Lakeview Hills Country Club in Lexington offers an array of golf, recreation, and fine and casual dining. One of the menu highlights is a signature lobster bisque, served tableside.
Lakeview Hills Country Club and Resort, located in Lexington, 22 miles north of Port Huron, isn’t known for its wine cellar — yet.
The club has embarked on a project to transform the property into a “world-class” golf, lodging, dining, and wedding destination. The cost of the overall project was not disclosed.
The renovation includes a fine dining restaurant called Emilio’s Prime Steakhouse, an homage to Emilio Fabbri, the late patriarch of the family that owns Lakeview Hills. Emilio’s is designed to be a destination and special occasion restaurant serving specialty steaks and fresh seafood, along with tagliatelle San Marino (made from a 100-year-old family recipe), signature lobster bisque, and other delicacies.
Careful attention has been devoted to upgrading the club’s wine selection, which is stored in alder wood cabinets specially built by an Amish craftsman. It’s the only place in Michigan that offers Patrimony Black label wine from the California vineyard of Georges and Daniel Daou.
The idea, Lakeview Hills general manager Fadi Achour says, is to make the club a destination for the growing wine culture in Michigan. Lakeview Hills hosted a special wine-tasting dinner in mid-July and will host another wine-tasting dinner on Sept. 1 (California, France, and Italian wines) and Oct. 27 (DAOU Winery).
The design of the new steakhouse is special. Most of the seating consists of booths, so people can gather while being able to maintain a sense of privacy. There’s a custom-made iron gate at the entrance to the steakhouse, along with a stone fireplace.
The club has another restaurant called San Marino, in honor of Emilio Fabbri’s birthplace. It has been completely redone, and Achour says the project took about seven months. There’s also the Tin Cup Bar for more casual dining.
The refurbishment plans call for the club’s 11,000-square-foot bowling alley to be turned into a ballroom. That part of the project will commence once golfing season ends in late October.
Rick Fabbri, COO of the club, says they haven’t neglected the hotel. It currently has 29 rooms, and they’re in the process of upgrading them and adding more. The Shamrock House, which has six bedrooms, will be refurbished and be ready next year.
Lakeview Hills, which offers two 18-hole golf courses, a health club, and two racquetball courts, remains in family hands. Rick Fabbri’s brother Tom is president and CEO, Dennis is the golf pro, and their married sister, Sue Willis, remains a co-owner.
“People come here from all around the state,” Rick Fabbri says. “They come for the golf, but we also host weddings and other special events. We just put on a fundraiser to fight cancer. People come for the fun. We aren’t a private club; we’re a public venue and we’re available to anyone who wants to come here and use our facilities.”
