New Southern Comfort place

This place does not look like much from the outside with need of updating and a gravel parking lot, however HamBone Café near Fennville and Saugatuck is redone on the inside of the building which is very nice and comfortable. The menu is the draw with meats being slow cooked on site along with biscuits made from scratch. How about the lunch I had, featuring a bowl of pinto beans with their delicious ham served with a grilled cornbread muffin and green onions. Soup or salad came prior.  Try their hand breaded chicken fried steak for breakfast or dinner. Cover the biscuits or the chicken fried steak with their homemade sausage gravy. Lots of omlets, pancakes and French toast offerings for breakfast as well as your toast or lunch sandwich will be made with house baked bread or some from a local bakery. Even the bacon is thick sliced and smoked. Use for lunch as well on their xtreme BLT with five slices! The ham is "bone in" and so is the ribeye steak which is offered for dinner. You could even get the ribeye with tiger shrimp either grilled or deep fried. For dinner they also offer pork chops with apple chutney, pot roast  or roast turkey dinner with stuffing. Kids menu available. No alcohol. Don't miss desserts like Texas sheet cake, peach cobbler or Kentucky butter cake. The cook is proud of his food and will come out to see how everyone liked their meal. Check out the guide for more details.

I had heard the Tapas place in Benton Harbor had closed and a new, very good restaurant had opened in the same space. Near the Pipestone Mall is Cravings Bistro and Pub which opened in 2012. This place is a little hard to describe so here goes...casual, steak and seafood with a Cuban emphasis. Very unique menu with appetizers such as plantain chips & salsa or jumbo blue crab & corn cakes. One of their salads features goat cheese. I started my meal with their signature lobster bisque made with real crab and a touch of sherry. Excellent! Main dishes include lime cilantro chicken breast, guava BBQ chicken, plantain encrusted salmon or try the 20oz porterhouse. For pasta lovers how about portabella mushroom ravioli or Thai shrimp penne. I went for the house paella with pulled pork, sausage, saffron rice and ficama which they kicked up to extra spicy per my request. Also excellent! They have seafood or vegetarian paella as well. Sides include South American green rice, fried sweet plantains or mac & cheese. They are open for lunch with burgers like the South American burger using a  mix of chorizo and beef or other sandwiches like pulled pork or their Cuban. Kids menu, full bar and live entertainment on Thursdays make this a happening place. These people love food and love sharing it with you. Check out the guide for more details.

This place has caught on quickly and is well deserving of the great reviews. The Four Roses Café in Plainwell is locally owned and operated by people with great pride in what they offer. Steaks and fish dominate the menu, however they are changed frequently on a paper and chalkboard menu. Very creative offerings like whitefish Grenoble, maple mustard ribs or Guinness beef. They do offer chicken or pork options as well, all of which are very unique. The appetizer list is long and features things like calamari. One of the most impressive things to me was the approximately 20 desserts offered. They actually have a pastry chef. I have not seen a dessert list like this since R. Stanley closed in Kalamazoo. Try the sticky toffee pudding. They have sandwiches and are open for lunch. Full bar and nice wine list as well as a nice selection of craft beers. I was able to get plead the fifth from Darkhorse Brewery here. Look for their frequent menu changes on their facebook page. Be prepared to wait for a seat, this place is popular. Check out the guide for more details.

This place has been in the guide for awhile as a winery, however Sleeping Bear Winery has now added a brewery called Bad Bear Brewing and a café to their Concord location. This former Stuckey's is now a happening place with live music, pizza, sandwiches and some excellent beers. They even have plans to open a larger location in downtown Jackson. I had one of their rotating porters and a stout that were both excellent. I noticed they have a polish breakfast stout I will try next time. The pizza looked very good and seemed to be a popular choice, so I will have that next time as well. Check the guide for more details.

New in 2012. A local blues musician who studied in Boston and traveled to Memphis to play blues has combined those experiences to open a Memphis style BBQ joint with some Boston influence thrown in. Beale Street BBQ offers Memphis style dry rub BBQ including ribs, brisket and pulled pork. Boston style clam chowder and crab cakes. Three sauces include Carolina mustard style, hot sauce and sweet sauce. Don't miss the catfish, shrimp or crawfish po'boys. Gumbo is available along with some nice sides like their soon to be famous smoked mac and cheese or baked beans. They also just added red beans and rice and fried okra. Order at the counter and sit in a cozy dining area while listening to the blues. No alcohol. Nice local people serving great BBQ! Let's keep this one folks! Visit often. Check the guide for more details.

One of a kind pizza

This place is new since 2010. It has won the "best new restaurant" award in Jackson this year. Laughlin's Slice of Spice in Spring Arbor is the only wood fired brick oven pizza place in Jackson county. Fresh ingredients on a hand tossed thin crust cooked in the wood fired oven makes this place special. They use local fresh produce and italian ingredients to insure a tasty pie. Nice atmosphere for the whole family with original photos on the walls and comfortable seating. Nice salads and appetizers along with some other non pizza offerings. Full bar with padded seats, offering mixed drinks as well as a nice selection of wines including local ones. The beer selection includes seasonal and locally brewed options. I had Arcadia Jaw Jacker on my visit. Others in our group had Angry Orchard Hard Cider. Nice place, give them a try! More details in the Guide.

Since 1992. This place is a landmark. Clara's on the River in Battle Creek is located in the former Michigan Central Depot train station which was built in 1888. It is worth a visit just to tour the building and read about its history. This place has the largest fireplace I have ever seen in a restaurant. Great atmosphere and a 17 page menu that will allow everyone in your party to find something they like. Known for Sunday brunch and for great drink selections in their bar(several ice cream drinks). They also have good food of all types from burgers and pizza to ribs. I went for lunch and had their chili which was very good along with a rueben which also was very good. Nice place for family outings or business lunches. Right on the river with a nice view and an outdoor patio looking over the river in nice weather.