Good Mexican fast food

New location in 2012, original opened in 1967. Because I really liked the first two locations of this Mexican fast food place, I was very happy to see Taco Boy open in Plainwell. In 1985 while doing contract work in Mt. Pleasant, a former CMU student introduced me to this family owned place. Later we discovered the "original" location on Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids. I have been stopping by there for years on our way "up north". I like the green meat and bean burrito(super). They now have 7 locations still run by the family. Their claim to fame is the fresh homemade quality ingredients. Refried beans are hand sorted and made fresh from scratch everyday at each location. The beef has chunks of beef in it and the spicy pork is chunked as well. Great hot sauce and generous portions. They are good hearted people that treat their employees well and do not waver on quality ingredients. This new location has some grand opening jitters, but give it a chance and I am sure it will be up to par soon. Check the guide for more details.

Classic Drive In since 1962

I don't know what took me so long to stop at this place. I absolutely love drive-in restaurants and Lutz's Drive In between Decatur and Dowagiac is a classic. Carhops wait on you or you can go inside to their 60 seat restaurant. Mr. Lutz opened this place 50 years ago in 1962 and still goes to work there. The neon sign is a classic "route 66" style landmark. They serve the traditional drive-in fare like burgers, dogs, rootbeer and baskets. However, their most popular item is their pizza! They start making pizza when they open at 11am. They also offer Alaskan pollock for Friday night fish fry or a seafood dinner including crabcakes! I almost forgot to tell you they do have prime rib! A full offering of ice cream options and some great homemade pies like the peach we had or try the lemon meringue or german chocolate. This place is a classic summertime must visit. Check the guide for details.

I know they are a chain!

I don't usually blog about chain restaurants, but I really like this one. I have been waiting for the new Five Guys Burgers and Fries to open in Portage. My daughter introduced us to them in the D.C. area a few years ago. Excellent burger and the fries are just as good. Not much else to say since this is basically all they do. This may be the best burger chain in the U.S. This one is not going into the guide because it is a large national chain, however I did want to tell you it is now open and they are very good!

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!