New Buffalo — A new restaurant on the southwest side of Michigan says it drew more than 100,000 customers in its first year of business with its coastal vibes and globally influenced cuisine.
PostBoy is a destination. Settled about 3½ hours from Metro Detroit and only 90 minutes from Chicago, it’s attracting residents and visitors in the beachside town of New Buffalo, but also grabbing folks off the highway who are traveling between the two Midwest cities.
Decor is very beachy and light with a soft color palette that reminds me of the interior of Midtown Detroit’s Mad Nice with a bit of the vibes of “The Golden Girls'” lanai thrown in. There are big booths with tiled table tops, and small cozy ones, plus a ton of bar seats and banquette seating inside. There are almost as many different seating options outside, which also has some fire pits for those cooler summer nights.
While the decor is contemporary and kind of sophisticated, this is a restaurant for everyone, including families with small children. The soft colors and kind demeanor of the staff make PostBoy the kind of place guests feel welcome to relax and enjoy.
The menu has a selection of dishes designed to be shared. Expect a lot of seasonal changes and flavors from all corners of the globe, even in dishes as simple as a side of fries.
At PostBoy, the fries are battered to give them a super satisfying crispness and they’re dusted in Cajun seasonings and served with a mayo inspired by cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), an Italian pasta dish.
Dig deeper into the appetizer list (called “little shares” on the menu) and you’ll see a lot of Asian dishes like som tum with mango, cucumber, tomato, fresno chili and peanut with lettuce cups to help you shovel it all in.
Perfect for this time of year, a watermelon salad is seasoned with salty cotija cheese, nigella, cucumber and dressed with a sherry vinaigrette.
PostBoy has a whole separate salad menu that has one of the best dishes I’ve had so far this spring, their sourdough salad.
It’s got arugula and fennel for greens, topped with a layer of thinly sliced serrano ham that is buttery and salty. Underneath it all is a stretchy stracciatella cheese and a bright red piquillo jam. It blends in together so well, with the Spanish peppers acting as a sweet and banging upgrade to the usual salad veggies, like tomatoes, which won’t be the way I like them until much later this season. The namesake ingredient — the sourdough croutons — are both crunchy and soft, giving the salad texture and something to soak up the flavors.
Paired with one of PostBoy’s bright and breezy cocktails — like the Leisure Suit Larry, a cocktail named after an old computer game character with yuzu, yogurt soju, ginger and grapefruit — this is a great way to kick off a weekend on Michigan’s sunshine coast.
Main dishes, which are certainly shareable but don’t have to be, have the obligatory smash burger and chicken sandwich.
The boneless chicken thighs dish is seasoned with sweet maple and Indian spices and served with something I’ve been seeing a lot in restaurants lately, soft roti bread. It all comes in a big bowl with a generous serving of creamy raita, a yoghurt sauce with herbs and vegetables. Take the flaky, pan-fried flatbread and fill it with the tender chicken, fresh herbs and sauce for a perfect bite of everything.
Dessert offerings seem to change a lot here, and I jumped at the chance to order the dark chocolate flan. Deeply chocolatey, but still sweet and soft in texture, the dish was elevated with a few crispy chocolate crumbles and a big cannelle of cream adorned with a glug of good olive oil.
The team at PostBoy — which is led by founders Ben Holland and chef James Galbraith — employs ingredients from dozens of local farmers, wineries and breweries. The name PostBoy is a nod to a Great Lakes mail ship from Buffalo, New York, that wrecked near here in the 1830s and was the start of what’s become New Buffalo today.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
PostBoy
207 N. Whittaker, New Buffalo
(269) 767-8269, postboynb.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Prices: Small shareables, $9-$23; salads, $17-$33; larger plates, $20-$41; kids menu has $12 mains and $5 sides; cocktails, $15-$17; mocktails, $13-$16; beers, $4-$11; wine by the glass, $12-$18; desserts, $6-$11.
Reservations: They’re a good idea, but not required. Call or visit the Tock app for bookings.
Outdoor dining: Yes, a ton of it.
Noise level: Moderate
Dress code: None, come as you are
Accessibility: No barriers
Child-friendly: Yes
Parking: There are many paid and free parking options in the downtown area, but you may have to walk a bit
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Restaurant Review: PostBoy brings global flavors to New Buffalo
Reporting by Melody Baetens, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Melody Baetens, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
