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Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant – Kalamazoo

March 14, 2011
  • 3317 Stadium Drive
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49001
  • (269) 532-1170
  • Website
  • Menu

So, I’m a little late.  I know.  This weekend has been particularly brutal, so I haven’t had time to write, but rest assured, J and I did go out to dinner Friday after I got home from a long, stressful day.

Since I got home pretty late, I didn’t want to travel far.  I didn’t really have a taste for anything and really, most importantly, just wanted to do something with J.

I was coming up with nothing when she asked where I wanted to go for dinner.  My brain was fried and I was drawing a blank.  Luckily, J stepped up to the plate.

J takes Stadium to work and a few days ago, noticed the sign outside of the new Los Amigos restaurant said “Now Open.”  We weren’t the only ones who decided to check the place out on it’s first Friday night.  The place was packed.

Los Amigos takes over the space that used to be Buffalo Wild Wings on Stadium Drive.  However, if you didn’t know it used to be a B-Dubs, you’d never guess.  I never went into the store then, but there is absolutely no way this place has anything left over from the sports bar days.  Read more…

Louie’s Trophy House Grill

March 8, 2011
  • 440 E. North Street
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49007
  • (269) 385-9359
  • Website
  • Menu

No clue why we decided to go out for lunch today, but boy, am I glad we did.

Since moving to Kalamazoo a year and a half ago, I’ve been on the lookout for that burger that I just had to have.  I’ve found some good ones, but very few craveable ones.  If you’ve learned anything about J and I, you should also know that we like bar food.  I would much rather go to a good dive bar with great food than a fancy place with tiny plates.

I don’t know how, exactly, I first learned of Louie’s Trophy House Grill on North Street near downtown Kalamazoo, but I’ve always had a hard time finding info.  Sure, they have a website, but they don’t have a menu on that website, so I kind of blew it off.

Just recently, I was searching for places that we haven’t been yet and I came back to Louie’s.  Still no menu on the website, but I found a bunch of great reviews on places like Google, Yelp, and Urbanspoon.  I guess that means it’s time to give it a try.  Read more…

Longbranch Saloon & Eatery

March 6, 2011
  • 606 Spruce Street
  • Vicksburg, MI 49097
  • (269) 649-1961
  • Website
  • No Online Menu

Working on a Friday wasn’t enough to stop J and I from eating out.  I got home around 6:00 and even after a big pizza lunch, I was really hungry.  J was all ready to go when I walked in the door, so I pretty much set my bags down then turned around and headed right back out.

The funny thing, I decided I wanted to go to Vicksburg for dinner.  That’s funny because I just came from Three Rivers, so we headed back down US-131 the way I just came.

For quite a while now, I’ve been wanting to go to the Lonbranch Saloon & Eatery on Spruce Street on Vicksburg’s northeast side.  Not only did the place just have the feeling of a place we would like, but the name was enough to get my interest.  Not that “Longbranch” is anything really special on it’s own, but it shares a name with a favorite place of mine back home in Illinois.   Of course, I had to see if it would compare.  Read more…

Angelo’s Pizzeria

March 6, 2011
  • 666 E. Main Street #B
  • Centreville, MI 49032
  • (269) 467-6880
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I’m running out of places to eat in Centreville.  Sure, I could just repeat, but that’s just not me.  I’ve only got a few more days down that way.  I’m sure I’ll survive.

As I was heading out to Yoder’s Country Market for lunch, I noticed Angelo’s Pizzeria in a strip mall right on Main Street on the east side of town.   It didn’t look like much, but pizza did sound good.  They had a few sandwich specials on a sign board out by the road, but it was pizza I was in the mood for.

The small shop is pretty typical for pizza joints.  There are a half dozen tables spread out in front of the order counter.  The kitchen takes up most of the space and most of their business is probably take out.  There was no one else in the place other than the two employees and one of those was a delivery driver who came and went quite a few times in the 45 minutes I was there.  Read more…

Covered Bridge Diner

March 3, 2011
  • 104 W. Main Street
  • Centreville, MI 49032
  • (269) 467-7200
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

Another day in St. Joseph County for work means another opportunity to eat out.  I was actually by myself so when lunch time rolled around, I could pick whatever I wanted.

J has actually been to Centreville for work several times and she suggested a little diner right in the heart of the small St. Joseph County community.

The Covered Bridge Diner is on the corner Main and Dean Streets across from the St. Joseph County Courthouse.  The area surrounding the courthouse is mostly older row buildings.  The Covered Bridge Diner takes up the corner space along the busiest stretch of road in town.

The diner takes its name from the Langley Covered Bridge which is just a few miles north of town.  Parking is wherever you can find it on the street and seating is whatever is open at the time.  Read more…

Oberon Release Date Announced!

March 1, 2011

Bell’s announced the release day for this year’s Oberon.  According to a post on Bellsbeer.com, the release will happen on Monday, March 28.

I’ve circled the date on my calendar…..

Press Release – Millennium Showcase to Feature Castello Banfi Wines

March 1, 2011

From a Millennium Restaurant Group press release….

Millennium Restaurant Group to Feature Castello Banfi Wines for Millennium Showcase

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—For the fifth year in a row Millennium Restaurant Group is excited to host the Millennium Showcase on Thursday, March 24; an annual food and wine event where all four of the Millennium Chefs will share a kitchen for one night as they each prepare a dish for this four-course dinner. The Chefs’ dishes will be inspired from the reserve selection of Castello Banfi family of wines as each dish will be paired with a specially selected wine.

For the first time in the event’s five year history the Millennium Showcase will be held at Martell’s; in the past it has been held at the Epic Bistro. The venue change will not only accommodate more seats for guests, but Martell’s has its own parking lot, making parking free and easy for all in attendance.

Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery in the Brunello region of Tuscany, Italy. Special guest Gary Cook—Certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier—will be present all evening to share his knowledge about the wines. In addition to the four wines served, there will be additional offerings from Castello Banfi available for taste and retail purchase.

This year’s lineup is as follows: Read more…

Applebee’s – Oshtemo Township

February 28, 2011
  • 5330 W. Main Street
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49009
  • (269) 382-4448
  • Website
  • Menu

Free lunch!  Well, sort of free lunch.  We had to spend a lot to get it, but didn’t have to buy anything we wouldn’t have anyway.  But why am I telling you that?  You know how credit card rewards work.

So, we had some errands to run after J got home from work and just last Friday, we got a $25 Applebee’s gift card as a points reward from one of our credit cards.  Before heading to the mall, we headed to lunch.

There are two Applebee’s locations in Kalamazoo.  We chose the one on West Main Street in Oshtemo Township.  The other is on Gull Road on the east side of town.

J was home a little earlier than normal, so we actually walked in to the restaurant at a normal lunch time.  We were met by a waitress who took us to a booth just on the other side of the bar area.  Read more…

The Library Kitchen & Taphouse

February 27, 2011
  • 3725 W. Michigan Avenue
  • Kalamazoo, MI 49006
  • (269) 353-6345
  • Website
  • Menu

Really short night and really long day at work.  That’s always fun.

On my way home, I called J to see what she wanted to do for dinner.  Friday night is usually our dining out night, but by the time I got home, I had been up well over 24 hours.  She suggested just ordering in, but I didn’t want to give up Friday night even though I was tired.  Plus, there are a few places on my to-do list that only open for dinner and we usually go out for lunch.  Since we were going out for dinner, I wanted to try one of those places.

The Library Kitchen & Taphouse is on Michigan Avenue east of Drake Road.  In the almost two years we’ve lived in Kalamazoo, I have never drove down that stretch of Michigan.  I had no idea where the restaurant actually was and I had never been by it.  I kept looking at the address trying to figure out where it was. Read more…

Yoder’s Country Market

February 27, 2011
  • 375 Eleanor Drive
  • Centreville, MI 49032
  • (269) 467-4856
  • Website
  • Menu

The thing I really like about my job is that I’m not confined to an office.  I get to travel all over West Michigan which means I get opportunities to sample restaurants in several different towns.

My latest travels took me a little ways south of Kalamazoo to Centreville.  My co-worker has been to that area quite a few times so I deferred to her when it came time for lunch.

Without hesitation, she pointed me towards Yoder’s Country Market.  It’s a small building on the east side of town near the intersection of Eleanor Drive and East Main Street.  The business is actually a grocery store, but they have a great deli where they make subs and salads fresh to order as well as BBQ. Read more…