Molasses Smokehouse and Bar
201 E. Main StreetI have gotten a lot of window time lately. I spent another day driving but this time it wasn’t for work. It was for my daughter.
L had her last individual figure skating competition of the season a couple of weeks ago in Midland. It has been a really, really long time since either J or I had been to Midland and we forgot just how far away it is.
L’s first event wasn’t until 12:30 so we decided to get up in the morning and drive instead of getting a hotel room on Friday night. I wanted to pick up an overtime shift Friday anyway so this worked out best.
We got to Midland about 10:15. We got L checked in, found her coach, and set her up in a locker room so she could start getting dressed. There was no use for me at this time. L and J get in to a locker room and start getting her ready so I’m really there just to make a Walgreens run if they forgot something.
We had stopped at Starbucks back in Kalamazoo to get coffee and grab some breakfast sandwiches but I was already getting hungry by 11:00. We were planning a team dinner after the competition so I knew I wasn’t going to get to explore the way I typically like to. I asked J if it was OK if I ran to get something to eat before L’s first event.
I headed to downtown Midland to findn Molasses Smokehouse and Bar on Main Street near McDonald. The Kansas City style smokehouse opened in 2019 in a building that sat empty for several years after a coffee house moved out.
I tried putting an order in online but it kept telling me the restaurant wasn’t taking online orders. That meant I just had to go to the restaurant to do it.
Molasses is a full service, sit down restaurant. They have a really great space with hardwood floors, a high ceiling with exposed HVAC and electrical, and hanging lights. The brightness of the wood floors an tables is contrasted with the black walls, ceilings, and metal chairs.
I went to the bar and took a seat. I told the bartender I just wanted to put in an order for carryout. He grabbed a pad of paper to write down my order then asked if I wanted a beer while I was waiting. I couldn’t see the taps really well but they all looked like macro beers so I passed.
I put in an order for a brisket sandwich, a small side of mac and cheese, and a large side of mac and cheese. The cost just that meal was close to $30. It’s expensive but BBQ is expensive right now. As much as I wanted to bring L and J here after the competition, I’m kind of glad we didn’t because a meal for the three of us would have been pretty close to $100.
So, just like when I’m at work, I ate on the hood of my car.
I grabbed my to-go containers and headed back to the Midland Civic Arena. I thought about going inside to eat but I didn’t want to make the whole arena smell like delicious BBQ and have to deal with people asking me where I got it from. I’m not a really social person.
I started with the sandwich because I just couldn’t resist. The menu just describes the bread as a “tender roll.” Not sure what that means but it was tender. The meat was amazing. It was just this salty, smoky perfectly cooked tender brisket that melted in my mouth. There was some sauce in the container but I had no use for it. This meat was perfect on it’s own. It had a great bark and a deep, rich smokiness. Everything you want in good brisket.
I went for the small side of mac and cheese that came with my meal next. I actually got the larger side for L to eat later because she gets a little hangry at these competitions if she doesn’t eat. She chose not to eat it so I had for a snack when we got home later that night.
The mac and cheese, like I wrote in my last blog post about BBQ joint mac and cheese, is fine. It seems like mac and cheese is either fine or amazing. Amazing mac and cheese usually has some add ins. That is an option for an entrée at Molasses but as far as sides go, it’s a pretty standard mac. It was good and helped round out the meal but it’s nothing spectacular.
Molasses Smokehouse and Bar is a fabulous BBQ joint. It’s pricey so be prepared for that but you’re going to get delicious BBQ. There is such a huge difference between expensive and cheap BBQ. It’s worth it to pay a few extra dollars to get teh good stuff….and the good stuff is what you’re going to get at Molasses.
SW Michigan Dining 