Zeeland High School Dance Ensemble Fundraiser
You know the drill…these are becoming popular fundraiser tools. Click on the picture below (or right-click, save as), print it out and bring to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Holland on August 11. 20% of your bill will be donated to the Zeeland High School Dance Ensemble.
Cousin’s Tasty Chicken
1209 Leonard Street NEOh, how I love good fried chicken. Not sure how I found about this place, but when I got off work tonight, I decided to take a little detour before heading back to Kalamazoo. The reviews I found have called it the best chicken in Grand Rapids and I’m always up for the “best of” anything.
Cousin’s Tasty Chicken is in a strip mall on the corner of Leonard Street and Fuller Avenue. While the address of Leonard Street is technically correct, chances are, you’re not going to see the building from that road. I didn’t. I thought my GPS was wrong or that I had the address direction mixed up. When I turned off a Fuller on to Leonard, the GPS said it should be right at the corner. I didn’t see it. I drove up about half a mile then turned around and tried going into the strip mall on the corner. I was just about to give up and go find someplace else when I saw a sign on the corner of the building that looked like it may be my place.
Cousin’s isn’t all that big. There’s a small parking lot out front which is a little weird to get in to. You almost feel like you’re driving out of the shopping center to get into the little corner that holds this magnificent chicken. Read more…
From a Fair Food Matters press release…
Add some culture to your kitchen with “Eat Local, Kalamazoo” cheese making workshop
Find out how easy (and delicious) it can be to make cheese in your own kitchen when “Eat Local, Kalamazoo” presents “Curds and Whey: Making Cheese at Home.” This free event will take place Tuesday, July 13 at 7 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Public Library.
Lansing-based Gary Colles (“The Cheese Guy”) will demonstrate simple recipes to make at home, using nothing more than basic kitchen equipment.
Any cheese can be made safely in one’s home, said Colles, a process that takes no special skills or equipment – a large stainless steel pot, a slotted spoon, a meat thermometer, cheesecloth and a stovetop are the necessities.
Colles said there are around 1,300 different types of cheese in the world, but most stores carry only the 30 most popular varieties. “If you want to experience more than that,” he said, “you need to make them yourself.” The July 13 demonstration will focus on making cheese curds (“squeaky cheese”) from goat’s milk.
Colles fell in love with hand-crafted cheese after a trip to England introduced him to the world-famous Stilton Cheese. British laws require that Stilton must be made from locally produced milk. After that, he said, “I had to find out more about cheese,” and as he did, “I had to start to make the different cheeses.”
Cheese making is fun, said Colles, who has been doing it for 11 years, “and you can make it taste just the way you want.”
“Eat Local, Kalamazoo,” a program of Fair Food Matters, is a season-long series of events designed to increase the community’s awareness of and appreciation for local food. It is led by a coalition of area businesses and non-profit organizations, and is sponsored by Bravo Restaurant & Café and the People’s Food Co-op.
For the latest information on upcoming events, please visit www.eatlocalkalamazoo.org.
Schlotzsky’s – Portage
6005 S. Westnedge AvenueWasn’t planning on eating out today, but we had to run an errand when J got home from work, so it was just easier to do so. Neither of us really had a taste for anything and I didn’t want fast food.
I had mentioned it several times in the past, but I finally decided just to stop at Schlotzsky’s on Westnedge and Milham in Portage. I only had one other experience at the chain deli. It was December 2, 2002. Now, most people would think that because I remember the exact date that something horrible happened with that experience. Not so. It was my first day of work in Peoria.
I don’t really remember that trip. I was so nervous that I was starting a new career in a new city that lunch was the last thing on my mind.
What I do remember about that trip was that I didn’t hate it. I have a feeling I would remember something like that no matter what the circumstances, so I’ve been wanting to try it since we first passed it shortly after moving to Kalamazoo.
Schlotzsky’s shares a building and a parking lot with Little Caesars. The lot is an L-Shape with entrances off both Westnedge and Milham. There are also entrances to the building from either side. Read more…
Sandmann’s
1200 Wealthy Street SEStill working on getting to know Grand Rapids. I haven’t ventured too far from my place of employment because I really don’t know where to go. When dinner rolled around tonight, I remembered a place I drove by on Thursday. I wasn’t in the mood for BBQ then (I know…that’s shocking), but I was tonight, so when dinner rolled around, I headed down Wealthy Street again.
Sandmann’s is on the corner of Wealthy Street and Fuller Avenue. It looks to be an old garage or gas station. The building is really a throwback with the rounded exterior, the garage doors on one side and the clock above the sign on the facade.
Parking is minimal on the property. There are only a few spots and they are very tight. You may be better off if you can find street parking in the area or there is a big empty lot across the street. I’m sure that’s probably private property, but at least it would be easy in, easy out if you can find a way in it.
The inside of Sandmann’s is very small. There’s actually only room for two tables and not much out. As far as on site dining options, it’s either one of those tables if it’s not busy or a few picnic tables out front if it’s nice out. There seemed to be half the staff taking a break on those tables when I was there, so that was out of the question too. Read more…
From a press release…..
CALLING ALL ICE CREAM-LOVERS:
Eat FREE Ice Cream to Help Generate $10,000 for The Salvation Army
Denali Flavors and Country Fresh Pair to Give Away 10,000 Scoops of Moose Tracks Ice Cream
$1 Donation Will be Made to Kroc Center in Grand Rapids for Each Scoop Eaten
West Michigan-based Denali Flavors, developers of the legendary Moose Tracks flavor of ice cream, has partnered with Country Fresh Dairy to host an ice cream give-a-way on the first day of summer, June 21st.
Ten-thousand scoops of Moose Tracks will be given away at Rosa Parks Circle; for each scoop eaten, Denali Flavors will donate $1 to The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center in Grand Rapids to support programming for underprivileged youth.
The event is free and open to the community, so ice cream-lovers must unite to make new programming at The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center in Grand Rapids a reality this fall.
All media are invited to attend.
WHO:
· Denali Flavors Moose Tracks ice cream
· Country Fresh
· The Salvation Army
· 10,000 ice cream fans interested in supporting local community programming
WHAT:
· 10,000 scoops of FREE Moose Tracks ice cream
· $1 donation for each scoop given-away to support new programming for underprivileged kids at The Salvation Army’s Kroc Center in Grand Rapids
WHERE: Rosa Parks Circle
Downtown Grand Rapids
WHEN: Monday, June 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The Real Deal: Classic Burgers & Shakes – Kalamazoo
2901 Howard StreetContinuing my bachelor themed weekend, I slept in late, rented a movie and headed out to get burgers for lunch. A few weeks ago, I blogged about a new burger place in Portage. I mentioned then that they really don’t have anything for J since all they do is burgers. Since she’s out of town, I figured this was my chance to check out the second location in Kalamazoo.
The Real Deal: Classic Burgers & Shakes is only a few weeks old. My first visit to the Portage store was back on June 4th just a few days after they opened. I really liked the burger and fries I had that day and have been looking for an opportunity to go back.
The Kalamazoo location of The Real Deal is in the Campus Pointe Mall on the corner of Howard Street and Michigan Avenue near the campus of Western Michigan University. The restaurant takes up a corner location in the same strip that hosts Pop’s Italian Beef and Geno’s Pizza.
One of my only complaints about the Portage location was the way the space was set up. I felt that the order counter infringed too much on the tables near it and it could lead to some uncomfortable situations during peak times. The Kalamazoo store has a much better setup. There are two entrances. One on each side of the building. The entrance that is on the Howard Street leads you in to the dining room. The entrance on the Michigan Avenue side brings you right to the order counter which fronts the open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared. The menu board is actually off to the left and somewhat hidden. They do have paper menus on the counter as well. Read more…
Fish Express
620 Riverview Drive- Kalamazoo, MI 49048
- (269) 349-5000
- No Known Website
- No Online Menu
I’m kind of doing the bachelor thing this weekend. J had to go back to Chicago and because I’m starting a new job, I had to stay here. The bad thing, I wish I could be there with her. The good thing is I get to eat all sorts of crap and not feel bad about it.
After making the trip from Grand Rapids, I decided to pick dinner up before heading home. My intention was to pick up BBQ at a place I keep driving past, but that place wasn’t open. Instead, I noticed the brightly colored fish place across the street. I don’t like fish, but these places always have something that I really do love.
Fish Express is on Riverview Drive and Hotop Avenue in Kalamazoo’s Eastside neighborhood. The building is brightly painted and hard to miss. I did, however, miss the parking lot. I pulled in to the liquor store next door, turned around and headed back to the large parking lot. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot, but the ones that were didn’t pay any attention to the parking spaces. It was kind of a free for all. Read more…
Wealthy Street Bakery
608 Wealthy Street SEFirst day on a new job. Always a fun, nerve wracking experience. Like I mentioned a few days ago, I started a new part-time job in Grand Rapids. Today was my first day and I haven’t got much sleep since last week when I was offered the job. I’m always nervous about change no matter how excited I am to take on a new challenge.
That nervousness continued through the morning even after I got there. When lunch time rolled around, I still didn’t have much of an appetite, but knew I had to eat. I wanted something fairly light hoping it would help settle my stomach. I don’t know my way around Grand Rapids very well yet, but I knew I was fairly close to Wealthy Street and there are a number of businesses that line this neighborhood that I’ve been wanting to visit for quite a while.
The restaurant I chose was the first one I came along. The Wealthy Street Bakery is near the corner Wealthy Street and Union Avenue on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. There is a small parking lot that wraps around the building, but all those spots were full. Lucky for me, there was a spot on the street right in front of the building. Read more…
Celebrity Grill Challenge
From D & W Fresh Market’s website.
SW Michigan Dining 