Arcadia Ales
103 W. Michigan AvenueIt has been way too long. Way to long. J and I haven’t been to Arcadia Ales since January of 2010. There is no way it should have been that long between trips.
Last weekend, both J and I had separate business in Battle Creek. Mine task was in the afternoon. J’s was in the evening. We decided to meet up in between tasks for dinner.
Arcadia Ales is in a rapidly developing area of downtown Battle Creek. The large building houses both the pub and the brewery operations (for now anyway).
J and I walked in with L just before the typical dinner rush on a Saturday night yet the dining room was almost full. After a hostess asked if we needed a high chair, she showed us to a table near the open, wood-fired kitchen. They were out of high chairs at the time, but L is getting big enough we can put her in a booster seat now.
Last time we ate at Arcadia, I had yet to get in to craft beer. We had just moved to Kalamazoo the most exotic thing I had drank up to that point was a Budweiser. I still tried a beer….the ESB..I had no idea what it was then. Now I know that stands for Extra Special Bitter. 🙂 (I think).
This time, I was more than excited to dig in to the beer list. I walked up to the bar to see if there was anything on special, but there was no cask available that night, so I had to go with what was on the beer list.
I was more than happy to order a Cereal Killer. This barleywine comes in a 10 oz. glass. It pours dark and has a little bit of a syrup-y taste with little bit of a molasses and a little bit of fruity taste. I was a little sad that it only came in a 10 oz, but that was the perfect size for a quick dinner.
J asked me which beer she would like and I almost passed right over the Roggen Berry. This Blueberry Wheat Ales finishes with a tart blueberry flavor. I wasn’t a big fan, but J thought it was pretty good. This beer also was served in a 10 oz glass.
We were kind of in a hurry and figured sandwiches would be the best way to go although J was really leaning towards a pizza. Instead, she ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich. This sweet, smokey slow smoked pork sandwich comes on a brioche bun served with chips. The sandwich is the perfect example of how to to make great BBQ. When we visited The Twisted Tail a few months ago, this is what we were hoping for. J had a really hard time putting this sandwich down and was very disappointed when it was all gone.
I sort of went along the same path. I wanted the pulled pork, but I wanted something a little more. Lucky for me, they have a burger with their delicious BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and smoked bacon. The burger was served on a brioche roll and was incredibly juicy. The bun didn’t really hold up to all of the BBQ sauce and burger juices, but it was such an incredibly delicious bun that I didn’t even really mind.
For L, we ordered the cheese quesadilla. It was a pretty simple quesadilla with cheddar cheese pressed between a flour tortilla. L ate about three quarters of it including a few chips.
Our bill was right around $40 with the two beers and had we had more time, we…and by we, I mean “I”, would have drank a few more, but alas, the night had to move on. J had things to do and I had to get back on the road.
I love Arcadia Ales. I’m so excited for the new brewery opening in Kalamazoo next year. The beer is great and they back it up with an incredible menu. I hate that it has taken us almost four years to find a reason to go back to Battle Creek for dinner. The reason should just be going to Arcadia…there doesn’t need to be any other reason.
Pulled Pork w/Chips
Arcadia Burger w/Chips
Cheese Quesadilla w/Chips
SW Michigan Dining 