Blackhawk Bar & Grill
8940 32nd StreetSince we had another Sunday with no real big plans, I decided to take an emailer’s advice and try to find a lunch spot on the east side of the area. Neither one of us have been feeling well lately so we both kind of slept in missing breakfast. That was fine with me as I kind of wanted a burger anyway.
Our choice for lunch took us to Richland to a place we almost went to our first New Year’s Eve in Kalamazoo. The Blackhawk Bar & Grill is right on the corner of 32nd Street and C Avenue (or M-89 and M-43) on the north side of Richland just past the city limits. The building looks like an old farmhouse from the road and it sort of carries that charm throughout the interior as well.
The parking lot is in the back between the Bar and the Stagecoach Barn which serves as a concert venue. We headed up the stairs to the porch where we found the entrance. There’s a hostess station right inside the door and a small hallway that separates the dining room from the lounge. There’s also a set of stairs that leads to an upstairs banquet facility.
We were given the choice between the lounge and the dining room and I chose the lounge. I’m just more comfortable sitting in the bar area for some reason and I was kind of hoping they would have NFL Sunday Ticket so I could watch the Bears game. They didn’t, but the lounge turned out to be quieter as the only other group in this space was leaving as we were ordering.
The menu didn’t hold any surprises as they served the typical pub fare. They did have 1/2 off appetizers, but we couldn’t really find anything we both were in the mood for. I would have went for wings and J thought the hummus sounded good, but neither of us were in the mood for the others choice so we passed.
I was prepared to order the Black and Bleu Burger, but I called an audible at the line and ordered the Stagecoach Burger instead. The great thing about the Blackhawk’s burgers is that they use Kobe beef. I love Kobe and have a hard time passing it up when I see it on the menu. The Stagecoach Burger comes topped with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, bacon and Cheddar cheese. The beef came with a really great flame seared crust that made the outside a little crispy and the inside juicy and sweet. There’s wasn’t a lot of BBQ sauce, but I was ok with that as Sweet Baby Ray’s isn’t my favorite, but there was just enough to add a sweet, smokey taste to compliment the bacon. The sandwiches come with home made chips which I was more than happy to keep and not upgrade to fries. The chips were cut a little bit thicker than store bought chips and were fried up really crispy so there was no raw taste on even the biggest chip.
J ordered the TBLT. It’s a pretty standard BLT sandwich with the addition of Turkey and served on a Ciabatta roll. The bread was probably the big reason she ordered and she said that was the best part of the sandwich. The turkey was more like lunch meat turkey. I think she was hoping for something a little thicker like it was a Thanksgiving left over. The sandwich also came with a roasted red pepper aioli which she said was delicious. J decided to forgo the chips and upgrade to fries. They were very crispy thin cut fries that sort of had the texture of a very lightly battered potato.
Our bill was right around $20 with two drinks. Blackhawk Bar & Grill is a solid meal and a great hometown restaurant. It’s a place that I really liked and a place we would visit often if we lived closer, but it didn’t blow me away enough to where I think we would make another special trip out there for lunch. That said, there are great reasons to go to the Blackhawk Bar & Grill…Sunday Brunch is one of them… and dinner and a show is always great night out.
Stagecoach Burger w/Home Made ChipsTBLT w/French Fries
TBLT w/French Fries
SW Michigan Dining 