Oakwood Bistro
3003 Oakland DriveI finally got a chance to sleep. The last two week at work have been pretty hectic. I won’t be complaining at all when my check comes on Friday, but I will say that I was very happy to sleep without the chance of being woke up early.
Needless to say, I was still in bed when J got home from work. She joined me, but joined me because she wanted to get my lazy ass out of bed to go to lunch.
I did eventually get up and we headed towards Oakwood Bistro. Our list of new places to eat in Kalamazoo and Portage is getting pretty short. Although, if I actually had a physical list, we probably wouldn’t have waited so long to go to the few places left. There are still a couple of the well known restaurants that we haven’t been to yet.
J has actually eaten at Oakwood Bistro in the past. She had a lunch meeting there one day when I was out of town. She liked it that day and figured I would as well. Read more…
Cancun Mexican Restaurant
37908 Red Arrow Highway- Paw Paw, MI 49079
- (269) 657-0107
- No Known Website
- Menu
Friday was kind of a perfect storm. We really had no plans to go to lunch, but I had an early morning phone call that woke me up hours before I should have been up and J got home from work early. She mentioned she was craving Mexican and was considering going to Qdoba to pick up something to eat. Since I was awake, she asked if I just wanted to go out for lunch.
I was racking my brain for a new Mexican place to eat at and couldn’t think of one in Kalamazoo. There are a couple outside of Kalamazoo that I’ve been wanting to go to, but traveling wasn’t really something I wanted to do. I was tired and still had to go to work later in the afternoon.
After some searching, I finally decided on leaving the Kalamazoo area. By chance on a trip home one night, we pulled off the highway in Lawrence and happened to find Acapulco Mexican Restaurant. I remembered really liking the place and I remembered that they used to have a sister restaurant in Paw Paw.
I have no idea if the two restaurants are still related but the Paw Paw restaurant is now Cancun Mexican Restaurant. It’s on Red Arrow Highway on the west side of town. The building is very plain with a sign on either side of an entry way that just says “restaurant.”
The inside of the building is a rather large, brightly colored dining room. We didn’t see a wait to be seated sign, so I headed over to a booth along the front windows. A waitress in the kitchen saw us sit down and came over with a couple menus and the customary chips and salsa. Read more…
Taco Boy – Downtown
180 Monroe Avenue NWWe were bad today. I was still asleep when J got home and she fell asleep before I got up. When I went in to give her a kiss before I went to work, she jumped out of bed to make me a sandwich for lunch. I was already running a little late so I just told her to forget it. I would just go somewhere for lunch.
My day at work is not usually spent sitting in front of a computer screen, but that’s how the day went. I was working on a project that kept me at a desk all day and when I got to a good stopping point (ie. had a headache from staring at the screen all day) I bolted for the door to go get lunch.
I had no idea what I was hungry for as I drove towards downtown Grand Rapids. I had a couple sandwich places on my radar, but I eat cold meat sandwiches every day. I wanted something different.
As I turned on to Monroe, I remembered the Taco Boy a few blocks down. When I worked at a different place out on the northside of town for a few weeks, everyone told me I had to go to Taco Boy which has another store on Plainfield Road near I-96. In fact, there are five locations in all with other stores in Walker, Wyoming, and Cascade. Read more…
Press Releas – Voting Opens for Grandwhich
From a press release…
Grandwich- A Grand Rapids Signature Sandwich Competition
Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 14, 2011 — Grandwich is a competition for local restaurants in the downtown and neighborhoods of Grand Rapids to create a sandwich that, like the Philadelphia cheesesteak and Chicago dog, will be synonymous with Grand Rapids. Each participating restaurant will create their version of what the Grandwich should be. For two weeks, the participating restaurants will put their sandwiches on their menus giving the public the opportunity to visit each establishment and vote on their favorite. The top 10 sandwiches will go on to a judging event where a panel of judges will determine the official “Grandwich.”
Voting starts Friday, July 15. From July 15 to July 31, 2011, the 48 participating restaurants will put their signature sandwiches on their menus. The public can then go to the participating restaurants, try as many sandwiches as they would like and vote on their favorites. To vote, log onto www.downtowngr.org/grandwich and register. People can vote for multiple sandwiches, but are limited to one vote per sandwich. The top ten sandwiches with the most votes by July 31 will go on to the judging event.
A Grandwich poster will be displayed at each participating restaurant. To find a list of restaurants and sandwiches, visit the website at www.downtowngr.org/grandwich. Each participating restaurant will also display a collection box for Kids’ Food Basket donations.
The public is encouraged to discuss their favorite sandwiches through Facebook at www.facebook.com/grandwich.gr or through Twitter using the hash tag, #Grandwich.
On August 1, the top 10 sandwiches will be announced. From August 1 to August 6, the public will be encouraged to try the sandwiches in the top 10 they might not have sampled yet.
On August 6 the judging event will be the grand finale of the competition and will take place at Rosa Parks Circle at 1:00pm. The event will be open to the public. Admission to the event will be a donation to Kids’ Food Basket. The donation can be monetary or a donation of an item on the Kids’ Food Basket wish list. A link to the items on the wish list can be found on the website, http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org/wish-list. At the judging event, the top 10 restaurants will hand out samples of their sandwiches. A panel of judges made up of local food experts will judge each sandwich, and the winner will be announced.
The signature sandwich competition is the idea of Nicole Infante, who presented in the March 5×5 panel. While she did not win cash, she did receive a positive response from the Downtown Alliance and Neighborhood Ventures who are helping make the event a reality. Infante says, “The ultimate goals of the competition are to support local business, to put Grand Rapids on the culinary map, and, in general, to taste a lot of different and delicious sandwiches.”
Sharon Evoy, Executive Director of the Downtown Alliance, says she’s excited about the contest. “We love having the chance to work with Nicole; she’s come up with a great idea. This is an excellent way to create excitement and bring people into restaurants during the summer.”
Mark Lewis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Ventures, said “there are so many exceptional restaurants, deli’s and coffee houses in Grand Rapids’ neighborhoods and the downtown, and this is a good reason to explore them.”
“This is a signature sandwich competition for the people of a great city; a city that should be celebrated with flavors as unique and brilliant as the people who inhabit it,” said Infante.
Hungry Howie’s – Arcadia
1381 S. Drake RoadNot sure why, but we were both craving pizza like we seem to do a lot on Sunday night. We had already went out for breakfast/lunch earlier in the day and Sunday was a rare day off for both of us. J was wanting to get to bed early and the burger and fries I had for lunch were starting to wear off.
As we sat on the couch watching awful Sunday afternoon TV, I picked up the computer to order a pizza. I was in the mood for something different so decided to point my web browser at Hungry Howie’s.
We have never eaten at any of the Kalamazoo area Hungry Howie’s locations, but I did order from the Holt store once when we lived in Lansing. J couldn’t remember if she ate it with me or not, but checking the review shows that she did.
There are four Kalamazoo Hungry Howie’s locations and one each in Vicksburg and Decatur. The closest one to us is the Drake Road location which is in a pretty bland strip mall on the corner of Michigan and Drake. Read more…
Texas Corral
5519 W. Main StreetJ has been very adamant that date night would never consist of going to Texas Roadhouse. That may sound obvious but a lot of my friends from back home in a small town in Illinois make such a big deal about going to Texas Roadhouse when they get a night away from their kids. You would think they were going to The French Laundry by the way they talk about it for weeks leading up to and following the meal.
This week has been a crazy week at work and I ended up working a double shift Thursday night in to Friday morning. They ended up giving me Friday night off so after a nice long nap, I asked J if she wanted to go to dinner. Being a smartass knowing she wouldn’t go to Texas Roadhouse, I suggested Texas Corral.
The Kalamazoo location of Texas Corral is in Oshtemo Township on West Main just off the US 131 exit. The chain is pretty small with only eight locations in Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan. If, for some reason, you would not be paying attention and thought you were walking in to a Texas Roadhouse, you probably would never realize you were in the wrong place.
Texas Corral has a lot of similarities to the larger chain. There are buckets of peanuts on the tables. They bring warm, buttery rolls with a cinnamon butter to the table in what seems like and endless supply and their menu centers around BBQ. Even the set up and decor of the restaurant make you feel like your at the other place. Read more…
Press Release – Wine Loft Summer White Party
From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release
The Wine Loft to Host Annual Summer White Party
KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Downtown Kalamazoo’s The Wine Loft will host their third annual Summer White Party on Thursday, July 22, with both food and beverage specials starting at 4pm and lasting all night. The event began as a celebration of summer and the addition of their outdoor patio, and due to its popularity has become an annual event.
The evening’s theme—Wear White, Drink White—plays on the idea of a vivacious summer soirée with a menu and décor to match. Downtown Kalamazoo is a beautiful backdrop for a time of socialization with friends on a warm, summer evening with a crisp Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio in hand. The mood will be set with both the patio and dining room area open with white cotton linens, floating candles and lanterns to enjoy the sights and sounds of the evening.
The event will feature numerous drink specials to those patrons sporting their chic, summer whites which will include White Sangria, House cocktails, and white wines. There will also be a drawing for a white package prize, which will include Wine Loft wine glasses and bottles of white wine. To enter the drawing is free, however you must be in your white attire to be eligible to win.
Chef James Allen will prepare a featured white menu for the event to capture the season of summer including fresh seafood items and classics from the menu such as Baked Brie and Special Chef’s Board.
Cupcake Zoo, who was recently welcomed into the Millennium Restaurant Group family, will also be showcasing their dessert line at the Summer White Party. Their use of fresh, seasonal ingredients allow for their dessert offerings to be ever-changing. The menu will showcase white ingredient-inspired sweets featuring their popular artisan cupcakes and cake truffles.
The Wine Loft will host their third annual Summer White Party on Saturday, July 23, starting at 4pm. For more information about the event, please contact The Wine Loft at 269.343.9227. Wear White, Drink White, Enjoy White.
Sweet Tooth of Rockford
53 Bridge Street E- Rockford, MI 49341
- (616) 866-3033
- Website
- No Online Menu
I have one co-worker who loves ice cream break….but really, who doesn’t? We were in Rockford working on a project when we came to a standstill. We needed to kill time but we both brought our lunches and didn’t really want to incur the expense of eating out. As we were driving through downtown Rockford, she said to me, “Are there any ice cream places nearby?”
I’m not really familiar with downtown Rockford, but I assumed there had to be. As we drove down Bridge Street, I saw a sign for Hudsonville ice cream. Score.
Sweet Tooth of Rockford is a really neat, old building that just underwent renovations at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets in downtown Rockford. The family business has been around for over 100 when it started as a small operation selling popcorn, peanuts, and cigarettes out of a wagon. The recipes have been handed down for over 105 years and they still sell the caramel corn and candy apples from the original recipes.
My two coworkers and I were in the market for some ice cream, so we made our way passed the popcorn display to get to the back of the store where the ice cream case is. The two ladies I was with both went for single scoops of ice cream. Sweet Tooth sells only Hudsonville Ice cream and, according to their website, all the flavors were handpicked by the owner. I honestly don’t even know what they picked but both of them were very happy we found the place. They talked about it for the rest of the night. Read more…
Legends Sports Bar and Grille
1027 E. Michigan AvenueSurprise. I overslept again. I wanted to get up and take J to lunch before I had to go to work. It may be a long holiday weekend for most, but not for us. It’s just another weekend with the same old work schedule…although we did have plans to go to a BBQ in Marshall and my brother was bringing his family for a visit, so it was going to be a busy weekend packed in to our same old weekend work schedule.
I fell out of bed just before 11:45 and stumbled in to the living room and complained about oversleeping. I told J I was hoping to go to lunch. She said if I could give her twenty minutes to shower, we could still get to lunch and get me back home before 2:00 so I could head to work in Grand Rapids.
A few weeks ago, I saw a review on Urbanspoon for a sports bar in Paw Paw. I looked up the website and found a menu that was loaded with my favorite food….burgers.
Legends Sports Bar and Grille is on the east side of Paw Paw on Michigan Avenue east of the intersection with Hastings Street. It’s a small blue building that’s easy to pass by. You’d be missing out if you don’t give pause on your travels through Paw Paw and give this place a shot. Read more…
Urban Pizza
950 Wealthy Street SEI wasn’t planning on eating out tonight. I usually bring my lunch to work during the week, but I’ve been bad the last couple of days. I’ve been tired. Really, really tired. J actually called me at 6:45 this morning and asked if I wanted to me for breakfast. I really wanted to, but I couldn’t get out of bed. I was so tired.
When I did finally get out of bed, I headed straight for the couch. J and her mom were actually heading to Chicago today, but before she left, she made me a couple sandwiches to bring for lunch.
At this point, my plan was to stop at McDonalds on my way to work. Well, on my way to work, I got called to turn around and head back to Kalamazoo. I had an appointment that was going to be really hard to make. I had gotten to Plainwell before being turned around. It was 2:10 and I needed to be downtown by 2:30. I knew it was going to be tight.
Because of the change in plans, I didn’t have time to grab lunch, so on the way back to Grand Rapids after my 2:30 appointment, I pulled out the lunch J had made me and ate it on the way.
Around 8:00, I got sent out of the office to pick something up. While out, I decided to grab something for dinner. I wasn’t super hungry at that point, but I was thinking about pizza for later and there is a take-n-bake that I’ve been wanting to try. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 