Press Release – Dairy Queen Introduces Five Buck Lunch
From a Pierson Grant PR press release….
The Dairy Queen® System Offers More Bang and Bite with
SW Michigan Launch of New Value Lunch
$5 Buck Lunch features mouthwatering menu options and a signature DQ® sundae
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Dairy Queen® system just launched its new $5 Buck Lunch, available daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at participating locations. Fans have a choice of a ¼ lb. 100-percent beef GrillBurger™ topped with melted cheese, thick-cut tomato, fresh green leaf lettuce, pickles, onions, ketchup and mayonnaise served on a warm toasted bun; 100-percent whole-tenderloin white meat 3-piece chicken strips meal with your choice of dipping sauce; or an all-beef Chili Cheese Dog topped with melted cheese. All options are served with hot, crisp and tasty golden fries, an icy, cold beverage and choice of a sundae with fan favorite toppings ranging from hot fudge, chocolate syrup, caramel, peanut butter and marshmallow to banana, strawberry, cherry and pineapple. For just $1 more, fans also have the option to upgrade their small sundae to a small Blizzard Treat.
The treat category leader and leader in the quick-service restaurant industry has added $5 Buck Lunch to give budget-minded consumers more bang and bite for their buck with savory lunch offerings that include, at no extra cost, a choice of sundae.
Press Release – Reserve Wine & Food Launches Lunch Service
From a Promote Michigan press release…
Reserve Wine & Food Announces New Lunch Service
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich) – West Michigan’s award-winning Reserve Wine & Food introduced weekday lunch service, beginning April 1. Lunch hours are 11:30am-4:00pm, Monday through Friday – with Happy Hour beverage and charcuterie offerings from 4-6pm and dinner service beginning at 5pm. Saturday hours remain 4pm-1am; the restaurant is closed on Sunday.
Executive Chef Mathew Green is pleased to present a new fresh menu which includes a selection of sandwiches, lunch plates, soups, salads, sides and snacks including a fried perch sandwich, lamb Reuben, French omelet, oxtail tart and chicken Keiser salad with Great Lakes salt-cured smelt dressing. Dinner menu favorites – like pierogis, pork fat fries, heirloom lettuce salad and potato soup – are also available. The lunch menu will change regularly, reflecting the seasonal offerings from the woods, waters and farms of West Michigan and beyond.*
“People have been asking us for years to open for lunch so we are very excited to make those people happy,” says Chef Green. “We took our time developing the menu and translating what we do at dinner into a lunch menu. It’s a great showcase for our housemade charcuterie, we are featuring our own bacon, sausage, mortadella, ham, and corned lamb brisket. We are having a lot of fun with the menu and I think that is evident in the dining room.”
In 2012, Grand Rapids Magazine recognized Reserve for the “Best Restaurant Wine List” and “Best New American Restaurant” in its annual reader’s poll. In 2011, the restaurant was named a winner of OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice Awards for Top Wine Lists in the United States – one of only two restaurants in Michigan to make the list.
Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 201 Monroe Avenue NW, Reserve Wine & Food offers a world-class menu fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy in an elegant yet casual fine dining setting.
Mr. Kozak’s Gyros
38 Washington AvenueCrazy week at work. We’ve all had those, right? Well, somehow, I got the easy assignment on Thursday night. A co-worker and I loaded up and headed to Grand Haven for a couple of hours. I was with a guy I don’t work with very often, but I like when I do. He always makes sure we get dinner…and it’s very rarely anything but a local joint.
We were looking for a deli that he thought he had seen somewhere, but we never could find it. I drove downtown hoping to find a sandwich shop we could hit up real quick either near the lake or on the main drag. We were really close to giving up and going to Culver’s when I noticed a familiar sight.
Mr. Kozak’s Gyros sits in downtown Grand Haven at the corner of Washington and 1st Street. It’s an old ice cream shack that a family from Chicago turned into authentic Chicago-Style food. The building is really small with no tables. There is a counter along the window with some bar stools and a lunch counter type deal next to the cash register that also uses bar stools.
The menu is classic Chicago style. Beef, hot dogs, and gyros among other things. I had actually eaten at a sister restaurant with the same name in Holland quite a while ago, so I knew what I was getting in to. Co-Worker had never been to nor heard of the place, but he saw the Vienna Beef sign hanging in the window and knew it would be good. Read more…
Gino’s East Pizzeria on Superior
162 E. Superior StreetAfter getting everybody settled for the night…my mom in her hospital room at Northwestern Memorial and my dad in our room at the Red Roof Inn, I wanted pizza. Gino’s East was only a three block walk from our hotel so I didn’t even give my dad a choice. I told him what I was ordering for dinner and he could eat it or go hungry (how many times you think he said that to me over the last 30 years?).
Gino’s East is one of the “Big Three” when it comes to Chicago pizza and the only one of the three I have never had. I’ve eaten at Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s many times over the years, but there has never been a Gino’s East close to me.
The location closest to me on this unexpected trip downtown also happens to be the original. It’s on Superior Street a little over a block of the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) in one of the busiest parts of downtown Chicago.
As my dad was checking in to the hotel, I found a quiet spot in the lobby and looked up a phone number on my iPhone. I put in my order for a large deep dish sausage patty pizza. I was told it would take 45-50 minutes and it would cost a little over $30. Sounds like a long wait and a lot of money for a pizza, but once you see this pizza, both of those make sense.
I ran a couple errands before heading to the pizza joint to pick up my dinner. I got some popcorn at Garrett’s and picked up our bags from my truck in the parking ramp at the hospital and still had a little time, so I hit up the ice machine and the vending machine back at the hotel then headed out while talking to J for the first time all day to make that three block walk.
I really would have liked to eat in at Gino’s, but I had been up for almost 34 hours at that point and I really wanted to take advantage of being able to watch a White Sox game on TV. My dad couldn’t really get around anyway, so the less walking he had to do the better. Read more…
Garrett Popcorn Shops – Michigan Avenue
625 N. Michigan AvenueAfter a long day at the hospital, my dad I headed to our hotel to get some sleep. Northwestern Memorial has deals with surrounding hotels for discounted rates for hospital patrons. When my mom went up for a pre op appointment a couple weeks ago, she walked down to the Red Roof Inn to reserve a room for my dad and I.
My dad still has a bum ankle so I didn’t want to make him walk anymore than I had to. It is about a two block walk from the hospital to the hotel and that was pretty tough on him, but he wouldn’t let me take the car out of the parking ramp. It was going to be cheaper just to leave it at the hospital overnight instead of using the valet at the hotel.
We didn’t have our overnight bags with us though, so I offered to go back and get them after we checked in.
Once my dad was in the room, I headed back out to get our bags. As I was walking out of the hotel, I noticed a pink awning across the street. It caught my eye because of the bright color, but it was the words on that awning that made me dodge traffic to get to it.
The word on that awning was “Garrett” as in Garrett Popcorn Shop. As a Chicago native, J will tell you there is no better popcorn in the world. So many places attempt the “Chicago Mix,” but no one does it as well as Garrett’s.
Since it was fairly early on a Thursday evening, there wasn’t a huge line. My mom told me later she stopped in there one day on a weekend and there was a line out the door. Read more…
Au Bon Pain – Feinberg Pavillion
251 E. Huron StreetSooooo, did not plan on going to Chicago this week. I found out a couple weeks ago my mom was going to have surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago. It was a pretty simple procedure, but I still wanted to be there. Fortunately, I have a job that understands and encouraged me to make the trip.
My parents aren’t really Chicago drivers. They go to Northwestern quite a bit, but they always take a train or have one of my cousins drive them. They can do it if they need to, but it’s just not something they like doing.
To add to that, my dad actually has a broken foot right now, so he can’t drive anyway…and my mom wouldn’t be able to drive home after surgery, so there was no way they could take a car. I offered to come all the way home and drive them. That meant leaving my job in Grand Rapids, driving to Kalamazoo to pick up my truck and an overnight bag, driving three hours to my parents house south of Chicago, resting and trying to sleep for two hours then making the hour and fifteen minute drive back in to the city. When it was all said and done, I was up for about 34 hours without getting to sleep.
After my mom was taken in to surgery, my dad and I got comfortable in the waiting room. Once we were told surgery had actually started, my dad asked if I would run down to the second floor and get him something to drink. He is in a walking cast, but he walks incredibly slow and struggles with it, so he really didn’t want to walk anymore than he had to. I wanted to get up anyway and get something for myself so I said yes. Read more…
Panini Express
125 S. Kalamazoo MallFor some reason lately, I’ve been drifting away from greasy burgers and going more for a sandwich. Most nights at work, I hit up the deli at Martha’s Vineyard in Grand Rapids for a pretty simple, but extraordinary Pastrmi sandwich. I’ve just been on more of a sandwich kick lately.
A few weeks ago, I got a press release about a new sandwich place opening up downtown. When J got home from work last Monday, I asked if she wanted to make a quick trip to pick up a few of these new creations.
Panini Express is brought to you buy the same people responsible for some of Kalamazoo’s great restaurants. The Union, Epic Bistro, Central City Tap House, Fieldstone Grill, Martel’s, The Wine Loft, and now Panini Express. They all fall under the Millennium Restaurant umbrella.
The newest addition is a pretty small joint. Heck, it’s really just a window inside the City Centre that is attached to The Union. There’s no seating or anything. You just kind of order from the hallway.
The window cut out is flanked by digital menu boards. The tricky thing is, the menu changes every day. They post it daily on Facebook, Twitter, and their website….so don’t get too attached to one sandwich. Read more…
Turkey Heaven
615 Capital Avenue SWEvery now and then, J has to do some things for work when she’s technically off the clock. Tuesday was one of those days. She actually took the days around her birthday off and Tuesday was still a vacation day for her, but work asked if she would do something in Battle Creek as kind of a goodwill gesture. She had no problem with it and it’s actually something she does for the station every year.
I had to get up and watch L anyway, so I asked if we could just tag along. I could keep L entertained while J did what she needed to do….then…..lunch.
I sort of had an ulterior motive when I asked J if we could tag along. A few weeks ago, I was driving from downtown Battle Creek to I-94 via Capital Avenue when I drove by a little restaurant that caught my eye.
Turkey Heaven sort of snuck up on me on Capital Avenue near the intersection with Territorial Road. It’s just about a mile or so north of the intersection with West Columbia Avenue. The small restaurant is tucked in to a standalone building that shares a parking lot with a party store. The building used to house a restaurant called Chicago Subs Express. From what I gathered on my short visit, Turkey Heaven has been in the spot about a year.
As we walked in the door, we were met by a very excited woman who made a little bit of a fuss of L (and how can you not…she’s so cute 🙂 ). The menu board is written on a large chalkboard that separates the kitchen from the dining room area. The specialty, obviously, is turkey. They have a wide variety of turkey BBQ including Turkey Ribs. If that sounds interesting to you, it should, and they are. They actually gave a little sample of the turkey ribs and they were incredibly tender and juicy. The bones aren’t nearly as big as a pork or beef rib, but the meat is very flavorful. Read more…
Press Release – Cottage Food Law Workshop
From a Fair Food Matters press release…
Fair Food Matters, MSU Extension, and MSU Product Center Offer Cottage Food Law Workshop
Kalamazoo, MI – March 19, 2013 – Fair Food Matters, a Kalamazoo non-profit, along with Michigan State University Extension and Product Center present the workshop, Starting a Cottage Law Food Business in Michigan. The workshop takes place on Saturday, April 27th from 1:30-3:30pm at 1157 Bank Street (Bank Street Bingo Hall), Kalamazoo, Michigan. The workshop fee is $30 per person. In the fall of 2013 a continuation workshop, From Cottage to Commercial, will be offered.
Nearly three years have passed since Michigan’s Cottage Food Law was approved. The law allows the preparation of certain foods in home kitchens for direct sale to the public. Michigan’s Cottage Food Law, alongside an increased demand for locally-made foods, has resulted in a plethora of new handmade Michigan foods available. The law allows those with an entrepreneurial spirit the opportunity to experiment with making and selling certain homemade food products to the public with close to no capital investment. Cottage food production can be a useful transition step in taking a food business to the commercial phase.
The Starting a Cottage Food Law Business in Michigan workshop combines the business and food safety aspects of preparing and selling cottage foods safely and successfully. At this workshop both interested and existing Cottage Food Law producers will find out what foods can be legally produced as well as how to label and sell them. Participants will learn basic food safety practices that ensure that a delicious and food-safe product is being produced. Participants will learn techniques to develop a successful small business and will earn a certificate of completion that can be displayed at sales venues. Participants will also learn about local food business incubator, the Can-Do Kitchen, which offers business support for new food businesses.
Persons with disabilities may request accommodations by calling 269-492-0261 by April 17th, to ensure sufficient time to make arrangements. Requests received after this date will be met when possible.
Pop City Popcorn
346 S. Kalamazoo MallEver wanted to get movie theater popcorn without actually going to a movie theater? Yes? Keep reading. No? Is there something wrong with you?
In the year since L was born, J and I have been out without her a grand total of five times and all five times, J’s mom was our babysitter. We knew eventually we would have to find someone local to watch L so J and I could go out to dinner.
We found that someone and since I had Tuesday night off, we decided to to finally make that leap and leave L with a babysitter.
J had never been to Old Dog Tavern and I’m always up for a good beer, so that was dinner choice for the evening. After a couple beers, J asked if there was anyplace we could go for dessert. My mind went straight to a new popcorn shop, but we had to hurry….it closed in 20 minutes.
After chugging a Will Power Ale that I had just ordered, we raced down the Kalamazoo and somehow managed to find street parking right in front of the shop we were heading to.
This new popcorn shop is Pop City Popcorn. It’s in the Peregrine Tower on the Kalamazoo Mall near West Lovell Street. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 