West Lake Drive In has reopened!!

Since 1962. This place has been a landmark in Portage and even opened one year before Portage was a city. Now with only its second owner in its history, the Neeb family has reopened one of my favorite spots. Many people love the West Lake Drive In and the good news is the Neebs are going to keep it open until the end of October. Gravel parking lot and beautiful view of West Lake make this setting one of a kind. The food is the other draw. I really like the burgers including the olive burger. The fries are good and so are the onion rings. I also really like the perch sandwich while my wife loves the grilled cheese. I always get a milk shake although they do have very good root beer. I hope this place stays unchanged including the carhop service. Since the Neebs grew up on the lake they know what makes this place special. Good luck to them and thanks.

New to Portage!

New location of a Kalamazoo campus area landmark. Portage welcomes The Big Burrito to the Moorsbridge shopping center. A little different atmosphere with no alcohol, however the food is just as good! I like the chorizo and egg burrito with their hottest sauce served in a squeeze bottle. My wife likes the veggie with rice, cheese and guacamole. The salsa is fresh made and all burritos are made to order, including the three foot long "don't even think about it" classic. Order at the counter then they will bring everything to you. Nice atmosphere with good service. Check out the guide for more details.

Nice fish place on US 12

New in 2011. This older place(formerly Lakeside)has been completely redone with a nautical theme and gives tiny Jerome a flagship dining spot. Get it? The Deck Down Under has roots from the Gulf and brings us some nice seafood offerings. Raw oysters, peel and eat shrimp, crab cakes, conch fritters, boom boom shrimp and fried calamari just to start. I had the fish tacos made with grouper which you can order pan seared, blackened or deep fried. The fish and chips can be ordered in similar fashion using either grouper or catfish. They have good sides as well, we tried the onion rings and the hand cut fries. Both were excellent as was the New England clam chowder! The hush puppies looked good also. Desserts are made in house and include key lime pie and creme brulee. I had the creme brulee and was very happy with it. They have other stuff like pizza and burgers along with a kids menu, so bring the whole family. They have live music on Friday-Saturday evenings. It is so loud you will not be able to converse. Good music, just too loud for conversation. It becomes more of a night spot then. Good food, nice atmosphere and good service. My recommendation is to call first and eat before the music starts.

Full Service sit down Mexican

New in 2012. This roomy place features an indoor fountain and a full menu. All your favorites with a menu that reminds you of Los Amigos in Portage and Kalamazoo. The reason being the Casa Real Mexican Restaurant owner is the niece of the Los Amigos owners. The food is very good and they will have a liquor license soon. Take the whole family to this sit down place. I liked the chili poblanos and my friend liked the seafood chimichanga. I am sure this will be a very popular place! Check out the guide for more details.

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!