47th Street Pizzaria
3612 47th StreetAbout a week ago, I was driving through Hamilton and my stomach was growling something fierce. Unfortunately, it was Sunday night and it seemed all of the restaurants were closed. I pulled over at a gas station to grab a pop and check the Googles to see if there were any restaurants hiding somewhere that I could order carry-out from. Luckily, there was one.
47th Street Pizzaria (sic…that’s how it’s spelled on their sign) is kind of hidden in Hamilton. As the name implies, it’s on 47th Street just north of 136th. It’s to the west of M-40 which is the main thoroughfare through town. The restaurant is in kind of a weird spot. The area to the immediate north of the building is all residential. The pizzeria shares land with ND Collision and that’s about the only commercial property in the area.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long to find a menu online. They don’t update it much but at least their Facebook page has pictures of the menu. Wraps and subs are both options and probably would have been easier to eat in the car, but on my first time at any pizza shop, I’m going to order a pizza….duh.
I called from the gas station I was sitting at to put in an order for a 16″ pizza with pepperoni and bacon. I was told it would be about a half hour, so I had some time to kill. As the only open restaurant in town, they seemed to be pretty busy as a steady line of cars came to pick up pizzas while I was sitting in the parking lot.
Right around the twenty minute mark, I decided to head inside. There was one lady working by herself running around the kitchen trying to keep up. She asked for my name then checked on my pizza which was just about to come out of the oven. In the mean time, I paid the bill of just over $12 then took a seat at one of the two tables set up as a dining area. Read more…
Michelle’s Restaurant – Sprinkle Road
3610 Sprinkle RoadI never realized how exhausting winter break can be. This is really the first year that L has been home on a break where she’s gotten cabin fever. She missed her friends at school and missed playing with them. Mommy and Daddy were exhausted with a new baby at home and couldn’t devote the time we wanted to playing Barbie and Shopkins.
We tried really, really hard to get her out of the house. Last Tuesday, some friends from an old school she went to were meeting up at Skyzone for a play date. L loves Skyzone and it was an excuse to get out of the house, so we took her.
After an hour or so of playing on the trampolines, our time was up. It was a little after 11:00 and we were all hungry. J suggested getting something for lunch, but didn’t have a preference. I wanted someplace kind of low key because B hadn’t eaten in a while and L was pretty amped up from running around.
I chose to head back to Sprinkle Road and find Michelle’s Restaurant. J and I have eaten there in the past when it was Derks Restaurant, but EMA Enterprises branded this one over to a Michelle’s some time ago.
The diner hasn’t really changed from what I can remember. The EMA website calls it a “nostalgia” restaurant that has been in operation since 1954. I see it as more of a small town diner than the other bigger, faster paced restaurants in the EMA stable. This one is kind of frozen in time with dated decor and a small menu. It reminds me a lot of the restaurants from where I grew up in Central Illinois where the farmers gathered every morning to drink coffee and gossip before spending their days in the fields. Read more…
Martha’s Pizza
208 Union Avenue NEOver the last several years, there have been a lot of opportunities for me to order pizzas in Grand Rapids. I work a lot of nights and weekends so it’s not always easy to find something quick to eat. Pizza is my go-to and I eat way more of it than I should.
A few years ago, I was told about Nantucket Baking Company. They had delicious, gourmet pizzas that were fairly cheap. I ordered from there quite a bit as it was pretty close to where I work.
Sometime last year, the people that own Martha’s Vineyard, as well as Nantucket Baking Company, did some major remodeling. They opened a cafe on Lyon Street, moved Nantucket next to that, opened up Martha’s Vineyard into the old bakery and created Martha’s Pizza.
Martha’s Pizza is in the same spot and uses the same equipment that Nantucket Baking Company did on Union Street NE just north of Lyon. The difference now is the shop ONLY does pizza whereas they used to be a full on bakery. That operation has moved to the new building on Lyon Street.
Martha’s Pizza is connected to Martha’s Vineyard, but it has it’s own entrance on the north end of the Union Street facade. From that perspective, not much has changed. It has the same glass counter with slices available and the same small waiting area.
I had called in my order for a pizza with prosciutto, basil, and Gorgonzola cheese. The pizzas only come in 12″ sizes on a very thin and very crispy crust. Read more…
Sheshco Mediterranean Grill
2121 Celebration Drive NE #700I’ve been lucky the last several years. I work in a job that is not closed on holidays yet I haven’t worked Christmas Day in any of the years that I’ve been in Michigan.
I wasn’t quite as lucky this year. The way we work it is that everyone works two of the winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day). J was due with B on Thanksgiving so I was out those two days which left me Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. I knew it was going to happen, so it wasn’t a surprise when the holiday schedule came out.
The biggest problem with working Christmas Day is finding someplace to eat. The company will buy if we can find someplace open. For the past several years, the Christmas Day crew has been ordering from XO Aisian Cuisine in downtown Grand Rapids. Most of the people who work Christmas are non-Christmas celebrators so they work it every year and they wanted to do something different. I was fine with that as I really don’t like most Asian food.
One of the guys working this day is of Middle Eastern heritage. He suggested we do Mediterranean food and he knew a place that was going to be open. Everyone was pretty excited to try something new, so they told him to go for it.
The place chosen for our Christmas meal was Sheshco Mediterranean Grill in Grand Rapids. The restaurant is part of the Celebration Village just inside the city on the northeast side of town. The restaurant is actually on Celebration Drive, but it’s easier to say the corner of Knapp and East Beltline. Read more…
Greenbush Brewing Company
5885 Sawyer RoadLate last month, I was sort of half joking with J when I pointed out that one of my favorite breweries was doing an Advent Calendar. I mentioned it the day it went on sale then promptly forgot about it myself. J didn’t forget. She actually got online and ordered one when they went on sale. Merry Christmas!
The order was placed before Thanksgiving with pick up being available at the end of November. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem….except J had a baby on Black Friday. Now, I know you’re thinking, why didn’t you just go it? I would have, but she bought it so she had to pick it up.
We’ve noticed B pretty much falls asleep instantly when we put him in his car seat, so a little over a week after he was born, we decided to try out our first road trip with two kids.
The first thing we learned is that it takes longer to get two kids out of the house. The brewery that put together this amazing box of beers is Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer. Our plan was to leave Kalamazoo around 10:30 so we could get to Sawyer around 11:30 as the taproom was opening. I had stopped at Greenbush once in the past for lunch and a beer, but J had never eaten there. We had to go anyway, so why not pick up lunch?
We left a little later than we expected, so we actually rolled in to Sawyer a little after noon. Still, it was a Tuesday afternoon, the brewery wouldn’t be packed…..right?
Greenbush Brewing Company is right across the tracks in downtown Sawyer. It’s just a short drive off I-94 at the Sawyer exit. Read more…
Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill – Comstock Township
5802 Gull RoadGetting a real Christmas tree is by far one of my favorite traditions that J and I have established since we moved to Kalamazoo a little over six years ago. For many years, we drove down to Vicksburg to get our trees from Mott’s Christmas Barn. Well, they had a little issue this year with deer eating the trees and they were forced to closed. We had to find a new place to pick up a tree.
We decided to go with Gull Meadow Farms in Richland. They don’t cut their own trees, but instead they partner with a farm nearby. They just use the farm to sell the trees with the added bonus of a light show, bakery treats and, on weekends, a free visit with a really great Santa.
Santa didn’t come to Gull Meadow until 5:00 on the Friday night we went to get our tree. That’s a little late for us because bedtime for L is usually around 7:00. We decided to grab dinner on our way to Richland and, if you’ve been paying attention, make this our first restaurant trip as a family of four.
We started heading east on Gull Road toward Richland because there was a restaurant that recently opened that I was excited to try.
Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill opened in Septe in the building that previously housed Bennigan’s on Gull Road in front of Meijer. The small Michigan chain has only nine other locations with all but one being on the east side of the state. There’s also one in the works in Plainwell in the old Big Boy right off the highway. The roots of the chain trace back to the early ’70’s when the original bar that launched the chain was opened in Ypsilanti. Read more…
Hot Slice
2711 W. Michigan AvenueFINALLY! I’ve been complaining for years that there were no pizza-by-the-slice places near Western Michigan University. I’ve spent a lot of time on a lot of different college campuses and one of my favorite things has always been the ability to get a slice of pizza late in to the night. For some amazing reason, that was never an option near WMU.
That changed last week. After many agonizing years, I’ve finally got that late night place where I can grab a quick slice on my way home from work…..and the drunk kids can get something after the bars close.
Hot Slice is the newest tenet of 2700 West on West Michigan Avenue near Howard Street across from the Campus Pointe Mall. This is the second restaurant that has opened up on the main level retail space. The Old Goat Tavern is the other.
I picked L up from school on Wednesday since I’m still home on paternity leave. J typically takes her for dinner on the way home and L said she wanted Wendy’s. The Wendy’s on West Michigan is not too far out of the way and the closest to our house, so I headed that way to pick her up some chicken nuggets.
As I passed 2700 West, I noticed an open sign for Hot Slice. I had seen signage for the restaurant for several weeks, but this is the first time I had seen that particular sign lit. I didn’t really want Wendy’s anyway, so I drove past it (yes, I did go back for L…I didn’t make her eat pizza with me when she really wanted a “milkshake” (Frosty) and turned in to the parking lot behind the building of the townhouses. Read more…
Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant
3420 Gull RoadOur holiday weekend started out pretty normal. J was pregnant and her due date was actually on Thanksgiving. Not knowing what would be going on with the baby, we opted to forego the traditional holiday meal with family. We decided to take L to a movie instead. Alamo Drafthouse was open, so we did a noon showing of The Good Dinosaur and ate our lunch at the movie theater.
A few hours after we got home, our holiday got a little less normal. J got a call from the hospital asking her to come in for a couple of tests and we ended up staying and having a baby! Our son was born just after 10:00 on Black Friday.
On Sunday, J was looking for some real food. The previous two nights, we had eaten Jimmy Johns and Penn Station for dinner. J wanted Panera. I really didn’t, but I was going to get her whatever she wanted. I was kind of in the mood for Mexican and I knew I was going to be passing one on the way to pick up J’s meal.
Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant is on Gull Road across from the old Nazareth campus near the intersection with Nazareth Road. The small Mexican place is in a strip mall next to a Curves and Route 66 Technologies.
I called in my order on my way to the parking garage at Borgess Medical Center. They had just opened a few minutes prior to my leaving for lunch, so I wanted to give them time to get things going.
My order was simple. I was just looking for a few tacos and some chips and salsa. I ordered a la carte and got four steak tacos with corn tortillas plus a small order of chips and salsa. Read more…
Water Street Coffee Joint – Portage
245 W. Centre AvenueI didn’t know it at the time, but Wednesday was our last doctor’s appointment before our sweet little baby boy decided it was time to meet his big sister.
Most of the time, J set up appointments in the afternoon right before I went to work. I would follow her there with my work gear then leave from the office and head straight to Grand Rapids to go to work.
This last appointment ran a little late. The doctor was behind schedule and then they wanted a non-stress test on the baby since we were right at the due date. I called work and said I was going to be about an hour late.
Once we finished at the office, I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. I to grab something quick since I was running late to work, but I didn’t want fast food.
On the way down Centre Avenue in Portage, I spotted Water Street Coffee Joint. We had passed that restaurant everytime we went to a doctor’s appointment, but never stopped. I knew they would be quick and delicious, so I turned off the main road in to Portage Centre Plaza.
The Portage Water Street Coffee Joint has been open almost a year. They’re the fourth location of the popular café in the Kalamazoo area. The shop shares a building with Hometown Urgent Care. The space Water Street is in had been vacant for a while before they moved in, so I really don’t even remember what was there before. The thing that really makes this location unique is that it offers a drive-thru. It’s the only Water Street to offer this option. Read more…
Vinnie’s Woodfired Saloon
133 E. State StreetAfter my strike out at Richie’s Koffee Shop, I needed to find a new spot for dinner. I still didn’t really know where to go so I kept driving down State Street. There were a couple of options that peaked my interest, including a pizza for the third night in a row, but in the end, it was BBQ that sucked me in.
I pulled in to a spot in front of Vinnie’s Woodfired Saloon on State Street near the intersection with Michigan Avenue near City Hall. The building has been around since the mid-1800’s and that’s something they take advantage of. It’s a small space, but it’s a space that’s filled with charm
As per usual, I tried to get online and find a menu. I could find a lot of great reviews on several different sites, but no menu or website. The closest thing I could find was a Facebook page, but they didn’t have a menu that was easily findable either.
I decided the hell with it. All the pictures and all the reviews of the place looked great. I had the time. I might as well go inside, sit down, and actually have a real lunch break. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 