“Holly’s Landing, one of the area’s new restaurants, opens for business today.
Holly’s, representing a $500,000 investment, is located at 1134 N. Niagara, just north of the Holland-Remington bridge.
It has open-beamed ceilings and storage rafters with an assortment of crates, barrels, and casks. The dining room will seat 160 persons and the cocktail lounge has space for an additional 80. An expansive kitchen is an added feature.
The decor, of course, is early wharf throughout, and accented by buoy bells and fog horn.”
--The Saginaw News, October 20, 1973.
For a quarter of a century, Holly’s Landing drew diners to the west bank of the river. Nestled amongst industrial buildings, it was designed to evoke an 1880s wharf-side inn and warehouse and its exposed pilings, rough wood siding and expanse of stone created an easy dialogue with neighbors. However, its vast expanses of glass and subtle manipulation of interior space, which dramatically framed the river views, evidenced the modern design credentials of its architects--Saginaw’s Toshach & Spears in association with Kenneth Neptune of Beverly Hills, California.
The restaurant was developed by Hollys Inc. a Grand Rapids company:
“Holly’s Inc. was founded in 1924. ...The company owns and operates Holly’s Restaurants, Holiday Inns of Grand Rapids and Muskegon and Holly’s Steak & 4. Other Holly’s Landings are located in Grand Rapids, St. Joseph, South Bend, Ind. and a fifth is scheduled for opening in late fall at Fort Wayne, Ind., after the Saginaw’s Holly’s opening.” (The Saginaw News, February 21. 1973).
Although part of a chain, the restaurant had a uniquely local feel - it is difficult to believe that any other restaurant in the chain was sited in a location that so perfectly captured the eatery’s name. And just in case the river and adjoining commercial buildings didn’t reinforce the dock-side theme, one was greeted at the front entrance with a not-too-subtle soundtrack of dock sounds – strangely, the sound of a foghorn on a bright, sunny Saginaw day seemed perfectly natural and appropriate.
Holly’s Inc. developed a second Saginaw venue on Bay Road - Holly’s Steak & 4 which transitioned into a Holly’s By Golly. For almost exactly a quarter of a century, Holly’s Landing was a Saginaw destination. With the walls of the bar area adorned with sketches of regular customers, it had a local feel. The mixture of hotels and restaurants comprising Holly’s Inc. provided a complex and sometimes uneven revenue stream for the Grand Rapids-based corporation. After being sold a few times, the chain closed the Bay Road venue. By May of 1999, rumors were circulating that the building would be sold to the Texas-based Hooters chain. On June 16, 1999, The Saginaw News announced:
“for the second time in five months, a ‘fine dining’ establishment on the Saginaw riverfront has closed.”
Soon construction crews were remodeling the building for the Hooter’s chain. Before the new restaurant opened later that fall, an auction was held to sell the furnishings and antiques, which once adorned the interior. The newspaper noted:
“Grand Rapids-based Holly’s Inc. has changed hands several times since the Saginaw site opened said Michael Elliston, vice president of finance.
‘I couldn't shed any light on’ the antiques' origins, Elliston said. The chain, which has moved out of the restaurant business and into hotels, with seven properties in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, has no use for the items.
John Mahar, a vendor at the Antique Warehouse, 1910 N. Michigan, surmises most of the older pieces came from the west side of the state.
‘Grand Rapids was the hub of the chain,’ Mahar said. Indeed, two of the tin signs for sale advertise a Zeeland shoe business and a Grand Rapids coal company.
In a way, the restaurant was ahead of its time, he added. Many of today's popular franchises rely on memorabilia for decor.
Nostalgia may play a part for those who bid on tables, said Jean Quinn, co-owner of the Antique Warehouse. ‘The tables aren't really antique, but they'd probably be a collectible for someone who loved going to Holly's,’ she said.
Burlap potato and seed sacks cover the tables, visible under a layer of clear plastic.
Also included in the sale is a framed poster mounted on a silver metal pedestal.
‘Welcome to Holly's Landing,’ it says. "The main dining room is closed ...’
(The Saginaw News, September 10, 1999).
Hooter’s would stay at the site a few years before leaving for Bay Road. Although the building is gone, the parking lot and some foundations mark the site.
For a tour of Holly’s Landing, check the TV5 Vault.
The Recipe: The Landing Salad (Sort-of-Kind-of, perhaps...)
Preamble to the Recipe
The CTK staff spent the last weeks searching and discussing the recipe for the famed Landing Salad. Although we haven’t actually found the recipe, we have discovered memories of Holly’s Landing are shaped by a love of blue cheese. For those who love blue cheese, the Landing Salad was the center of the menu – and is greatly missed. For those who do not care for blue cheese, one is greeted by a blank look and the conversation quickly turns to the memories of the stained-glass panels surmounting the decorative, over-sized wine casks – so 70s; or the recordings of wharf sounds playing by the entrance – so theatrical.
There are online recipes purporting to be the true secret recipe. While they provide inspiration and guidance, none are truly sublime.
We broadened our research and discovered this article in the Grand Rapids Press feature about local restaurants:
“First off, there is the famous Landing salad straight from Holly’s Landing at Holiday Inn North. It has been popular since the day the landing opened back in 1968. Dick Webster . . . wrote a note with the recipe”
In May of 1968, my dad participated in the National Restaurant Association annual convention and show at Chicago . . . During that week, he dined at Churchill’s Hotel, across the street from the famous Pump Room. The delicious salad enjoyed at Churchill’s of Chicago- was the ‘idea’ for the Holly’s landing salad.
‘See, I told you most recipes’ are stolen!’ Dick added.
He then explained the recipe was refined for the Landing. Although Dick points out that ‘any commercial blue cheese dressing may be used for the salad,’ he did confess the Landing does add some ‘special seasonings’ to the dressing which were not included with the recipe. So, our suggestion is to try the Landing salad first, then experiment with the dressing at home.”
Holly's Landing
Landing salad
½ head lettuce
2 ounces blue cheese dressing
1 tablespoon chopped hard-cooked egg
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Bac-O-Bits
Fresh ground pepper
Wash lettuce and cut into 1½-inch squares. Mix blue cheese dressing well with lettuce. Place lettuce on chilled plate. Sprinkle on chopped egg, Parmesan cheese and Bac-O-Bits. Serve. Add fresh ground pepper to order.
(The Grand Rapids Press, March 16, 1981).
While at first glance this appears to open the door to the secrets of the Landing Salad, it really leaves out key elements – the “special seasonings” and the recipe/or brand for the blue cheese dressing.
So, the CTK fretted and improvised, and this is what we concocted:
An Unfaithful Recreation of a Landing Salad
Dressing – Adapted from one on the Allrecipes website:
About 2 ½ ounces blue cheese, finely crumbled (Adjust amount to obtain proper texture and flavor)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Combine sugar and white wine vinegar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Combine the remaining ingredients except blue cheese with white wine vinegar mixture and stir. Then fold in finely crumbled blue cheese. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
To create salad:
½ head iceberg lettuce, torn into 1 ½ inch squares (this is a 1960s recipe - use iceberg lettuce)
2 ounces dressing 1 tablespoon chopped or sieved hardboiled egg 1 teaspoon finely grated parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon cooked bacon, chopped
Croutons Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Wash, dry and tear lettuce into squares. In a large bowl, dress lettuce with blue cheese dressing. Chill for at least ½ hour – but not too long. Plate on chilled plate, and in the following order top with egg, parmesan cheese, bacon and croutons. As desired, add freshly ground pepper – preferably use an over-sized wooden peppermill.
To further set the mood, serve with a loaf of sourdough bread and play a recording of a foghorn – or seagulls.
When dining, debate the accuracy of this recipe over other versions. Of course, you will have set aside some lettuce for those who do not like blue cheese and will be prepared for the reaction of the blue cheese opposed – they will not have any memory of a Landing Salad.
CTK NOTES:
We have been trying to recreate the Landing salad for some time. The past quarter century has dimmed our taste buds. However, we know this is certainly not an accurate recreation. That said, we have discovered one thing: pre-dressing, chilling, and serving on a chilled plate are integral parts of recreating a Landing Salad.
We suggest taking the Grand Rapids Press’ advice: “So, our suggestion is to try the Landing salad first, then experiment with the dressing at home.” Of course, one can no longer order a true Landing salad ….