Martell’s Now Offering Complete Meals To-Go
From a Millennium Restaurant Group email….
We (Martell’s) will be offering the following Complete Meals To Go*, available anytime after 4pm:
(all meals served with sliced tuscan bread and brownies and feed 2-4 people. All food is packaged in reusable plastic containers)
Golden Brown Walleye
served with hot buttermilk mashed potatoes, garlic sauteed green beans, creamy mustard chive sauce
$30 out the doorHerb Roasted Lemon Chicken
served with hot buttermilk mashed potatoes, garlic sauteed green beans, and chicken jus
$23 out the doorSlow Braised Italian Beef
served with hot buttermilk mashed potatoes, garlic sauteed green beans, and hearty beef gravy
$29 out the doorPappardelle with Mushrooms
thick cut egg noodles tossed with herb roasted mushrooms, shallots, mushroom broth, and white wine, topped with shaved parmesan
$20 out the door*Millennium Monday Coupons not valid on Complete Meals To Go
A Complete Meal for Everyone
Herb Roasted Lemon Chicken Complete Meal
Additional items available:
Family Salad $5
Single Brownie $1
Kids Chicken Fingers with French Fries $5
Kids Mac and Cheese $5
Family Soup 24oz $8
1/2 Loaf of Tuscan Bread $5
Loaf of Cranberry-Walnut Bread $6
Also Available to go: Select Beer and Wine
Crane’s Pie Pantry Fundraiser for Wes Leonard Heart Foundation
From Crane’s Pie Pantry’s website…
A great time to come and see us would be on Friday Sept 16th because we are having a fundraiser for the Wes Leonard Heart Team here in Fennville at Crane’s. We will donate 20% of each and every check on that day to help support Wes Leonard Heart Team. This non-profit group was founded this spring after we lost a cherished young man here in Fennville to sudden cardiac arrest after he made the winning basket during a tournament game. This foundation was set up in Wes’ name to help educate people as to what to do when sudden cardiac arrest happens. It will help schools to buy defibrillators for their sporting events and set up CPR and AED training for schools. They are also lobbying for AED legislation. So come out and support the Heart Team and have a great meal and pie here at Crane’s! Here’s the poster for the event – help us spread the word!
Press Release – Meet The Chef
From a Fair Food Matters press release….
“Eat Local, Kalamazoo,” a program of Fair Food Matters, will present six “Meet the Chef” events, giving people the chance to see (and taste) how our community’s top chefs use local ingredients to create delicious food.
Meet the Chef: People’s Food Co-op
Date: Tuesday, September 27
Time: 2-3 p.m. (repeats at 5-6 p.m.)
Location: People’s Food Co-op, 507 Harrison St., Kalamazoo
Cooks from the new People’s Food Co-op will show off techniques and hand out samples of freshly created salads and dips. Demonstrations will take place in the Can-Do Kitchen, the region’s only commercial kitchen/food business incubator (located within the same facility).Meet the Chef: Bravo Restaurant and Café
Date: Tuesday, October 4
Time: 2-3 p.m. (repeats at 5-6 p.m.)
Location: Bravo Restaurant and Café, 5402 Portage Road, Kalamazoo
Chef Shawn Hagen will demonstrate how to make delectable dishes using produce and products from local farmers and businesses.Meet the Chef: Life and Food at Brickyard Farms
Date: Thursday, November 3
Time: 2-3 p.m. (repeats at 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
Location: Portage District Library, 300 Library Lane, Portage
Writer and farmer Kim Sanwald is the author of Basics with a Twist: Life and Food at Brickyard Farms. As she talks about her transition from urban life to life on a working farm, Sanwald will demonstrate three healthy, hearty soups using produce from her farm.A $5 fee (payable at the door) covers the cost of food for each event. Space is limited, and registration is required. To find out more or to register, please call the Portage District Library at (269) 329-4542, ext. 600, or visit the library’s website at http://www.pdl.lib.mi.us/events-and-classes/
Finley’s American Grill – Kalamazoo
5160 W. Main StreetWorking Sunday meant Monday was my Saturday. Surprisingly, I was actually out of bed before J got home from work. I checked my e-mail and saw one from her saying she wanted to go out to lunch.
I had originally suggested going to Bilbo’s because I have a BOGO coupon. I thought I could save myself some money. She was on board, but the more I thought about it, the more I wasn’t in the mood for pizza. I also didn’t want to go too far from home because I knew she would want to take a nap before her evening activities.
My second suggestion was Finley’s American Grill. We had eaten at a Finley’s when we lived in Lansing and had such an awful experience, we have never considered going back. The food was fine as was the service, but the atmosphere was horrendous. This experience took place in the archaic days before the smoking ban. We asked to be seated in the non-smoking section and instead of punishing those who have no respect for others, they put the non-smoking family section is a small, enclosed room in the back of the restaurant. We had to walk through the smoking section to get there and I swear the short walk took two years off my life. The smoke was so bad we had the smell on our clothes just walking through.
That pretty much sealed the deal for us on Finley’s prior to the smoking ban and it’s kept us away ever sense. When I suggested we try the Kalamazoo location, J’s eyes didn’t exactly light up, but she agreed. Read more…
East Egg – Richland
8860 N. 32nd StreetSo, I end up working a Sunday and I end up meeting a co-worker in Richland. We didn’t have a whole lot of time. We got our assignment down in town then she wanted to eat. I was getting a little worried about time because I needed to get back to Grand Rapids. I had a little over a half hour until the last possible moment that I needed to leave, so I gave in eventually.
It didn’t look like there was a lot open on a Sunday afternoon in Richland, but I knew East Egg was. I also knew, from experiences at the Portage and Mattawan East Egg’s, that they were usually pretty quick and pretty cheap. Best of all, we were going to head M-89 to head back to US-131 so it was even on the way home.
The Richland location of East Egg is on M-89 just north of the Richland city limits. The restaurant is actually in the space that used to be Cafe Thyme in the Clocktower Green shopping center. That makes sense because the same people that own East Egg also own Mission Pointe which is also in the same shopping center. Read more…
Martha’s Vineyard
200 Union Ave. NE- Grand Rapids, MI 49503
- (616) 459-0911
- Website
After eating pretty bad yesterday and drinking a lot of great beer, I really didn’t think it would be a good idea to eat another greasy fast food burger. While at work, my options are kind of limited and I wasn’t in the mood for Subway.
My other option, and one I’ve known about for a while, is a small specialty grocery store in Grand Rapids’ Midtown Neighborhood.
Martha’s Vineyard sits on the corner of Union NE and Lyon NE. It sits right next door to one of my favorite pizza places in town, so I overlook it a lot, but I’ve been told by multiple co-workers that it’s a great place to pick up a sandwich for a price much cheaper than the other deli’s in the area.
Martha’s Vineyard is a specialty, neighborhood grocery store first. They have a wide variety of craft brews and a large wine section which is what initially brings people in the door. That door leads right past the deli. Before you can even get both feet inside, you come face to face with a wide variety of made-from-scratch dishes and specialty meats and cheeses. Read more…
Smokin’ Woody’s
12620 Red Arrow Highway- Sawyer, MI 49125
- (269) 426-6100
- No Known Website
- Menu
Once a year, my brother, my dad, my best friend from grade school, and I get together at US Cellular Field for a White Sox game. This past Friday happened to be that day.
Since I work Friday night’s, I took the night off work and when J got off work at noon, we started heading south. After a stop for some good Michigan beer, we decided to hold off on lunch until we got to Sawyer.
It was a little bit of a drive, but I found a BBQ place on Terry’s Guide that I really wanted to try.
Smokin’ Woody’s Char-B-Que is right on Red Arrow Highway just south of the Warren Dunes State Park. The parking lot was empty except for two pick up trucks which we eventually found out belonged to the owner and one of his friends. Parking was a little confusing. There’s really no room to park in front of the brightly painted building, but there’s a sign that points you to the back. I followed the sign and all I really found was a grasssy area with tire tracks. I continued around the building and just parked along the side. Read more…
Press Release – BBQ and Bell’s
From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release….
Central City Tap House to Feature Rare Brews for Bell’s Brewery Tap Takeover During BBQ & Bell’s Event
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Bell’s Brewery—brewing out of Kalamazoo, MI since 1985—will be doing a tap over at downtown Kalamazoo’s Central City Tap House on Sunday, September 18 as part of their BBQ & Bell’s event. The event, co-hosted by the restaurant and the brewery, will be a celebration of the changing of the seasons, craft beer, fresh food, and live music. The event is free for guests to attend with no cover charge.
Starting at 5pm, nine of Bell’s beers will be featured on tap, along with a hand-pull cask ale. To complement the special beers, Chef McKinney will feature a special BBQ menu for the evening, which will be prepared on a grill outside, weather permitting, on Central City Tap House’s front patio on the Kalamazoo Mall until 7pm. The menu will feature grilled baby romaine Caesar salad, house made coleslaw, citrus baked beans, BBQ St Louis-style pork ribs, BBQ Otto’s chicken breasts, and a red velvet cake with spiced crème anglaise.
The evening will also feature music from Andrew Schrock, Terrance Massey, and Hugh Little—of Kalamazoo’s Funktion—as they play an acoustic set in the restaurant from 6pm-8pm. Brewers Andy Farrell and Rik Dellinger of Bell’s will also be in attendance for a casual meet-and-greet throughout the evening.
The following beers are set to be featured:
- Black Note Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout (11.5%abv) blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for month (very rare)
- Deb’s Red Ale (6.3%abv) this beer is technically retired (no longer brewed)
- Kalamazoo Hop Solution (part of the Illinois-only series, this will be the first time it is released in Michigan)
- The Oracle DIPA Ale (10%abv) two separate dry-hop sessions with Amarillo and NZ Pacific Jade
- Batch 10,000 (9.2%abv) Uses 100 different malts, grains, and other fermentables, and followed them up with a blend of 60 different hop varietals. This keg will be the last of the local supply.
- Octoberfest (5.5%abv) just released with a very limited draught presence, spends a full six weeks maturing in the fermentation vessels
- Also featured: Kalamazoo Stout, Two Hearted, Third Coast, and Pale Ale on Cask
Central City Tap House will host BBQ & Bell’s on Sunday, September 18 starting at 5pm. The event will feature a Bell’s tap takeover, live acoustic music, and a featured BBQ menu. The event is of no extra cost to guests. For more information please call Central City Tap House at (269) 492.0100
Press Release – An Evening With Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
From a Theater Council 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, No Reservations, has been nominated for an Emmy and 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.
Tickets go on sale to the public September 16 and range from $32.50 – $125 for VIP packages and are available online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000 and all Ticketmaster locations.
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 – Ruth’s Chris Opening in Grand Rapids…..
…..on September 12th.
There….now all you people finding this blog looking for that date, you’ve got your answer….
….anyone want to buy me dinner? 🙂
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Set to Open in Grand Rapids on Sept.12
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Sept. 7, 2011 – Ruth’s Hospitality Group (Nasdaq: RUTH) is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of its newest restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI on Sept. 12. The venue, which marks the 132nd for the brand and the second in Michigan, is locally owned and operated by the Amway Hotel Corporation and situated in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Reservations are currently being accepted.
“Ruth’s Chris is an internationally recognized company and we are thrilled to bring this dining experience to Grand Rapids,” said Joe Tomaselli, president of the Amway Hotel Corporation. “This restaurant is another keystone to the development of the downtown area, and the brand is well aligned with our hotel’s philosophy, quality and service.”
Guests in Grand Rapids will now be able to enjoy New Orleans-inspired appetizers, the finest U.S.D.A. Prime steaks, fresh seafood and classic desserts, all complemented by an award-winning wine list. Ruth’s Chris Steak House Grand Rapids seats 200 people, and is designed to create a variety of smaller areas including an open bar area to see and be seen in, the Captain’s Table to celebrate special events and three private dining rooms to seal the next business deal. The three elegant private rooms boast state-of-the-art media and satellite capabilities, and can seat 70 people when combined, a perfect location for off-site business meetings.Designed by the team of Gooch Design Studio from Chicago and Concept Design Group from Grand Rapids, Ruth’s Chris Steak House Grand Rapids captures the flare of a contemporary New York steak house with hidden treasures and surprises around every corner. Ruth’s Chris has a special vibe and edge, while also possessing a traditional character, exemplified by the red, black and cream colors contrasting with a smoky, mysterious and fun forward-looking aesthetic.
Michael O’Donnell, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc. added, “Grand Rapids is a strong addition to our worldwide group of restaurants. I am pleased that we will have a presence in this successful market, and a great partnership with the Amway Hotel Corporation. I know they will continue Ruth’s legacy of service and hospitality as they introduces us to the citizens of Grand Rapids.”
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Grand Rapids is located at 187 Monroe Ave. NW, and is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the bar is open until midnight Monday through Thursday, and until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
For reservations and additional information, please call 616.776.6426 or visit www.ruthschris.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruthschrisgrandrapids.
SW Michigan Dining 
