By Sheryl Oswalt
With summer quickly passing by, my husband and I enjoyed The Dek in Vicksburg on a couple of hot summer nights. We enjoyed great music, food and service.
I couldn’t help but notice the wide variety of guests at The Dek on both evenings. Young and old alike seemed to be enjoying the food and music. Several groups of ladies were enjoying themselves, busily snapping selfies.
Even I have been in town long enough to remember that what is now The Dek was not that long ago a branch of the Bank of America. The folks at the Vault did a lot of work to transform a bank building into an eating establishment and got the back deck started.
Owners of The Dek took over in mid-June and have finished many of the neat features that make up this new establishment.
The vision of Bonnie Granado was to create an atmosphere similar to dining on Lake Michigan or in Nantucket. That’s why she has created a great dining area out on the deck beside the water complete with an outside bar, a large event grill area, a variety of seating and room for a band and dancing. The interior is decorated in a nautical theme. Bonnie and her husband Rey have been busier than normal getting things up and running smoothly in this new venture. Already a very busy woman, Bonnie is a real estate broker in Portage with her own property management company. She is also very active in several nonprofit organizations in this area. Rey retired from GM in 2009, then worked for some time at the Center for Human Resources in Detroit. After enjoying a few years in retirement, he was game for participating in a new venture and is enjoying his time connecting with the people of Vicksburg and the social aspect of working in food service.
Tuesday night is Bike Night with drink and food specials and live entertainment. They also have entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.
They just printed a new expanded menu. It includes a special lunch section full of items recommended for those that are limited on time for lunch. They will also accept call-ahead orders. I tried their coconut perch and found it to be outstanding. No tartar sauce for that fish! We also tried and were happy with the chicken fingers and the nachos on our visits. They strive to have sauces and batters to complement the flavors of the food rather than cover them up. They use only yellow lake perch for the fish dinners and nothing makes it to the menu without first being tasted and approved by Bonnie and Rey. Their chicken and fish are hand battered and they make their own pub chips. This fall they plan to introduce some family style meals for the Sunday dinner crowd. Parties of all sizes will be welcome.
Entertainment was really good both nights we were there and Bonnie indicated that with the exception of some bigger name entertainers they have planned, most of their talent is local. This fall and winter, when they will have to move the party inside, they plan to work with some smaller bands or individuals to provide dinner music.
The Dek will be participating in the Vicksburg Tailgate Party at the High School and also providing food for the upcoming Touch a Truck event at the Lakeland Church on September 11. They have an active Facebook page where you can see lots of great food pictures if you’re curious. You can also stay up-to-date with their events and specials by texting The Dek to 69922. I did and as I close this article, we’re heading out to claim my $1 draft and grab some wings and listen to some tunes. Life is too short to wait for weekends. Who said you can’t eat out and go dancing on Tuesday night?