Best. Christmas Present. Ever.
…well, second best behind my KitchenAid stand mixer.
Anyway, I sort of have to explain Christmas in my family. Even though my brother and I are both married and my brother has one little one and another on the way, my parents treat Christmas like we’re still ten years old. I’m 30 and my brother’s not far behind yet we still have to make “Christmas Lists” every year. Our wives do too. It took J some time to get used to Christmas at my house…in fact, I still don’t think she’s used to it, but my dad hit a winner this year with what he bought her.
Since J has been getting up pretty early in the morning to go to work, she’s become a coffee drinker. Not because she needs the caffeine but because she needs something warm. It’s cold out there before the sun comes up. For the first couple months, she was buying the single serve coffee packets and warming water up in the microwave. It worked, but it was kind of pain.
We saw the Black Friday ads for the Keurig Single Cup Coffeemaker and I mentioned to my dad that J would like it for the winter. He ran out and bought it that Friday morning and since Christmas, we’ve used it everyday.
I don’t like coffee at all. Can’t stand the smell of it, but I’ve made hot cocoa almost everyday since Christmas. I always hated making hot chocolate because I’d have to get out a pan, heat up the water/milk, then mix in the powder and try to pour it out of the pan without burning my hand. The Keurig takes all of that away
All we have to do is press the on button and wait for the water to warm up. It takes maybe five minutes or so. Then we just put the k-cup into the holder and press another button. A minute later, warm hot cocoa (or coffee or tea). Read more…
Zingerman’s Makes Everything Better…..
…cheap ham….cheap cheese…but oh, so delicious Zingerman’s Bread toasted slightly with a little butter….
The Perfect Lunch
Main Street Pub – Vicksburg
208 E. Prairie StreetWhen J and I lived in Peoria, IL, we were regulars at an awesome karaoke bar in Bartonville. This place was nuts. It was a karaoke theater. They have a permanent set up with lights, speakers, and a computer song book. They did karaoke every night of the week and there were people there every night.
Since leaving Illinois, we haven’t found any place that even compares. J has always had a good karaoke bar and misses the Saturday nights in Peoria where a rowdy country bar sang along to every song.
When we went to lunch at the Corner Bar a few weeks ago, we noticed a flyer for “Extreme Karaoke.” It’s on Thursday nights at that location, but I found on Saturday at another bar. We decided to find out what “Extreme Karaoke” was and in the process, get dinner.
Main Street Pub in Vicksburg is on Prairie Street and South Kalamazoo Avenue right on the edge of downtown Vicksburg. We parked on the street and entered in what looked like the front, but we found out later, it was most likely a “back entrance.” The entrance we went in was very confusing and pissed J off. You enter at a hallway. From there, you have a choice. Left or right. We went right and ran right into a banquet room. We should have went left, but we had no way of knowing. No signs or any indication that the dining room was off to the left. Read more…
Harvey’s on the Mall
416 S. Burdick StreetOur first weekend in town, J was invited out by her co-workers for a going away party. We were still new to town and didn’t really know our way around yet. The bar they picked was Harvey’s on the Mall. We live right off Burdick Street, but didn’t know it, so we took Westnedge downtown and it took us a long time to actually find Burdick. We eventually did and that was introduction to the Kalamazoo bar scene.
We didn’t know it at the time, but since then, I’ve heard Harvey’s had really good burgers. You should know by now how much I like burgers, so I really wanted to get back there and see what the menu was like. I’ve suggested it a couple times and J never seemed very interested. I finally asked enough times that she gave in.
Harvey’s on the Mall is on South Burdick Street just south of Lovell Street at the State Theater. At first glance, Harvey’s is a pretty nice bar. You enter at street level and go up a short flight of stairs to the first floor. There is a bar in the center of the room and a hallway that sort of wraps around the bar. There are tables on both walls in the hallway behind the bar. To the area directly to the left there are larger tables and even a booth for a large party. There is another upstairs area that I have yet to see, but I here there’s a great beer garden up there in the summer. Read more…
Press Release – Cuff and Ladder Fund Chili Cook-Off
From a Cuff & Ladder Fund Press Release
What: Professional chefs and local firemen compete for your votes
When: January 9, 2010
Where: Hangar Bar & Grill, 4301 W Main St., Kalamazoo
Fun: Bronk Brothers Band performing 1-5pm, thebronkbros.com
Cost: $8 in advance, $10 day of the event
Fun: Door prizes, including tickets to a Detroit Red Wings game, viewed from the Miller Party Deck.
Tickets: Purchase tickets at the Hanger Bar, cuffandladderfund.org, or call 269-599-8070.
Ticket purchase includes entry for door prizes, entertainment and Chili tasting. All ticket proceeds benefit The Cuff and Ladder Fund, a local charity supporting emergency service personnel and their families.
Domino’s Pizza – Portage
1788 W. Millham RoadLike most people, I was really intrigued by Domino’s launch of a new pizza. Not a minor tweaking to their old recipe, but a completely new pizza. J and I have talked about ordering since I posted the press release a few weeks ago. Neither one of us are really fans of the typical delivery pizza, but we bought in to the hype.
J got home from work today not long after I woke up. I was still a little groggy while I was downing my morning Pepsi…well, actually Mt. Dew because it’s what I had in the fridge. She mentioned something about being hungry and I totally agreed with her. I was starving.
I decided to get on Domino’s website which eventually talked me in to ordering a pizza. Now, I’ve never been a fan on online ordering because most places want you to register, maybe a keep a credit card on file, and bombard you with spam e-mail. Domino’s site was much easier. Yes, I had to put in an e-mail address and a credit card (paying with cash was an option, but I chose the credit card instead), but I didn’t have to register or verify the information. Hell, I used J’s credit card (didn’t want to take my Discover for some reason) even though the order was in my name and was never questioned. The cool thing about the website was they had a real-time update that popped up after I completed the order. It told me that Andrew was making my pizza and told me when it went in the oven. I decided to do carry-out instead of delivery. Yes, I braved the West Michigan roads instead of letting someone else. Why, you ask? Domino’s is right next to Circle K. Read more…
Samuel Mancino’s – Frandor, Lansing
401B N. Clippert StreetI’ve blogged a few times in the past about how much I love grinder’s. I’ve also gone over the whole spiel about my Mancino’s memories. For those of you joining me at SWM-Dining, here’s the short story.
Growing up, a new pizza joint moved in to Bourbonnais, Illinois near where I grew up. My family, not being very adventurous, almost always ate at fast food and chains…actually, this is something they still do. Anyway, a shop called Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders opened up. We ate there often. All four of us were fans of these new toasted sandwiches. When I moved to Peoria, there was a store called Bellacino’s…..that served the same menu. Again, I ate there a few times and loved every minute of it. When we moved to Lansing, we found more stores with the Mancino’s name on them.
Now, I’m going to be honest. I’ve never been able to figure out if all them are connected or, if they are, how. They all have the same name, the same food, and the same menu, but I cannot find one stinking website that lists all three cities. Hell, all three stores have a different name.
Now, enter a fourth store under the Mancino’s name. Read more…
Sweetwater’s Donut Mill – Kalamazoo Twp.
2138 Sprinkle RoadI told you I was gonna do it. Didn’t I? This afternoon, I posted an article from Saveur that had Sweetwater’s Donut Mill as one of the best 100 Food Finds in the country. It made me hungry.
I wasn’t going to, but as the night wore on, I got hungrier and hungrier. I needed to go get gas anyway. I’m driving to East Lansing in the morning and I don’t like stopping on my way to East Lansing, so I wanted to fill up tonight. I knew there were a couple of Speedway’s along the way, so I talked myself into just getting some donuts for tonight and the morning.
Sweetwater’s Donut Mill has three locations in Southwest Michigan. All of them are open 24/7. I went to the Kalamazoo Township location on Sprinkle Road just north of I-94. The building doesn’t really look like a donut shop from the outside. It’s a very discreet building with a few windows and a large red sign out front.
Not many people had donuts on the brain at 7:30 at night other than me. The place was deserted except for the clerk who was putting boxes together for the morning rush. The inside of the store has a few booths and, of course, a breakfast counter. Great place to stop in, have a cup of coffee, and read the paper….oh, and eat a donut or two. Read more…
Sweetwater’s Donut Mill Ranked Amongst The Best Food Finds
I first saw this Saveur story in the Kalamazoo Gazette. It’s not the 100 Best Restaurants in the world. It’s just a list of 100 of the best Food Finds. Sweetwater’s Donut Mill comes in at #100 on the list.
You haven’t had a real doughnut until you’ve had one from Sweetwater’s Donut Mill in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
[snip]
The company makes 55 different kinds, from the standard crullers, twists, fritters, and longjohns to over-the-top peanut butter creme–frosted doughnuts with milk chocolate filling. Thankfully, Sweetwater’s is open 24 hours a day (they also do mail order), so you never have to let your cravings go unsatisfied.
I have to stop making excuses to not go to Sweetwater. I think I’ll go pick up a dozen donuts…..
All Stirred Up
6650 S. Westnedge Avenue- Portage, MI 49024
- (269) 321-0992
- Website
- No Online Menu
Shopping is just easier during the week. J and I attempted to go to the mall over the weekend, but it’s just too frustrating. We went back today after she got off work and got a lot more done without the headache of running in to people.
While we were there on Saturday, I pointed out that a kiosk near the escalators had bubble tea (if you’re not familiar with the drink, I linked the Wikipedia article….easier than me trying to explain it). I didn’t think J was a fan, but she said she has sort of been craving it since I pointed it out to her. Since we had to head back to the mall anyway, we ventured out to find her tea.
All Stirred Up is on the lower level of Crossroads Mall near the elevator. It’s a drink stand that specializes in coffee, smoothies, and teas. To my surprise, All Stirred Up is actually a local company. They roast all their own beans right here in Kalamazoo. They call themselves a “drinks bistro.”
Even though the mall was fairly empty, there was a little bit of a line. There was only one person working behind the counter, so she had to both take orders and make the drinks. I’m really not interested in any of the drinks, but a few months ago, J was introduced to Bubble Tea after seeing it on a Food Network show. We found a place in East Lansing that specialized in it and checked it out one day while shopping in downtown East Lansing. I didn’t think she really liked it, but I guess I was wrong. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 