News Photo by Julie Riddle Diners enjoy the cozy interior of John A. Lau Saloon and Restaurant, one of several Alpena businesses to open or reopen their doors recently.

ALPENA–Alpena’s John A. Lau Saloon and Restaurant, in the Old Town Alpena corridor on Second Avenue north of the river, is back to serving up good food in a classy environment. The restaurant reopened its doors in May after being closed since December for renovations of its kitchen, bathrooms, and flooring. Customers will find the wood, tin and brick interior largely unchanged, with the most noticeable difference appearing on the restaurant’s menu.

New owner John Benson, who also owns the restaurant across the street from John Lau’s, condensed the restaurant’s food offerings, eliminating the pastas, sandwiches, and children’s menu that have been staples in the past. The menu’s new focus is steaks and seafood, according to manager James Smith, although burgers are still available.

The attached beer garden, a popular relaxation spot in the past, is not yet open but is expected to be back, with a refresher of new stain and plants, in spring.

The new menu has been mostly well received, Smith said, with some raised eyebrows at missing items and upscale prices. Customers are beginning to see the revamped eating experience as a treat to look forward to.

“Most people that come here come to spoil themselves,” Smith said, describing the pina coladas, daiquiris, and other mixed drinks available at the bar, along with 12 beers on tap. “It’s a place you want to come, sit, relax, have a glass of wine.”

Long-time customers are acquainted with the restaurant’s ghosts, Smith said. The business is said to be haunted by two female ghosts, perhaps a remnant of the days when part of the building was used as a funeral parlor, with embalming in the basement. The ghosts are said to watch out for women who dine in the restaurant, not much caring for the men.

“I chalk it up to something that could happen anywhere,” Smith said.

———-

Across the street at JJ’s Steak & Pizza House, a newly-built room houses a collection of heads meant to educate and entertain at the same time. Aware of the extensive collection of mounted animals filling the walls and ceilings at JJ’s, Besser Museum reached out to owner John Benson when they were lacking storage room for a collection of mounted heads.

Benson, ready to add more to his already extensive collection of everything from moose and goose to lion, zebra, and magnificent elephant, built a room that holds 30-35 customers where the Besser heads can be displayed. The room can be rented for events, with children or adults given placemats with information about the animals around them to read while they much their pizza.

———-

Another food establishment, Big Mike’s Pizza, opened for business this spring. Previously Komo’s Pizza on Chisholm Street, Big Mike’s offers a smaller menu to accommodate the limited storage in the small building. Owner Mike Anderson offers pizzas, hoagies, and some fried foods, “and salad for the person at the office that’s on a diet,” Anderson said.

It’s a family business, Anderson said, with his kids helping to clean and fold boxes when they’re not in school. As a family man, he has to work his restaurant hours around his kids’ schedule, which means he isn’t open every Friday, but that should change once the school year starts up.

———-

Two other Chisholm Street businesses recently opened their doors to the public. Boots On The Ground Geoventures, just north of the 10th Avenue railroad tracks, opened July 4 in the old Naylor’s Bar and Grill location. The business offers one-of-a-kind family-friendly experiences, combining the popular hobby of geocaching with the adventure of a treasure hunt. Participants are sent all over Alpena, solving clues and working their way toward a real treasure chest.

Regalo Luxury Gifts, in downtown Alpena, has been open for a month, selling eco-friendly and homemade household and gift items. The open space of the peaceful store is lined with shelves holding an eclectic collection of jewelry, wallets, measuring cups, canvas dinosaur lunch pails, popping corn, diffusers, and reusable silicone straws – a best-seller, according to a store employee. A simple children’s section offers items not sold elsewhere, including unique beach-play toys perfect for summer.

As “Big Mike” Anderson observed, it’s easy to open a new business. The hard part is keeping it open. That part happens with hard work and the help of Alpena shoppers, diners, and adventurers.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.