Saturday night suppers

IN THE CALM, SNOW-BRIGHT VILLAGE OF NORTHPORT, THREE CHEFS TREAT A GROWING FANDOM TO A MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DREAM.

- GREG TASKER

It’s a frosty night near the far tip of the Leelanau Pen-insula, and although the streets of Northport are as deserted as an abandoned movie set, lights are glowing inside The Tribune Ice Cream & Eatery, a restaurant otherwise closed on Saturday evening, or any evening, for that matter.

A large stock pot of aromatic bouillabaisse, rich with chunks of cod, mussels, octopus and monkfish, is simmering on the stove, easing the bite of the January night and beckoning the weather-hardy for an intimate dinner at The Tribune.

Tonight’s menu is full-on French, and as the winter travelers arrive, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, they dust snow from their coats and hats. Wine bottles in tow, they jokingly utter “Bonsoir,” or maybe “Bonjour,” or some other French greeting, as they take in the cozy, lively surroundings.

The Tribune, housed in an old newspaper building, seats just 24, and is open as a breakfast and lunch spot almost every day of the year. The eatery boasts a street-front ice cream window, attracting happy hordes of boaters, day-trippers and those who call this bayside burg home. In summer, people line up out the door, sometimes waiting two hours, for a classic breakfast: items like huevos rancheros and biscuits and gravy that are not uncommon anywhere, but at The Tribune include locally sourced ingredients and the culinary attention of owner Eric Allchin.

Winter, of course, is a different beast. “Winters in Northport are quiet,” says an apron-donned Eric, head chef for the weekly dinners, as he tends to preparations in the open kitchen. “We wanted to do something to bring people together, to create a sense of community.”