Casual Mike's on the Water exudes a warm and friendly aura

Call Mike’s on the Water and the voice that answers might well be Mike’s. And that pretty much sums up the difference between this low-key spot and the flashier destinations along the Nautical Mile in St. Clair Shores.

Mike Lefevre didn’t just put his name on the low-slung building in Michigan Harbor Marina, he’s on-hand and hands-on much of the time at his unpretentious wharf-side restaurant, the kind of place with a personality that is not dependent on neon signs and flashy decor. It makes its points in quieter ways.

People seated at the bare-topped tables in the bar, on the covered porch and under bright red umbrellas on the open-air deck make their choices from red, white-and-blue paper placemat menus with a nautical theme. It is a list of American bar & grill favorites appropriate to the casual setting. Most selections are served on red-and-white waxed paper in plastic baskets and brought to the tables by a staff that reflects the proprietor’s warm and friendly approach.

As the watering hole enters its third season, there is a little more of an East Coast feeling to the menu with the addition of a glamorous new star. It’s the lobster roll, the New England classic of lobster salad piled on a toasted roll atop leaf lettuce and tomato slices. Those who love lobster but don’t enjoy fighting with the shells will appreciate this dish, and it’s already a hit. Of course, there’s clam chowder, as there has been from the beginning, but only on Fridays, and it is very good, not overly thickened as is too often the case. Crab cakes show up in a green salad with mango-sparked dressing, one of six available salads.

So that locavores don’t cry foul, there are also Michigan classics, including an appetizer of smoked whitefish dip served with celery stalks and crackers and, of course, crisply fried lake perch when it’s available. On a couple of visits here, I was surprised at how many people were ordering steamed mussels in a sauce of white wine, garlic and butter.

It’s not surprising, however, that Mike’s serves a very good Angus beef burger — no respectable bar & grill could survive without one — and the kitchen also produces a worthy New York strip steak. It is also certified Angus beef that comes in two portion sizes, 8 and 12 ounce sizes at $14.75 and $18.95, respectively, a nice touch. Come-withs include thin, salty, skin-on fries.

Oddly enough, there are no desserts. Mike says he’s working on that. And chances are they’ll have a nice little twist — like the tongue-in-cheek wine list, with labels with a water or water fowl theme, from Duckhorn and Waterwheel cabernets to New Harbor sauvignon blanc. All are affordable, especially the private label house wines at $5.50 a glass and $22 a bottle.

One caveat: Although it is called Mike’s on the Water, there’s little chance of being doused with Lake St. Clair whitecaps. The quiet little canal that laps alongside the deck will have to do.