Press Release – Special Inagural Dinner at Bravo!
From a Bravo! Restaurant & Cafe press release….
57th Inaugural Meal
Celebrating The Bounties Of American Cuisine
Since 1901, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been responsible for the planning and execution of the swearing-in ceremonies and the meal following the Inauguration of the President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol. Come to Bravo! next Monday through Thursday and you, too, can enjoy this same meal as prepared by our chefs. This special meal is also available to go. No matter what your political leanings, we all need to eat. Come on out and enjoy what the leaders of our country have created for the inaugural celebration.
2013 Inaugural DinnerMenu Steamed Lobster Tail *****Hickory Grilled Bison *****Hudson Valley Apple Pie A package price for all 3 courses $48.00 President Obama’s menu includes American delectable items that Bravo! has gone to great lengths to replicate. The American specialties of lobster tail, a grilled cut of bison, followed by a delicious apple pie headline the meal. Inaugural meals have a rich tradition in Washington. Members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, led by chairman Charles E. Schumer, include Senator Lamar Alexander, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Speaker of the House John A. Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They are tasked with planning the sit-down meal for 200 guests, which include the president, vice president, members of their families, the Supreme Court judges, Cabinet members, and Congressional leaders. This is the seventh time in U.S. history that the constitutionally mandated inauguration date of Jan. 20 has fallen on a Sunday. The last time was for President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. When this occurs, the public ceremonies traditionally are held on the following Monday, which this year coincides with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is the second time that this federal holiday has coincided with a Presidential Inauguration; the first was President Bill Clinton’s second inauguration in 1997. |
The Big Burrito – Portage
3774 W. Centre AvenueFor some reason, J has been craving Mexican food a lot lately. Whenever we can’t think of something for lunch, we usually gravitate towards The Big Burrito. They have an easy online ordering system and they have something all three of us really like.
J laid down for a nap with L after she got home from work and told me to put in an order around 1:00. She assumed I’d just go to the one closest to our house at KL and Drake, but since I had some time and hadn’t been to the Portage location yet, I decided to go for a drive.
The Big Burrito takes over the space once occupied by The Real Deal: Classic Burgers and Shakes (and the Spicy Pickle before that ) in the Woodbridge Shopping Village on Centre Avenue just to the east of US 131.
The layout of the restaurant hasn’t changed much from The Real Deal. The only big difference is they added a separator between the order area and the dining area. That was the part I always thought was weird at The Real Deal. You could literally put your ass in someone’s burger while you were trying to order.
The color scheme has changed from the blues, greys, and stainless steel to the brighter colors of green, red, and yellow to name a few. Read more…
Press Release – Cooking Class Schedule at Bravo!
From a Bravo! Restaurant and Cafe email blast…
2013 Cooking Class Schedule
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Cooking classes are led by award winning Chef/Owner Shawn Hagen of BraVo! Restaurant. These classes are light, hands on and geared for the novice cook to the experienced chef. Chef Shawn with years of experience of playing with food will be informative. He entertains while guiding you to create wonderful meals as you learn some of the tricks of the trade. Students will January 15 or 16Cheese Glorious Cheese. Artisan Cheeses in 8 different unique recipes March 5 or 6An Exposition of Wine and Food Pairing. Chef Shawn demonstrates recipes while guests sit and enjoy the flavors paired with selected wines from wine steward Nick Chard May 21 or 22Breakfast in Bed. Shawn’s favorite morning recipes for food and drinks September 17 or 18Spicing Up Your Life. Learn how blending spices can create whole new flavor sensations that will add new life to old recipes. October 15 or 16Winter Warm Up. Soups to keep you warm all winter long from Classes are from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and are $65.00 per person. Class tickets are on sale at the restaurant, or by calling 269-344-7700. |
Press Release – Kalamazoo Beer Week at Food Dance
From a Food Dance email blast….
Greenbush Adjuncts Tasting
Saturday, January 12th • 2-4pm • $23 per personCoffee. Cherry. Maple syrup. The possibilities seem endless.
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and sample six beers with a little something extra added from Greenbush Brewing, Sawyer, MI. These guys started as home brewers and are now one of the hot new breweries in Michigan. Come meet the brewer and have an informal Q and A about adjuncts, or anything else you want to talk about.
Learn to Homebrew with Bell’s
Monday, January 14th • 6-8pm • $38 per personOr just sample beer, talk ingredients and mingle.
Join us for this special event featuring Bell’s General Store. Sample home-brews and Bell’s beers, while learning about homebrewing from an expert and take recipes home with you. A Bell’s representative will walk through the steps of successful homebrewing, review the costs, equipment, the best ingredients, procedures, tricks and tips. Come mingle with local home-brewers, learn about the homebrewing community in Kalamazoo and walk away with all the knowledge and inspiration needed to brew quality beer right at home. Something for all levels of homebrewing.
Special Beer Cocktails
Tuesday, January 15th • All DayDiscover a whole new world of mixology.
This is Mad Max beyond the Boilermaker. We’ll have beer cocktail specials all day. Food Dance’s mixologists Kevin and Megan have created signature beer cocktails using craft beers and quality ingredients. Because one can’t live on beer alone.Featuring Brewery Vivant in Cans
Wednesday, January 16th • All DayNo shotgunning please.
At Brewery Vivant, they draw inspiration from the small farmhouse breweries that dot the countryside in Southern Belgium and Northern France. They take notes from these breweries’ artistic approach and explore their own interpretations of traditional styles using a mix of old world and new world ingredients and methods. They package in cans for the sake of the environment. We’ll be featuring four different beers, so come raise some cans and experience their take on the ancient art of brewing.New Holland & Arcadia
Brewer’s Throwdown
Thursday, January 17th • 6-8pm • $45 per personWe cook. They pair. You judge.You will not want to miss this! Arcadia’s Tim Suprise and New Holland’s Fred Bueltmann are throwing down for a second time – and the battlefield is your palate. We will prepare a menu of 4 small plates, Fred and Tim pick their pairings, you blindly taste, and then vote for your favorites. Great food. Great beer. May the best beer win.
Click here to make reservations.
Press Release – Kalamazoo Beer Week at Burdick’s
From an Old Burdick’s email blast…
Insomnia Cookies – Kalamazoo
2905 Howard StreetWhat’s better than a little dessert after an incredibly filling burger meal? When Sliders Burgers and Belgian Fries opened in the Campus Pointe Mall near WMU, the same company also opened an Insomnia Cookies.
Insomnia Cookies is a late night cookie delivery bakery that is almost exclusive to college campuses. The Western Michigan University shop is the third one in Michigan. The other two are in obvious locations. One at Michigan State University and one at the University of Michigan.
Insomnia is in a very small space right next door to Sliders. I’m fairly certain they just chopped up what used to be Real Deal: Classic Burgers and Shakes in to two seperate spaces for the two businesses owned by Serve U Brands.
There’s a small order counter and a stand up bar on either wall. The menu is hung on the wall above the order counter.
You can order your cookie individually or they have a couple of deals to on larger orders. Read more…
Sliders Burgers and Belgian Fries – Kalamazoo
2901 Howard StreetI know I’ve been slacking quite a bit on the Kalamazoo area reviews, but you know when a burger joint opens, I’m going to be check out as soon as possible.
That was the case this weekend when Sliders Burgers and Belgian Fries opened up in the Campus Pointe Mall on the corner of Howard Street and Michigan Avenue near the Western Michigan University campus.
This new burger joint moves into the space that was previously occupied by a burger joint. The corner space in this section of the mall used to house The Real Deal: Classic Burgers & Fries. I really liked that place, but it didn’t seem to last too long.
There was a little bit of confusion over when Sliders would actually open. It came out on Friday on Twitter that they would be opening on Saturday, but an article in the Kalamazoo Gazette tried to squash that saying they wouldn’t open until Monday. Twitter was right. They opened on Saturday.
I don’t usually see J get excited over burgers, but when I mentioned they were opening this weekend, she made it a point to make sure I knew she wanted to go. You really don’t have to argue with me to get burgers. It’s been a while and I really was looking forward to one. Read more…
Smoothie King
316 N. Drake RoadThe flu is hitting West Michigan early this year and our house couldn’t quite avoid it. Luckily, I’ve managed to fend it off so far, but both J and L came down with it right after Christmas. After a pretty rough night, we decided to take a trip to the Westside Family Medical Center to see what was going on.
I wasn’t showing any symptoms, so it was just J and L who got checked out. J actually had influenza and L was starting to show some signs, so they were both prescribed Tamiflu to head it off.
L was pretty exhausted after a three hour trip to the doctor and fell asleep as soon as we got her back in to her car seat. J was hungry, but not really hungry for food. She wanted a smoothie and thought of Smoothie King on Drake Road.
The national chain has over 600 stores nationwide after getting its start as a vitamin shop in Louisiana. The only Kalamazoo location is on Drake Road just south of Main Street. It’s in the little shopping center where Colonial Kitchen is. The first time J stopped, right after leaving the doctor’s office, J went in by herself. I stayed in the car with the sleeping baby. The next day, J asked if I’d go back and get her another smoothie. Read more…
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – Oak Lawn
When most people think of “Chicago-Style” pizza, they instantly go towards Giordano’s stuffed pizzas. I do like me some Giordano’s, but when I think of the Chicago style deep dish, I think of Lou Malnati’s.
Quick Wings
6264 28th Street SEMan, was I looking forward to actually having Christmas off. In our line of work, it’s absolutely amazing that J and I not only had Christmas Day off, but Christmas Eve and enough days around the holiday to travel . This will probably be the last time in a long time that this happens.
Before heading home, I still had to work Saturday night, but it turned out to be a pretty easy day and I had time for dinner. There’s a wing place in Cascade Township that I’ve been wanting to get to. I actually got an email from them this weekend which let me know they were open. I figured this night was as good as any to make the trip to Cascade
Quick Wings is a fairly new restaurant on 28th Street SE east of Lincolnshire Lane in the Cascade Commons shopping plaza. Somehow, I have a feeling this place has some sort of ties to Wing Heaven. The menu is pretty similar with the same sauces and seasonings….and they have Kool-Aid. Unlike Wing Heaven, Quick Wings has a lot more on their menu than just wings if, for some reason, you’re not a wing person.
I called my order in a little after 6:30. The gentleman on the phone told me it would take about 15-20 minutes and that’s about how long it takes me to get to that side of town. I was getting in the car as I was placing the order and when I walked in to the small, quick service restaurant, there were two minutes left on my wings in the fryer. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 