Ira Restaurant Guide

The saga began in 1886, when the Vernier Hotel was built, and carriages began bringing summer people out to the shores of Anchor Bay. And it's possible to visualize what that scene might have been like when you drive up to the Vernier.The Vernier has just embarked on the latest of its many reincarnations over the years. People are happy to have the Vernier back. The new proprietor is Dan Stackpoole, and his wife, Jamie took over the premises and restored the Vernier name. Up came the tattered carpeting in the bar, revealing beautiful terrazzo floors; the original tin ceiling and the long mahogany bar were restored; and the high-ceilinged dining room was freshly painted. They didn't do anything about one glitch, however. The bullet hole in the marble wall in the bar is still there as a sort of historic marker. It is said to be the result of a shoot-out back in the Purple Gang days, when rum-running from Canada across the river was a major enterprise in the area.

Chef Dan Stackpoole has impressive years of hands-on experience in the restaurant business, having "bounced around," as he puts it from Cafe Edward in Midland to Arriva in Warren and Mac & Ray's in Harrison Township, picking up skills along the way. You can tell immediately that the Stackpooles want to do more than a routine job, when the first thing that comes to the linen-covered table is house-made foccacia, with fresh chopped tomatoes marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs, along with roasted garlic to dip into.

Service is friendly, and the feeling is completely unpretentious, and that's the kind of touch that sets up a good feeling for what's to come, whether the choice is one of his prize deep-dish pizzas (he makes the thin-crusted kind as well) or something much more elaborate. And there are some surprisingly elaborate dishes on a menu that ranges from oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail to rack of lamb crusted with Dijon