Hooters (Portage, IN)
1665 Olmstead DriveA few years ago, L started a tradition with J’s parents of going to Wisconsin for vacation with. They go to a resort way up in the northwest corner where J’s family has been going since she was little.
They got back Saturday afternoon and to give them a break from driving, we said we’d meet at the Bass Pro Shop in Portage, IN on Sunday morning to pick her up.
I wanted to look at new smokers at Bass Pro so we hung out there for a bit then J’s mom suggested getting lunch before parting ways. There are really only chains and fast food in that area so we didn’t have a lot to choose from. J’s mom suggested a fairly new restaurant right next to Bass Pro.
Hooters is on Olmstead Drive not very far from the I-94 interchange with IN-249. This is one of the new stores that look nothing like the classic Hooters stores most of us went to when we were in college. Gone is the road house look and in now is a much more modern, sleek design with cleaner lines and accents of the traditional orange.
There is a host stand right inside the door and, again, this restaurant looks nothing like what I remember Hooters looking like. The chain underwent some updating and renovations about five years ago and this store was built new from the ground up just last year. The dining room is wide open with a large bar right in the middle. There are TV’s everywhere and a variety of seating options scattered throughout.
We were taken to a table away from the bar for the six of us but L asked the waitress if we could sit in the big booth instead. The booth is big enough for six adults so we actually fit pretty comfortably although I would have rather had the table.
There were drink menus on the table but it was still pretty early and I was just really craving a pop so I ordered a Pepsi. The rest of the table did pretty much the same. J glanced at the drink menu but didn’t realize most of what she wanted was in the menus.
It has been almost ten years since we’ve eaten at a Hooters. The last time was in 2009 at the Hooters in Lansing. We never ate at the one in Portage before it closed. I never thought the food was that great and there are better places in Kalamazoo to eat. I wasn’t sad to see it go but I was a little sad we never ate there.
The menu has changed quite a bit since 2009. There are now multiple ways to order wings and more than just their traditional sauce. I picked 10 smoked wings with Parmesan Garlic sauce. The wings were really good. They were fairly large and juicy. There was the smokiness and crispiness that smoked wings should have and the Parmesan Garlic coating was thin and a great pairing with the smokey wing.
I added on an order of curly fries because I didn’t figure ten wings would be enough. These are nothing special. They’re skin on curly fries that need a little seasoning.
J’s parents went more of the traditional route and got 15 naked wings to split. They did the mild sauce on the side and dipped them so I snuck a few bites with my fries to just to remember what that sauce tastes like. It’s a very creamy, rich buffalo sauce. The mild didn’t have a lot of spice to it..I would have went hotter but it’s still tasty and reminds me of so many bachelor parties in my younger days when my creepy friends used to drag me there.
J did the Tex-Mex Nachos with chicken. This very large plate of food is tortilla chips layered with cheese, grilled chicken, lettuce, pico, jalapenos, sour cream, and a chipotle sauce. There was way to much there for her to eat so she went to the middle of the plate and got as much of the toppings as she could. She is a big fan of a good plate of nachos and seemed to be happy with this one.
Both of the kids asked for the cheese quesadilla. This simple plate is a flour quesadilla with cheddar cheese. L did pretty good and finished most of his. B ate a few bites then wanted to go sit between Nana and Grandpa. Both kids got curly fries with their meals as well.
The bill for the six of us was a little over $81. Hooters surprised me again. It was probably because we were there with family but it wasn’t the overly sexualized Hooters I remember. The waitresses still wear the same uniform but even watching them at tables around us, they weren’t flirting with guys like they used to. The food was much better than I remember. I really enjoyed my wings. It’s not going to win any awards but it’s still very tasty and was a good meal for all of us before getting back on the road.
SW Michigan Dining 