Skillet
4023 Douglas AvenueMy parents always try to come to town to watch the kids play sports. My mom is a waitress at a truck stop so getting weekends off can be tricky. We plan out several weeks in advance what weekend she is going to take off and when they’re going to make the trip north.
B is playing fall baseball at West Portage Little League through Next Level Performance. We had originally signed him up at Westwood since that’s where we play Little League but they didn’t have enough kids in his age group. If he had played at Westwood, games would have been on Saturday but at West Portage, the games are on Sunday.
My mom worked her breakfast shift on Saturday then she and my dad packed up and headed to Kalamazoo. The like coming here because they’re casino people. They got her Saturday evening, hung with us for a while. When it was time for the kids to go to bed, they headed over to Firekeepers.
They were back at our house a little before 10:00 Sunday morning. B’s game wasn’t until 3:00 so we had time. J asked if we wanted to go to breakfast. The kids are always up for breakfast and while my parents had eaten hotel breakfast, they were ok with going out for actual breakfast.
It was later in the morning and church was starting to get out so I didn’t want to go to the bigger breakfast joints. I knew of a place out on Douglas Avenue that opened within the last year that we hadn’t been to yet so we all piled in to my parents mini-van and headed that way.
Skillet is on Douglas Avenue near Goodrich Road in Kalamazoo Township. The building used to be a dive bar called Harvest Moon Bar & Grill. The people that own Skillet did A LOT of work to turn this in from a dank pub to a bright, cheery breakfast joint.
We walked in to the restaurant around 10:30. There was a seat yourself sign but we didn’t see any tables big enough for the six of us. We got a waitresses attention and she pushed two tables together near the back of the restaurant.
We actually stopped in to this building about ten years ago when it was a bar. It’s such a different place now. The thing we both remembered about the place was how much of a dive it was. That’s not a bad thing. We like dive bars. But a total overhaul has given this building a much warmer feel. The dining room is kind of spaced out with pretty typical metal diner tables and chairs. The windows are opened up, the walls are painted a light neutral color which reflects the florescent lights from the drop ceiling.
In addition to the dining room, there’s a breakfast counter right as you walk in if you’re dining alone or just stopping in for a cup of coffee.
The waitress who pushed the tables together came over with the breakfast menu and took drink orders. B and I both got pops and they came in a can so, no refills. I had to keep taking B’s Sprite away so he’d have something left when breakfast came. Things were a little hectic at the time so waits were long but it wasn’t from a lack of hustle. We could tell everyone was multitasking and getting things done as quickly as they could.
The menu is pretty basic and is missing a lot of typical breakfast items…like potatoes. There is a “fries” option but the menu doesn’t give any specific on what kind of fries and they’re not served with any of the meals. They’re an additional side add-on.
The thing on the menu that jumped out at all of us was the Breakfast Tacos. I was the only one that ended up ordering them and damn….
The three white corn tortillas come overflowing with chorizo, scrambled eggs, cheese, and pico. These tacos were fantastic. I was a little concerned three tacos wouldn’t be enough but the size was ridiculous. There was more meat than anything in each of the shells. The pico was served on the side so you can decide how much you want. I split it up evenly among the three tacos but they really didn’t need anything else. The grilled chorizo and melted cheese was pretty great in the grilled corn tortillas.
The rest of the meals were all fairly typical breakfast foods.
B and J both got the Short Stack of Pancakes. This plate came with two incredibly light, fluffy pancakes and choice of meat. Both went with bacon. I’m always kind of indifferent to pancakes. I like them but not enough to order them at breakfast. B didn’t eat all of his so I reached over and grabbed some off his plate. I was surprised by how thick, yet how airy they were. Dipped in a little maple syrup, these pancakes were really tasty.
L did what L does at every meal anymore. Fight with us about eating. All she wanted was bacon and toast. We got her a side of bacon which was super crispy but not burnt.
She also got a single slice of sourdough toast. J made her eat some of B’s leftover pancakes as well. We knew he wasn’t going to eat all of them and L needed a little more food but won’t commit to ordering pancakes for herself.
My dad order the biscuits and gravy. He said that would have been great “if they were hot.” Not sure why they weren’t. Everyone else’s food was. I think my mom got pancakes too but I’m actually drawing a blank right now.
The total for our breakfast was right around $55 before tip.
The meal took longer than we expected….but then again, that should kind of be expected anymore. Like I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t from a lack of hustle. The waitress were running around the dining room non-stop trying to get to their tables and we could see in the kitchen were it was a constant flurry of activity.
Skillet is simple but it’s delicious. They don’t do anything really fancy but they do the simple stuff really, really well and that’s what makes this place worth the drive.
SW Michigan Dining 