Ah, civilization.
These words popped into my mind when I walked into Rumors, Inc. restaurant in Hudson, Mich. The quality of the food, the laid-back and inviting atmosphere, and the wonderful staff will make you want to take the trip to this place over and over again.
And it’s only 15 minutes away.
Rumors celebrated their first year of business in July. Restaurant owner Dennis Smoke said the “limited menu” allows for every dish to be made consistantly well. The restaurant likes to work with local food vendors such as McAuliffe’s Meats in Addison, Mich. and McCarty’s Bakery in Hudson. They also buy local produce in the summer.
Both McAuliffe’s and McCarty’s play an important role in creating Rumors’ most popular menu items: the burgers –– costing only seven dollars a piece. The meat is local and every burger comes on a specially made pretzel bun from McCarty’s. Rumors has a number of specialty burgers, but you can also make your own burger by choosing from a list of toppings and cheeses.
The BBQ bacon burger we ordered came stacked high with onion rings and dripping in pepper jack cheese and barbeque sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly and retained its juiciness while the onion rings and bacon added a nice crunch to the overall consistency. Rumors is right to boast about the pretzel buns. The bread did not overwhelm the rest of the ingredients but did its job in holding everything together.
The burger was the best kind of messy — making you want to lick everything left over off of your fingers. I recommend splurging and getting the sweet potato fries on the side, which come with a tangy sweet sauce. The burger showed Rumors is capable of great consistency, and the Memphis Mac ‘n Cheese we ordered demonstrated the chef’s creativity.
The grilled barbeque pork slices had a smoky flavor that enhanced the smoked gouda in the pasta, and the ample amount of scallions on top added the crunch and bite the dish needed. It was a mac and cheese that rivaled my own, and I’m a self-labeled macaroni and cheese aficionado. I couldn’t stop eating it.
It’s a good thing Rumors has reasonable portion sizes because I still had room left for the incredible desserts. Where most restaurants slack off and underperform, Rumors delivers up until the very end.
Dennis Smoke makes the crème brulée and his chef makes the homemade apple fritters. We couldn’t choose between the two, so we ordered both. It was the best decision of the evening. The apple fritters were crunchy on the outside while staying light and fluffy on the inside — bliss in a dish. It is very easy to mess up a crème brulée. Smoke keeps his simple and classic and is made to perfection.
Everything about Rumors, Inc. makes me want to bring every single one of my friends back to enjoy a great burger, sit at the bar and have a Michigan beer on tap, or maybe just go for dessert. The restaurant is a great success and a much needed get away for someone in need of a little civilization.
