INTERLOCHEN -- Growing-up with the last name of Tatar, (pronounced "tay-ter," of course) restaurant owner Tom Tatar got used to being called "Po." Little did he know it would lead to a sweet career celebrating all things potato.
At Clancy's Kitchen in Interlochen, it's all about the potato. Vintage Mr. Potato Head dolls peer down from the shelves. Cartoon potatoes string their Web site. Potatoes for breakfast, potatoes for lunch, potatoes for dinner -- even potatoes for dessert.
Everything from the ground-hugging russet to the newly popular sweet variety is spotlighted -- and sometimes slipped into -- the menu.
"Our specialties include Sweet Potato Egg Rolls, Sweet Potato Signature Pancakes and Sweet Potato Pie," Tatar said.
The egg rolls are a spangled mix of sprouts, eggs, ham, green onion and seasonings with chunks of baked sweet potato. Meanwhile, Tatar's special pancakes are made from sweet potato batter spiked with tart diced cherries and nutty oatmeal. The sweet potato pie is made from -- well, you get the picture. All three are priced under $5.
"We are learning that the sweet potato is one of the next 'super foods,'" Tatar said said. "They're looking into the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties you get from eating them."
As intriguing as all that may sound, customers wanting a little meat with their potatoes can find that at Clancy's Kitchen, too. The menu is wide-ranging, with beef, chicken, pork and seafood items featured throughout the day. A kids menu is also available.
"We make one heck of a Reuben sandwich. We use local Louie's corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and our own homemade Thousand Island dressing," Tatar said.
"I can go into any number of other restaurants and the food's the same," he said. "That's because it's from the same frozen plastic bags from the same restaurant supplier. Here, we make our food fresh from scratch, so it tastes better."
In fact, the only plastic food at Clancy's Restaurant is likely the Mr. Potato Head toys. Customers continue to donate the toys in various states of repair, which is good news to Mr. Potato Head's friends Oscar Orange and Pete the Pepper.
"We want families to come here, relax, take their time and play some games. We even have a live Web cam on our Web site, so out-of-town grandparents can watch their grandkids here," Tatar said.
Formerly an electrician, Tatar was an Allen Park native of Hungarian ancestry when he met his wife Diane, a nurse with family roots in Empire. The thought of opening a restaurant never crossed his mind, until his sons told him he should sell his barbecue sauce.
"We were going to open a place up there on some family land, but after three years of waiting for permits, we gave up, until we found this place in 2006," he said.
What Tatar likes most about having his own business is meeting people from around the country while spending time with his family as he works.
"It's a big compliment when people vacationing from Chicago tell their neighbors back home to stop by here," he said. "The look on their faces when they wipe the last bit of food off their plate and say, 'Wow, that was a breakfast,' is priceless."
"My wife Diane is really the boss," Tatar said, "and my two sons spend time at the restaurant, too. They're no longer 'Tater Tots,' though. I call Sam, 16, the 'Agi-Tator' and Dan, 15, the 'Irri-Tator.'"
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