There are a lot of dining choices in Saugatuck and many reasons to pick one restaurant over another. I chose Hercules Bar & Grill because I wanted to have my canine join me in the enjoyment of my cuisine. They are one of the only places I know of that will allow my precious pooch to join me on the patio. (Not outside of a fence while I’m on the patio. They welcome dogs ON the patio right next to your table.)
I had stopped in for a glass of wine, and was impressed with the menu a week or two earlier, but on this night, dining with the dog was the plan.
We arrived close to closing time, but there was no hint of rushing us — just the opposite in fact. We had a lovely, relaxing dinner on the large patio, surrounded by beautiful flowers, a waterfall and statues. A white table cloth was spread on the wrought iron table, a bowl of water for the dog was delivered without being asked, and our drink orders were pleasantly taken.
We decided to start with the fried calamari ($8.50). It was one of the better calamari offerings I’ve had recently (I try it whenever possible.) It was served in long pieces, like fries, and accompanied by a tangy red sauce. It was tender and although there was breading on it, it didn’t seem heavy and it tasted great. I would order it again.
As the name would imply, Hercules offers a large array of Greek items. In fact it began as a hot dog restaurant and expanded over the years. You can get everything from a Coney dog to Lamb Chops. We were in the mood for dinner food so we headed to the entrée section of the menu.
After considering the Potato Crusted Walleye ($18.95) and the Salmon Plaki ($16.95) I decided Chicken Picatta ($15.95) was the ticket. It was really delicious. The vegetables were nicely done, the lemon caper sauce on the chicken was light and flavorful and I was happy with my choice.
My friend chose authentic Greek and tried the Pastitso ($10.95). This is a complex dish made with ground beef, penne pasta and topped with parmesan and a béchamel sauce, and also came with a vegetable. He said it was authentic and reminded him of the dish a Greek friend made.
Both of our entrees came with a salad, and it was crisp, cold and tasty, and had a traditional Greek dressing, olives, tomatoes, red onions and flanked by two grilled pieces of pita bread. We got full enough on the appetizer and salad that we had part of our dinners packed to go. We traded leftovers, and when I had the Pastitso for lunch the next day I scraped the plate to get every last bit of that tasty sauce. I hope my friend enjoyed the Chicken Picatta as much.
There are a lot of offerings at Hercules Bar and Grill in both ambience and food. The interior is sunny in the front, intimate in the bar area, then there’s a covered/enclosed porch area and then the lovely large outdoor patio where we dined. Note: if you plan to take the dog, you need to go around the corner and enter through the fence right onto the patio in back.
I’m sure that a visit to Hercules will figure in my plans whenever I dine in Saugatuck, because a dog friendly restaurant will get my business even if the food is just OK. But in the case of Hercules, I can dine with the dog and have great food. What could be better than that?
