Windmill Restaurant in Holland, MI

​Dining in Holland

Last July, Don and I squeezed in a little Dutch Dining Adventure on our Michigan trip.

I remember Holland, Michigan from when I was about 10. Sometimes you just have to revisit some of those old memories, when you have a chance.

Playing Tourist

I remember going to some kind of Dutch Village when I was a kid. So of course, I told Don we needed to play tourist, before lunch.

Actually the village I remember was costly and more for kids. We opted to spend time at Windmill Island, instead.

We got to go up in the DeZwaan Windmill, which is an actual working mill, brought over from Holland over 50 years ago. I saw a lot of wooden shoes and missed the ones I remember buying years ago.

​Lunchtime

Then it was time to catch lunch in downtown Holland. The sweet little diner looked picture perfect.

There was a pair of kissing Dutch kids in the window, plus a welcoming sign. Luckily there was no line. We heard the place could be crowded. It was nearly 2:00 and luckily they were still open. We headed in.

Long Counter

There were lots of stools available at the counter. 

We could have had some chat time with the staff, if we'd gone for counter dining.

There were lots of cozy booths and most of them were full.

I sort of liked this odd one at the very back of the room.  It had a framed print of the Big Red Lighthouse, that we also saw in the morning.

Dutch Decor

We were given a nice booth in the front. Don took a seat and I snapped a few pics.

If I'd had more time, I could have counted tulips or windmills or cute kissing figures. I'm not sure what the history is with the kissing Dutch kids.

Food
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​We were actually starved, so everything on the menu looked wonderful.

I ordered the egg salad, with bacon and tomato, on homemade toasted bread. Even the waxed paper had little windmills.

​Messy Dining!

Our messy sandwiches were delicious. Don's French Dip was as good as the reviews we'd read before arrival.

I got my turn to attack my overstuffed sandwich!

I allowed Don to take a photo of me and my egg salad sandwich. I was pretending to be Elaine May in "A New Leaf".  Don played Walter Matthau, politely telling me when I had egg on my face.

Cafe History

Our server was quite young and couldn't tell us much about the history of our restaurant.

I read later that the cozy place had been a restaurant since the 1940's. It didn't take on the Windmill theme until 1964. 

Tulip Time?

Our young server did know a little bit about the annual Tulip Festival.

I asked her if she had ever seen the 1942 movie, "Seven Sweethearts" and of course she hadn't. I told her she must!

Street Scrubbing

"It's about this very town and the tulip festival!" I practically shouted. She actually seemed curious about the old movie. This photo reminded me of a scene in the old film.

I was excited to hear that the town still participates in a street scrubbing activity, before the festivities begin. 

Wooden Shoes

We finished up and got ready to head off. I took one last look at a shelf of Dutch decor.

Sigh... I laid eyes on the sweet wooden shoes and remembered the pair that I I once owned. I wore those things daily for quite a while, even after my dog chewed off the points!

​Fun stop with good food and good memories!
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