Baguette de France (Berrien Springs)
9187 Old US 31The thing I like about my job is getting to see all of Southwest Michigan. I get sent all over the place. In eight years, I’ve been up and down the coast from New Buffalo to Ludington and go as far east as Lansing pretty regularly.
Last week my assignment was in Berrien Springs. I had never been to the small town south east of St. Joseph so I started looking for places to eat ahead of my trip. It didn’t take me long to figure out where I was going to eat after I was done with my task for the day.
Baguette de France is on Old US 31 or St. Joseph Street or M-139 and George Avenue just outside of the Berrien Springs city limits. The restaurant is a stand along building that has some similarities to a fast food joint, but is not a fast food joint by far.
North Pier Brewing Company
670 N. Shore DriveAs we were going to bed Saturday night, J told me to find a brewery between Chicago and Kalamazoo to stop at on the way home. It was Father’s Day so J wanted to do more than just hit the McDonalds drive thru on the way home.
The first one I found that I thought looked good was in Hammond, Indiana. They didn’t have a kids menu listed on the site and I didn’t see anything on the regular menu we could order the kids if they didn’t. J didn’t really see anything that looked good to her either so we passed on that.
The second I settled on was a little closer to home. It’s another brewery that I’ve known about for a while but was unaware they are serving food now.
North Pier Brewing Company is outside of Benton Harbor on North Shore Drive where it meets Higman Park Road. There’s a taproom on the west side of the road and a much larger production facility on the east. The main parking lot is across North Shore Road near the tee box for Hole #14 on Harbor Shores Golf Club. Read more…
Scatchell’s Beef & Pizza
4700 W. Cermak RoadI think you’ve figured this out by now. I can’t go to Chicago without getting an Italian beef.
We had to make a quick trip home for my niece’s birthday. L was really looking forward to playing with her cousins so we really need to make it to this one. I got off work around 6:30 on Friday night and we started the trip back to J’s parents in Oak Lawn.
We ate at Casey’s General Store in Watervliet on the way so we didn’t eat when we go to the Chicago area. I figured my only chance to get a beef was that night, so I waited until everyone went to bed then headed out towards the city.
I picked Scatchell’s Beef and Pizza in Cicero because I’ve talked about this particular beef shop a few times and I’ve never actually been there. Scatchell’s is consistently picked as one of the best beef stands in the city but my interest has more to do with the giardiniera.
Scatchell’s Beef and Pizza is on Cermak Road just east of Cicero Avenue in the Town of Cicero right on the edge of the city of Chicago on the west side. This small food stand has been around since the early 1950’s right next to the Pink Line on Chicago’s EL. It’s hard to miss at night with large lighted signs that can be seen well before you get on top of the building.
Freddy’s Food Hut
Food TruckWhichever City of Kalamazoo employee thought up Lunchtime Live deserves a raise. The Friday food truck rally has continued to grow every year with more trucks, more games, and more people. I look forward to it every Friday in the summer and am disappointed on the days I’m out of the office and not able to partake in the delicious foods sold from the back of a truck.
My co-worker and I started our day in Battle Creek but we were back in Kalamazoo by noon. I dropped off some stuff in the office and made way to Bronson Park to find something delicious to eat.
There are so many trucks lining South Street that it’s hard to choose just one. I look for one’s I haven’t tried yet first before going back to an old favorite. On this day, I saw one that was familiar to me, but one I had never eaten at before.
Freddy’s Food Hut is an extension of Unique Catering, Inc. in Kalamazoo. Chef Fred is a personal chef and uses the truck for events around Kalamazoo. The bright red truck serves “American Cuisine” including BBQ.
Joe’s Pizza & Sports Bar
127 E. Bridge StreetFriday night is usually pizza night but we have to make a trip to Illinois for my niece’s birthday party. That made Thursday night pizza night.
I was working a little bit later than normal and I was in Plainwell. Early in the day, I texted J and said I was going to bring home a pizza for myself. If they wanted to wait, I would bring one home for them as well. She thought that sounded like a good plan.
I pass a pizza place in Plainwell every time I drive through downtown. I looked that pizza place up online to find a menu (which was harder than it should have been) and as I was getting ready to go home, I was able to call in an order for two pizzas.
Joe’s Pizza & Sports Bar is on Bridge Street just east of the intersection with Main. There is street parking in the area but there is also a lot just behind the building if nothing is available on the street. Joe’s has been a staple in downtown Plainwell for about ten years. They even bill themselves as “Plainwell’s Hometown Pizza.”
Bagel Beanery (Kalamazoo)
810 S. Westnedge AvenueYou can’t eat fast food everyday……right? That seems to be my dilemma. I only want to each things that are grilled, smoked, or fried. I can’t do that everyday……..right?
My co-worker and I were in the Vine Neighborhood for an assignment parked along South Westnedge near Crow’s Nest. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t have the time go sit down for a meal at Crow’s Nest so I had thought about walking to Taco Bob’s instead. I started to cross the street when I noticed something else.
Bagel Beanery is on a very busy stretch of Westnedge Avenue just south of downtown Kalamazoo in what is known as the Vine Business District. The buildings on this stretch of road are all up near the curb with street parking available on both sides of the street. Bagel Beanery also has some parking spaces on the side of the building between itself and Fourth Coast Cafe/Crow’s Nest. Read more…
Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum
301 S. Superior Street- Albion, MI 49224
- (517) 629-8023
- Website
Things to do on a rainy day. We’re always looking for new things to do entertainment wise just as we do for new restaurants.
We had plans to be outside this past weekend but that wasn’t going to happen. The rain was relentless. We started talking about lunch options and I brought up the new brewery in Albion. I also mentioned there was a Children’s Museum right down the street to sell a forty five minute drive.
Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum is in downtown Albion on Superior Street north of Erie Street. The museum takes up two store fronts on the main business district in buildings that were donated in the early 2000’s.
Albion Malleable Brewing Company
420 S. Superior StreetWe don’t take road trips to Albion often. In fact, I can probably county on one hand the number of times I’ve been there for anything other than to get gas or a pop just off the highway.
The last time I was in the small Calhoun county town for work I noticed a couple of things. There was a cool looking children’s museum in the main business district and just down the street was a brewery that was a few months away from opening.
Fast forward, that brewery is open. I’ve heard good things about it from friends who work at Albion College so we were hoping to get there. This past weekend was kind of a wash out and J asked what we could do that was indoors. I asked if she was up for a drive. We could eat lunch at the brewery then walk to the children’s museum for the kids.
Albion Malleable Brewing Company opened up just a few weeks ago as Albion’s first brewery. The taproom is on Superior Street just south of Erie. The building is around a hundred years old and has been many things through the years. It’s been vacant for a couple now. The new owners put a coat of grey paint on the building and squared off the front windows to give the building a modern industrial look. Read more…
Ernie’s
33851 M-140I love it when I’m driving through small towns and something catches my eye. Growing up in a town of 700 people, I always get curious, where do the locals eat. In my village, we had a family restaurant near the highway, a gas station that served pizza, and a Dairy Queen until I was about 16 (now there’s a Subway).
My co-worker and I were driving through rural Van Buren County last week on our way to a job site. The route took us through Covert Township which has an area along M-140 that could be mistaken for a small village. There are a couple of gas stations and a few restaurants in this small civil township just south of South Haven.
The place that caught my eye was Ernie’s. This small restaurant next to the Covert Township Fire Station on M-140 had a sign out front with two words that will always make me do a U-Turn. “Chicago-Style.”
Idler Riverboat & Dockside
515 Williams Street #10Sunday was another day we wanted to get out of the house. It wasn’t a great day weather wise, but it was nice enough.
We started talking about lunch and J reminded me she had a gift card for the Millennium Restaurant Group. We talked about going to one of the usual Millennium restaurants when I came up with an idea. Let’s go to South Haven and play at the beach. Millennium has a restaurant there too.
Idler Riverboat & Dockside is South Haven’s Millennium Restaurant. The riverboat is docked on the Black River at Old Harbor Village. The 100+ year old boat underwent an extensive renovation back in 2001 before Millennium bought it.
SW Michigan Dining 