The Landmark Inn is known for its elegant style, haunted rooms, and its historic value in the Marquette area, but not everyone knows of the restaurant and bar hidden inside: The Northland Pub.

Upon entering, my girlfriend and I were greeted with a “Please Seat Yourself” sign, so naturally we sat ourselves at the first open table, as well as the only open table at the time.

The holiday weekend and ongoing Blues Fest kept the moderately sized pub filled with customers.

As we patiently waited to get menus and place our drink order  I was able to admire the décor.

The small but cozy eatery had a classic pub feel to it. Every table, chair, bar stool and even the bar itself had a polished wood finish. Behind the bar was a beautiful stained glass window pane that acts as a centerpiece while adding a touch of color to its wood finished elements.

The crowd seemed to be mostly middle-aged and older folks with the sporadic college student in the mix.

Although a bar, it has a bit more elegance about it than some of the other local hang outs.

This calls for somewhat nicer attire, as you might feel a little uncomfortable in your sweat pants, but no need to go your best dressed; business casual is a good guideline.

The waitress arrived at our table in a prompt manner with the menus and to take our drink order.

After receiving drinks, we were ready to place our appetizer order.

We chose the chicken wings with the unique sauce known to the pub as “Boom Boom.” The waitress described it as zesty thousand island dressing. Shortly after, we placed our dinner order. Then came the waiting game, 30 minutes passed and finally the wings were placed at our table.

The “Boom Boom” sauce turned out to be delicious. It was creamy, tangy and spicy all in one bite. Although, I was only able to enjoy one of the wings before the entrees arrived.

For my meal, I ordered the roast beef brisket sandwich which comes with shaved brisket, grilled mushrooms, Swiss cheese, arugula and a sweet chili aioli all on a toasted hoagie roll.

The sandwich was absolutely delectable. You could taste every component of the dish working together, adding its own flavor to the mix and then coming together in perfect harmony. Brisket often has a chewy texture and the tendency to be overcooked, but this brisket wasn’t the same. It was prepared with mushrooms to bring a nice earthy flavor, and the chili aioli smoothed it all out with a slight spicy twang.

The Northland is a very nice establishment with organized and clean service and friendly staff.

My only complaint about the meal was the timing. It took far too long to bring out the wings, and when they did arrive, the entrees were brought to the table at the same time. We then had this massive amount of food in front of us, which became a little overwhelming.

However, the food was outstanding and held unique flavors.

I would recommend this resturant to anyone who is interested in looking to upgrade from the college bar scene to a more sophisticated and unique pub and grill approach.