New in 2013. The name and location is new, however the downtown Jackson Grand River Marketplace evolved from Sleeping Bear Winery and Bad Bear Brewing Co. which was at the Concord exit. The new place is large and able to accommodate their new deli, winery, brewery and restaurant all under one roof. They also have room for a nice stage for live entertainment. This place has very good food made with top quality ingredients that you can see or buy many of from the deli. They are probably best known for their pizza, which is very good. The brewpub also offers some very nice deli sandwiches and burgers. The winery has a tasting area and a large selection. I am a big fan of porters and this brewery offers a constant rotation of several porters which have all been good so far. They brewer is very creative and has several other unique beers for you to try. This is the indoor area next to the Jackson Farmers Market. Check out more details in the guide.

Nice deli with great corned beef!

 

 

This place is on a side street in downtown Chelsea, but well worth looking for. Mike's Deli has a neat atmosphere and offers over 65 sandwiches not counting "create your own" options. They have 17 cheeses and 9 types of Zingerman's bread to serve them on. Did I mention 14 salad dressings to put on your cobb, bing or strawberry salads? Mostly boars head meats and some very nice sides like soup, chili, baked beans and potato salad. The corned beef is just like in the big cities! This is a real deli with a neat atmosphere and great food. Check out the guide for more details.

New Orleans style deli & bakery

New Orleans comes to Middleville in the form of Big Easy Deli & Bakery. The owners had lived in Gulf Shores, AL for several years savoring New Orleans style food from their close proximity and because that style is very prevalent all over that part of the gulf. Open for breakfast and lunch you could start your morning with local roasted coffee, a housemade muffin, pastry or strudel and move on the Bourbon Street croissant. How about a nice quiche with house baked bread for toast. Lunch has that same great bread in several sandwich options like a pulled pork po'boy with coleslaw on top or a shrimp po'boy. Their signature sandwich is the muffelatta which rivals any I have had on Bourbon Street. Don't miss the gumbo. The owner is up at 3am baking her breads, muffins and turnovers so we can enjoy all this homemade goodness. Daily specials like red beans and rice on Monday and jambalaya on Tuesday. Always chef choice fish on Friday. This place is worth a drive so check it out. More details in the guide.

New restaurant added in New Buffalo

New Buffalo is a great town for restaurants. I have some favorites there so that is my explanation for why I had never been to
Retro Cafe'. They have been there since 1994 and are right on US 12. This is a special place that uses organic ingredients and makes as much as possible from scratch. Breakfast and lunch only, so get there early. Outdoor deck is nice and the cafe' atmosphere inside is all their own. They bake many of their own items and make their own preserves and chutneys. They can be purchased in the store behind the restaurant called Kites Kitchen Bake Shop & Pantry. This restaurant has many original items like eggs benito or their grass fed roast beef hash. Great sandwiches and salads for lunch. I had the Drier's ham & brie with avocado & tomato grilled on sour dough bread. Excellent! Pricing reflects the top quality ingredients used and is worth it. Click the name above to go to their page for more details.
Enjoy! Thanks to Wendy for the tip on this one.

St. Patrick's Day! Where to eat?

Lots of good places to celebrate and eat meat! In particular corned beef with cabbage. This is the celebration in the middle of lent. St. Patrick (387-461a.d.) was from England and was brought to Ireland by raiders and held captive for six years. Later, after getting free and returning home he became a priest and returned to Ireland to spread the gospel. Legend has it that he used the 3 leafed clover to explain the Trinity to his pagan audience. He became the Patron Saint of Ireland and the date of his death is celebrated with a feast day. The celebration in his honor originally was bacon and cabbage. Their bacon was more akin to canadian bacon or ham. In the late 1880's the Irish in the U.S. were too poor to afford the bacon and their Jewish neighbors introduced them to corned beef, which was cheaper.
Check the guide under cuisine for Irish/English pubs. Many of the breweries that offer food will have a nice feast today with a special Irish brew. Also, several bar and grills will offer specials for today. In the guide, search under specialty for Irish food. Have fun, take in the green river in Chicago or the green ice at Wings Stadium. Wear some green and celebrate this patron saint with some good food and drink!

Out of the area, but worth talking about!

Most of you have heard of Ann Arbor's famous Zingerman's Deli. Many are not aware of their other restaurant out near I94 at Jackson Rd. This one is called Zingerman's Roadhouse and is a large, nice, sitdown and be waited on place. Bon Appetit calls the Roadhouse one of the "top 10 new barbecue restaurants". Chef Alex Young and staff offer "really good american food!" as it says in their self description. Regional dishes are served using the best and freshest ingredients possible. Well known products like Nueske's applewood bacon, Pasolivo olive oil, American Spoon and of course corned beef from Zingerman's deli. These products or others like them go into their Tennessee Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Texas Beef Brisket or Chesapeake Bay crab cakes. Don't miss their mac and cheese with vermont cheddar or their burger which is ground fresh twice a day. They have daily specials and a full bar however, be prepared for higher prices than you are used to. Check out the guide for more details. Very good food!!

New place added in Allen

Step back in time to a place that feels like going to grandma's for dinner. The Outpost Grille in Allen is old country style with mismatched furniture and antiques everywhere. That makes sense since it is in the center of Michigan's "antique capitol". If you like antiques, you will love it here and if you don't care about them try this restaurant anyway. Home cooking with a nice menu of comfort foods for the whole family. You may not see your grandma here, but you will see someone's grandma. Mostly lunch type offerings like sandwiches, burgers and soups along with ice cream, shakes and desserts. They are only open during the day, so don't go at dinner time. Great place for Sunday dinner buffet. Check the guide for hours and other details.

Other Bakery Added

The other Bakery this week is Continental Pastries and Deli in Battle Creek which is a favorite of its home town. This place has rolls, donuts and cakes, however, they have a large cake decorating business that is really impressive. Go to their web page for a picture gallery. They have many harder to find confections such as strudel, napoleons, petit fores and baklava. It is also a Deli and has a nice lunch menu with indoor seating. To finish it off they are also an Ice Cream parlour. Very nice place and don't forget the french pastries! More details in the guide.

New Kalamazoo Sandwich Place Added to Guide

I have heard about this new sandwich place but just got to it today. It is called B'wiched Deli & Microcatering. Located in a strip mall at Drake and West Main in Kalamazoo. Everyone has been talking about how good these sandwiches are and I was not disappointed! Deli quality meats and their own baked breads which can be purchased by the loaf or half loaf. Homemade sides and chips. Bakery cookies and desserts. Homemade soups and don't miss the eppee rolls. Dinner rolls brushed with olive oil, garlic, herbs and topped with poppy seeds and kosher salt. May be nice for Thanksgiving! I had the pastrami on an onion roll. Very good. My wife had the turkey on dill bread. Both would make us go back.