The city of Houghton boasts a strong Finnish heritage– defunct yet aesthetically eye-catching architecture, huge amounts of snow, a gorgeous lake and some really good restaurants. One such magnificent bistro that has stood against the test of time, preserving its authenticity for more than half a century since it was first established. The Ambassador, or “The Ambo” as it is affectionately called, is currently the first choice of dining in Houghton. It has a rich and colorful history which makes this place unique by its own making.
The Ambassador opened under new management on New Year’s Eve of 1965 when Marian and Joe “Chinko” Rossi took over control of a small bar in the downtown area. The Rossi family then transformed this tap bar of former times into a specialized pizza and sandwich delicatessen. Prior to the birth of this diner, the Rossi family owned a small restaurant in San Francisco but moved to the Upper Peninsula in search of better prospects. At the time of purchase, Marian Rossi wrote a poem called “Come Fill a Bumper” which records the abridged history of the place with the bar murals as the focal point and now graces the cover of the menu. The poem reveals that Joseph Bosch, a German painter of the former Bosch Brewing Company was asked to paint those murals exclusively for the brewery. Mr. Rohrbeck, the former owner, had the oil paintings varnished to preserve them. The Rossi couple began implementing some iconoclastic changes immediately after by selling the beer in bottles. They then also began serving food– pizza being their specialty. To this day, the Rossi family still uses the same recipe. Along with the pizzas, they began the menu modestly with an assorted combination of ten types of sandwiches. The list ranged from beef (from the rotisserie), their traditional submarines, to Braunswiegers. The bread was exclusively supplied by the Crown, and then by the Thurner’s Bakery. After setting up their foothold as a haven for gourmands, the redecoration commenced with the addition of a wood-burning fireplace to mellow the harsh winters. Until the 80s, the kitchen was open and utilized the southeast corner. Soon after, the rights of the entire building were acquired and improvements in décor to enhance the ambiance were made.
The huge ornamental paintings around the walls correlate with the element of the restaurant against the backdrop of the rich, greenish-yellow colored light from the murals, which are framed with dark mahogany, and the stained glass windows, along with the low hanging chandeliers, gave the place a medieval, inn-like atmosphere which complements the simple, yet enchanting, cuisine. These murals are hand-painted, depicting bearded gnomes. People often ask for the story behind the paintings while enjoying the sandwiches and beer. Above the bar, Rossi’s personal favorite depicts the gnomes brewing beer in a large vat. On the next panel, the task is completed and the gnomes are seen celebrating with a game of cards and a few drinks. As the story continues, too much reveling brings on the jailers, which include a goat that gives a drunken gnome a boost into a cell. It is said that the Ambassador was not the original home for the gnomes, but that they were a creation of a Bavarian painter named T. Rohrbeck. He was hired by the Bosch brewery to paint the murals for one of their taverns, the Gilt Edge Bar, which lies close to the Ambassador. During prohibition, the sale of beer was discontinued and the paintings were taken down and stored at the Bosch home in Lake Linden. When the prohibition ended, the Ambassador opened up, giving life again to the paintings with a regular bath of linseed oil to soothe the cracks in the canvas.
The gigantic menu includes the Tostada pizza, which has been the favorite ever since it was first made. About a quarter of all the pizzas ordered is the Tostada — a thin-crust base with spiced ground beef topped with two types of cheese, white colby and cheddar, lettuce and hot sauce. Another local favorite is the Greek pizza, which comes with a generous amount of feta cheese, fresh spinach, green and black olives spiced with oregano and garlic olive oil. A rare item on the menu is lobster pizza which is served with lemon wedges and is delicious, topped with red lobsters, which goes well with the garlic cheese pizza, topped with generous quantities of broccoli and spiced with basil and oregano. The restaurant offers the customers the freedom to choose their toppings from their huge list, which includes smoked bacon, ham and pepperoni for the meat lovers. Some other toppings include mushrooms, pineapples, mushrooms and zucchini. The place also serves vegetarian pizza and the basic cheese combos. A variety of salads including the chicken Caesar which is served on a bed of Romaine lettuce and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese, with a side of hot garlic toast, the Taco salad, the Italian Tuna salad, which comes with chunks of tuna, chopped onions, tomatoes and Italian dressing. The beef vinaigrette is another local favorite with beef and green beans. When asked the current manager about his favorite food item, Dan Nelson said, “I especially love our Reuben sandwich! It comes with corned beef and creamy Swiss cheese spiced with Sauerkraut on French bread.” Seafood contributes to a majority of the cuisine with Mediterranean salmon and tuna supreme sandwiches in high demand. The Italian meatball sub is a spicy dish which can be combined with appetizers such as spicy chicken wings or burritos. The bistro offers lasagnes, ravioli, sliced chicken breasts, wild Alaskan salmon and specialty pasta which is served with spaghetti with grated parmesan and sauce with garlic toast as a side dish. Dan Nelson beamed with pride as he named many of the dearly loved delicacies, saying, “We cook everything here, everything is homemade and fresh.” One more of the distinct idiosyncrasies of the Ambassador is that the pizzas are cut into squares, a typical Midwestern preference.
Houghton, the hometown of Michigan Technological University, draws a huge number of international students, and the Ambassadors drink menu is light on their pockets with a range of beers with exotic names such as Snake Jewels, Blue Motorcycle, Superior Tide, Tijuana Taxi and the Jamaican Ten Speed. The house specializes in their famous 25-ounce “fish bowls” and their secret combinations with unbeatable prices. The house makes sure that a variety of dishes and drinks are available for the teetotallers and vegetarians. The restaurant stays open for the entire week with numerous gift cards to offer and all the menu items available for takeout. All in all, the Ambassador’s exceptional ambience, coupled with its extraordinary dishes, notable drinks and unrivaled authenticity makes this restaurant a must-see while visiting Houghton. The Ambassador lies on Shelden Ave, and can’t be missed. For further details, visit www.theambassadorhoughton.com or give a call to (906) 482-5054.
