2650 East Beltline Avenue SE

Social media is a powerful advertiser when it comes to reaching me.  Last week, I noticed a follow from a restaurant in Grand Rapids.  I had never heard of it, so I clipped on the website to see what it was all about.

Turns out, Newk’s Express Cafe on the East Beltline is right up my alley.  The restaurant shares a building with Smashburger in front of Centerpointe Mall.

Newk’s is a fairly new concept chain from the people that brought you McAlister’s Deli.  Headquartered in Jackson, MI, Grand Rapids is the only city in Michigan to have a Newk’s.

The concept is quick sandwiches and pizzas.  They kind of walk a line between fast and casual…or fast casual   If you have time, they have a menu of hot sandwiches, salads, and pizzas available for dine in or take out.  If you really just want to get on your way, there are some ready made cold sandwiches and salads to grab-n-g0. 

The restaurant layout is a little odd.  There’s a large dining room when you walk in and an order counter directly to the left.  The odd thing is there’s more seating behind that.

As with most dinner breaks, I was looking for something to take with me.  Since I had some time, I went for one of the hot sandwiches.

I chose to go with The Italian.  Like most Italian sandwiches, this one came loaded with meats including capicola, mortadella, pepperoni, and salami.  It’s topped with provolone cheese, mayo (I left off), spicy Creole mustard, lettuce, tomato, yellow onions, hot cherry peppers, and Italian sauce.  The sandwich came on a toasted crusty roll.  The spicy Creole mustard made this sandwich really hot.  The mustard combined with the peppers dominated the taste buds.  For what is essentially a cold meat sandwich, Newk’s Italian packed a lot of flavor.  The crusty bread really sets this sandwich apart from the competition.

The sandwich, with a bag of chips, set me back a little under eight bucks.  In a market being overrun with sandwich shops, Newk’s is something just enough different.

The Italian

3150 S. Westnedge Avenue

After a trip to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, J wanted to get something to eat before heading back home.  Neither of us really had a strong taste for anything until J said she kind of wanted Qdoba.  She then said Chipotle would work too, but we were closer to a Qdoba and I didn’t want to have to go all the way back to Main Street.

Since we were already south of downtown, I started driving towards the new Qdoba location in the developing shopping center at the corner of Whites Road and South Westnedge.  J was confused.  She had no idea where I was going assuming I was going to the West Main location.

This newest location really isn’t much different than any of the other Qdoba restaurants you may have been to.  There’s an order area similar to a sandwich shop where you order your entree then top if off with salsas, cheeses, and other toppings.

I stuck to my usual order of three pulled pork tacos with cheese and hot salsa.  The juicy pulled pork was stuffed in to a corn tortilla hard shell taco, topped with a white cheese and a spicy Salsa Roja.  The tacos at Qdoba are so much better than the fast food competition, but so much more expensive.  The pulled pork option totally beats out the typical ground beef and makes for a very tasty dining experience. 

J also stuck to her typical order by getting the Cheese Grilled Quesadilla.  The flour tortilla is filled with a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese then it’s grilled to melt the cheese and warm the tortilla.  She got guacamole and sour cream on the side.  In reality, the guac was for the chips we were going to get so she didn’t have to pay for an extra cup.

To round out the meal, we got a bag of chips and salsa.  The chips are kind of addicting with a lime salt.  The unfortunate thing is the salsa choices aren’t that great.  The mild salsa is a chunky pico de gallo, the medium is another chunky roasted chile corn.  Another medium option is a green Salsa Verde.   It isn’t until you get to the hot that you get a red, smooth salsa which can be a little much just for the chips.  I got the pico, but didn’t end up using it.  I just ate the delicious chips by themselves.

The total price for the meal was a little over $18.  As I mentioned previously, it’s much more expensive than, say, Taco Bell, but it’s also much more delicious.  Qdoba is always a safe bet for us.

Pulled Pork Tacos

110 N. Farmer Street

When J and I were in Chicago for my birthday last fall, we did something the hip, trendy people do.  We went out for cupcakes.  After a fantastic meal at Goose Island, we went to the uber-trendy Molly’s Cupcakes to pick up dessert.

The last couple years have really seen a boom in the popularity of the gourmet cupcakes.  Cupcake Wars on The Food Network have shown the masses that cupcakes are more than just bland, individual cakes made from a box that you take for treats on your birthday to school (is that even still allowed?)

Not sure how well it would go over, but man, would I love to see a cupcake store in Kalamazoo somewhere.  Either near Western or downtown, but it’s so nice to have the option of moist, sweet cake in an individual serving size.

Alas, we don’t really have that.  There are a couple bakery’s that serve cupcakes, but don’t specialize in them.

This past Saturday, J and I decided to check out the Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market for the first time this year.  We were pretty late getting there, but we were still able to find the goodies we were looking for including an unexpected treat. 

The Cupcake Zoo had a table set up that we just couldn’t pass.  How can anyone pass up cupcakes?

I first heard about the Cupcake Zoo a few months ago as I was putting a press release for some even up on the website.  I was really hoping to find a storefront, but they are an online bakery only.  They do their production in downtown Otsego, but you can’t walk up and find baked goods.  You have to preorder and they either deliver or you pick up at their production facility.

When ordering online, there is a minimum order you have to meet.  You can’t just order one then pick it up later, but after eating one of these, you’d soon find out that one is not enough anyway…at least that’s what we ran in to.

At the Farmers’ Market, they were selling individual cupcakes with a discount for the more than you bought.  J and I each decided to get one.  I went straight for the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake while J got one with Sea Salt and caramel.  The price for the two cupcakes was exactly five bucks and neither of us could wait to break open that plastic container.

We waited until we got home and until after we ate lunch….but as soon as my lunch was gone, I found the box with the cupcakes and forced my way past the plastic trying to keep me out.

The moist cake was topped with a stiff creamy, peanut buttery whipped frosting.  It’s drizzled with chocolate ganache and topped with a half of a mini peanut butter cup.

J’s cupcake was similar, but there was a sprinkle of sea salt and a caramel and chocholate drizzle over the chocolate cupcake with what I believe was a vanilla whipped frosting.

The Cupcake Zoo is just going to be another reason for us to go to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.  I wish they had their own shop and I hope it’s in the cards someday, but right now, we’ll be making trips to Bank Street just to get these sweet treats.

The Cupcake Zoo at the Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market

Peanut Butter Cup and Sea Salt Caramel Cupcakes

Common Ground, a collaborative project supporting community gardens throughout Kalamazoo County, will host its first plant and seed giveaway of the season.

It will take place on Wednesday, May 16 from 4-6 p.m. at the Garden Resource Shed, 1519 E. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo.

Plant starts, donated by Elzinga and Hoeksma Greenhouses, include tomatoes of many varieties, peppers, zucchini, green beans, herbs and more. Seeds, provided through the America the Beautiful Fund, include an array of many common and unique vegetables, as well as herbs.

Both plants and seeds are available in limited quantities while supplies last. To qualify, participants must represent a community garden in Kalamazoo County, and must pre-register no later than Monday, May 14 by contacting Catie Boring at catie.boring@kalamazoolandbank.org or 269-216-9681. Please mention the name of your community garden (if it has one), its address and the number of gardeners involved.

In addition to plants and seeds, Common Ground offers free use of garden tools and equipment ranging from hoes, shovels and rakes to rototillers and lawn mowers, throughout the growing season. For more information, visit http://commongroundkalamazoo.com/index.php.

44 McCamly Street N

J’s first Mother’s Day was a lot of pressure for me.  I wanted to do whatever she wanted to do, but I didn’t know what she wanted to do.  Usually we meet our parents somewhere for brunch but her mom was in town last week and my parents are coming next week so we decided just to make this Mother’s Day about J.

I had come up with a few options for brunch, but still, wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Saturday morning, I presented her with a few options and she chose the one I would have chose myself.

So, at about 10 AM on Saturday, I called Clara’s on the River in Battle Creek to see if they had any reservations left for Mother’s Day brunch….nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?

The lady that answered the phone must have been laughing at me for waiting until the last minute.  When she asked how many and I said two, she said they could probably make that work.  She put me on hold for a second then came back and said 1:45 was the earliest they had left.  I took it.

Clara’s on the River isn’t entirely new for J and I.  Our first year in Lansing, we took J’s parents to Mother’s Day brunch at Clara’s Lansing Station.  I remembered really liking the place.  It had a great atmosphere and a really good brunch. 

Clara’s on the River is a lot like Clara’s Lansing Station.  It’s an old train station that has been turned in to a restaurant.  The building was built in 1888 and served it’s former life as the Michigan Central Railroad Depot.  There’s a really good history on their website if you’re interested.

The entrance to the parking lot is off McCamly Street just northeast of the river.  There’s a large two level parking lot and as you would imagine on Mother’s Day, it was pretty full.

The entrance to the restaurant is all the way on the side of the building farthest from the road.  It was actually a little hard to see where the front door was because there’s not really a grand entrance to the building.  You sort of enter right below the clock tower and come in to a large space with tables in either direction.

There surprisingly wasn’t a wait which I was not expecting.  We went to the hostess station to check in.  Since we had the baby, they asked for a couple minutes to find a table where we could have her.  It shouldn’t have been to much of a surprise because I made sure to tell them when I made the reservation.

After a short couple minutes, we were taken all the way through the restaurant to a booth in the area they called “the hallway.”  This worked out perfectly because it was right next to the large buffet.  We wouldn’t have to walk through the restaurant with plates of food.

Just like the Lansing restaurant, I loved the atmosphere of the place.  They took the original structure and worked in tables and booths wherever they could.  It’s not a traditional restaurant layout which is what gives this place so much charm.

A waitress came over not long after we sat down to take our drink orders.  There was no drink menu given to us so J deferred to me to see if I would ask about it.  I really didn’t want alcohol anyway, so I just ordered a Pepsi.  J really wanted a Mimosa and asked if they had one.  The waitress said they did, so that’s what she ordered along with a glass of water.

I let J hit the buffet first while I stayed with L.  It didn’t take her long to fill up a plate and make her way back to the table.  She seemed to stick to more of the lunch items on the buffet which made sense considering it was almost 2:00.

When it was my turn, I headed straight to the meat carving station.  I asked for a piece of the beef and was cut off a very thick, large piece of beef.  It was a very tender, almost buttery piece of medium rare beef with a delicious peppery crust.  I could have just had that piece of meat and called it a day, but I’m glad I didn’t.

I bypassed both the omelet and waffle stations to head to the buffet area.  On my first trip, I picked up a a scoop of a delicious mac ‘n cheese as well as a few pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs.  The mac ‘n cheese was so good I actually went back for seconds and the bacon was very crispy.  The scrambled eggs were a little too watery for me.  I only took a couple bites before pushing it aside.

On my second trip, I picked up an eggs Benedict.  Yeah, an eggs Benedict on a buffet.  I’m not sure I have ever seen this before.  The English muffin, ham, and poached egg sit in the hotel pan without the sauce.  There’s a little bottle next to the pan with the Hollandaise.  I love this idea and the eggs Benedict was delicious.  The second trip also included more bacon, more mac ‘n cheese and some buffalo wings which were nice and spicy.  A perfect end to my brunch.

After the second plates, L was starting to get a little restless and we were both stuffed.  J got up and walked with her as I finished up my lunch.  We were both too stuffed for the dessert table which had all sorts of cakes and baked goods.  When our waitress came back around, I asked for the check because a meltdown was imminent.

The bill for the two of us was a little over $50.  The buffet’s were $19.99 a piece.  Clara’s on the River turned out to be a fantastic choice and I’m glad I made the last minute reservation.  The options on the buffet were more than just the typical stuff you find at most brunch places.  They had a great selection of both breakfast and lunch food and some unique options (like the eggs Benedict) as well as the old standbys.

Roast beef, Mac ‘n Cheese, Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs

Eggs Benedict

Buffalo Wings and Mac ‘n Cheese

685 Fulton Street West

I suppose the best advertising you could get for your business is having it featured in a movie.  Vito’s Pizza on Grand Rapids’ west side was a big part of the movie 30 Minutes or Less which starred Jesse Eisenberg, Nick Swardson, Danny McBride, and Aziz Ansari.  The production company came in to Grand Rapids and turned Vito’s Pizza to Hollywood set.  When they were finished, they offered to restore everything back to the way it was when they came in, but the owners decided to ride the publicity and keep the look designed for the movie.

Without the movie, I probably wouldn’t have given Vito’s a chance.  It’s on Fulton Street a few blocks east of the John Ball Zoo.  They have a very small parking lot right in front of the building and options for street parking just a short distance away.

I assumed I was going to have to call in my order, but when I went to their website, I found online ordering.  My favorite.

I was just in the mood for a pizza and they were running a special on a two topping 16″ and it was something I could easily order online.  I really like how they put their specials right up front on the online ordering section. 

I ordered myself that two topping pizza with pepperoni and jalapenos.  It was only 5:00 when I ordered, but I couldn’t get away from work until closer to 6:30, so I set it up to be ready then.

When I walked in the door, I was met by the cashier who asked if I had already ordered.  I said I had a pickup and she went to the kitchen to check.  She came back out to say it was just about to come out of the oven so it would be a few minutes.  I grabbed a seat in the dining room and took advantage of their free wi-fi while I was waiting.

I walked back in to work with a large pizza box and it immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. I thought I was going to have to fight them off until I opened the box and they saw the jalapenos.  Good move on my part.

The pizza turned out to be pretty good.  I thought I had ordered a thin crust, but the pizza was more of a typical thicker crust.  It was topped with a pretty healthy supply of jalapenos and crispy slices of pepperoni.  The crust was a little chewy towards the middle, but had a pretty solid crunch on the handle.  The jalapenos added quite a bit of spice which drowned out most of the other flavors, but that’s alright…what I could taste was delicious.

Vito’s Pizza is another solid Grand Rapids pizza joint.  Just because it’s so far from where I work, I probably wouldn’t have ordered from them, but the added publicity caught my attention.

16″ Jalapeno and Pepperoni Pizza

16″ Jalapeno and Pepperoni Pizza

4162 S. Division Avenue

It’s hard to pass up a restaurant that has the word’s “Fat Man’s” in it.  Then throw in the word “Fry,” man, this place already sounds like my kind of joint.

Fat Man’s Fish Fry is on South Division Avenue a few blocks north of 44th Avenue Street on Grand Rapids southeast side.  It’s hard to miss as your driving by.  A bright yellow building with a blue awning and the magical word (fry) in big letters.

I’ve driven by this place many times without time to stop.  When my dinner break came around Friday night, I decided it was finally time to check this place out.

I was a little surprised to pull in just before 7:00 on a Saturday night and not see anyone else in the parking lot.  Even more of a surprise, there was no one inside.  I was actually wondering if the place was open, if they forgot to lock up, or if there was something really, really wrong.

I stuck around for about ten minutes wondering if I should venture back in the kitchen to make sure there was nothing going on.  I finally saw someone walk in front of the building.  He looked in the window and saw me and came in apologizing.  I’m not really sure where he was, but he was very apologetic about making me wait.  I was just relieved that they were open.

The menu consists of all sort of fried goodies.  It’s mostly chicken and fish, but there are some exotic things on the menu…like fried alligator.  The fish is kind of a “You Buy.  We Fry” type of thing.  You can buy it and take it home like you’re at a deli or you can have them fry it up for you.  I don’t really like fish, so I stuck to the chicken part of the menu.

I was leaning towards the wings, but decided on the Wing Ding meal instead.  The six wing pieces come dredged, breaded and fried with choice of seasoning.  It also comes with fries, choice of cole slaw or pasta salad, and cornbread.

The wings and fries were dropped in to the fryer while I waited.  The space is really spacious, but there are no tables.  There are a couple rows of chairs to hang out while you wait facing the giant coolers with all sorts of drinks.  There’s also a small dry goods for sale like hot sauces and the like.

Less than ten minutes after placing my order, my name was called.  My bill was just a little over $8 which didn’t include a drink.

The fries were the first things to go.  I couldn’t wait to get back to work before popping the Styrofoam open.  The fries were typical crinkle cuts.  I didn’t notice at the time, but they have Brew City Fries as an option, but for an extra charge with the meals.  I would have gladly paid a little extra for those.

The fries didn’t last long, but I had to wait to get back to a table to get in to the wings.  They were super crunchy and just a little greasy.  As far as Wing Dings go, they were a little on the small side, but they were tasty.

The corn bread came in a wrapper so I didn’t even bother.  The pasta side was alright, but I really wasn’t in the mood.  What I really wanted was fried food.

As the name sort of gives away, you’re not going to get a salad at Fat Man’s Fish Fry.  What you are going to get is some pretty solid fried food…and isn’t that what we all want anyway?

Wing Ding Meal

Wing Dings

FOOD DANCE WELCOMES LOCAL FORAGER ANDY DAVIS FOR SPRING “FROM THE WILD” DINNER, MAY 17

 

(KALAMAZOO, Mich) – Join Saveur magazine’s “Local Forager of the Year” Andy Davis for an exclusive spring-themed dinner at Food Dance in downtown Kalamazoo, on Thursday, May 17. Foodies are invited to savor the bounty of Davis’ ways during the “From the Wild” Dinner. The dinner runs from 6-8pm and cost $49 per person, plus tax/gratuity.

 

Among the items that Chef Robb Hammond will be crafting into the four-course dinner are ramps, morels and fiddleheads. The exact menu will be a surprise, based on the harvest in the days leading up to the dinner.

 

Andy and his family – wife, Michelle and their three children – collectively love the outdoors and have found foraging a joyous recreational activity that they can all take part in.

 

“Foraging gives us powerful tools for teaching our kids about the world and helps to satisfy our need to be in the wild,” Andy says. “ Foraging encourages the kids’ curiousity and interest in nature, while providing a template for introducing them to economics and planning, as well as the importance of good stewardship and respect for others.”

 

Andy – a builder, geologist and field naturalist, and Michelle – a geographer and experiential/environmental educator – share a passion for living close to the earth and have a small piece of land outside of Kalamazoo where they keep a large organic garden, raise heritage meat chickens, make maple syrup and landscape for biodiversity.

 

“We both have a lifelong interest in all things edible and collectively have years of experience finding, tasting, testing and tracking down wild edibles to set on our table,” says Andy. “In doing so, we have developed an intimate relationship with the habits, habitats and haunts of our local flora and fauna.”

 

To make reservations for the Food Dance “From the Wild” dinner with Andy Davis, call 269-382-1888.

 

Show Mom How Important She is for Mother’s Day This Year Greetings! Mother’s Day is just around the corner on Sunday, May 13! We have limited space available (see below for each restaurant’s suggested reservation times), don’t wait any longer to make your reservations!

Join us from 11am-6pm for our dinner menu with Chef Jason’s special dinner features. Reservation space available: after 4pm   For Reservations – (269) 375.2105 – 3501 Greenleaf Blvd, Parkview Hills Join us from 4pm-9pm for our Dinner menu with Chef McKinney’s special features. Reservation space available: after 7:00pm     For Reservations – (269) 342.1300 – 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Downtown Kalamazoo     Join us from 11am-4pm for a special Mother’s Day brunch buffet for $18.95/person, $8.95/children (kids under 6 eat free). Reservation space available: 2pm-4pm     For Reservations – (269) 384.6756 – 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Downtown Kalamazoo     Join us from 11am-8pm for Chef Jeff’s featured 3-course Mother’s Day meal for $23.99/person. Reservation space available: 3pm and after 5pm     For Reservations – (269) 321.8480 – 3970 W. Centre Ave, Portage

8441 W. Main Street

You never know where you’re going to find pizza.  Last week, I was driving around trying to get L to sleep.  My favorite route is down M-43 towards Bangor because there’s a long stretch with only one stop light.  I don’t know how I never noticed it before, but not far outside Kalamazoo, there’s a little market advertising pizza. I filed it away in the ol’ short term memory for the weekend.

A couple days ago, I was hopping around from party store to party store on a futile search for a friend to find Founders Brewing KBS.  I figured I was wasting my time, but I wanted to go out to that little corner market outside of town, if for nothing else, just to see if they have carry out menus.

Turns out, they didn’t have the beer, but I did wander back to the kitchen area where there was a stack of paper menus.  I picked one up to take home because I wasn’t in the mood for pizza at that time, but it would only be about 24 hours before I was.

Dougherty’s Corners Market is just to the east of Almena Drive on Main Street in Oshtemo Township.  The small building leans towards the typical party store with a few more general grocery items.  In the back of the space, is a pretty large kitchen serving up a pretty large menu of pizza and grinders. 

I asked J if she was interested in pizza if I ordered.  She said she’d eat a couple pieces, so I got half of my 16″ pizza was plain cheese.  My half I got with pepperoni, bacon, and jalapenos.  They were doing a special on any size three topping pizza, so I went for the jalapenos in addition to my usual pepperoni and bacon.

I was told on the phone it would be about 20 minutes, so I took my time getting out to the store.  I got there almost right at 20 minutes and my pizza still had a few minutes.  I was handed the ticket to go pay at the front.  I grabbed a Pepsi and a Mt. Dew out of the cooler near the cash register to round out my meal.  The total with the two pops was just a little over $13.

After paying, I went back to the kitchen area to wait.  By the time I walked back, my pizza had been pulled out of the oven and boxed up.  The ladies working saw me walk back in and grabbed the box to hand it to me.

The pizza from Dougherty’s Corners Market isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect from a place like this.  It’s a thicker crust similar to Papa Johns but it had a nice crunch to it on the ends.  It’s a hand stretched dough so you get that little extra chewiness.  The surprising thing to me was that the pizza was not greasy.  The pepperoni and bacon were nice and crispy while the sauce had a little bit of a bitter taste to it.

Doughtery’s Corners pizza serves up a pretty standard pizza and a great price.  It’s one of those pizzas that don’t immediately jump out at  you, but it’s a solid pizza and the price makes it even more attractive.

16″ Half Cheese, Half Pepperoni, Bacon, and Jalapeno Pizza

16″ Half Cheese, Half Pepperoni, Bacon, and Jalapeno Pizza