanau) and then a sister restaurant Nittolo’s Seafood & Social, business has been, “Wow, wow and holy wow. We are blessed every day and grateful that we hit the right chord,” Nittolo says. Nittolo is now dedicated to being open seven nights for dinner.

Meanwhile, the woodfired pizzas crafted with Old World–meets–New World flair are going like hotcakes (as of yesterday, he has hit 276,000 slices sold), paving the way to open the lower-level of the 7,000 square-foot building as Nittolo’s Powerhouse Speakeasy.

Explains Nittolo: “This is a 60-seat membership style jazz club, offering top notch quality musicians in a setting that is just knockout gorgeous.”

Your seat at the table in this private club model (family memberships are $1000 annually; businesses are $1500) includes a sensory-rich experience through inventive cocktails, fine fare and handpicked live music. 

“I believe in doing things that don’t exist, and the closest thing to this is in St. Clair Shores,” says Nittolo. “The setting will be pure class, but not pretentious.” Renovations are underway now. Membership fees will be used as seed money to pay for the musicians. “The intention is to be jazz-oriented, other styles to be introduced will be Blues and R&B in the style of Toni Braxton and Sade,” says Nittolo. He also hopes to support talent from Interlochen Arts Academy.

Opening night is May 13, 2022; the speakeasy will operate four nights a week in high-season and taper to Saturdays-only next winter. “It hit me Monday. Of anywhere in the world I could be, being here in Lake Leelanau doing this is incredible.” Call the restaurant’s main line to inquire about membership.

Meanwhile, Leelanau County residents Kevin and Sue Burns are refurbishing the original fire station at 106 St. Mary, near the Narrows, and opening a casual eatery called Capital Dog.

The new venue — with both eat-in service and backyard seating — is geared toward families: “We feel like there is a real gap in the county of places for families to eat that are economical and real quick,” explains Sue Burns.

The couple has spent several months giving a total refresh to the space (most recently a mechanics garage). A crisp-and-clean interior with polished cement floors and an open kitchen includes an antique apothecary counter from a downstate drugstore.

“We laid 600 feet of subway tile and got to know this spot well, meeting people who were having wine and listening to music at the Boathouse, and boaters coming up from the dock down the way,” says Burns. “This is a lively spot — which was not entirely a surprise but really validated this for us.”

The Burnses are also the founders of the upcycled wool garment company Baabaazuzu, which they have operated in the county for 30 years. “We have been rooted here,” Burns says. “Lake Leelanau is in an awakening, and we are grateful to be a part of that.”

Capital Dog will offer classic coney dogs and a full-service ice cream counter to start, with an opening planned for the “sighting of the first robin” says Kevin Burns.

Photo of the Narrows by Lisa Baird of Capturing Michigan.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story had an incorrect last name for Kevin Burns.