Wood fired flatbread pizza!

How about a new place in South Haven with outdoor seating? Run by the same people who already bring you great places like Julia's Cafe' and The Phoenix Cafe'. Brix Corner Oven is in an old filling station using the front part of the Sea Glass store. Using just the outdoors they have a full bar under the old filling station canopy along with patio tables(some with umbrellas) so you can sit outside and people watch while enjoying a canned beverage(no glass) and the smell of wood fired ovens that are preparing your flatbread pizza. Lots of fresh topping choices and only good ingredients which is the hallmark of these owners. Some salads and sandwiches, however the best comes from the oven! Neat seasonal place. Nice addition to South Haven. Check out the guide for more details.

Great new BBQ joint

This place is new in 2012. Redline BBQ Smokehouse & Catering in Battle Creek is worth driving to. Nice atmosphere and indoor seating area. This is the real deal BBQ place. Great pulled pork and brisket. Nice housemade sausages in several styles. Huge portions of ribs. Nice chicken and smoked pork chops. They offer four types of BBQ sauce. I added southern style greens to my sampler platter which were excellent. How about pulled pork nachos or stuffed smoked potato skins? Maybe a boudin link on redline rice? Bread pudding and cobbler for dessert. No alchohol. Very nice place with excellent food. You don't want to miss this one! Check out the guide for more details.

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.

Wood Fire Oven used for half the menu!

This place in downtown Dowagiac has great atmosphere. With high tin ceilings, exposed brick walls, curved large front windows, wood floor, open kitchen and art on the walls all giving the Wood Fire Italian Tratorria a great setting. None of that would matter if they couldn't follow it up with food to match. Well, they do. Starting with the bread plate offering three kinds of breads with dipping oil including the usual herbs to which they add balsamic vinaigrette. The wine selection is nice with a page dedicated to Italian whites and reds. We had the quattro formaggio(four cheese) pizza made in their open wood fire oven and we also split a pasta marinara. I added a homemade italian sausage link on the side. Both meals were fantastic. Just bursting with flavor and cooked perfectly. We had some very nice wine by the glass and would both drive the hour to get there anytime! They do offer desserts which we had no room for on this trip. Lots of salads, soups and antipasti. Several other pizzas are offered. They make handmade ravioli which I will try on my next visit. Over half of their offerings are cooked in the wood fire oven. Some other entrees include chicken cacciatore, pork tenderloin, oven roasted salmon or walleye and Italian pot roast. Oh, they also roast ribs in their wood fire oven. This place is fairly pricey but has such a variety and quality I think it is still a good value. Don't miss live music two or three nights a week. Check their website for details. Check the guide for more details and enjoy!

Italian food with an American flair

This downtown Hastings place is housed in a 100 year old building that used to house the local newspaper. High tin ceilings, brick walls and wood floors give this restaurant an impressive location and atmosphere. The Seasonal Grille is mostly Italian with an American flair. Opened in 2010 with lots of housemade dishes featuring local, seasonal ingredients. Justin Straube likes to change the menu 4-5 times a year. Nightly specials like the pork loin with mango sauce I had or the grilled chicken with citrus sauce my wife had are common. Justin's dad makes an appetizer with homemade andouille, italian sausage and meatballs. Full bar, pizza, sandwiches and seafood make this space complete. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the slice of "mile high" housemade chocolate cake we finished with while listening to live music. This is a very nice, casual place with great atmosphere and food. Check out the guide for more details.

History and TexMex

This place has a great atmosphere with artifacts from the Alamo. Engravings of Davy Crocket and Jim Bowie are displayed along with a cannon and a bowie knife. Neat pictures and historical decorations throughout make this New Buffalo TexMex place a neat experience. El Rancho Grande also has excellent food. The chips were some of the best I have had. The hot salsa was in my top three and the carne asada was so tender I would compare it to a new york strip steak instead of the skirt steak used. My meal also had very good rice and beans, guacamole, tortillas, roasted mexican onions and cheese quesadillas. Everything was great. My wife really liked her nachos as well. They also have all your usual favorites along with desserts, kids menu and a full bar featuring margaritas and a full line of Mexican beers. I can't wait to return and try the ribs, chili, mole or the bowie garlic chicken. Yes, they have menudo and another less familar soup called pozole which is pork and hominy. Check the guide for more details.

New sit down Pizza joint

Nice to have the former "Cruisers" place in Portage reopen with a sit down pizza joint. This old and new place is called Jac's Cekola's Pizza which is using the old pizza recipe from Star World for those who remember. It is thin crust with a great sweet pizza sauce and I like the homemade italian sausage with visible fennel seeds. They have a full bar with a great beer selection. They even have my favorite Dragon's Milk on draft! Large menu (which may change) currently has lots of other pizza toppings, garlic breads, pastas, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and entrees. They also have lots of appetizers like nachos and wings along with desserts. The space has been completely redone and has its own atmosphere. Lots of large flat screens and a game area so bring the whole family or come watch the game. But, whatever you do, get the pizza!