Perfect summer dining destination

Family-owned restaurant on Sugar Creek set for summer

Haven 55 is ready for summer.

“We pick up considerably in the summer,” front-of-house manager Micah said of the family-owned restaurant, Haven 55. “We get a lot of vacationers in our area.”

Perched over Little Sugar Creek in Pineville, Missouri, the eatery is a perfect summertime culinary retreat. The quaint dining room can seat 60 guests with windows overlooking the bucolic setting and an outdoor eating area for warm weather dining.

The historic location of the eatery is a former grist mill overlooking the site of the water powered generator that once served the surrounding community.

“This building still has a spillway under it, where the grist mill was,” said Micah.

The setting beside the river also provides frequent entertainment by the area wildlife. Regular visitors include Mortimer, the blue heron who is an unofficial mascot of the restaurant.

Chef Alan Bone was trained in Orlando at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After he graduated, he stayed in Florida a while and worked under different chefs. He returned to Southwest Missouri where he was born and raised, worked for other chefs and decided to open his own restaurant when the building where Haven 55 is now located was available, back in 2012.

“It was where he wanted to be and what he wanted to do,” said Micah, who is also Alan’s fiancee. “Now, here he is. He was born and raised two miles down the road from the restaurant.”

The restaurant focuses on house-made, quality fare.

“The menu is American regional rustic, meaning it is pulled from different parts of America and is plated simply,” said chef Bone.

Although the quality is high and the dishes are distinctly chef-inspired creations, the food is not extravagant or complicated.

“Everything is prepared fresh and made to order,” Micah continued. “We take a little longer. It’s all prepared when it’s ordered. We don’t pre-prep anything.”

Micah was quick to answer when asked her favorite lunch menu item.

“My go-to lunch is the Croque Monsieur,” she said. “That’s my favorite. I call it a glorified grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It has a little bit of mayonnaise and mustard and two different cheeses, Swiss and provolone, and ham. It’s grilled to perfection. I love it.”

Haven 55 burgers are a hot item, too. “We sell a lot of burgers,” Micah said. “We use certified angus beef, which has great flavor.”

Specials

Each week Haven 55 rolls out several different specials.

Get your reservations in early to partake in Haven 55’s Wednesday Prime Rib night – a mid-week tradition worth planning ahead for.

“That way we know how many to put in the oven,” Micah said. “Those people with reservations will always get their prime rib. Those people who just walk in with no reservation … we can’t guarantee it.”

There’s also Crab Leg Thursday’s featuring all-you-can-eat succulent crab legs. Regular menu items are also available.

Haven 55’s Tavern is open Friday and Saturday nights and serves housecrafted pizzas and other tavern fare. The tavern stays open later than the restaurant to extend your night out, and they have regular live performances by local artists, as well as karaoke every Saturday night.

Visit haven55.com and keep an eye on the Haven 55 Facebook page for changing specials, a more detailed schedule of upcoming events, and to view their menu.

A meal at this hidden gem is more than just lunch or dinner; it’s a dining destination.