Big Boy – Plainwell
618 Allegan StreetLast summer, my parents and I took what has become an annual trip to Earl’s Farm Market near Fennville to pick blackberries. After getting more than my mom could eat, we decided to head to South Haven to eat. They had never been to the beach there and I thought we could grab a bite to eat then walk out on the pier.
As we were getting off I-196, my dad saw a sign for Big Boy. He asked what that was. I told him it was somewhere between Applebees and Denny’s. I didn’t know how else to describe. It wasn’t my first choice, but I offered to take them there if that’s what they wanted to do.
They opted to do something local instead and we ended up at Venezia Pizza Restaurant. With the way that lunch went, we probably should have just went to Big Boy.
Since L was born, my parents try to make it to Kalamazoo once a month to see her. Since I work Saturday night, we only end up with Sunday’s to spend together. We usually start with breakfast then some sort of project that I need help with around the house.
I got up around 9:30 so we could get a somewhat early start to the day. I had some landscaping that I needed help with and I wanted to get going on that before it got too hot. Read more…
Press Release – Dine and Donate at Pastrami Joe’s
From a Pastrami Joe’s email….
Support Marshall Junior Baseball
just by ordering a meal.
Wednesday May 23
30% of revenue from 3-6pm tomorrow goes to support Marshall Junior Baseball.
Marshall location only.
Hit a karmic home run by supporting Dine to Donate. Funds raised will go
towards new equipment, improved facilities
and Hall of Fame dreams.
Being a philanthropist has never
been so easy. Or so tasty.
HOURS:
Marshall Hours: Mon-Fri 11am – 7pm • Sat 11am – 3pm
Battle Creek Hours: Mon-Fri 11am – 3pm • Sat Hours Vary
Newk’s Express Cafe
2650 East Beltline Avenue SESocial media is a powerful advertiser when it comes to reaching me. Last week, I noticed a follow from a restaurant in Grand Rapids. I had never heard of it, so I clipped on the website to see what it was all about.
Turns out, Newk’s Express Cafe on the East Beltline is right up my alley. The restaurant shares a building with Smashburger in front of Centerpointe Mall.
Newk’s is a fairly new concept chain from the people that brought you McAlister’s Deli. Headquartered in Jackson, MI, Grand Rapids is the only city in Michigan to have a Newk’s.
The concept is quick sandwiches and pizzas. They kind of walk a line between fast and casual…or fast casual 🙂 If you have time, they have a menu of hot sandwiches, salads, and pizzas available for dine in or take out. If you really just want to get on your way, there are some ready made cold sandwiches and salads to grab-n-g0. Read more…
Qdoba Mexican Grill – South Westnedge
3150 S. Westnedge AvenueAfter a trip to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, J wanted to get something to eat before heading back home. Neither of us really had a strong taste for anything until J said she kind of wanted Qdoba. She then said Chipotle would work too, but we were closer to a Qdoba and I didn’t want to have to go all the way back to Main Street.
Since we were already south of downtown, I started driving towards the new Qdoba location in the developing shopping center at the corner of Whites Road and South Westnedge. J was confused. She had no idea where I was going assuming I was going to the West Main location.
This newest location really isn’t much different than any of the other Qdoba restaurants you may have been to. There’s an order area similar to a sandwich shop where you order your entree then top if off with salsas, cheeses, and other toppings.
I stuck to my usual order of three pulled pork tacos with cheese and hot salsa. The juicy pulled pork was stuffed in to a corn tortilla hard shell taco, topped with a white cheese and a spicy Salsa Roja. The tacos at Qdoba are so much better than the fast food competition, but so much more expensive. The pulled pork option totally beats out the typical ground beef and makes for a very tasty dining experience. Read more…
The Cupcake Zoo
110 N. Farmer StreetWhen J and I were in Chicago for my birthday last fall, we did something the hip, trendy people do. We went out for cupcakes. After a fantastic meal at Goose Island, we went to the uber-trendy Molly’s Cupcakes to pick up dessert.
The last couple years have really seen a boom in the popularity of the gourmet cupcakes. Cupcake Wars on The Food Network have shown the masses that cupcakes are more than just bland, individual cakes made from a box that you take for treats on your birthday to school (is that even still allowed?)
Not sure how well it would go over, but man, would I love to see a cupcake store in Kalamazoo somewhere. Either near Western or downtown, but it’s so nice to have the option of moist, sweet cake in an individual serving size.
Alas, we don’t really have that. There are a couple bakery’s that serve cupcakes, but don’t specialize in them.
This past Saturday, J and I decided to check out the Kalamazoo Farmers’ Market for the first time this year. We were pretty late getting there, but we were still able to find the goodies we were looking for including an unexpected treat. Read more…
Press Release – Common Ground Plant/Seed Giveaway
From a Fair Food Matters press release…..
Common Ground, a collaborative project supporting community gardens throughout Kalamazoo County, will host its first plant and seed giveaway of the season.
It will take place on Wednesday, May 16 from 4-6 p.m. at the Garden Resource Shed, 1519 E. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo.
Plant starts, donated by Elzinga and Hoeksma Greenhouses, include tomatoes of many varieties, peppers, zucchini, green beans, herbs and more. Seeds, provided through the America the Beautiful Fund, include an array of many common and unique vegetables, as well as herbs.
Both plants and seeds are available in limited quantities while supplies last. To qualify, participants must represent a community garden in Kalamazoo County, and must pre-register no later than Monday, May 14 by contacting Catie Boring at catie.boring@kalamazoolandbank.org or 269-216-9681. Please mention the name of your community garden (if it has one), its address and the number of gardeners involved.
In addition to plants and seeds, Common Ground offers free use of garden tools and equipment ranging from hoes, shovels and rakes to rototillers and lawn mowers, throughout the growing season. For more information, visit http://commongroundkalamazoo.com/index.php.
Clara’s on the River
44 McCamly Street NJ’s first Mother’s Day was a lot of pressure for me. I wanted to do whatever she wanted to do, but I didn’t know what she wanted to do. Usually we meet our parents somewhere for brunch but her mom was in town last week and my parents are coming next week so we decided just to make this Mother’s Day about J.
I had come up with a few options for brunch, but still, wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Saturday morning, I presented her with a few options and she chose the one I would have chose myself.
So, at about 10 AM on Saturday, I called Clara’s on the River in Battle Creek to see if they had any reservations left for Mother’s Day brunch….nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?
The lady that answered the phone must have been laughing at me for waiting until the last minute. When she asked how many and I said two, she said they could probably make that work. She put me on hold for a second then came back and said 1:45 was the earliest they had left. I took it.
Clara’s on the River isn’t entirely new for J and I. Our first year in Lansing, we took J’s parents to Mother’s Day brunch at Clara’s Lansing Station. I remembered really liking the place. It had a great atmosphere and a really good brunch. Read more…
Vito’s Pizza
685 Fulton Street WestI suppose the best advertising you could get for your business is having it featured in a movie. Vito’s Pizza on Grand Rapids’ west side was a big part of the movie 30 Minutes or Less which starred Jesse Eisenberg, Nick Swardson, Danny McBride, and Aziz Ansari. The production company came in to Grand Rapids and turned Vito’s Pizza to Hollywood set. When they were finished, they offered to restore everything back to the way it was when they came in, but the owners decided to ride the publicity and keep the look designed for the movie.
Without the movie, I probably wouldn’t have given Vito’s a chance. It’s on Fulton Street a few blocks east of the John Ball Zoo. They have a very small parking lot right in front of the building and options for street parking just a short distance away.
I assumed I was going to have to call in my order, but when I went to their website, I found online ordering. My favorite.
I was just in the mood for a pizza and they were running a special on a two topping 16″ and it was something I could easily order online. I really like how they put their specials right up front on the online ordering section. Read more…
Fat Man’s Fish Fry
4162 S. Division AvenueIt’s hard to pass up a restaurant that has the word’s “Fat Man’s” in it. Then throw in the word “Fry,” man, this place already sounds like my kind of joint.
Fat Man’s Fish Fry is on South Division Avenue a few blocks north of 44th Avenue Street on Grand Rapids southeast side. It’s hard to miss as your driving by. A bright yellow building with a blue awning and the magical word (fry) in big letters.
I’ve driven by this place many times without time to stop. When my dinner break came around Friday night, I decided it was finally time to check this place out.
I was a little surprised to pull in just before 7:00 on a Saturday night and not see anyone else in the parking lot. Even more of a surprise, there was no one inside. I was actually wondering if the place was open, if they forgot to lock up, or if there was something really, really wrong.
I stuck around for about ten minutes wondering if I should venture back in the kitchen to make sure there was nothing going on. I finally saw someone walk in front of the building. He looked in the window and saw me and came in apologizing. I’m not really sure where he was, but he was very apologetic about making me wait. I was just relieved that they were open. Read more…
Press Release – “From the Wild” Dinner at Food Dance
From a Promote Michigan press release…..
FOOD DANCE WELCOMES LOCAL FORAGER ANDY DAVIS FOR SPRING “FROM THE WILD” DINNER, MAY 17
(KALAMAZOO, Mich) – Join Saveur magazine’s “Local Forager of the Year” Andy Davis for an exclusive spring-themed dinner at Food Dance in downtown Kalamazoo, on Thursday, May 17. Foodies are invited to savor the bounty of Davis’ ways during the “From the Wild” Dinner. The dinner runs from 6-8pm and cost $49 per person, plus tax/gratuity.
Among the items that Chef Robb Hammond will be crafting into the four-course dinner are ramps, morels and fiddleheads. The exact menu will be a surprise, based on the harvest in the days leading up to the dinner.
Andy and his family – wife, Michelle and their three children – collectively love the outdoors and have found foraging a joyous recreational activity that they can all take part in.
“Foraging gives us powerful tools for teaching our kids about the world and helps to satisfy our need to be in the wild,” Andy says. “ Foraging encourages the kids’ curiousity and interest in nature, while providing a template for introducing them to economics and planning, as well as the importance of good stewardship and respect for others.”
Andy – a builder, geologist and field naturalist, and Michelle – a geographer and experiential/environmental educator – share a passion for living close to the earth and have a small piece of land outside of Kalamazoo where they keep a large organic garden, raise heritage meat chickens, make maple syrup and landscape for biodiversity.
“We both have a lifelong interest in all things edible and collectively have years of experience finding, tasting, testing and tracking down wild edibles to set on our table,” says Andy. “In doing so, we have developed an intimate relationship with the habits, habitats and haunts of our local flora and fauna.”
To make reservations for the Food Dance “From the Wild” dinner with Andy Davis, call 269-382-1888.
SW Michigan Dining 