Most Drive-ins are now open!

Its that time of year when we want to roll down the windows and get some fresh air. How about a visit to one of several drive-ins listed in the guide. We have one in Jackson, Marshall, Coldwater, Portage, Paw Paw, Coloma and South Haven. Search the guide for Diners & Drive-ins. Time for a frosted mug of root beer? Do you miss a tray hung over the edge of your window? How about roller skating car hops? One of these may have the best baby back ribs around(picture the flintstones). Some have been around since the 1930's. Most are open by now, but you may want to call first(West Lake). Pretend you are on Route 66(more about that later). This is an All American pastime. Enjoy your hot dog!

Thai Restaurant added in Kalamazoo

This cozy place is located in a strip mall, however once inside the Bangkok Flavor Thai Restaurant it has a surprisingly nice atmosphere. The menu is large and filled with your Thai favorites like Pad Thai or spring rolls.
I have just recently become a fan of Thai food and like most I expected it to be similar to Chinese food. Not so. Thai food uses lots of herbs which make their food have combination flavors like sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. These flavors run thru most of their dishes. Lots of Thai dishes are coconut based and they use lots of curries. Green, red and yellow curries are commonly used. They also use lemon grass, galangel(gingery, peppery root) and green chilis. Chinese food uses more soy sauces along with ginger, garlic and red chilies. Thai food much more resembles Indian food than Chinese. Most Thai restaurants will allow you to "adjust" the heat used. I like it very hot and they never fail to come thru. In the U.S. the menus may be separated by appetizers, soups, entrees etc. However, there is no concept of courses in a Thai meal. Soups, salads, curries and noodles are eaten together to create a combination of flavors. A common starting point to the new Thai patron is Phad Thai which are flat rice noodles. They are made of rice sticks that look almost translucent. The noodles are soaked (not boiled), then placed in a pan and fried. Phad means fried. The noodles are then served with peanut sprouts, chopped chillies, dash of sugar, lime juice and chilli powder giving it the sweet, sour & spicy flavor. Add curry of choice. Many other chicken, pork, beef, fish and duck items cooked in the Thai style. Bangkok flavor can offer you this experience for your taste buds. They have some unique offerings like flamed duck or coconut juice to drink. Speaking of drinks they have a Thai beer called Singha that is good along with several other choices including Bell's or Taj Mahal from India. This place is very good.

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.

Terry's Guide-Phase II now complete!

You may have noticed that Terry's Guide has a new look! With lots of new features.

*We have expanded to include South-Central Michigan. Now 46 new South-Central places to try with many more to come!

*If you use a mobile device for the guide you will have much easier usage now with click thru navigation.

*Larger pictures and interactive maps for each location.

*Maps showing the Southwest and South-Central regions covered.

*You can now display up to 100 places on the search results page.

*The city where each restaurant, brewery, winery or bakery is located, appears on the left side of search results(great for specialty searches).

*The "hidden treasure" description is now "hidden away" meaning those places are harder to find.

*You can be added to our e-mail list to get a notice when new places are added or we update the blog.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions that led to these improvements!

Check back soon for more updates or add yourself to our e-mail list.

Terry

Easter, East Egg and Spring!

Had trouble finding an Easter Brunch that wasn't sold out. Finally got in at Win Schulers in Marshall. Good luck if you are looking! Tell us about your experience. Did you know April is Wine month? Check the guide for almost 20 wineries where you can go tasting. Tuesday Bell's Brewery launched their famous spring beer Oberon. This is a great beer and my favorite thirst quenching beer. I normally drink dark beers, however, after a round of golf, there is none I like better!
On to East Egg This new breakfast and lunch place is next to Craftsman Chop House by Crossroads Mall in Portage. Start with Water Street Coffee and their homemade donut holes. They have unique offerings like their 7 benedicts, scramblers, grits, omelets and crepes. Try a smoothie with your breakfast. Nice atmosphere and well run by the owners who also own Craftsman next door. Lunch offers 8 flat top burgers, nice salads, homemade soups and chili. Also, many nice sandwiches and hot dogs served 5 different ways. Nice addition to the Portage breakfast scene!