Pastrami Joe’s – Battle Creek
35 Jackson Street WestSo, back in April, I decided it was time to buy a new mower. I found a Craftsman at Sears that seemed to be pretty good and it was a good price. I bought it, used it a couple of times, then the drought hit. I haven’t used it in about two months.
Then, the drought broke. My yard turned green again and I headed out to mow. The mower wouldn’t start. Yeah. Little pissed. I called Sears and they told me to bring it in. Unfortunately, the Sears at Crossroads Mall doesn’t take repairs, so I had to go to either Battle Creek or Three Rivers. Since they’re pretty close to the same drive, I went to Battle Creek.
After dropping it off and finding out it would take 10-15 days to repair, I walked around the Lakeview Square Mall waiting for 11:00 when restaurants in the area started opening.
A little after 11, I got L back in her car seat and headed towards downtown. A deli in McCamley Plaza has been sending me email specials and right there in their name, a food that I love.
Pastrami Joe’s has two Calhoun County locations. One in Marshall. One on Jackson Street in downtown Battle Creek. Read more…
Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe
6507 W. 79th StreetFor some reason, I had a hard time sleeping at my in-laws house. I fell asleep pretty early, then was up for several hours. I got some blogging done to get caught up after our weekend in Chicago and I got some TV watching in, but I was getting hungry at three in the morning.
Now, being in the Chicago suburbs, I actually had several options for food at this time of night. There is an Italian beef/gyro place right down the road from my in-laws as well as a couple 24-Hour family restaurants.
After all that thinking about food, I didn’t leave the house. I went back to bed…but first, I opened a website on my Mother-In-Law’s computer to plant a seed for lunch.
The site I left open was for Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe on 79th Street in Burbank. A few years ago, I stopped at the previous incarnation of Chuck’s on 79th and Central. Since that stop in 2008, Chuck’s has grown quite a bit and moved down the street. They’ve been featured on several television shows (including Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives). The popularity of the restaurant in the Chicago area is pretty amazing. My in-laws have tried to stop for breakfast before and couldn’t even get in for that. The website suggests reservations if you’re looking to eat in.
My subliminal advertising worked. When I rolled out of bed, J and her mom asked if I wanted to eat at Chuck’s. Of course I did.
We decided to do carry-out because we didn’t want to have L out of the house too long. We were meeting my family for dinner about an hour south of Oak Lawn and we didn’t want to overstimulate L at lunch. Read more…
Press Release – Tony The Tiger at Burdick’s For Breakfast
From an Old Burdick’s press release….
Press Release – Radix Tavern Opens in Grand Rapids
From a Radix Tavern press release….
Radix Tavern’s “New South” is Very West Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July, 30 2012—Stop by Radix Tavern (1420 Lake Drive) for dinner August 3rd and 4th to enjoy some free honey and jalapeno cornbread to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening. The restaurant is open for dinner 4-10pm.
The restaurant quietly opened last week with a menu featuring what Executive Chef Jayson Leek describes as “new southern” cuisine. Innovative takes on slow-cooked classics such as spare ribs and mac’n’cheese are offered alongside smaller plates like the fried green tomatoes and Louisiana mussels.
Still, Radix Tavern seems very West Michigan.
Over twenty local farms and vendors provide a majority of the menu’s fresh ingredients. The Founder’s Ale chicken chili is only one example of how the chef highlights what he calls the “incredibly tasty” West Michigan community. The full bar currently includes fifteen Michigan beers on tap along with a sizeable list of other microbrews in bottles.
Radix Tavern partnered with the community to design, decorate, and advertise the new restaurant. Working with faculty from Grand Valley State University, restaurant staff decided to turn the newly renovated site of the old Queen’s Pub into a working art gallery which now features work from six local artists, many of whom are students and alumni from GVSU and Kendall College.
Radix Tavern’s manager explains that the rotating exhibit is “designed to give back to the community” as all pieces displayed are available for sale and artists are invited to share and sell their work free of charge.
Diners can also enjoy a unique and delightful mural designed and painted by Kendall College professor of drawing, Gypsy Schindler.
Area students also shared in the experience of opening a new restaurant when owner Balwinder Bal chose to include a robust internship program as part of his plan. Grand Valley students from photography, advertising & public relations, computer & information systems, and communications, have all helped to create and market the new restaurant.
To read more about the restaurant and the Chef’s grand opening specials, find Radix Tavern on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RadixTavern) and online at www.radixtavern.com.
Fox’s on Wolf
11247 W. 187th StreetThe reason J, L, and I headed to Chicago this week was to surprise J’s grandma. The family had set up a ruse to get her to a restaurant near her house for a surprise birthday party. J was the bait. The family told grandma that we were in town and on our way either to or from my parents and we wanted to meet up with her for dinner. The plan worked. She was surprised.
The restaurant chosen for this surprise party was Fox’s on Wolf in Mokena, IL. I’m not really sure how or if all the other Fox’s restaurants on the South Side are related. There are two different websites linking the Wolf Road location to the Orland Park location. The other website links the Oak Lawn, Plainfield, and Beverly locations.
Anway, the Mokena location where we ate at is on 187th Street just to the west of Wolf Road. The building looks fairly new and as you would expect on the Southside, has an Irish feel to it.
We all met in the large bar area to start with drinks about a half hour before Grandma was supposed to arrive. The tap selection is a little weak so I ended up with a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy which isn’t my favorite beer, but it was the best selection they had. J stuck with Iced Tea while the rest of the group was pretty split between the Summer Shandy, Miller Lite and Coors Light with a few glasses of wine mixed in. Read more…
Three Floyds Brewing
9750 Indiana ParkwayThere have been a couple days already this summer where J and I have had to go home to Chicago for some kind of family event on a Sunday. Since I work until Saturday night, J’s mom has been coming to stay with us for a few days then she, J, and L will make the trip on Friday leaving me alone in Kalamazoo.
When that happens, I always scout out someplace I’ve been wanting to stop at on the way home. Since I’m by myself, I can take my time driving and hit up someplace that J may not be as interested in as I am.
The first time I did this, I stopped at Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer. I was in the mood for a beer on this trip too and there’s another brewery along the way I’ve heard great things about.
Three Floyds Brewing is to the Chicago area brewing scene what Bell’s is to Kalamazoo’s. The brewery is in an industrial park a few miles off I-94 in Munster, IN. When I pulled up to the Indiana Pakway facility, I was shocked to see the parking lot packed and overflow parking on the street. This was supposed to be a quick stop on the way home on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t expect the place to be super busy. Read more…
Junction Pizza & Subs
9170 US Highway 31My job really takes me all over West Michigan. I started my day in Holland, but also made a stop in Grand Haven later in the evening. I didn’t have a lot of time between job sites, but man was I hungry.
As I was heading up US 31, I knew there was a Mobil station with a Subway just off the road. I was heading there until I came to a Marathon station with a pizza joint inside.
Junction Pizza & Subs is inside the Marathon station on US 31 just south of Stanton Street in West Olive. I didn’t really have high expectations for the place. I was just really hoping they had pizza slices or something I could grab real quick.
I needed gas first then I had to find a bathroom. After that, I grabbed a Mt. Dew from the gas station cooler then headed back towards the entrance to the space taken up by the pizza place. While they have a rather large menu with a number of specialty pizzas and toasted subs, I was in a hurry and just hoped for a slice.
Lucky for me, they had just what I was looking for. I opened up the warming case and grabbed two slices of pepperoni pizza. In another warming case right next to the pizza were bags of Bosco Sticks. I had no idea what Bosco sticks were but I assumed they were some sort of bread sticks so I grabbed a bag and headed to the cashier. Read more…
Mr. Kozak’s II
321 E. 8th StreetEnded up with a co-worker in Holland tonight and man, was I hungry. I don’t usually stop and eat when I’m with someone else on the job, but I was hungry.
As we were coming through downtown Holland, I asked if it was ok for me to stop and grab a sandwich. She was hungry too and had no objection.
Mr. Kozak’s II is on 8th Street just to the east of downtown. It’s a really small building with not much more than an order counter and some bar stools lined up around a counter facing the windows. They claim to be a “Chicago style” place and the minimalist decoration is a good start.
Co-worker took a little bit longer to decide than I did, so I stepped up to the counter to order. I stepped up to the counter, but the two workers in the kitchen did not. They kept working on whatever it was they were working on for another couple of minutes before someone finally came up to take my order.
I stuck with what I know best and ordered an Italian beef with hot peppers and a large order of fries. I didn’t ask for it dipped because I didn’t know if we were going to dine in or just take it back to work. We ended up just eating there and luckily, the sandwich came out very wet. The bun was a pretty solid hoagy roll that held up to the wetness. I sat down, ney, stood right next to a napkin dispenser and I used quite a few. The beef itself was tender and juicy, but seemed to come out of a bag and reheated. The hot peppers were spot on. A nice mix of pickled veggies. Read more…
Press Release – German Wine Tasting at Wine Loft Tonight
From a Millennium Restaurant Group email
Friday, July 27, 5pm-7pm
Join us for a casual strolling-style wine tasting with Mr. Paul Mann of 10 different wines
Just $5 per person!
Paul Mann was born in a German speaking wine village in Hungary. In 1965, Paul immigrated to the United States, and in 1975, started his own wine wholesale and import business. He is still active today with Imperial Beverage.
For more than four decades, Paul Mann has been synonymous in Michigan with fine wines. His tasting skills are legendary, having been honed by over 160 buying trips to Europe and South America since 1968. Paul has been honored with memberships in what should be considered among the more prestigious wine consortiums in world: The Chevaliers du Tastevin, The Commanderie de Bordeaux and the Cavaiere del “Ordine de l’Tartufo e di vini di Alba”. By the French government, Paul has been awarded the Order Du MeriteAgricole.
Mr. Mann will be with us on Friday July 27 for a presentation of German White wines in a casual-strolling tasting.
From a Fair Food Matters press release….
Harvest Fest musical fundraiser coming to Old Dog Tavern
Two very different musical ensembles will perform on Saturday, July 28 beginning at 9 p.m. at Old Dog Tavern (402 E. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo), with proceeds benefiting the Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest.
Michigan Hiryu Daiko will demonstrate the ancient art of Japanese Taiko (“great drum”). For six centuries, the beat of these massive drums, ranging from one foot to six feet in diameter, could be heard over great distances and historically was used as a means of communication.
Then, Highway 20 will take the stage. This Kalamazoo-based band plays a blend of country and rock.
Doors open at 8 p.m. If weather permits, the performances will take place in Old Dog Tavern’s new outdoor garden.
The $5 cover will help support the Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest, an annual, community-wide celebration of local food, local farming and sustainable living.
The 10th annual Harvest Fest will take place on Sunday, September 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Tillers International, 10515 East OP Avenue, Scotts, Michigan. This year’s event will focus on food justice and food sovereignty, and will feature keynote speaker Malik Yakini, executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, as well as music, food, demonstrations and family tent activities.
SW Michigan Dining 