Steak ‘n Shake – Oshtemo Township
5371 W. Main StreetGetting off at midnight sucks some nights. I actually like working the night shift, but when I head for home and I’m hungry, choices are pretty limited. Most of the time, I stop at McDonalds in Wayland, but that gets a little old. I was going to do the same on my way home from work tonight, but I decided to wait until I got back to Kalamazoo.
Sure, I could have stopped at a McDonalds in Kalamazoo, but why do that when Steak ‘n Shake is right across the street?
The Oshtemo Township Steak ‘n Shake location is on West Main Street just to the east of Maple Hill Drive. It’s easily identifiable by it’s trademark black, red, and white color scheme. If you’ve never been to or see a Steak ‘n Shake, here’s the gist of it. They want to replicate a 50’s diner
When you go in to a Steak ‘n Shake location, it’s a full sit down meal. There’s a waitress who serves you and the food is made to order. When you go to the drive thru, you still get that made to order goodness which means you’re going to be sitting a little bit longer than if you went to a fast food chain. Read more…
Press Release – Fundraiser at Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria
From an Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria press release….
Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria Hosting All Day Fundraiser Benefiting Two Local Charities
Oshtemo and Portage, MI- Kalamazoo continues to bring new ideas and ways of building community with a focus on giving back. Next Tuesday, August 30th there will be an all day fundraiser at both locations of Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria benefiting two local charities, You & Improved L3C founded and led by Erika Jackson of Kalamazoo, with a focus on women’s empowerment and domestic violence issues and New Horizon Learning Center led by Director Katrina Goodall, a children and family educational center under Phoenix Properties’ LIFT Foundation. These 2 organizations have been selling first aid kits through the RightResponse fundraising program and they have until the end of the month to raise $800 among nearly $2,000 in fundraising with a Zip Bag Backpack Summer effort led by 4 additional local charities. Scott Spicer, Fundraising Specialist and Senior Partner of Spicer’s Consulting developed this concept for Tuesday’s event with Erika Jackson and the support of a few other local small business owners in the community. “This is our own grass roots version of traditional Applebee’s and Bennigan’s fundraisers which provides an added benefit to our local businesses, supports great causes and reinforces the new revolutionary model that the RightResponse fundraising program has to offer,” said Spicer.
Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria has a strong reputation for delivering award winning food, in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Erbelli’s owner, Greg Erb consistently supports local efforts to build community and his willingness to work with these causes is a key sign of that. “I enjoy opportunities to support new ideas which help us to promote them and the type of business we strive to achieve in the Kalamazoo area,” said Erb. Erika and Katrina are excited to take part in this new idea bringing local business and charity together for the good of our community. “This event will help us so much in reaching our goal as we need the funds to sustain our organization and we often have limited time outside of all the work we do to serve children and families in our community,” said Goodall. Reservations are being accepted through this Friday to receive a free first aid kit for your table. Please contact Scott Spicer to make your reservation. A copy of the event flyer can be downloaded at this link: http://freepdfhosting.com/eec8f3f457.pdf Erbelli’s Gourmet Pizzeria is located in Osthemo at 6214 Stadium Drive 269-375-0408 and in Portage at 8342 Portage Rd. 269-327-0200.
Bravo! Restaurant & Cafe
5402 Portage RoadEven with a four day weekend, today was pretty much the only day J and I had off together that we could get things done. I slept in waaaaaay late after an exhausting weekend with my parents. J actually texted me from work, but I just ignored it. I thought it was someone else, but it wasn’t. When she got home, she asked why I was still in bed and why I didn’t answer her text. Had I actually picked up my phone, I would have seen she wanted to go to lunch.
When she texts from work that she’s hungry, it usually means have a place picked out and be dressed when she gets home. I did neither today. I stumbled to the computer to try and think. I was just going to go with a safe standby when I opened up my e-mail and found an e-mail from Bravo! about an upcoming event.
In the two years we’ve lived here, we’ve never been to Bravo! J actually ate there her very first time in Southwest Michigan. She was being interviewed for her previous job and they flew her to AZO. The prospective employer took her right across the street for lunch.
The restaurant jumped back on my radar last week. I don’t drive down Portage Road very often, but I needed to take my iPod to Rapid Repair. Someone (ie: me) got the stupid idea to try and pop the screen off to fix a wi-fi problem….now the screen doesn’t work. Rapid Repair is right behind Bravo! and that gave me the idea that I should look at the lunch menu. Read more…
Venezia Pizza Restaurant
306 Kalamazoo Street- South Haven, MI 49090
- (269) 637-8505
- No Known Website
- No Online Menu
While my parents aren’t always happy that I live three hours away, they do really like summers in Michigan. They love the fruit stands and the U-Picks scattered throughout the region.
Last year, we somehow ended up in Fennville and my mom wanted to look for blackberries. I came across Earl’s Farm Market on Blue Star Highway. We had a blast picking our own blackberries and my mom wanted to go back.
We actually ended up leaving J at home. She was still sore and exhausted from the previous day’s trip to Ford Field, but my parents wanted to go, so the three of us took the 45 minute ride out to Fennville.
It turned out to be a pretty successful trip. We got blackberries, raspberries, peaches, and salsa. We also found berry picking makes you hungry.
Since my parents had never been to South Haven, I decided to take them there to eat. I figured we could grab a bite to eat and then head out to the Big Lake to walk it off. Read more…
Ford Field
2000 Brush Street- Detroit, MI 48226
- (313) 262-2000
- Website
It took eight months, but J and I finally got to see the Zac Brown Band. It was actually my parents idea. They saw ZBB was going on tour with Kenny Chesney for his stadium dates. At the time, there was no Chicago date listed, so my parents asked if J and I would take them to Detroit. We had already seen Kenny Chesney at Soldier Field a couple years ago, but we hadn’t seen Uncle Kracker, Billy Currington, or the Zac Brown Band. I put in an ticket order and we waited patiently for eight months for the day to finally get here.
I have been to downtown events in Detroit enough to know that the best place to park is in Greektown. This trip was no different. I headed straight for one of the surface lots near the casino. The problem with this plan is not only was there a concert at Ford Field. There was also a baseball game at Comerica Park and the Woodward Dream Cruise. That meant there was a lot of traffic in downtown Detroit.
I weaved my way through the narrow streets surrounding the Greektown Casino to a lot that looked like they had openings. I pulled in and asked how much. For the baseball games we’ve been to, parking has always been under $10. I guess I assumed it would be the same for this event, but boy was I wrong. I pulled a ten out of my wallet and asked how much. The parking attendant asked if we were tailgating. I said no. He said $40. I didn’t really have a choice because all of the parking in the area was $40, so I forked over the money and headed towards Ford Field.
The gates for the 4:30 show opened at 3:30 and WYCD was doing a concert out in front of the stadium. Most of the large crowd was paying attention to that show and didn’t even notice that people were being let in to the arena. The front of the stadium had long ques separated into lines for men and women. Everyone was being patted down before entering so my dad and I entered one line and my mom and J went to the other. Read more…
Winston’s Pub
115 S. Eagle StreetLast January, my mom called and asked if we wanted to go see Kenny Chesney and the Zac Brown Band in Detroit. It didn’t take much arm twisting for us. We both really wanted to see Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney always puts on a good show.
Since I usually work Saturday’s, I had to ask for the night off….and since I’ve technically held three jobs this summer, I had to ask for it off three times. Fortunately for me, everytime I asked for it off, it got approved, so the concert was a go.
My parents decided to drive up from the Chicago area the morning of the show instead of the night before. They got here a couple hours before we needed to leave and we were all hungry. I wasn’t going to make them wait until we got to Detroit for two reasons. 1.) it was a long drive…and 2.) there was a concert at Ford Field, a baseball game at Comerica Park, and the Woodward Dream Cruise….Detroit was going to be packed.
I decided to stop along the way in Marshall. Ever since we moved to Michigan (almost four years ago), we have passed signs for Schuler’s on the various highways around Southwest Michigan. I checked the menu out a few times and realized it was a little fancy for J and I, but, and isn’t there always a but, in addition to the fancy part of the restaurant, there’s a pub that serves pub food. Now, that’s something right up our alley. Read more…
Olga’s Kitchen
6650 S. Westnedge Avenue #129We had been holding off on running some errands out by the mall until this afternoon. Since I worked a day off earlier in the week, I was given today off. Instead of trying to cram some shopping into the two hours we have off together in the afternoons, we just waited for a day off.
After a quick nap when J got home, we headed towards the mall. J said she wanted to eat before we did what we had to do. She then asked about that restaurant at the mall entrance near Gloria Jean’s.
Neither of us had ever been to an Olga’s Kitchen despite the fact there are a couple in Lansing where we used to live. Olga’s is a Michigan based chain that got it’s start in 1970 in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham. Olga Loizon made a name for her little restaurant with her unique bread.
The only Kalamazoo area location of Olga’s is inside the Crossroads Mall in Portage. The restaurant is a little small and has somewhat of a sterile feel to it with the tile floors. The setup of the space is like most small family restaurants. There are two distinct dining rooms with tables and booths. Read more…
From a Kalamazoo Cooks press release….
West Michigan’s Top Chefs Share Secrets with Students
Kalamazoo, Michigan – August 18, 2011 – There really are no “secrets” in cooking, but rather a collective of knowledge held dear by Culinary and Pastry Artists. West Michigan is home to some of the greatest Chefs in the country and they are eager to share their passion and knowledge with the community.38-year old Chef Will Sprague started Kalamazoo Cooks! Culinary Programs in an effort to bring the culinary school experience to the recreational cook or budding professional who does not have time or money for a long term culinary education.“Full-time Culinary and Pastry schools are ultimately the way to go towards getting into the profession, but are often grueling and time intensive.” says Chef Sprague. “Our classes are for those who want hands-on training in an easy to digest schedule.”Kalamazoo Cooks’ classes are generally one to three hours long and can be taken independently from each other. Classes range from Fundamental Knife skills to Molecular Gastronomy, French Cuisine to Foods of Rome.“Whether you’ve never boiled water or you are just getting started in the profession, chances are we have something for you.”“One of the most exciting aspects of our cooking school is that we are bringing together top chefs, pastry artists, and wine professionals from across West Michigan to share their expertise. Chefs have their passions and we aim to share this with the community.”Kalamazoo Cooks Culinary Programs will be offering its first class of the season, Knife Skills I, on Saturday, August 27, 2011 from 4 – 6 pm. Classes will be held at the Can-Do Kitchen in downtown Kalamazoo. Potential students are encouraged to enroll two weeks in advance through the Kalamazoo Cooks website.
Little Caesars – West Main
4250 W. Main StreetJ might be used to the early morning schedule, but when I have to work it, I drag ass most of the day. I’m used to being up fairly late, but not all night. That was the case for a couple days this week as I had to work the overnight shift.
On the first day I worked the shift, I called J on my way home just to talk….hoping she could keep me engaged and awake as I drove. About halfway home, she asked what I wanted to do for lunch. I suggested running by Little Caesars and picking up one of their new Deep Dish pizzas. I thought they were Hot ‘n Ready, but J called to make sure. Good thing, they’re Hot ‘N Ready in the evening, but not at the time of day I was stopping in. She put in an order for a half pepperoni and half cheese Deep Dish Pizza and an order of Crazy Bread.
The Little Caesars I was heading towards to pick up the order was the West Main Street location across from Davenport University. Like most Little Caesars’, the shop is a small carry-out operation. I pulled in to the parking lot on the Main Street side. The logical thing to do is go to the door closest to that parking lot, but that’s an employee entrance. You actually have to go around the corner to what is actually the front of the shopping center. Read more…
Nagle’s Top Dog & Malt Shoppe
1210 S. Burdick Street- Kalamazoo, MI 49001
- (269) 342-2031
- No Known Website
- Menu
Surprisingly, I got out of bed on a Saturday morning. I felt bad that J and I really hadn’t been able to spend anytime together over the past week so even though I only got five hours of sleep, I got out of bed so J and I could run some errands.
After a few quick stops, we ended up at the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market. We got what we needed there then headed for lunch. The only problem is that we didn’t really know where we wanted to eat. As we were leaving the Farmer’s Market, I saw the sign for Nagle’s Top Dog. We had never eaten there, so I asked J if it was ok if we tried it out.
Nagle’s Top Dog is on Burdick just south of Crosstown Parkway. The place is kind of a dive that looks like much hasn’t changed in forty years. There’s a drive up window on one side of the very small parking lot and the roof is crowned with a dog house.
We headed in to find the order counter immediately to the left when you come through the door. The menu consists of classic American food sandwiches and hot dogs. I’m told their claim to fame is the breakfast sandwich which is served all day. I considered it, but I wasn’t in the breakfast mood. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 