Water Street Coffee Joint at Borgess
1521 Gull Road- Kalamazoo, MI 49048
- (269) 226-5099
- Website
- No Online Menu
Well, the day is finally here. J and I headed to the hospital to welcome our daughter. Things didn’t turn out exactly as we planned and we ended up being in the hospital much longer before the birth than we had anticipated.
We checked into Labor & Delivery around 6 AM on Friday morning. By 6 PM Friday night, there was very little progress. Neither one of us had eaten since an early morning stop at the McDonalds drive thru and the combos I brought with me just weren’t cutting it.
I didn’t really want to leave J by herself, but I needed something to eat. She had just ordered something from the cafeteria, but I hadn’t purchased any meal tickets for myself. Since I would have had to go down to the downstairs to go to the cafeteria, I decided to see what the coffee shop in the atrium had to offer.
If you’ve been in Kalamazoo for any period of time, you already know Water Street Coffee Joint. They have three locations in town. The downtown restaurant is right across the street from Bell’s on Water Street. The second location is on Oakland in the Oakwood Neighborhood. Not being a coffee drinker, I’ve never really had any reason to go to either location. We did meet our Doula at the Oakwood location for our initial meeting, but J and I had eaten dinner at Fletcher’s beforehand, so we didn’t even really look at the food options. Read more…
Kalamazoo Restaurant Week….
…started today. From KalamazooRestaurantWeek.com
Downtown Kalamazoo Restaurant Week is the perfect time to try those restaurants in Downtown Kalamazoo that you have always talked about visiting. For $25, participating restaurants will create signature, 3 course meals. This course might be dinner for two, it might be an appetizer for four. But guaranteed, the price is $25 and it will be a unique blend of something you can’t find on their menu. What makes this week “special” is the featured product and the chance to try something new.
Press Release – Saugatuck Brewing Company Winter Tasting Series
From a Promote Michigan press release…
Saugatuck Brewing Company Announces Winter Tasting Series
(Douglas, MI) – SBC will be conducting 4 tasting events at the brewery to be held on the last Thursdays of January, February, March and April at 7pm.
The themes will be:
- · January 26 – “Different Yeasts/Different Flavors”
- · February 23 – “Different Hops/Different Flavors”
- · March 29 – “Understanding Beer Styles”
- · April 26 – “Specialty Beers”
The tastings will be lead by SBC sales manager Scott Farney and brewer Dexter Gauntlett. Admission will be $10 at the door ($8 for Pint Club members).
Press Release – Moscow Festival Ballet Theatre Dinner at Bravo!
From a Bravo! Restaurant email….
Moscow Festival Ballet Theatre Dinner January 22, 2012
Please join us after the 2:00 performance for a special three course dinner featuring classic Russian fare.
Menu
1st Course Selections
Pirozkhi (fried dough with filling): Savory braised short rib pieWhite Fish Caviar with Buckwheat Blinis (small pancakes)
and sour creamZakuski: A small taste of cured meat & fish
with house pickled vegetables2nd Course Selections
Salad Romanoff with poached chicken, peas, potatoes, eggs and
roasted red peppers topped with sour cream dill dressingGrilled eggplant & tomato salad with feta cheese and fresh mint
Cured Salmon Gravlax (Russian Lox) with vodka dill and cucumbers
3rd Course Selections
Kulebiaka Salmon (a splendid temptation) with slow cooked onions
and vegetables wrapped in pastryChicken Kiev: Herb butter stuffed in a breaded chicken breast
served with caramelized wild rice and fig & pear chutneyVeal Pojarski (a favorite of Nicholas): Ground veal and cream
with caramelized onionsA Menu fit for a Czar! $35.00 per person
Moscow Festival Ballet Performing at Miller Auditorium
In 1989 Sergei Radchenko, a principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, realized his dream by combining the classical elements of the Bolshoi and the Kirov ballet companies into a new company of his own. In classic Russian ballet style, this company performs a fantasy fairytale highlighting four ballets: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Giselle.
El Camino Real
1122 W. Michigan Avenue- Three Rivers, MI 49093
- (269) 273-7010
- No Known Website
- Menu
I know it’s Michigan and I know it’s January, but man did we get a lot of snow this weekend. When I got home from work Friday night I was too tired to attempt to shovel my driveway, so I got up Saturday to do it before work. I only got about half the drive shoveled before I just threw my shovel and gave up.
Later that night, I decided I needed to break down and buy a snow thrower. I was hesitant to spend the money, but I just don’t have the time to shovel or the help like I did last winter.
I got on Sears.com and started looking at snow throwers. I found one I liked and clicked on the option to pick up in store. The store at Crossroads didn’t have the one I wanted in stock, but the Sears Hometown store in Three Rivers did.
I got the confirmation this morning that my new snow thrower was ready to pick up so I asked J if she wanted to make the drive to Three Rivers with me. She said if we could get lunch she was in.
The only place that really popped in to my mind when we decided to go to Three Rivers was El Camino Real. I’ve heard from several people that it may be the best Mexican in the area and a place that many people make a special trip for. Read more…
From a xxx press release…
GOOD VS. EVIL: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
LIVE AT DeVOS PERFORMANCE HALL ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19th
Two chefs. Two unlikely friends. Two very differentcareers and philosophies sharing one stage.
(GRAND RAPIDS, MI)- Good vs. Evil: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert, live at Grand Rapid’s DeVos Performance Hall on Sunday, February 19th. Join Anthony Bourdain, chef, author of Medium Raw and host of The Travel’s Channel’s No Reservations and Eric Ripert, renowned chef of Le Bernardin, author, host of “Avec Eric” on PBS and regular guest on Bravo’s Top Chef as they share stories and muse on the place of food in our personal, community and global life. It’s an evening of storytelling and observation providing frank and provocative insight into what really goes on behind the kitchen doors.
Anthony Bourdain has been dubbed “the bad boy of cuisine” for his rock star look and blunt observations about the world of restaurants, chefs and cooking. Bourdain, the Chef-at-large at New York’s famed bistro Les Halles, is the author of the bestselling novels, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and most recently Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. His show on The Travel Channel, Emmy Award winning No Reservations, recently concluded filming its seventh season.
Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin continues to receive universal critical acclaim for its food and service and the Zagat Guide has recognized the restaurant as the “Best Food” in New York City for the last seven consecutive years. Ripert has also served as guest judge (and “fan favorite”) on Bravo’s Top Chef for the past four seasons. This past fall, Ripert published his fourth book entitled, Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert in addition to his previous titles: On the Line and A Return to Cooking and the Le Bernardin Cookbook.
A limited number of VIP tickets will be available, which includes premiere seating within the first six rows, access to an exclusive meet and greet session with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a VIP tour laminate and a limited edition poster. Grand Rapid’s acclaimed Bar Divani is pleased to be the Official Restaurant Sponsor of the evening, and will be providing an innovative selection of appetizers for VIP Reception attendees.
Copies of Bourdain’s new book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, and Ripert’s Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert along with other titles from their back catalogs will be available for purchase on site from Schuler Books and Music, the official bookseller for the event.
Press Release – Old Burdick’s Beer Week Dinners
From an Old Burdick’s e-mail…..
Press Release – Beer Week Throwdown at Food Dance
From a Food Dance e-mail….
Taste beer and cheese with the brewer of the night and our Cheese Gurus. We pick
the cheese, they pick the beer, you taste and vote on your favorite pairing. We’ll tally
the votes from each night and serve the top pairing from each brewery for the
weekend (Jan. 20 & 21). Yes, a 4 cheese and Michigan beer board pairing. This is
your chance to be heard.Reserve a banquette seat (in the bar area), sit or stand at the bar or have dinner
and a tasting at your table. Reservations not required, but recommended.
Please call to make reservations.Monday, Jan. 16 ~ Bell’s, Kalamazoo
Tuesday, Jan. 17 ~ Dark Horse, Marshall
Wednesday, Jan. 18 ~ Short’s, Bellaire
Thursday Jan. 19 ~ New Holland, HollandTo see the results, visit our facebook page.
Press Release – Celebreate Beer Week at Millennium Restaurants
From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release…
Press Release – Food Dance Partners with Van Buren Technology Center
From a Promote Michigan press release…
Food Dance Staff Mentors Students in Hospitality Services Program at Van Buren Technology Center
(Kalamazoo, Mich) – Hands-on educational programming in the culinary arts are growing at a rapid pace throughout Michigan – not just at the college level, but at several vocational high schools around the state. The Van Buren Technology Center (250 South Street, Lawrence) currently has roughly 50 students enrolled in its “Hospitality Services” program, which is taught by Patti Kenworthy and Diana Stump. The culinary team at Food Dance in Kalamazoo has launched a mentoring program aimed to help educate these students about various aspects of the industry.
“Our students have divided into teams of 4-5 and they are working on coming up with their theme of their restaurant, type of food and menu items,” says Meg Zapalowski, their Integrated English teacher. “The challenge here is to use as many local resources as possible to create the menu. Students are encouraged to research local farms online to find out what products they produce and sell to the public, visit local farms or talk to local residents about where they find local produce or visit local farmers markets – both indoors and out.”
As part of the program, Food Dance Chef Robb Hammond recently visited with the hospitality students to share a presentation about the restaurant’s philosophy, its relationship with local farmers and how he developed the specific menu.
Later this semester, the top team will travel to Kalamazoo for a behind-the-scenes tour of Food Dance to see what it takes to run a locally-focused, farm-to-table restaurant. Students will also have lunch and have their winning entrée featured on the menu.
Students at the VBTC study the art of cooking and gain the organizational skills needed to work in or manage a professional restaurant in either the one- or two-year program. Specifically, students learn how to plan and prepare a variety of foods operating commercial equipment; develop the culinary techniques for good food presentation; prepare for a catering event, serve professionally and provide good customer service; and then they’re given the opportunity to practice these skills in a real-world environment… with real customers.
At the completion of the program, students can receive Pro Start certification or begin the American Culinary Federation (AFC) certification. These levels of instruction prepare students for careers as cooks, chefs, kitchen managers, caterers, pastry chefs, servers and restaurant owner.
SW Michigan Dining 
