Brandon Baltzley Rides Again: TMIP

Brandon Baltzley Rides Again: TMIP

TMIP, Brandon Baltzley's new restaurant, is opening for summer reservations today. He'll be making lots of Native American-inspired dishes.



The video is basically marketing, without a lot of solid facts, but it's heavy on atmospherics and gives some feel for the vibe the mysterious Chef Baltzley is going for. My daughter Josie is representing him, so I got a little more insight than the video provides. To work in the kitchen, you must slaughter an animal so that chefs will understand, if they didn’t already, the sacrifice the animal is making to become dinner. TMIP is located in Michigan City, Indiana. Produce will be hyper-local (gathered from the nearby farm), and all beverages will be made in-house.

The video is basically marketing, without a lot of solid facts

It views like a "Portlandia"-inspired parody, unfortunately. I wish your daughter luck. Based on Baltzley's track record (or virtual lack of it, in actuality), she's really going to need it.

A good place to start would be cutting the first 50 seconds of the video.

Given how much we seem to love redemption stories in many of our chef's biographies, I'm never quite sure why there's so much hostility to his tale?

Looks interesting - I'll be hoping this is the try that works for him and that we get a new interesting option.

Very interesting concept and intriguing story. Been enjoying watching the development of TMIP unfold. Definitely am excited to make a trek to Indiana for TMIP this summer. Should make for a memorable dining experience to say the least. Might even grow out a beard before the trip.

I'll raise my beer to "redemption" on my next visit to the Purple Pig.

Hi folks. Haven't posted in well over a year, but peek in every now and then.

My wife and I will have a belated anniversary dinner at TMIP on the third. We courted while I was living at a farm, and we have fond memories of attempts with our friend to make milk weed soup. Parties would pause while plucking and cleaning ducks. Hoping that BBs skill shows what can come from the land.

Will report.

I'll admit that I'm very skeptical of TMIP's chances of success, simply because of the prices and its location (far away from most people willing to spend the kind of money needed to eat there). That being said, no denying his talent and it's a tremendously ambitious and interesting project. I can't wait to try it myself, and I hope I'm wrong about its chances of success.

BR wrote:I'll admit that I'm very skeptical of TMIP's chances of success, simply because of the prices and its location (far away from most people willing to spend the kind of money needed to eat there). That being said, no denying his talent and it's a tremendously ambitious and interesting project. I can't wait to try it myself, and I hope I'm wrong about its chances of success.

They have been filling reservations WAY in advance (and require a deposit - so these people are likely planning on attending). Agree that people in that area are not use to dropping lots of money on a meal, but considering the number of courses, the uniqueness of what is being served, the chef's talent, that some drinks (including alcoholic ones) are included and tax and tip are included as well - the price is extremely reasonable. They are close enough to Chicago that many will make the trek and as it is a small place it will be far easier to fill the venue (just ten seats). Definitely some obstacles and I get what you are saying, but I am more optimistic. I too am extremely excited to dine at TMIP and wish them best of luck.

The big hurdle for TMIP will be the winter. Its not that it is so remote. The location is just a few minutes off I-94, and closer to Chicago than the LTH GNR Stop 50 pizzaria. But the whole south-east coast of Lake Michigan sees most of its business during the warmer weather. There are a number of places, Stop 50 included, that close or limit their hours during the winter.

But when BB did menu trial runs back in March at a restaurant in Sawyer, MI, about 20 miles farther up the coast, I'm told there were lines out the door, albeit at a lesser price. A couple who run the Local butcher shop in New Buffalo went to one of the vegetarian sessions. As the lady said (more or less) "We're not really vegetable people, but we were blown away. It was awesome."

gdenby wrote:The big hurdle for TMIP will be the winter. Its not that it is so remote. The location is just a few minutes off I-94, and closer to Chicago than the LTH GNR Stop 50 pizzaria. But the whole south-east coast of Lake Michigan sees most of its business during the warmer weather. There are a number of places, Stop 50 included, that close or limit their hours during the winter.

But when BB did menu trial runs back in March at a restaurant in Sawyer, MI, about 20 miles farther up the coast, I'm told there were lines out the door, albeit at a lesser price. A couple who run the Local butcher shop in New Buffalo went to one of the vegetarian sessions. As the lady said (more or less) "We're not really vegetable people, but we were blown away. It was awesome."

Good point; the winter months could be brutal - especially if next winter is half as bad as this past one.

I am officially booked for a dinner there next month; am extremely excited - now to work on my beard!

I think of this as the south west coast of Lake Michigan, but I agree the winter will be a challenge. That said, I think there is definitely a place and a market for this. Greenbush, Pleasant House, and lots of gastronomically much less ambitious places seem to be doing splendidly, at a lower price point of course. It might be a little more on-point for this new spot to be up in MI rather than IN, but I take it the restaurant is out in farmland as opposed to the unlovely streets of Michigan City?

I'm a little surprised that someone like Kahan didn't already open up Chicago's long-missing answer to Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Maybe that does reflect the perceived futility of the concept, but I'm rooting for these guys. As any casual visit to a farmers market in Chicago could confirm, the area absolutely has some of the most stunning produce in the country. A farm-oriented, fancy restaurant right there, where Chicagoans day trip and vacation anyway, would seem to work.

Wife and I attended TMIP's first official service last night. It was the most elaborate meal we've had. Having nothing else as a comparison, I'll just offer some observations.

There was a brief tour of the farm space, which is quite small, and then we entered the house thru the kitchen door. The 2 dining rooms are just off the kitchen. They are not a large spaces, but plenty of room for the 10 guests they are currently hosting.

The staff seemed somewhat nervous, tho' very cordial and accommodating. Pretty much what one would expect from a 1st run. A few minutes after we were seated, the first of the 12 courses arrived. As the courses arrived, whoever brought the course recited the components, which were sometimes numerous, and which slipped my mind as the courses progressed. I kept the little hand lettered menu card for the day to help recall what we were being served. It appears the menu may change frequently, so what I am reporting may not apply in a few weeks, certainly not as the season changes. The Ossabaw hogs are a long term commitment, but eggs will start appearing soon. Kohlrabi will become a standard in a few weeks. Etc.

Here's my quick rating, not in the order of presentation.

Really good with just enough to be satisfying or enough to leave you wanting more:

Pemmican. Made with more than usual amount of berries, and so quite sweet. The meat was bison, but I don't recall what the fat component was.
Carrots and Peas. Would have eaten 2 or 3 helpings.
Fergus. The name of the Ossabaw hog that provided the morsel of most delicious pork. Essence of pork. If TMIP manages to establish a desire for pork of this quality, they've done a fine thing.
Lardo and grain. The best in my opinion. The wild rice and amaranth are puffed and crunchy. They are wrapped in a thin sheet of lardo, which is torched, causing it to shink, and encase the grains is shiny coating. Crunchy, unctuous, both savory and sweet, and then followed by an astingent drink (forgot what it was) to cleanse the pallet.
Berries. Chef explained how they made the cherry wood ice cream. Really good desert, vanished in no time.

Quite good:

Bison Tartare. The dewberry juice accompaniment was sort of liquor like. A very heady flavor.
Frog legs. One tiny grilled leg apiece, served on a bed of an aromatic evergreen.
Trout. Like the frog legs, served without table ware. Very tender, fall apart in the fingers. Somewhat charred, and served with a sassafras sauce, and maybe an herb. Again, the flavor was pleasant, but quite outside my experience.
"Heartbeat." Elk heart and beets, primarily. My wife "officially" does not like beets, and she was pleased with the course.

Good:

Peas and roe. Small offering, mostly pea flavors and textures.

Problematic:

Sunflower risotto. It tasted very good. The marigold petals strewn across the top were just right. But it was very rich and there was too much of it. My wife had expressed reservations about the meal, fearing she wouldn't be able to eat all the courses. Note, we are in our 60's, and our own meals tend to be less than half the size of what we once made. We asked for smaller portions, and so we shared some subsequent plates.

Perpetual Stew. Chef Baltzley includes lots of unfamiliar flavors in his dishes, and a prominent one is bitterness. The vegetables in the stew, which in this serving were mostly turnips, had been charred. It was not unpleasant, but something I rarely taste. The broth was delicious. The cook who presented the dish mentioned that the base of the stew was always vegan. Ours was served as part of the omnivore menu had meat included. I believe it was goat, not sure. Tasted OK, but was tough, and could have stood a longer braise.

There was an interim offering of a tea specially made for the restaurant. The meal finished with some fine coffee, cream, jaggery and caramel as additions.

Overall, lots of pluses. The service was fine, perhaps a little rushed at first. As I mentioned, the staff seemed keyed up. There was an "intermission," and the pace of the second half seemed a bit more relaxed. That was good for me, as I was getting overloaded with the variety of flavors. The restaurant at present is BYOB. We brought some Staropromen lager, which was light enough to not compete with the array of food. Between a few of those, and the stimulus tea, I was a little buzzed, not to mention stuffed.

The whole experience was over 3 hours long, and we had a 40 mile drive home. We departed after the last course, although invited along with all the guests to remain as we liked, or join the staff around the cooking pit to enjoy the fire light.


The place will have a 2 month hiatus starting January.

Is is possible to do public transit to here? Or am I going to have to mooch off my friends with cars? I haven't driven in 10 years, so I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable doing zipcar, especially if I drank anything.

mgmcewen wrote:Is is possible to do public transit to here? Or am I going to have to mooch off my friends with cars? I haven't driven in 10 years, so I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable doing zipcar, especially if I drank anything.

Google Maps suggests that public transit may get you a lot of the way there, but that you'll need to take a cab to get to the farm, and it looks like an especially long trip (versus by car). Best bet is to go with a friend who will drive there.

mgmcewen wrote:Is is possible to do public transit to here?

If you go for lunch Mon-Sat (do they serve lunch every day?), you could do it without a cab. Take the South Shore train from Millennium Station to Michigan City, then transfer to a MC Transit bus (either the #3 or the #4; both have hourly service, I think) and get off at Walmart. From there, it's about a mile walk east on W 400 N. If you want to take a taxi, it's just under five miles from the train station.

Not certain which 4 days of the week they're serving, but supposed to do lunch and dinner on both.

Don't believe walking to/from the Walmart would be a lot of fun, less so after eating. Don't recall sidewalks along the way, and certainly very little shade. Suppose it was a country road maybe 10 years ago, but busy now during the day, and pitch dark at night. Do mooch.

gdenby wrote:Don't believe walking to/from the Walmart would be a lot of fun, less so after eating. Don't recall sidewalks along the way, and certainly very little shade. Suppose it was a country road maybe 10 years ago, but busy now during the day, and pitch dark at night. Do mooch.

I was only answering the question, "Is it possible?" I'm sure Melissa realizes getting driven directly there would be more pleasant than taking public transportation. There are no sidewalks on W 400 N but wide grassy areas, between the curb and the cornfields, are available almost continuously from Walmart to TMIP (you can preview the walk using Google Street View). I doubt I'd want to walk it after dark, but that's not an option because the buses don't run in the evening.

Book a room in Michigan City or New Buffalo. Hire a driver to and from the hotel. Lunch at Stop 50 the next day. Might as well do it up right!

Rene G wrote:

gdenby wrote:Don't believe walking to/from the Walmart would be a lot of fun, less so after eating. Don't recall sidewalks along the way, and certainly very little shade. Suppose it was a country road maybe 10 years ago, but busy now during the day, and pitch dark at night. Do mooch.

I was only answering the question, "Is it possible?" I'm sure Melissa realizes getting driven directly there would be more pleasant than taking public transportation. There are no sidewalks on W 400 N but wide grassy areas, between the curb and the cornfields, are available almost continuously from Walmart to TMIP (you can preview the walk using Google Street View). I doubt I'd want to walk it after dark, but that's not an option because the buses don't run in the evening.

I'm unfortunately inclined to be completely literal. Possible = how to = walk a few miles was, for most of my life, a direct response. Didn't have to worry about sore feet. But always hated traffic whizzing by.

Honestly, going there, I quipped to my wife, "You know, we could just park here and wade up the creek." Her response, "I don't think I'd be up to that right now."

Loved my dinner at TMIP tonight; really impressive how well everything ran for opening weekend. The meal began with a tour of the farm which was fun and informative. The only other restaurant that sits on a farm I have dined at would be Blue Hill at Stone Barns; compared to that the property is definitely a lot smaller and more rustic, but nevertheless charming.

There are two small dining rooms and you walk through the kitchen on route. They only had two couples dining tonight, so we each had our own private dining room. Like the exterior, the dining rooms were rustic yet charming and we were very comfortable. The serving pieces are beautiful with the pottery made by a local artist and some pieces made from a fallen walnut tree from the farm.

The meal itself was incredible; one of the more interesting dining experiences I have had and all the courses ranged from good to fantastic. Strong emphasis on ultra local ingredients (as much as possible is from the farm itself) and on Native American cuisine. While initially it seemed as though TMIP was going to have a lot of highly unique, shocking ingredients such as crickets, beaver etc. they have decided for now to make the meal more approachable. That is not to say it is a conservative meal by any point; there was bison tartare, elk heart, frog leg and whole fish on the menu as well as interesting and unique flavor combinations and preparations (I love the idea behind the perpetual stew - the stew is going 24/7 on an outdoor campfire and every time some is removed for service, more is added resulting in a rich, broad depth of flavors that is always changing). Highlights included the perpetual stew, a course featuring two preparations of pork (loin or belly) with a licorice jelly and fresh items from their garden and the trout course (served whole) with a sassafras sauce. For now there is only a single dessert (plus an incredible tasting caramel served with delicious Sparrow coffee at the end of the meal); the dessert was on par with the savories and they are planning on adding a second dessert at some point. They initially were planning on offering a vegan and meat-focused menu, but instead have opted to take the best dishes of both and have vegetarian/vegan meals available upon request. They also seem as though they are extremely open to tweaking the menu based on individual restrictions/preferences; just speak up and they will do their best to accommodate.

Service was warm, friendly and surprisingly efficient for such a new venue. Chef Baltzley presented at least half the courses tableside himself. Everyone seemed so passionate about the venue and it was such an inviting place. After dinner we spent about fifteen minutes sitting around the campfire with the TMIP staff and it was a wonderful finish to an amazing dining experience. Definitely well worth the approximately 1.25 hour drive from Lakeview; I plan to dine here quarterly (though they will be closing for a portion of the winter, January and February.

Very few negatives on the night. Some of the portions were quite large for an extended tasting menu; I was fine but have a big appetite. Two of the early courses (a nut based risotto and a bison tartate) were nearly the size of an appetizer in a standard three-course-meal and the trout course was a whole fish per/person (the rest of the courses were typical tasting menu sized portions). Someone with a average to below average appetite likely would be full before meal's end if they ate the entire plate of the early courses. Also many of the courses are grilled and feature a smoky flavor (part of the Native American influence on the cuisine); personally I love this profile but if you are averse to smoky flavors this would be an issue.

TMIP is definitely a very unique venue and at $125 for dinner and $95 for lunch (includes tax/tip/meal - tonight's was 14 courses) one of the best values you can fine (it is BYOB with coffee at the end of the meal and a couple teas paired with select courses included; in the future they plan to offer some house made alcoholic beverages with service included in the price). The closest comparison I can think of is Elizabeth, but it is very different in that instead of bringing the farm to the restaurant, the restaurant has been brought to the farm; the cuisine is Native American focused and presentations are more rustic. There also is a faint resemblance to Blue Hill at Stone Barns with the location literally being on a farm and the menu frequently changing based on what is in season; but totally different ambiance, service and style of cuisine. Outstanding addition to the Chicagoland dining scene and a dinner here makes for a truly special, memorable evening.

Gonzo70, your experience seems quite similar to mine. The only real problem was there was so much. My youngest son, about the same age as the Chef, would have had no problem. My wife and I requested smaller portions, and we were accommodated by sharing a few of the larger courses, such as the trout.

I was able to speak w. Chef B some about sourcing. Was saddened to learn that lasts years drought stressed a local bison farm enough that they had to cease operation. We spoke about using beech nuts, and he replied that they had not been able to find any in the vicinity. The closest I knew of was about 15 miles away. Given the size of the staff, and the immense amount of work they have to do, even a 15 mile trip could be out of range. And he mentioned that their schedule was so full that by the time they got to forage for cattail, it was past its peak, and so unusable till next year.

Given the location, we considered staying overnight at a motel, but the last course with the coffee and sugar was enough to get us home 45 minutes later.

Argh. Baltzley's instagram feed shows a picture stating that TMIP was shut down by county inspectors today... I was just about to make reservations for later in August. I'm hopeful he gets over this obstacle as quickly and easily as possible.

The notice posted on the door just says "No Permit." without a specific citation. I looked over the health rule mentioned on the notice, and it covers everything from cuts on hands and sneezing to septic systems. The old house, tho' it looks really nice, doesn't have adequate fire suppression for all I know. Or the proximity to a chicken coop is too small. ??? Could be many problems to sort out.

Or just the formality of applying for a permit and getting it, but under a circumstance where the time delay is disastrous.

The worrying thing is if they can not even stay at the place, how will the livestock be fed?

It was one of the most amazing meals I'd ever had. A shame if more can't be made because the kitchen needs a vent.

If he repurposed as a private club or catering operation that required tickets to each dinner "event", would the rules be any different?

The restaurant, Mr. Baltzley indicated on Instagram, had been operating without the necessary permits. The chef said that he and his partner would be starting a Kickstarter campaign "in hopes of figuring out how to salvage what many people spent the last year of their life working towards."

Reached by phone this morning, Mr. Baltzley said, "We're trying to do everything in our power to make it compliant. I'm not going to just fold."

He added, "We've invested $250,000 and we ran out of money."

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... n-michigan

"If he repurposed as a private club or catering operation that required tickets to each dinner "event", would the rules be any different?"

I believe that's what he was trying to do. He may have gotten away with it if he had been a little more underground about it. Unfortunately, based on his Instagram and twitter comments, it sounds like the kitchen might not be even close to complying with the regulations, which tend to be so highly specific (often pointlessly) that converting a regular to a restaurant kitchen usually requires gutting and building out the kitchen from scratch.

From the instagrams, tweets, etc, it appears the kitchen was gutted and rebuilt.

I skimmed over about a hundred pages of the regulations. I'm not qualified to to make anything more than a layperson's comments. I noticed a few things that I suppose were questionable, but non-critical, such as the whole of the parking area not being paved. Light levels may have not been up to specified illumination. "This area need 20 foot candles of illumination, and there is only 18..."

There may not have been adequate HACCP documentation. Considering the very unorthodox nature of the food, some of what was being served does not seem to fit within the regulation categories. There may not have been an identified service schedule for the water filtration system. Etc.

It could even be that a plan was not submitted in time to describe how the building was being re-worked for retail food service.

Anyway, all the food was good to exceptional. The staff seemed to me to be completely professional, if over worked. Its a loss to diners, as well as the crew. I really wanted to get back when the corn and squash were ready.

Brandon says they will not try to reopen
https://twitter.com/BrandonBaltzley/sta ... 9655545856

I really haven't followed the Baltzey saga but after spending so much time hyping the big new restaurant, it seems odd that you wouldn't ensure the permit/red tape ducks are in a row

sounds like the food was killer