Water Tower Grille in Belding features delicious offerings near Candlestone Golf and Resort

The Water Tower Grille at Candlestone Golf & Resort features the Water Tower Burger with steak fries. Back, a mesquite porkchop with apples and onions.

A recent trip to Belding's Water Tower Grille at Candlestone Golf and Resort brought back a lot of memories for my husband, Hoyt, and me.

Opened in the spring of 1972 as the Candlestone Inn, the resort did not have a golf course back then, but it did have an excellent restaurant and often featured live entertainment in the lounge. Hoyt and I started dating that fall, and Candlestone was one of our favorite dining destinations.

Candlestone has changed since then. It now features a golf course, banquet facilities and a revamped, updated restaurant.

IF YOU GO

Water Tower Grille

Where: Candlestone Golf & Resort, 8100 Storey Road, Belding

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday; 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 6:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

When we dined: Saturday, May 15

Wait to be seated: None

Wait for food to arrive: 15 minutes

Dress code: Casual, golf and resort wear

Ambiance: Casual, friendly and lively.

Parking: On-site parking lot

Price range: Burgers and sandwiches range from $5.95 for a triple decker BLT to $13.95 for the Water Tower specialty burger. Entrees run from $9.95 for chicken florentine to $15.95 for the New York strip.

Credit cards: All major

Alcohol: Yes

Smoke-free: No

Reservations: Yes

Call them: 794-1580

Connect: candlestone.com

Call us: Know a great place to dine out? Call The Press Entertainment department at 222-5291, or e-mail weekend@grpress.com.

"Everything is brand new," said executive chef Chris Gribble, the resort's food and beverage manager.

Opened in April, the Water Tower Grille offers a nice selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizzas and main-course entrees. The menu is not extensive, but it is more than adequate with reasonable prices all around.

On Fridays, the restaurant features a special seafood buffet for $13.95.

"That's our busiest night," Gribble added.

For appetizers, selections include flat bread pizza ($4.95), cheesy fries ($5.95), buffalo chicken rolls ($6.95) and a few others, all for less than $7.

Looking over the entrees, Hoyt decided on the mesquite pork chop ($11.95), and I chose the buffet. Hoyt also ordered the house salad ($1.95 with entree) with homemade blue cheese dressing.

Other entrees include a crab leg platter ($13.95), chicken penne alfredo ($10.95) and herb-marinated flat iron steak ($14.95).

On my first trip to the buffet table, I scooped up a bowl of fresh, crisp coleslaw with creamy dressing and several large cocktail shrimp with dipping sauce. Fresh rolls and tossed salad also were offered.

Plump, pink and firm, the shrimp had the perfect texture and bite, and were not soft like so many cocktail shrimp can be. I followed that with a cup of tasty homemade clam chowder.

Peppered with a dry rub, then char-grilled over mesquite wood, Hoyt's pork chop was topped with sweet onions and poached apples. The combination of smoky mesquite along with the tasty seasonings imbued the pork with nice flavors and kept the meat tender and moist. Sides included a baked potato and chef's choice of steamed veggies.

For the entree portion, the buffet included several types of fish, baked and fried, along with roast beef and a couple of casserole dishes.

"The selections vary each week, but we'll feature at least four or five different options along with the roast beef," Gribble said.

The dessert table also held a number of tempting treats, but my favorite was the chocolate trifle, a marvelous confection of creamy chocolate and vanilla mousse, whipped cream and chocolate brownie cake. It was a delight with every bite.

Hoyt and I may not play golf, but we did enjoy the ambiance, friendly service and good food at reasonable prices Water Tower Grille provides. For us, it also brought back memories and the very start of our culinary romance.

The indoor setting of the Water Tower Grille at Candlestone Golf & Resort.

E-mail Kathy Carrier: kcarrier@grpress.com

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