Paint Creek Cider Mill Winter Menu Features Naughty, Nice Options

While most area cider mills are closing shop as fall gives way to winter, Paint Creek Cider Mill restaurant owner John Sheild is still serving up old favorites – along with a few savory new additions.

The restaurant, which is now open year-round, implemented its new winter menu on Dec. 1, though it will continue to offer the same cider and doughnuts that make it such a popular seasonal attraction each fall.

"There was a big demand, and people wanted us to stay open," said Sheild, who lives in Clarkston. "We're still on the trail. They still like the atmosphere of the place."

The new menu now includes garden salads, wraps, soups, quesadillas, flatbread pizzas and other healthier options, including vegetarian choices. Don't worry, though – the restaurant still serves the comfort foods Sheild says his patrons love most.

"We're trying to do both," said Sheild. "(People) love the fries and the chili fries and all that stuff, but you can get a salad, and the wraps are pretty good."

Coney dogs, chili cheese fries, doughnuts and ice cream are still fixtures on the menu, along with ice cream floats, chicken tenders and onion rings. The spicy "Trailblazer" hot dog burns up the menu, while more than a dozen flavors of doughnuts – including maple bacon, Gummi bear and chocolate coconut – ensure that even the sweetest tooth will be satisfied.

"They love our prices and they love our fresh food – what more could you ask for?" said Sheild.

"Oh, I like the new menu, and I love that he has soup down there now," said Deb Gallo, clerical assistant for the Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission's offices are located on the second floor of the Paint Creek Cider Mill.

"I got a Chicken Caesar wrap, and it was very good," said Carol Kasprzak, administrative assistant for the Oakland Township Parks and Recreation Commission. "It's nice to be able to just walk down there."

"Oh my gosh, it was so good," said Kasprzak as she recalled trying Sheild's homemade chicken noodle soup for the first time. "It's very convenient, and it's good food. It's good comfort food."

"If you're in the mood for a hearty lunch," began Kasprzak.

"It's a good place to go," finished Gallo. "There's no wimpy stuff down there!"

But the Paint Creek Cider Mill's new menu isn't just about turning a profit – it's also about being a part of the community all year long, and it's about giving back.

Sheild says he takes free doughnuts over to the Oakland County Sheriff's Department substation across the street about once a week, and he makes a point to give free food to servicemen and -women in uniform who visit the restaurant. He says he also uses only local cider and apples whenever possible.

The restaurant also raises money for wounded service members, but in a rather unconventional way: Staff members staple bills to the ceiling.

"We've got the money on the ceiling that started out when I opened up" in June, said Sheild, who gestured toward the numerous dollar bills that dangled above him. "You put the dollars on the ceiling for good luck in a new business, and now people are coming in and they're putting their names on the dollars, and (we) put 'em up.

"Next year, it'll be full, and we're going to donate it to the Wounded Soldiers charity fund. It's pretty cool."

Note: In mid-December 2010, the Paint Creek Cider Mill restaurant closed for the season. It will reopen in the Spring.