Murphy Inn Restaurant, St. Clair, Michigan

We love to spend summer afternoons boating between and on Lakes Huron, St. Clair and Erie including the smaller rivers and tributaries. Quite often that means docking to enjoy dinner as well. Last Sunday was likely the warmest day of the season so far. We had spent a good portion of the Saturday ripping out and adding a new square foot garden bed. We fully intended to continue working on the vegetable garden on Sunday but by mid-morning it was really too hot, just perfect for boating.

Murphy Inn

We decided to make a trip to St. Clair, Michigan. This is a quaint and pretty little town on the St. Clair River just a bit south of Port Huron, Michigan. There is a lovely little marina on Pine River that is within walking distance of a few good restaurants. The fee to dock for a half day is $5 at the marina and free along the river. Gas and clean-out are available at the marina.

The Pine River and St. Clair River is patrolled by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency. They are stationed out of the marina so it is very common for them to check boats both in the marina and those docked along the river. When arriving by boat in the US you must have valid acceptable identification (Nexus, passport, security driver's license) according to the new rules that went into effect on June 1, 2009. You must call into Customs upon arrival if you are not an American citizen prior to leaving your boat. You must declare anything you are bringing into the US as well.

Murphy Inn located at 505 Clinton Avenue in St. Clair, Michigan is a historic 1836 boarding house that features quality Irish food and lodging. Live entertainment is also featured. To the left of the spacious entrance is the non-smoking dining room. To the right is the pub and pub style dining. Both rooms are tastefully decorated according to the style. The pub features a lot of wood for a cosy, comfortable atmosphere. Happy hour is from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Monday to Saturday and all day Tuesday (draft beer only). In addition to that there are daily food specials and food is available for carry-out for a slight extra charge. Murphy Inn like other restaurants in the area is very reasonable priced. They have a wide selection of food sure to please everyone. They are kid friendly complete with a kid's menu also very reasonably priced.

We enjoyed our nice leisurely meal in the pleasant atmosphere of the pub room. The total cost with cocktails was $38.66 plus tip. I really must comment on the atmosphere. Murphy Inn is just a real delight to visit! The staff is some of the friendliest you will ever meet. They are attentive with quick service and never make you feel like you are being rushed out the door. The pub side is a particularly pleasant way to spend a few hours and enjoy the live entertainment. This is one restaurant well worth a stop!

Broiled Cod

Most of the restaurants along the Great Lakes basin and within close proximity to the water offer a good choice of local fish such as lake perch and pickerel. Almost all of them have fish & chips on their menu as well. The dress code for most of these restaurants is dress casual as they cater to the boating community and locals.

My husband ordered the broiled cod (pictured) and potato sausage soup (not pictured) in lieu of vegetables. The meal came with two nice sized pieces of seasoned broiled cod, soup or vegetables, choice of potato and a thick slice of homemade bread for $10.99. This cod was cooked perfectly, nicely flaking yet moist. The seasonings used were not overpowering. Of note was the potato sausage soup that I will be duplicating at home.

Barbeque Chicken

I ordered the Sunday special of all you can eat chicken. The waitress said there would be a little extra charge for all white meat but I didn't mind. The meal came with choice of chicken (bbq, roasted or fried), mashed potatoes, stuffing and coleslaw for $9.99 plus $1.99 for all white meat. The chicken breasts were huge, considerably more than I could eat! I definitely did not have to order extra. The potatoes were homestyle real mashed potatoes complete with peels. The stuffing was just a bit different as it was seasoned with caraway. This is not a seasoning I would have paired with stuffing. The creamy coleslaw was a nice mix of sweet and tang. This really was a lovely meal!