Mr. Beef on Orleans
666 N. Orleans StreetIf you read this blog only for Kalamazoo posts, you might want to turn away for a couple days. J and I took a vacation with my family to the Chicago area and I have a lot to write about…just because I want to.
Our first day in town started with J and her mom getting up to do some shopping. They let me sleep in and sleep in I did. I got up after lunchtime and the ladies still weren’t home. J called and asked if I wanted something from Panera, but I can get Panera in Kalamazoo. I wanted a beef.
J’s mom had a coupon for Al’s Beef in Oak Lawn which I really love, but I’ve been wanting to try Al’s biggest competition, Mr. Beef.
I’ve lived in the Chicago area…well, close enough, my whole life and I always thought the two big players were Al’s and Portillo’s. I never knew of Mr. Beef because they aren’t in the south suburbs and my parents hated going downtown…in fact, they still do, so I very rarely went downtown growing up. It wasn’t until I saw an episode of Food Wars on the Travel Channel. Mr. Beef won that battle and it baffled my mind. How could anything beat Al’s.
After J and her mom got back from shopping, I jumped in the car and headed downtown. It should have only been a 20 minute drive from my in-laws south suburban home, but traffic at The Circle made it close to forty. I had nothing else to do and J was taking a nap, so I really wasn’t worried how long it was taking me. Read more…
Press Release – Central City Tap House Repeal Day Celebration
From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release….
Central City Tap House to Commemorate End of Prohibition with Second Annual Repeal Day Celebration
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—On Dec. 5, 1933 prohibition was repealed with the passing of the 21st Amendment, so we drink to celebrate! Join Central City Tap House on Sunday, Dec. 4 to celebrate the day most refer to as Repeal Day. The event kicks off at noon and lasts all day so you can celebrate as long as you like. Repeal Day will feature half off all 750 mL bottles of beer and $6 prohibition cocktails. Coffee mugs with the phrase “not beer” on them will also be available for purchase, which can be filled up with $1 Pabst Ribbon Blue drafts all day. The staff will be dressed up for the “swingin’” times so come and join the fun.
During the prohibition movement alcohol was considered a poison and virtually the cause of all crimes. Temperance activists went as far as hiring scholars to rewrite the Bible by removing all references to alcoholic beverages and insisted that school books never mention the fact that alcohol was commonly prescribed for medicinal and health purposes.
Prohibition was repealed 78 years ago so Central City Tap House is celebrating your right to celebrate! Prohibition cocktails, available for $6 each, include:
- The Bronx: Gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, orange juice
- Old Fashioned: Cherry and orange muddled with sugar, bitters, bourbon, club soda
- Sloe Gin Fizz: Sloe Gin, lemon juice, sugar, club soda
- Tom Collins: Gin, club soda, sour mix
- The Godfather: Scotch, Amaretto, Grenadine, garnished with an orange
Repeal Day comes to Central City Tap House on Sunday, Dec. 4 from noon to 10 p.m. For more information on the event call Central City Tap House at (269) 492.0100 or visit them online at www.CCTapHouse.com
Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant- Westnedge
7375 S. Westnedge Avenue- Portage, MI 49024
- (269) 323-2911
- No Known Website
- Menu
Our three day weekend of relaxing at home has come to an end. We still had a few more errands to run in the Portage area after I got my ass out of bed and Mexican food sounded good to both of us.
Los Amigos just opened a new restaurant in a brand new building on South Westnedge in front of the Wings, Etc. We noticed the building going up a couple months ago and had a feeling it was a Mexican place just by the design of the place. We’re fans of Los Amigos other two locations (Romence Road and Stadium Drive) so we figured giving the new location a shot would be a pretty safe bet.
The two dining rooms have the same feel as the Stadium Drive location. For a new building, the space does feel a little cramped though. The furniture is all heavy, solid wood that has the Los Amigos logo painted on it. The first thing both J and I noticed was that the place was very hot. Both of us were only wearing a zip up hooded sweatshirt for a coat and we both had to take them off when we sat down.
We were seated in the dining room with the bar, which again, felt a little cramped. The booth itself was quite large and even J’s pregnant belly fit comfortably. Read more…
From a Promote Michigan press release…
Reserve Wine & Food is home to one of the country’s largest cruvinet systems, holding 102 wines that are served by the glass. As the focal point of the bar area, the cruvinet system – with its hand-blown glass from local artist Joe Sherry – stretches some 36 feet (3 rows, 12 feet each) and is proudly displayed under the 2009 ArtPrize winning entry, Open Water, by Ran Ortner.
The cruvinet is a custom-build, temperature-controlled wine preservation system that works much like a keg system for beer taps. The cruvinet pumps nitrogen into the bottle of wine as wine is poured through a different set of tubing. This creates a barrier of gas between the wine and potential oxygen, therefore, extending the life of the wine for as long as six weeks.
“This intricate wine preservation system extends the life of wine exponentially, giving Reserve the liberty to offer a wider range of varietals and price points,” says Peter Marantette, General Manager. “We can now pour a bottle that other restaurants wouldn’t dream of opening, for fear that they wouldn’t sell it before the wine turned.”
There are only a handful of restaurants and bars in Michigan that use a cruvinet system, most of those under 25 taps. Even on a national and international scale, few are as impressive as that which Reserve operates – most claim between 25 and 55 taps. The Ristorante Panorama inside Philadelphia’s Penn’s View Hotel has a 120-bottle cruvinet system and is believe to hold the “Guiness Book of World Records” for the largest system of its kind in the nation.
“To the best of my knowledge, the cruvinet in Pennsylvania is the only system out there that is larger than Reserve’s,” Marantette says. “We definitely operate the largest system of this kind in Michigan and the Midwest.”
Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 201 Monroe Avenue NW, Reserve Wine & Food offers a world-class menu fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy, paired with over 100 wines available by the glass and 200 wines by the bottle, in an elegant yet casual fine dining setting. In the fall of 2011, Reserve was named a winner of OpenTable Diner’s Choice Awards for Top Wine Lists in the United States, one of only two restaurants in Michigan to be recognized.
111 E. Prairie StreetTavern on McGillen
23901 City Center Circle- Mattawan, MI 49071
- (269) 668-7515
- Website
- Menu
What’s this? A Saturday night off? Not only a Saturday night off, but a Saturday night off that J and I had nowhere to go. I normally have to take vacation days to get a Saturday off and that usually means we have plans to go somewhere. This time, it worked out on accident that I had the night off, so we did what we do best. Shop and eat.
Since our restaurant of choice didn’t open until 4:00, we did our part to stimulate the economy. A little shopping in Portage worked up quite an appetite and by 4:00, we were hungry.
We made the short trip west on I-94 to Mattawan where the people that have brought us the Craftsman Chop Company, Mission Pointe, and the East Eggs have opened up a tavern in the McGillen Crossing center right next to the East Egg. The address is still not showing up on the mapping websites because it’s so new. The easiest way to explain it is to go to the intersection of McGillen and Main Street. You’ll see the commercial development that is rapidly popping up on the corner. Read more…
Five Guys Burgers and Fries – Detroit
508 Monroe StreetWhen I found out work was sending me to Detroit for a day or two, I got incredibly excited. Yes, I was excited about being trusted enough to be given such a big assignment, but I also knew I was going to be just a few blocks from a Five Guys.
In the four years J and I have been in Michigan, our Detroit experiences have been pretty much limited to the area surrounding Comerica Park, Ford Field and Greektown. There’s so much more in Detroit I would like to experience, but our trips usually involve sporting events.
My job this weekend took me to Ford Field. It was a long day beginning at 9 AM in Grand Rapids. I made the trip over alone to meet up with my co-workers. After an afternoon of busting my butt, my dinner break finally came about 6:30. I told my co-workers that I was going for a walk and I’d be back within the hour. Read more…
Press Release – Wine Loft to Host Toys For Tots Fundraiser
From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release…
The Wine Loft to Host Toys For Tastes Fundraiser This Holiday Season
KALAMAZOO, MI- This holiday season, let’s give back! Join The Wine Loft as they host a fun night of dancing, wine, and donating to Toys for Tots on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. In the spirit of the holidays, Toys for Tastes will feature an array of holiday wines available for just $1 per taste and a live DJ to set the mood all night. The price of entry for the event will be one unwrapped toy to donate.
The holiday season is all about giving back and spreading holiday cheer to the community. With every $1 collected for each wine taste, The Wine Loft will match dollar for dollar and donate the collections towards gifts for Toys for Tots. The primary goal for the Toys for Tots program is to collect new, unwrapped toys and distribute them to children in need in the community, and what better way to give back to the community than to donate toys and enjoy great wine.
Toys for Tastes will be held Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information regarding the event be sure to contact (269)343.9227 or visit the web site at www.kalamazoowineloft.com. For more information regarding the Toys for Tots program visit www.toysfortots.org.
Uncle Cheetah’s Soup Shop
1133 Wealthy Street SEToday was an odd day at work. I was stuck at a desk all day. That’s not how my days typically go. On the plus side, I actually got a true lunch break. No eating out of a vending machine or a $.99 heart attack while trying to drive.
Since I could go pretty much anywhere I wanted to, I headed down Wealthy Street to a place that a co-worker recommended to me a couple weeks ago.
Uncle Cheetahs’ Soup Shop is owned by the same people who own the Electric Cheetah. J and I ate there early this year and loved it. I had heard of the sister restaurant down the street, but I’m not much of a soup eater. My co-worker really hyped the place up so I decided to give it a try.
The Soup Shop is on Wealthy just west of Fuller Avenue. I really love the Wealthy Street corridor and Uncle Cheetah’s fits in with the ecclecticness of the area. The building is tiny. There are two rows of tables that are really packed in to the small dining room. The order window is in front of you when you walk in. At first, I didn’t even see the menu as it is actually above the kitchen area which is to the right. It’s kind of an open concept kitchen. There are trays of soup up front and panini presses to the back. Read more…
Thanksgiving at Old Burdick’s
SW Michigan Dining 
