Buck Horn Family Restaurant – Chesterton, IN
1600 W. US Highway 20Well, our long holiday weekend in Chicago was over and we started back towards Michigan. We had done enough economy stimulating and was looking forward to getting back in our own bed.
Of course, traffic was a pain and the weather was starting to turn bad. Not long after we got into Indiana, we hit construction and it took us about a half hour to go five miles. J really wasn’t feeling good and asked if we could pull off for lunch. She said she wanted soup and grilled cheese. Where better to comfort food than a truck stop?
Buck Horn Family Restaurant in Chesterton, IN is just off Interstate 94 on US 20. It’s part of the TravelCenter of America chain of truck stops. We saw a sign for the place on one of those blue Interstate signs. We didn’t know at first it was a truck stop, but the “family restaurant” part of the name led us to believe we could get what J was looking for. As we were driving towards the TA, just said “Let’s just stop at the truck stop.” Turns out, that’s where we were heading anyway.
If you enter the Buck Horn underneath the awning and sign, you won’t enter the restaurant. We came in a hallway that looked to be management offices. We followed the hallway back towards the gas station side and found the restaurant. It’s not really defined in the locations. It just sort of takes up the space. There aren’t really any walls separating it from the rest of the gas station. Read more…
Xoco – Chicago
449 N. Clark StreetFor a few months now, there’s been one place in Chicago that I’ve really wanted to get to. I’m a huge fan of Rick Bayless and when J’s mom told me he opened a street food Mexican restaurant right next to his Topolobampo restaurant on the Near North Side, I knew we had to get down there.
It worked out perfectly that we ate dinner right around the corner from Topolo, so I drug my family another two blocks farther away from the parking garage our car was parked in for dessert.
Xoco (pronounced Sho-ko) is on the corner of North Clark Street and Illinois Street in Chicago’s Near North Side neighborhood. The entrance is actually on Illinois Street, but the show is on Clark Street. It’s there that you can stand at the windows and watch workers make home-made churros and grind coco beans for the hot chocolate. My family was super confused. They’re not foodies. They have no idea who Rick Bayless is and they thought the coco beans that were being grined didn’t look so appetizing. J and I were super excited that 1.) we found the place and 2.) there wasn’t a line out the door. The rest of our group, could have cared less.
J, my sister-in-law, and I left my brother, mom, and dad out on the street and went to get in line. We entered the store and took a place in what we thought was the line against the wall. After a few minutes, a lady comes over and asks if we are dining in or grabbing something to go. We tell her we just want some churros and hot chocolate to go. She hands us a purple ticket and tells us we can cut to the front of the line. Everyone in line is waiting for a table. Since we were grabbing to go, we could go to the register and just put in our order. We were all confused. Did she just tell us to cut in line? Read more…
Rockit Bar & Grill – River North, Chicago
22 W Hubbard StreetI’ve never been a real trendy person, but when it comes to food, I do like to find the newest, greatest thing. In my hometown, I’m pretty good at sniffing out new restaurants. In Chicago. Not so much. Getting into the hot restaurants in Chicago can be a pain. Even when it’s something a simple as a pub (ie. Kuma’s Corner).
Thanksgiving weekend has become a sort of tradition for J and I to go downtown with my brother and his wife. This year, we took my parents. A few months ago at my bachelor party, we walked from the South Loop to The Billy Goat Tavern for drinks. The whole way, my dad was looking up and was sort of in awe of the surroundings. Later, he told me he had never been downtown at night and was impressed by the lights. We figured if he was impressed on some random Saturday night in September, he would get a kick out of the Christmas lights on the Mag Mile.
So, we did the shopping thing. It was a mess. There were so many people we couldn’t get into most stores and if we could, it was really hard to do any actual shopping. Last year, it was fun. This year, it was a headache. Still, we hit all the stores we wanted then headed for our dinner reservation. My GPS couldn’t get a signal downtown, so I was going from memory and off my brother’s I-Phone. We got where we were going about 20 minutes before our reservation, so we didn’t do to bad.
Rockit Bar & Grill is one of the hot new restaurants in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. For those of you only vaguely familiar with the city, it’s still pretty much downtown. It’s just a few blocks from the main shopping district on Michigan Avenue. The building is an old lamp factory that has been converted into a bar. The interior design was done by Nate Berkus of Oprah fame. Read more…
Lindt Chocolate Shop – Aurora, IL
1650 Premium Outlet Blvd. #521- Aurora, IL 60505
- (630) 236-0966
- Website
Ah, Christmas. The time of year that brings out the worst in people. I know we all think it, so I just decided to put it in writing. Jingle bells aren’t the sound of the season. Car horns are. At least the beginning of the season is that way.
J and I braved the crowds and headed to the Premium Outlets in Aurora, IL. The thing is, we didn’t go early. It was closer to 5:00 PM by the time we made our way to the northwest suburbs. We were hoping to avoid some of the crowds. I’m glad we didn’t go at midnight last night…the crowds were nuts.
Well, not so much the crowds, but the traffic. Chicago drivers are just jerks. It’s a complete “me, me, me” attitude when it comes to driving. If everyone would just show some patience, we’d all get where we’re going a lot faster. Instead, we create bottlenecks by trying to squeeze five wide on to an on ramp because no one wants to wait their turn. I just go past my ramp, do a U-Turn and hit the on-ramp from the other direction where there’s no traffic at all. Read more…
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant – Orland Park, IL
15690 S. Harlem AvenueOne of the worst places to be in the Chicago suburbs on Black Friday is Orland Park. Guess where J and I were. Yup. Orland Park. We had made an appointment at Fred Fox Studio’s to pick out our wedding pictures. We needed to go to their shop to do it, so we had to do it when we were in town. The day we had free just happened to be the day after Thanksgiving.
J had thought she made the appointment for 1:30, but when she looked at the calendar on her phone, it said 12:30. Apparently, when we switched time zone’s, it changed the appointment back as well. Fred Fox didn’t open until noon and it’s a little over a half hour away, so we had to start driving before they opened just in case. Once we found out the appointment was at 1:30 like we thought, we headed to lunch.
I ended up blindly choosing Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant on South Harlem Avenue near 157th Street in Orland Park. It’s a pretty fancy place that has four locations in Chicagoland. Beside the Orland Park restaurant, they have shops in Burr Ridge, Wheeling, and South Barrington…all well off Chicago suburbs.
The restaurant is in a building labeled Cooper’s Hawk Plaza. When you enter the front door, you come into the gift shop and tasting room. You have to go through this room and down a hallway to find the restaurant. On the way, you pass a really neat private party room. It’s down a flight of stairs and lined with wine barrels. Read more…
Bistro 120
120 E. Michigan Avenue- Paw Paw, MI 49079
- (269) 657-3654
- Website
- No Online Menu
When we leave home, I usually have a dining plan. I take pride in researching and finding the best place to eat along our route. For some reason, on our recent trip home, I didn’t do that. We just got in the car and started driving. J had just gotten off work and we were heading to Chicago for the holiday weekend.
It was about 1:00 and we were both hungry. I suggested just getting off in Paw Paw and seeing what we could find. J thought she had seen a place downtown but when we drove by, it didn’t really look like a lunch spot. I went to turn around in a parking lot off of Gremps Street and staring us right in the face was a sign for a Bistro. We didn’t see it from Michigan Avenue, but a Bistro sounded like a good place for lunch.
Bistro 120 is on Michigan Avenue between Kalamazoo Street and Gremps Street. The storefront is actually a O’Farrell McGuire’s Irish Pub. The Bistro is behind the bar with the main entrance from the parking lot behind the building.
We entered the Bistro and were met right away by someone who told us they were done serving lunch in the Bistro, but were still serving in the pub. We followed a hallway around the corner to come into a typical Irish pub setting. Along the wall were a number of two tops. The tables in the middle were all set up for six to eight people. The two tops were all filled and we didn’t want to take a huge table, so we took a seat at the bar. The waitress handed us a couple menus and said she’d be right with us. Read more…
McDonald’s – South Westnedge
3320 S. Westnedge AvenueMcDonald’s twice in one week? I know. I apologize. This was one of those unplanned stops.
J and I left Waldo Stadium about halfway through the third quarter to avoid the incoming rain. Somehow, I ended up back in Portage after leaving the stadium, so we came home I-94 to Westnedge. About the time we were getting to our turn, J said she was still hungry. I didn’t want to say anything, but I was too. We had only eaten a slice of pizza and some popcorn at the game and didn’t have much of a lunch.
J was craving a smoothie and the only place we could think of at 10:00 at night that would have a smoothie was McDonald’s. We knew there was one just a mile or so down the road, so we skipped our turn and headed to the golden arches.
McDonald’s in the South Westnedge neighborhood is on South Westnedge near Elys Way. Like I mentioned in my McDonald’s review earlier this week, I hate drive thrus, so we parked and headed in. The restaurant is open 24 hours, but the lobby closes at 11:00. We got there ahead of that, so I wasn’t forced to argue with a speaker because neither of us can understand each other. Read more…
Waldo Stadium
600 Oakland Drive- Kalamazoo, MI 49008
- (269) 387-8092
- Website
As wierd as it may seem, before tonight, I had only been to one college football game as a spectator. I’ve been to dozens of games, but in the past, I’ve always been working. My first game as a spectator was earlier this year when J bought me tickets to see a game at Michigan Stadium. I’ve seen games in seven of the eleven Big Ten football stadiums, but Michigan Stadium is the one that always seems to elude me. Instead of waiting and hoping for a phone call to work, J bought a couple tickets to a game while it was still warm out.
Game number two came as a complete surprise. The Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce was giving away four tickets to Senior Night through a Twitter contest. I was the first one to reply with the right answer and the next day, I picked up the tickets.
Waldo Stadium is on Stadium Drive at Michigan Avenue on the campus of Western Michigan University. One of the first things I noticed about the stadium was parking. It seemed almost non-existent. I love that it’s a campus stadium and most students could probably walk to it, but for those of us that have to drive to the game, it really sucks. The athletic department’s official website encourages you to park at Lawson Ice Arena and take a shuttle back to the stadium. I’d prefer to be able to walk to and from my car, but whatever. We really couldn’t even find a lot and there were no signs pointing us towards parking. I ended up in a neighborhood about a block away. I must have gotten lucky because I found street parking. It was a quick ten minute walk back to the stadium, but it saved us the five or ten dollars it would have cost us to park in a university lot.
The stadium itself was built in 1939 and was most recently renovated in 2003. That renovation enclosed the east end of the stadium with the Donald J. Seelye Athletic Center. On the other side of the field, a video board was installed. The first game in Waldo Stadium was a 6-0 win over Miami University. The name comes from Dwight B. Waldo who was elected the first president of Western Michigan University in 1904. Read more…
Press Release – New Product Line From Meijer Tells A Story
From a Meijer press release….
MEIJER BRINGS TOGETHER LOCAL & REGIONAL SPECIALTIES,
FAMILY-OWNED SUPPLIERS AND UNIQUE RECIPES
TO CREATE AN EXCITING NEW LINE OF FOOD PRODUCTSNew Meijer Gold To Include Items With A Distinctive Story Of Origin
From Taco Sauce To Cheesecake, Every Product Has A Tale To Tell
GRAND RAPIDS, MI (November 19, 2009) – With such diverse delicacies as handcrafted sparkling lemonade from an original family recipe in France, to cocoa sourced from a Pacific Northwest family known for producing luscious chocolate recipes, Meijer’s new premium private label brand features singular products that all have a unique story to tell.
The new Meijer Gold offers unexpected and indulgent discoveries at affordable prices. But what makes the brand unique is its collection of original recipe items that are either made by a local company within the Meijer footprint, or by a family-owned business. The line also features interesting foods endemic to a particular place or country.
“Meijer customers have great taste, and it’s our job to keep providing them with great-tasting food items,” said Ralph Fischer, group vice president-foods at Meijer. “But we also want to offer them products that they won’t find anywhere else, and that’s exactly what Meijer Gold offers. We’ve traveled the globe and looked in small towns to source premium products that have a distinctive history, heritage or story.”
Each one of the delectable products in the Meijer Gold line has a tale to tell. For instance, the brand’s mustard is prepared from an age-old German recipe by a long-time Midwestern company; the salsa is created by an acclaimed family-owned Southern California producer; and the cream pasta sauces are sourced from the legendary Chicago restaurateurs, the Mugnolo family.
With more than 80 items comprising the upcoming launch, all Meijer Gold recipes are unique to the grocer, and include the finest ingredients and attention to detail. This promise of affordable excellence is furthered by the brand’s mandate that every Gold product must have a distinctive story of origin that not only enhances the uniqueness of the product, but also reaffirms Meijer’s commitment to local communities, businesses and families.
A sampling of some of the unique products that fall under the Meijer Gold brand include Champagne Dill Mustard, Sugar-Free Maple-Praline Syrup, Grilled Pineapple Chipotle Salsa, Smokey Mozzarella Cheese Spread, Porcini Truffle Tortellini, Crab Puff Pastries, Biscotti Munch Chocolate Caramel Cookies and Michigan Apple Cheesecake.
Meijer Gold is for food connoisseurs looking for more experience-rich foods, such as those born of family traditions. The high-quality line is supported by premium packaging, which highlights both the flavor and ‘golden’ aspect of the brand. Along with a recognizable gold seal and appetizing imagery, each package tells the compelling story of the product’s origin, allowing consumers to feel as if they are sharing in someone’s family tradition.
Originally launched in 2005, Meijer Gold served to provide a premium version of everyday items. This new approach to the Meijer Gold brand is a result of Meijer’s desire to deepen its commitment and connection to regionally sourced foods, family-run businesses, and authentic and distinctive recipes.
“Meijer Gold allows consumers to add a touch of flair to their everyday cuisine,” said Fischer. “The brand’s distinctive products and flavor cues will turn an ordinary meal into a premium experience that will blow customers away without blowing their grocery budgets.”
Full City Cafe – Portage
7878 Oakland DriveAfter a long weekend working, there’s nothing I enjoy more than being woken up to go eat. J knows it’s one of my favorite things to do and it’s a good way to get me out of bed.
After working in East Lansing all weekend, I made it back to Kalamazoo just before 1:00. By the time I took a shower and talked to J for a while, it was almost 2:00 before we got to bed which really isn’t that unusual for me anyway. Sunday morning, I was still in bed at a little after 11. J woke me up to go get lunch, but I didn’t really have lunch on the mind.
A couple weeks ago, I got the idea to try Full City Cafe for breakfast. I checked out their website and it said both locations were open Sunday. We drove to the Kalamazoo location because we needed to do some shopping out that way, but when we got there, we found the store closed. I inquired about the closing on Twitter to @fullcitycafe and they responded pretty quickly that they had just closed the Kalamazoo location on Sunday’s recently and forgot to update the website (it’s updated now). Still, the menu looked delicious and it has so many great reviews that I knew the next chance we got, we were going to try it out.
That next chance came the very next weekend we were actually in Kalamazoo on a Sunday.
The Full City Cafe location in Portage is on Oakland Drive at Centre Avenue in what looks like a fairly new strip mall. Full City Cafe takes up two storefronts and by the crowd today, could probably take over a third and still not have enough room. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 