Bavarian Inn
713 S. Main StreetThe first thing anyone asks when you tell them you are going/went to Frankenmth is if you got chicken. J and I have actually been to the city twice before this trip and neither time did we get chicken. Why, you ask? Family style. Neither of us is going to eat enough to make it worth it.
There are two huge chicken restaurants right across the street from each other. Both are owned by the Zehnder family. At one time, they really were owned by the same person, but nowadays, they’re two separate entities with a friendly rivalry.
I made the decision before we even got on the road, that we were going to get our chicken from the Bavarian Inn. My plan was to hang out in the hotel and just do take out chicken. I would love to actually eat in the restaurant, but like I said, we’re not gonna do the family style thing with just the two of us.
I did learn, however, that the luncheon menu is available all day. They don’t advertise that really well and, as a consumer, I wish they’d just put on their dinner menu that you can order chicken plates. If either menu is available at any time, then why are there two separate menus? We may have eaten there had I known that ahead of time.
Since we didn’t know that, we decided to do carry-out instead. J called in the order around 5:30. Her plan was to order a five piece bucket of all white meat plus two orders of fries. When she was on the phone, the guy taking the call said something to the effect of, “oh, you don’t want the sides that come with it?” He thought she was ordering a five piece meal, but really, we just wanted the bucket. She said, sure, we’d take them. When she said that, the order taker took that as meaning we didn’t want the fries anymore. That wasn’t the case. We still wanted the fries, but he assumed that since we took the meal instead of the bucket, we just wanted the sides that came with it. Read more…
Bavarian Inn Lodge
1 Covered Bridge Lane- Frankenmuth, MI 48734
- (989) 652-7200
- Website
Pre-baby days, J and I probably would have made Frankenmuth a day trip, but five hours in the car is just too much for L. She did really, really good on both the trip to Frankenmuth and the trip home, but had we tried to do it all in one day, I don’t think it would have went as smooth.
I didn’t really do a whole lot of research or price comparisons for Frankenmuth hotels. I decided if we were going to make the trip, we were going all in on the Bavarian experience.
I went right to the Bavarian Inn website and started looking at prices for a hotel room. After a little browsing, I saw a link for “Weekday Specials” I clicked on it and the night we were going to stay happened to be one of those nights.
The Bavarian Inn Lodge is on Covered Bridge Lane in downtown Frankenmuth on the banks of the Cass River. The “front” of the building turned out to be right across the street from where we parked to walk around downtown, but I didn’t realize that. Instead, I got in the car and drove back around to Weiss Street thinking that was the front of the building.
I went in the “Tower Entrance” and followed the signs all the way back to where we just were to the main lobby. Check-in time is 3:00 and we were pulling in probably at ten after. There was a little bit of a line as there were several other people who were doing the same thing I was. Read more…
From a Promote Michigan press release….
Salt of the Earth & New Holland Brewing Company
Host 2nd Annual Harvest Dinner – Thursday, October 18
(FENNVILLE, Mich) – A five-course Harvest Dinner – showcasing the award-winning craft beers from New Holland Brewing Company and the region’s agricultural bounty – will grace the table at Salt of the Earth in downtown Fennville on Thursday, October 18 at 7pm.
In the days before the dinner, teams from Salt of the Earth and New Holland Brewing will visit local farms – walking fields, tasting produce, talking to farmers and gathering ingredients and inspiration for this special menu. These farms include Evergreen Lane Farm & Creamery, Coachstop Farms, Cranes Orchard & Eaters Guild. The crafting of the menu and the meal itself will be a collaboration between Salt’s Executive Chef Matthew Pietsch and New Holland’s “Beervangelist” Fred Bueltmann.
Each course will be paired with beers from New Holland – likely to include Hopivore, a Harvest Ale wet-hopped with 100% Michigan hops; Ichabod Ale brewed with pumpkin; Grain of Salt – an ale with Michigan wheat and hops, collaboratively brewed earlier this summer to celebrate Salt of the Earth’s 3rd Anniversary; and a barrel-aged Grain of Salt, with smoked blueberries.
New Holland’s “Harvest Series” is a collection of events running mid-September through mid-October that celebrate the local agriculture bounty. Through this series, guests are invited to learn about farms, artisan producers and more at various soirees designed to boost awareness of the incredible agricultural region in which we live. Events take place both in the Pub in Holland and out and about in the market.
Space for the dinner is limited to 50 people, and reservations are required. Call 269-561-SALT (7258). The cost for each dining experience is only $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Dinner starts at 7pm and is expected to last approximately two hours.
Frankenmuth Fudge Kitchen
606 S. Main StreetAfter lunch at Frankenmuth Brewery and picking up some fabulous Christmas ornaments at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, J, L, and I headed back downtown to kill a little more time before checking in to our hotel.
We actually thought L would fall asleep in J’s Boba Carrier, but that didn’t happen. We actually ended up walking all the way from the Bavarian Inn back to Frankenmuth Brewery…burning off some of the calories we were about to eat.
After heading back south on Main Street, we finally came to the Frankenmuth Fudge Kitchen. We could smell the chocolately goodness from across the street, but decided to make ourselves wait until we walked past it.
The retro candy shop is full of fudge. No kidding. There’s a huge selection. There are displays cases that run along two walls of the small building and none of the flavors are repeated.
Somehow, when I walked in, I was immediately drawn to the Peanut Butter Cup fudge. A lady behind the counter asked if we were ready to order. I was, but I had to give J a little bit of time. There was SOOOOOOO much fudge. It was hard to choose. Read more…
Frankenmuth Brewery
425 S. Main StreetJ and I decided we need to get some Christmas ornaments for L and there’s no better place in the world to get Christmas ornaments than at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth.
We had made the trip to Frankenmuth a couple times when we lived in Lansing, but Kalamazoo is much farther away than Lansing and with an eight month old baby, way to far for a day trip.
J had to take a day off or she’d lose a comp day and since work has been kind of crazy for me the last couple of weeks, we decided a quick getaway would be good for us.
We got up and on the road a little after 9:00 AM and headed straight for lunch. We arrived in Frankenmuth about 11:45 and neither of us had ate. We could have waited the fifteen minutes for Bronner’s to open then head to lunch, but nah, that wasn’t a good idea. We was hungry.
As soon as we started talking about this trip, I had the lunch spot picked out. I wanted to check out one of the oldest brewery’s in the country.
Frankenmuth Brewery is on the north side of downtown Frankenmuth on South Main Street. It’s on the Cass River and an outdoor patio provides a great view of the river. Read more…
Press Release – “Great American Beer Trail” Premiers Tonight
From The Great American Beer Trail’s Facebook page….
The Brew Trail Starts In Michigan!
Great American Brew Trail Announces Launch of Television Series On ABC Affiliate WOTV4 Sponsored By Spartan Flagship StoresPremiering Friday September 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM on WOTV 4. The Great American Brew Trail is a Grand Rapids MI based, nationally produced program that captures the excitement and growth of the microbrewery industry.
“After three months of production throughout Michigan the 1st season will premier September 28,” says Executive Producer Matt Renner. The 13-episode season features talented Host, Home Brewer and Chef, Amy Sherman “Tasting her way across the USA one pint at a time.”
Traveling throughout Michigan in Season 1, the Great American Brew Trail spotlights breweries that are top shelf in craft beer creations. GABT is a journey into the growing culture of food, beer and fun.
Small breweries have been a staple of local communities throughout history and the resurgence of local craft beer is something sponsor Spartan Flagship Stores (D&W, Family Fare, VG’s and Glens) are excited to support – especially here in Michigan, where around 100 breweries now operate. The Great American Brew Trail program highlights the passions and creativity of the breweries in the TV style of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
In April, 2012, the Great American Brew Trail won the inaugural Eclipse Award for excellence in TV series production for its pilot episode. Presented by WKTV in Grand Rapids, with the West Michigan Film Video Alliance, the Eclipse Award honors the best original works in film, video, sound and television production. GABT Show Creator & Executive Producer, Matt Renner, along with Host & Producer, Amy Sherman, accepted the award.
For up to date info on the Great American Brew Trail visit:www.greatamericanbrewtrail.com | www.facebook.com/greatamericanbrewtrail.
The Ample Pantry
4325 W. Michigan AvenueSometimes I just don’t want a burger. I had some errands to run this afternoon including getting an oil change in my company vehicle. I usually go to the quick change place that used to be a Valvoline on Drake right next to the Drake Party Center.
After taking care of that, I decided to go around the corner and bring home lunch.
The Ample Pantry is one of those places you could drive by a hundred times and not know it was even there. There’s a sign for the place out on Michigan Avenue just to the east of where KL turns in to Michigan, but the building is way back off the road.
It’s a cute little building that looks like a little house with a large parking lot. Inside, it has a really homey feeling. There are only a handful of tables in two small dining rooms. When I walked in, I was met at the counter by an employee who asked if I was there for lunch.
In addition to the dine-in lunch, Ample Pantry has a large delivery/catering aspect to their business. They call it “Home Delivered Meals.” I was just in the market for a couple of boxed lunches and I asked if that was an option. Read more…
Old Dog Tavern
402 E. Kalamazoo AvenueThis is a place that I’ve been wanting to check out for quite a while, but as they say, a baby changes everything. We take L out to eat at a lot of places, but we’re always a little hesitant at bars unless we see a kids menu posted online or it’s someplace we’ve been before and know it’s kid friendly.
We actually tried to stop at Old Dog Tavern one time just before L was born for lunch, but we walked in on a day when they were shooting a movie in the space. We walked past a bunch of production people to the bar area, but it was deserted and we couldn’t tell if they were actually open for lunch or not, so we bailed and went to the Central City Taphouse instead.
So, Old Dog got put on the back burner. It’s more of a bar than a restaurant so we didn’t feel it was an appropriate place to take a baby.
When my Mother-In-Law comes to town, we have kind of started this thing where she and I go out for a beer after J and L go to bed. She came for the weekend because I had to work all three days but ended up staying a couple extra to do some things with J while I stayed home with the baby.
After J and L went to bed last night, MIL and I decided to go have a beer. Last time we did this, we went to Paw Paw Brewing. MIL asked if there were any other breweries in the area that we haven’t been to, but I didn’t want to leave Kalamazoo. I thought about Bell’s, but then I suggested Old Dog Tavern where we could enjoy both a wide variety of Michigan brews and some yummy looking food. Read more…
Rinaldi’s Pizza & Subs
966 Fulton Street EastThere’s no other go-to that works nearly as well as pizza on a night when I have time for a dinner break and I’m really hungry. That was the situation I ran in to on Friday night.
Usually, I’m lucky if I can grab a sandwich on my way from job site to job site, but Friday night, I actually had a legitimate dinner break. I was hungry and there is a pizza place I have been driving by almost daily for two years that I had yet to check out.
Rinaldi’s Pizza and Subs is right on the corner of Fulton and Diamond in Grand Rapids. It’s not a very big place with a “dining area” of only two pub tables and a few chairs. Most of the business is done by either carry-out or delivery, but Rinaldi’s had the one thing I look for in a pizza place. Online ordering.
Unfortunately, I had to register an account in order to place my order, but that turned out to be a good thing. By registering, I was given the option for a special right off the bat. My plan was to order a 16″ pizza, but they gave me a two topping 14″ or just $9. I downsized a little bit and put in an order for pizza with pepperoni and bacon. Read more…
Press Release – Twisted Tap Series
From a Twisted Rooster email…..
TWISTED TAP SERIES
Every Wednesday,the Grand Rapids Twisted Rooster will be hosting a Twisted Tap Series. At 4:00, we will tap speciality, limited production Michigan beer for your enjoyment!
September 12th: Founder’s Frangelic Mountain Brown
September19th: Founder’s Devil Dancer Triple IPA
September 26th: Delirium Nocturnum
October 3rd: Bell’s Oracle Double IPA
October 10th: Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale
October 17th: Brewery Vivant Contemplation
October 24th: Arbor Brewing Hoptown Brown
October 31st: New Holland Beerhive
SW Michigan Dining 