Mr. Kozak’s II
321 E. 8th StreetEnded up with a co-worker in Holland tonight and man, was I hungry. I don’t usually stop and eat when I’m with someone else on the job, but I was hungry.
As we were coming through downtown Holland, I asked if it was ok for me to stop and grab a sandwich. She was hungry too and had no objection.
Mr. Kozak’s II is on 8th Street just to the east of downtown. It’s a really small building with not much more than an order counter and some bar stools lined up around a counter facing the windows. They claim to be a “Chicago style” place and the minimalist decoration is a good start.
Co-worker took a little bit longer to decide than I did, so I stepped up to the counter to order. I stepped up to the counter, but the two workers in the kitchen did not. They kept working on whatever it was they were working on for another couple of minutes before someone finally came up to take my order.
I stuck with what I know best and ordered an Italian beef with hot peppers and a large order of fries. I didn’t ask for it dipped because I didn’t know if we were going to dine in or just take it back to work. We ended up just eating there and luckily, the sandwich came out very wet. The bun was a pretty solid hoagy roll that held up to the wetness. I sat down, ney, stood right next to a napkin dispenser and I used quite a few. The beef itself was tender and juicy, but seemed to come out of a bag and reheated. The hot peppers were spot on. A nice mix of pickled veggies.
The fries are fresh cut and nice and golden brown. I actually had to go back and ask for them because they weren’t put up with my order. The cook had to dig her order slip out of the garbage. I guess she didn’t believe me or something even though she took the order less than five minutes prior. I’m glad I went back and got them because the large paper boat of fresh cut fries was delicious.
Co-Worker was leaning towards a Chicago Dog, but ended up with an Italian beef. She made fun of me for doing “the hunch” while eating my beef, but after she ordered, I knew she didn’t know what an Italian beef was or the history behind it. She ordered her beef with hot peppers and mustard. I have to admit, that’s a first, but she seemed to really like it remarking several hours later that she could still taste the hot peppers and that was a good thing. She opted for the special which included a small fry and drink.
My bill was a little over $8 and the food was mighty good. Service could have been a little better, but no major complaints. We were lucky we got there when we did. A larger group came in behind us and they were informed right away there was only one Italian beef left. That would have been devastating…since that’s the whole reason I stopped.
Mr. Kozak’s does the Chicago style pretty well. I’ve driven by many times and finally stopped in. I end up at Hope College a lot which is right across the street….have a feeling I’ll be picking up beefs there in the future.
Italian Beef w/Hot Peppers
Large Fresh Cut Fries
SW Michigan Dining 