Ted & Marie’s Colonial Inn
6416 Stadium Drive- Kalamazoo, MI 49009
- (269) 375-1057
- No Known Website
- Menu
We realized today that tomorrow, prices for passports go up. We both already have passports but J never changed her name on hers after we got married. When she got home from work, we gathered all the necessary documents and headed out to the post office in Oshtemo Township. J had been told that was one of the easier places to get passport paperwork done because they take pictures, don’t require an appointment, and don’t take two hours off for lunch.
As we were driving down Stadium Drive, J yells out, “There it is!” The post office is very tiny and doesn’t look like a post office. First chance I had, I turned into a parking lot to turn around. As luck would have it, the parking lot I turned in to was a restaurant and the lot was actually connected to a neighboring business and the post office.
Before waiting in line at the post office, we decided to grab lunch. The restaurant we happened upon was Ted & Marie’s Colonial Inn. It’s a small, mom and pop diner on Stadium Drive and Parkview in Oshtemo Township. We didn’t know it, but there are actually two entrances to the building, but both lead you to the same dining room. Read more…
Grand Rapids Pizza & Delivery
340 State Street SEI haven’t always been one of those people that ate out everyday at work. The job I have now is really the first job where I’ve been confined to an office most of the day. When lunch time rolls around, I’m usually itching to get out even if it’s just for a half hour. That’s the reason you’ve been seeing so many Grand Rapids reviews from me lately. Well, that and it’s a new town to explore.
Sunday’s have never been my favorite day to eat out in Grand Rapids. It seems like most restaurants are closed, but you can always count on pizza joints being open.
I have a list of pizza places I want to try in Grand Rapids, but this time, I chose the one close to where I work. Grand Rapids Pizza and Delivery is on State Street and Prospect Avenue just south of downtown Grand Rapids. State Street is pretty sparsely populated, but there is one nice looking red brick building that plays home to both the pizza place and a Chinese restaurant. Read more…
Jonny B’z Dogs and More
638 Wealthy Street SEI’m not a hot dog fan yet I really want to be. I don’t know what it is about hot dog places that always call to me. I really want eat hot dogs like I do hamburgers. There’s such a great sub-culture of hot dog connoisseurs and I’ve always wanted to be one of those people.
I’m not though, so it’s hard for me to actually walk in to a hot dog joint, but a new place on Wealthy Street SE in Grand Rapids offers up more than just hot dogs.
Jonny B’z (sic) Dogs and More is the newest addition to a thriving hot dog scene in Grand Rapids. It’s actually a pretty gutsy move on the part of the owners considering they set up shop just down the road from what is probably the most popular hot dog shop in West Michigan. I would do the whole compare and contrast thing, but again, not a hot dog guy. It’s the “and More” that got me in to Jonny B’z.
The joint is located in an older building near the corner of Wealthy Street and Henry Avenue. There’s not a lot of parking in the area and street parking is about your only choice. I drove around the block a couple times and still ended up parking around the corner and walking back.
More than anything, the owners need to be recognized for what they’ve done with what was once a dilapidated building. If you put the address into Google then switch to street view, you won’t find this nice building. What you’ll find is an old, boarded up, run down pile of rubble. I never would have thought the picture I found on Google would be the same place. Read more…
Grandpa’s Cider Mill
2941 Friday Road- Coloma, MI 49038
- (269) 468-3700
- Website
We get sucked in by billboards all the time. For some reason, Coloma seems to have a lot of attractions that advertise along I-94 and appeal to J and I.
After we stopped at Fruit Acres Farm Market, we decided to check out another spot that we keep seeing ads for.
Grandpa’s Cider Mill is about a mile from the I-94 interchange on Friday Road south of the City of Coloma. It’s a pretty simple red building that actually has the name Bainbridge Beverage Company on it. The only sign that says Granpa’s is out near the road.
Once we got inside, there was no mistaken we were in the right place.
Immediately to your left is the Cider Mill. It’s behind a glass wall so you can actually watch the cider being made in the fall. The rest of the space does triple duty as a tasting bar, bakery, and retail outlet. Read more…
Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick
3452 Friday Road- Coloma, MI 49038
- (269) 468-3668
- Website
J and I made a quick trip, a very quick trip, home to see our new niece who was born last Saturday. With me working weekends, we didn’t know when we’d be able to get home, so when J got off work Friday, we rushed three hours home to see her and her older sister.
On the way home Saturday morning, J asked how long the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market was open. She wanted to pick up some stuff for the week, but we didn’t know how many vendors would be left when she could get there around 1:00.
It just so happened that we were having this conversation as we were passing a billboard for Fruit Acres Farm & U-Pick. She asked if I would mind stopping there instead of waiting until we got back to Kalamazoo. We were way ahead of schedule, so I pulled off the Interstate.
Fruit Acres has a roadside stand right off of I-94 at the Coloma exit. When you’re coming from the west, the stand is directly in front of you when you come off the ramp. It’s a small, open air building that is packed full with fresh fruits and veggies. Read more…
From a West Michigan Whitecaps press release…
Whitecaps Break the Bank With Dime-A-Dog Promotion
COMSTOCK PARK, MI — The West Michigan Whitecaps have yet another trick up their sleeves. In the era of the world-famous Fifth Third Burger, along with its 4,889 calories and 300 grams of fat, the marketing team has countered the heft of the giant burger with an item at the opposite end of the spectrum, a featherweight item…at least on the wallet. For a special one-day-only event, on Monday, July 12, the Whitecaps will be selling regular hot dogs for just ten cents. That’s a full $2.65 off the regular price.
Dubbed “Dime-A-Dog,” this first-time promotion is slated for Monday’s 7 p.m. game against the Lake County Captains. Every regular hot dog on Monday will cost just $0.10 which means fans who want to emulate Babe Ruth and eat a dozen dogs will shell out just $1.20 (not including the eight soft drinks).
Why? Is the fact that July is National Hot Dog Month a good enough reason?
“Why not?” says Whitecaps President Scott Lane. “It’s a great way to celebrate National Hot Dog Month while at the same time providing our fans, who have endured a few pretty hot days in July here at the ballpark, with an unheard of price for dogs. I’m excited about this promotion; we’re always looking for fun new promotions, and this Dime-A-Dog special is going to be very popular with the fans on Monday. I’ll bet not a single fan will leave the ballpark with an empty belly.”
The Whitecaps return home on Saturday, July 10 for a 7 p.m. game against Lake County that will include post-game fireworks. Game 2 of the series is on Sunday, July 11 at 1 p.m., and the rubber match is on Monday at 7 p.m. The Whitcaps will then go on the road for an extended road trip before returning home on Wednesday, July 21.
Tickets for all remaining home games are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting whitecapsbaseball.com, by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131, or in person at the Whitecaps box office (open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays (as well as during games). Ticket prices are $13.00 for premium box seats, $11.00 for box seats, $9.50 for reserved seats including the Alpine Collision Center Family Section, and $5.00 for McCain Foods Lawn seating. Children 2 and under are free. Gates for most games open one hour before gametime; gates for Friday games open one hour and 15 minutes before gametime.
Wing Heaven – Grand Rapids
1808 Monroe Avenue NW- Grand Rapids, MI 49505
- (616) 361-9222
- No Known Website
- Menu
A few weeks ago, J came home and said she saw a wing place in Grand Rapids that looked like something I would love. I looked it up on Google and found the place. When I followed Google to the location, all I found was an empty building. I called her to ask where she saw this place and found out I was on the complete wrong side of town. The place she saw was on the northwest side of town and I was on the southeast. That screwed me for that trip, but I was determined to find any place that specializes in wings.
Wing Heaven looks like it used to have quite a presence in Grand Rapids with multiple stores all over town. Heck, I think I even remember hearing about them opening a spot in Lansing although I never went looking for it and there was one here in Kalamazoo on Douglas Street. Now, there are just two stores in the Grand Rapids area. One is in Allendale. The other is on Monroe NW at Ann Street in a small, sparsely populated strip mall.
I made it in on a Saturday night just before seven o’clock. The store is small with just an order counter and a couple tables. Most of their business looks to be carry-out and they do deliver as long as you have at least a twelve dollar order. There was one lady in front of me waiting to order, but the clerk was on the phone taking care of a call-in order. When she finished that, she took the order of the lady standing there then took another phone call with a very complicated order that took forever. I was left standing there and she was trying to apologize to me while taking the order. Read more…
Theo & Stacy’s Restaurant- Downtown
234 W. Michigan AvenueAt least one of us got to enjoy the holiday weekend. I had to work all weekend, but J met her parents down near Sturgis and spent the weekend on the lake. Before that, she wanted to go out to breakfast. Once again, I got up way before I normally do so we could enjoy breakfast together.
I thought our plan was to go to breakfast then to the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market, so I was looking for a downtown choice for breakfast. First thing that came to my mind was Theo & Stacy’s. The South Westnedge location is closer to home, but the downtown location is closer to the market.
Theo & Stacy’s has three area locations. The downtown location is on Michigan Avenue near Rose Street. Parking is all street parking in this area and it wasn’t too hard to find a spot on a Saturday morning. Read more…
Rykse’s Restaurant
5924 Stadium DriveWell, J’s got a big weekend planned, but I don’t. We’ve had the luxury for the last couple years (if you want to call it that) of being able to make plans and not having to worry too much about whether or not I have to work. That changed a few weeks ago when I took a part time job. Now, most of our summer plans have been canceled including Fourth of July plans.
Since she’ll be soaking up the sun most of the weekend while I’m at work, we wanted to get out today, run some errands, and, of course, pick up lunch.
J e-mailed me from work and said find someplace. I have a couple places I’ve been wanting to go that I knew she would like. Too often, I pick places that I like and she puts up with.
Today, I picked Rykse’s Restaurant on Stadium Drive west of US-131 at Quail Run Drive. I have had no reason since moving hear to go west on Stadium Drive, so I really had no idea what kind of place Rykse’s was before we got there. I was really surprised to find a nice, big building with a pretty full parking lot even though it was after 1:00. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 