Manhattan New York Pizza
1923 Cordova RoadThere is almost never a time that I will travel somewhere and not get a pizza. My travel companions usually ask where I’m going expecting me to say Papa Johns or Dominos…but hell no. We’re going to find some place local.
Our third day in Miami was a long day. We had to do a lot of driving around the Miami metro area…and if you’ve ever been to Miami, you know how taxing that can be. I grew up near Chicago and have done a lot of driving in the Chicago area and that seems like a cake walk compared to Miami.
We got back to our hotel rooms right around 6:30. We both still had some work to do individually. Co-worker wanted to get on it right away because there was a social event he was wanting to go to. I wasn’t in a hurry because I’m not a social person.
He went to work and I sent him a text asking if he wanted a pizza. He said yes and didn’t care what kind. Just get something with meat. I said pepperoni or sausage…he said yes, so I took that as both.
I did my usual Google searches for nearby pizza places. I don’t typically put much weight in reviews but I take a good look at the pictures posted. I think I have a pretty good eye for what a good pizza looks like and I just trust that instinct.
I picked Manhattan NY Pizza in Fort Lauderdale. The small pizza joint is in the Harbor Shops near the intersection of SE 17th Street (also known as Florida State Road A1A) and Cordova Road. The restaurant is tucked in between nail salon and a therapeutics place near a Publix.
Read more…Versailles Cuban Bakery
3501 SW 8th StreetDay two in Miami was a little bit slower paced. We were able to work from our hotel most of the morning before venturing out to the downtown Miami in the afternoon.
We wrapped up our work a little after 6:30. We had been hanging out on one of the islands connected by the Rickenbacker Causeway just kind of south of downtown. The view was good and it got better as the sun set and the city lights came on.
We started heading back towards the hotel and my colleague asked where we were in relation to Little Havana. I asked if he like Cuban food. He said he liked Cuban sandwiches. Me too…and wouldn’t you know it, there is a really famous Cuban restaurant in Little Havana that we weren’t too far from.
So, our original idea was to sit down for a meal at Versailles Restaurant but that was way too busy. We could tell when we drove by there appeared to be a line but we thought maybe since it was just the two of us, we might be able to get a table. We parked in the large parking lot across the street and checked in a the host stand. No dice. It was over an hour wait and we still had work to do.
Read more…Guacamole Station
118 N. Federal Highway- Dania Beach, FL 33004
- (954) 544-2259
- No Known Website
- Menu
Our first day in Miami was a pretty long day. I got up around 2:30 AM for a 6:00 AM flight out of Grand Rapids. We got to Miami just before noon and by the time we got our car, got to the hotel, ate lunch, and finished the work we still needed to accomplish that day, I was beat.
We both figured we were going to bed early that night to get ready for the next three days of long workdays. As I was laying in bed, I realized I was thirsty. I didn’t have anything in my room to drink and because it’s a Marriott, there are no vending machines on the floors.
I did a quick Google search to find a nearby Publix. I figured I could grab some Pepsi and a couple six packs of local beer. That should be enough to keep me hydrated for four days.
The Publix I found wasn’t too far from my hotel. On the way there, I passed a little taco stand. It was getting a little late but I figured if the open sign was still lit when I passed by again, I’d stop for a couple of tacos.
Guacamole Station is on Federal Highway in Dania Beach between 1st and 2nd Streets just south of the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The small building was previously an ice cream shop and they have the same walk up window service you expect at places like that.
Read more…TooJay’s Deli, Bakery, Restaurant (Dania Beach)
131 South Compass Way, Space #C120Miami in December? Sure, why not?
The opportunity to travel for work came up with a New Year’s trip to Miami. I don’t really love Miami. The traffic there is killer and traveling to the area for New Year’s didn’t sound all that fun, but I do look forward to these work trips so I took.
We had a pretty early start on Tuesday morning flying out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. We didn’t take the direct to Miami because it was double the price of a little bit longer trip connecting in Chicago.
We got to Miami a little earlier than expected then made the looooooooong trek through the airport to baggage and the loooooooon trek to the shuttle that would take us to the rental car center.
I picked the wrong rental car company. The line was obnoxious when we got there. It took an hour to get our car and we had a 30+ minute drive to our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Neither I or my colleague had eaten much since a couple of snacks at the airport back in GR.
We had to hit the ground running and get some work done once we got checked-in. We were both pretty hungry so I asked him if we should slow down and go grab a sandwich. He was on board with that so I started looking for quick sandwich places near our hotel.
I found TooJay’s Deli, Bakery, and Restuarant in Dania Beach at the Dania Point shopping plaza. The small Florida chain has an end space off South Compass Way and Stirling Road.
Read more…Russo’s Pizzeria (Dorr)
1730 142nd AvenueI had a pretty easy holiday break. I was scheduled to take vacation time the week between Christmas and New Year’s but an opportunity for a trip to Miami came up during the week so I asked to move my vacation time to the week before Christmas.
There was a problem with giving me Thursday off because of staffing issues. That was fine. I took Monday-Wednesday off, worked Thursday, Friday through Monday off then flew out to Miami on Tuesday.
That one day I ended up working I had to work in Grand Rapids.
I texted J and asked if we wanted to make Thursday pizza night instead of Friday. Friday was Christmas Eve so we assumed most places wouldn’t be open. I got sent home a little early due to the drive so I offered to pick up a couple of pizzas on my way home.
I picked Russo’s Pizzeria in Dorr. I stopped at the Hopkins location a while back and really liked the pizza I got. I realized on that trip to Hopkins that there was a location in Dorr which is much more convenient on a drive between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
Russo’s Pizzeria Dorr location is on 142nd Street just after you come in to where the unincorporated community of Dorr sorta begins from the east. The restaurant shares a building with the Short Stop Party Store near the intersection of 142nd and Joan Drive.
Read more…West Side Deli
405 Seward Avenue NWI somehow worked out a pretty sweet deal around Christmas this year. The week before, I only had to work Thursday. I was supposed to have the week between Christmas and New Year’s off but a last second trip to South Florida came up and I jumped at the chance to travel so I moved my vacation.
I had to work the Thursday before Christmas because we were pretty short staffed. My hope was I could work the Monday and have Tuesday through Monday off, but that wasn’t going to work out with staffing levels.
I ended up in Grand Rapids. The colleague I typically work with in Kalamazoo was filling in on an evening shift for someone in Grand Rapids so it was just easier for me to work my day shift up there.
I didn’t do a whole lot. There was a lot of sitting around waiting for an assignment, which was fine with me…I had already kind of checked out for the holidays anyway.
Lunch time rolled around and I still hadn’t done much. I decided I better eat while I could knowing how things usually go for me.
There are a lot of places that have opened in Grand Rapids since I last worked out of that office full time a little over four years ago. I wanted something quick and easy though so I started looking for sandwich shops.
I came across West Side Deli and thought, damn…that looks good.
West Side Deli is inside the Bridge Street Market on the corner of Bridge and Seward Streets on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. Bridge Street market is the neighborhood grocery store concept from Meijer. It opened in 2018….after I left GR so this was the first time I was in that store as well
Taqueria San Francisco Bar & Grill (Plainwell)
618 W. Allegan StreetWe almost waited too long to get a Christmas tree this year.
Yeah, I had seen all the news stories about shortages but we were busy most weekends and I still prefer going to a farm over one of the lots set up around town.
We’ve been hoping around Christmas tree farms the last couple of years. We went to Tunier’s in Scotts one year. We went to Wahmoff in Gobles one year. Last year we went to Badger Country outside of Otsego. We enjoyed the experience last year so we decided to go to Badger Country again.
We always eat breakfast/lunch before we get a Christmas tree. When we went to Tunier’s, we went to Scotts Corner Cafe. When we went to Wahomff, we went to Robin’s Nest. This year, we went for Mexican food.
We chose Taqueria San Francisco Bar and Grill in Plainwell as our pre-Christmas tree hunt lunch spot.
Taqueria San Francisco is a Battle Creek based restaurant with three stores (and maybe more on the way? There’s been a sign for one on Portage Street for quite a while but no restaurant.) We ate at the Capital Avenue location in Battle Creek back in 2014.
The Plainwell location of Taqueria San Francisco is on West Allegan Street (M-89) right off the US-131 interchange across from Borgess Pipp Hospital. The building has been a couple of chain restaurants. It was originally a Big Boy then an Aubree’s Pizzeria and Grill. It became Taqueria San Francisco in early summer of 2021.
Read more…Portillo’s Hot Dogs (Fort Wayne)
295 W. Coliseum BoulevardDid you know there was a Portillo’s in Fort Wayne? Yeah. Me neither.
When we’re in Chicago, we can argue all we want about who has the best Italian beef. Portillos. Al’s Beef. Mr. Beef. Johnnie’s Beef. Buona. Joe Boston. Whatever.
When we’re outside of Chicago, there really is only one place to get an authentic Chicago Italian beef. That’s Portillo’s.
A co-worker and I were coming home from a job assignment in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. It was a late assignment so we stayed the night. Unfortunately, there was something going on in Indianapolis and hotel capacity was pretty dang close if not 100% full. The closest we could find that wasn’t too far out of way was in Muncie near Ball State.
We got up around 9:30 Sunday morning to head back towards Michigan. Co-worker asked if I wanted to stop for breakfast. I said we could hit a coffee shop or something but I’d rather try to make it back to Fort Wayne and get lunch.
Portillo’s Hot Dogs in Fort Wayne is in the Glenbrook Square shopping near the corner of Coliseum Boulevard and Lima Road on the north side of Fort Wayne. It’s a stand alone building outside of the mall surrounded by other large national chain restaurants.
Read more…Kuma’s Corner (Indianapolis)
1127 Prospect StreetQuick work trip to Indianapolis.
A co-worker and I took a trip south a few weeks ago to Indy. We were only going to be gone a night. We had one day of work late in the evening on a Saturday so we stayed the night in Muncie. We didn’t want to be making a trip home at 2 AM after a 16 hour work day.
We left Kalamazoo pretty early on Saturday morning to head to Indianapolis. We didn’t really need to be in town until about 2:00 or so. Co-worker doesn’t usually go on these trips so he was a little antsy. I was fine leaving early. That means we got to stop for lunch once we reached our destination.
I didn’t tell him on the way there but I had a plan for lunch the whole time. I noticed a Facebook post by a friend of my who lives in Indy for a restaurant I was familiar with opening a location there.
Kuma’s Corner is a Chicago restaurant that has been slowly expanding since they opened their first location on Belmont Street in Chicago’s Avondale Neighborhood 16 years ago. They’ve opened three other Chicago area locations plus this Indy spot and one in Denver.
The Indianapolis Kuma’s Corner is in the Fountain Square neighborhood on the corner of Prospect Street and Morris Street. The quirky neighborhood doesn’t have much parking other than on the street but Kuma’s purchased an old car lot across the street to use as restaurant parking. I noticed that after we drove around the block a couple of times looking for street parking.
Read more…Lefty’s Cheesesteaks (Stadium Drive)
4206 Stadium DriveMy family was pretty sad when Moe’s Southwest Grill closed on Stadium Drive. For whatever reason, that was the taco place they preferred. I never complained, I liked it to but I was never as big of a fan of it as they were.
The building on Stadium Drive sat empty for quite a while before a new banner popped up for a Detroit area cheesesteak chain. I’m not a huge cheesesteak guy (I hate onions) but as I started poking around for info, I got more and more excited.
Lefty’s Cheesesteak opened two locations in the Kalamazoo area just a couple of weeks apart. The Portage location opened first followed by the Kalamazoo location on Stadium Drive near Lakesedge Drive in the Knollwood Neighborhood. This building has gone from a pharmacy, to Moe’s Southwest Grill to now Lefty’s Cheesesteak.
Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 