Do you like diners? New addition in Three Rivers

Since 1969. This place seems small from the outside, the inside is larger than you would think and nicely decorated as a diner. Try Goldies Diner in Three Rivers for this town's "readers choice" award winning "best burger". Chicago dogs, newly added pulled pork cooked on premises for 10 hrs! Good pizza and everyone goes to get Sherman's ice cream. Click on their name in this paragraph for more details and their menu is on their website.

Happy 50th anniversary!

This place is a well known landmark in Kalamazoo. Bimbo's Pizza since 1959! I really like the renovations and the old feeling of this building. Plenty of seating, great atmosphere and great pizza. Be sure to go and help them celebrate their 50th. Very few places around reach this 50 year mark, so I want to recognize this and share their accomplishment with you all! Check the guide for more details.

Two places added in Battle Creek

How about a place that has been in Downtown Battle Creek since 1932! I just made my first visit?? Old fashioned good food, cafeteria style at Shrank's Cafeteria. This place closes at 6pm and is not open on the weekends, however catch them when they are. The place looks pretty plain and old fashioned but the food is very good!

I was pleasantly surprised to find one more good Mexican place in Battle Creek. Antonio's is small but has a nice atmosphere, good service and very good food. Starting with the made from scratch quacamole and homemade chips. They have nice nightly specials and are easy to get to on Columbia just off M-66.

Check the guide for details on both places.

New place added in Sister Lakes

My favorite breakfast spots usually have a bakery attached or at least some homemade baked goods on the menu. If you try The Wright Place in Sister Lakes leave room for a homemade muffin, cinnamon roll or pecan roll. Famous for giant european style pancakes that hang over the edge of your plate. Full menu with lunch items as well. Very good food! Check the guide for more details.

Open air waterfront or waterview places for Labor Day!

Make it to Saugatuck's Red Dock Cafe' this weekend or you will wait till next Memorial Day! Located next to the S.S. Keewatin Maritime Museum this is a must stop on the water bar with good sandwiches. Live music and one of a kind Key West type atmosphere.



Outdoor seating at a very nice place in Holland is Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant overlooking lake Macatawa.








A great view of the boats, drawbridge and tall ship is available at The Idler Riverboat in South Haven. Nice drinks and some food. Try the South Haven Ice Tea!

How about an open air bar with great pizza overlooking one of the top 10 beaches in the U. S. at the Gelsosomo's Silver Beach Pizza which shares the still active Amtrack train station in St. Joseph.

If you happen into New Buffalo, try the rooftop of the Stray Dog Bar & Grill for a terrific view of Big Blue and all the boats going in and out. Nice bar with good food.

This Creamery makes their own Ice Cream-watch them!

I hope you will make the trip to this special place near Nashville, MI. A real dairy farm creamery called Moo-Ville Creamery. They even have a pipeline from the farm to the creamery. Very nice Ice Cream parlour with restaurant/store. Indoor and outdoor seating. We liked sitting outside while watching the kids in the petting zoo. This is especially nice for young children with all the farm animals! Check the guide for some of the 67 flavors and other details.

New Restaurant added in South Haven

A great new addition to South Haven's dining scene is the second location of Fennville's famous Su Casa Restaurante. This location is much smaller, but with many of the mexican favorites from the parent location. Fresh homemade ingredients is what they are known for (they own a mercado). No alcohol yet, but nice drink selection with smoothies and shakes. Also, serving Palazzolo's famous gelato in and takeout. Burrito's are great and so are the tortilla chips. Located next to the movie theatre. Check out the guide for more details.

Know of a great Fish place? I do!

If you like fish, you have to go to Captain Luey's Calabash Seafood! Located on Columbia Ave. in Battle Creek, just west of Hwy. 66 in a former Russ' Restaurant building. Real North Carolina Calabash style fish offerings. Their new menu has many steamed and broiled features to go with their Calabash favorites. I like the deviled crab with (salt and pepper breaded) catfish. Or the blue gill with (original breaded) shrimp. Clam chowder and hush puppies are very good as well. Check the guide for more details.

Looking for some BBQ takeout for this weekend?

Check out some great takeout BBQ to go with your camping, beach or cookouts this weekend! One of my favorites is Hog Wild BBQ in Holland. I also like Ranch House BBQ in South Haven. Good pulled pork at The Walldorf in Hastings and Arcadia Brewery in Battle Creek as well. Nice addition to burgers and dogs! Check them out in the guide.

Saugatuck this weekend!

Are you attending the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck this weekend? Starts Thursday at 6pm-Sunday at 9pm. While there, try one of my favorite places for a sandwich and drink while sitting out on the water at the Red Dock Cafe'. They even have live music Sunday's from 4pm-8pm. Also, go to the guide and just enter Saugatuck under the "city" section and read about my other favorites like Phil's or Ida Reds Cottage. Also, check Douglas, Holland, South Haven etc. for other nearby places. More details in the guide.

We do have Cajun food in Southwest Michigan!

Do you like Cajun food? Then go to Pasche's Seafood Kitchen next to the new Firekeeper's casino between Battle Creek and Marshall. When was the last time you had jambalaya, crawfish e'toufee, fried oysters, gumbo, blackened catfish or a po'boy sandwich? Try the crawfish bisque with some cornbread. How about some cajun shrimp, crabcakes or some alligator tail meat! Or do you like dirty rice or red beans and rice? Bread pudding for dessert and you have all the makings of several great meals. Don't miss this one. Do not let the attachment to the hotel fool you. This is a very good restaurant

That time of year! Great burgers!

Portage has a great treasure in the West Lake Drive-In. Some say they have the best burgers around. My favorite is the olive burger. I also like the perch sandwich. Get a milk shake and a burger and watch the sun set over West Lake. They are now open for the season and are packed most nice days. My wife likes the unique grilled cheese which is on an inside out hamburger bun. They have real onion rings and good fries. Take the whole family. They do have a picnic table if you want to get out of the car. Check the guide for details and get there early! Also, let me know what you think of the burgers.

Best Burger? Best Mexican Food?

Some say this is the best burger around! You have to try the North Shore Inn in Benton Harbor. Others say they have the best mexican food. I have never had a better chile relleno anywhere. I have even gone here for a lunch burger, went to play golf and came back for a mexican dinner after golf. This place is hard to find, but worth it. They also have limited hours and do not have the mexican food all the time. Check the guide for details. If you go for the food rather than the decor, this place will be a favorite. They also have Old Style on tap.

New addition in Hastings!

Pasta's, steaks, seafood and gourmet pizza's? How about most of them with a unique twist. You will not be disappointed if you try Fall Creek Restaurant in Hastings. Appetizers like blackened sirloin dippers served with mild wasabi aoili. How about blue crab cakes topped with orange chipotle sauce. Ribeye steak for dinner is very popular as well as their Chicken Roulade stuffed with crab and topped with basil cream sauce. Don't miss the pasta dishes like fettuccine trio or chicken marsala. Lunch could be any special that day or the regular favorites like pulled pork on ciabatta bread or the corned beef rueben cooked for five hours! Check the guide for more details on desserts etc.

Also, if you use the guide and try some of our suggestions, please comment and let me know what your experience was.

Thanks,

Terry

New addition-Real Polish Food!

I did not expect Maria's Lone Star Restaurant to have authentic Polish food. Maria is a polish woman who only uses real Polish sausage purchased from Chicago's Polish community meat markets. This place is just east of Bangor and is a bar with very good food. Thursday is Polish night and it is worth a drive if you like the real thing. She also has a large menu of other items such as her popular friday fish fry. Add steaks and burgers and you have something for everyone. Prices are very reasonable. Check the guide for more details.

I had great Corned Beef and Cabbage at.....

I ended up at the Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro in Hastings for St. Patrick's day lunch. That was probably the most tender corned beef I ever had. They also have a great beer called the State Street Oatmeal Stout. Lunch included potatoes, carrots, cabbage and raisin bread. This is my second visit and both have been great. I hope you had a meal as good! When it is not St. Patrick's day, try the wood fired pizza's or the slow roasted barbeque items like ribs, brisket or pulled pork. This is a full restaurant and brewpub with many beer choices along with sandwiches, appetizers, soups, fish and steaks. Check out more details in the guide.

St. Patrick's Day let's eat Irish food!

We have several Irish/English style pubs in the guide. Make sure you
Visit one tomorrow for some corned beef and maybe a guinness?? There
are at least five located in Kalamazoo area. One in Plainwell, one in
Saugatuck, one in Sawyer. There are some I have not yet reviewed
such as JR Mcgonigle's in Otsego and Mcgonigle's in Battle Creek.
Not to mention all the other places that go "Irish" for the day. I like
many of the brewpubs and Microbreweries. Olde Peninsula brewpub
has a special Irish menu for tomorrow. Check them out and have fun!!

New Addition to the Guide.

This new restaurant in Sawyer is a great addition to a great independent restaurant area along the shoreline. Fitzgerald's in downtown Sawyer is modeled after "Public Houses" or "pubs" as we know them from the British Isles. This one even has a feeling of a "speak easy" since you enter thru curtains. Great atmosphere with a nice menu. For lunch you can get the daily "pub roast" which varies in selection choices of beef, pork or turkey. They always have french onion soup. Also, try the fish & chips or the shepherd's pie. For dessert try the sticky toffee pudding. Great selection of Michigan microbrew beers and Michigan wines among others. Most are available by the glass. The knowledgeable bartender Carry can help with pairings if needed. For dinner you can still have the fish & chips and shepherd's pie or try the roasted chicken, country cassoulet (french) or cherry pork madeira. They make a strong effort to use local ingredients as much as possible. Many from local farmer's markets. Same desserts as well as some special things baked up by the inhouse baker (Carry again). I had warm from the oven apple turnovers the day I was there. They also have special events and live jazz music on Thursday evenings. Don't miss this one.

New Addition to the guide. I finally tried this place.

I finally tried this place after several people highly recommended it. Chinn-Chinn in Mattawan may be the best Asian restaurant I have experienced. I really like lettuce wraps, theirs are very good. My favorite chinese meal is Kung Pao Beef. They give you a choice for heat from 1-10. Their food is fantastic! My wife had the My Little Hibachi chicken which was flame broiled with pineapple soy glaze which she really liked. For dessert we had the homemade chocolate won tons. The place is small and you can expect to wait for a table, but it is worth the wait! If you like P. F. Chang's this is better. I would consider this a destination place worth the drive from anywhere in southwest Michigan. This restaurant is owned by the former Peking Palace people, but I think this is far better. Check the guide for details and hours.

Outside the area, but you have to try it!

Sign says the only Gizzard City in the World. Joe's Gizzard City in Potterville, MI just north of Charlotte is truly a one of a kind place! Featured in "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the food channel, this place is the home of deep frying. The gizzards are from special south american chickens and are not the stomach, but instead the muscle around the stomach. They pressure boil them with loads of spices to get them tender, then dip them in their special batter before frying. They also have fried chicken, burgers, steaks and fish. Something for everyone in the family. When Guy Fieri came to town they expanded from frying the burger patty to frying the entire burger bun and all. This is now known as the "Triple D Burger". It was excellent. I had one along with a bowl of Joe's homemade chili. They have a full bar and desserts. Try the popular "Frinkie" which is a deep fried twinkie! I had the fried "Smore". They also have fried oreos, cookie dough and cheesecake.