How much do we like The Cove? It’s our “theme picture.” This is as good as fried fish gets, and it partially disproves our fears that delightfully scenic restaurants don’t always excel at the food.

The bad news, dear reader(s), is that we don’t come to you as experts on the entire menu on The Cove. We got the Great Lakes combo the first time and now it’s difficult to get anything, unless we move to Leland. In fact, we even had the mistaken notion that The Cove wasn’t open for lunch – it is, but the combo isn’t available at lunch.

The dish provides the formidable fried trio of perch, walleye and whitefish. If you must get one of these get the walleye, for meaty, Midwestern perfection, but you really should get the combo.

While the fish is the star here, the accompanying vegetables have been appealing too. The asparagus on a previous visit and the string beans on the last trip taste like they were just picked down the road.

Adding to the “pure Michigan” atmosphere is the setting, a wooden building near the water and the old-timey buildings of Fishtown.