Making the most of Michigan

The above picture doesn't do Bell's Eccentric Cafe justice, even though it's ripped from their website. Kalamazoo has become one of my favorite Midwestern towns. It's a college town located only two hours from Chicago with plenty of natural beauty, at least one great local brewery, a bohemian feel, and the potential for locals to enjoy a free college education. What else can anyone ask for?

The Cafe offers a very large selection of Bell's beers as well as some better-than-decent and interesting food choices. It's also great for vegetarians. The beer samplers are generous, and the bar and outside seating areas couldn't be more comfortable. There's music too, but I haven't had a chance to enjoy that yet.

Overall, a great bar/brewpub worth a long drive to visit. While it may not offer the best food in town, that's not really what the place is there for. Also, the store attached to the Cafe has plenty of high quality Bell's gear, beer, Michigan wines, picnic food, and a great selection of home brewing supplies. Both times I've been there I've wanted to pick up some funky brewer's yeast for some no-kneed bread. Maybe next time. There's also a nice little coffee shop across the street if you're more of the caffeine type.

After a day in Kalamazoo we (this was a work trip) were off to the Detroit/Ann Arbor area. I've been trying to make it to Zingerman's Roadhouse for a while, and the opportunity finally presented itself. It couldn't have been much better, with the only problem being how to choose just one entree from the menu. We shared an appetizer sampler that included some ribs, blue and yellow cornmeal hush puppies, onion rings, mini crab cakes, and some quesadilla (the only disappointing thing on the tray), all accompanied by some solid sauces. For a main I went with the server recommended Niman Ranch brisket. It came sliced, piled, and dressed with a house tomato based bbq sauce along with some quality greens and mashed potatoes. Simple and very good. We finished the meal with some lovingly cared for cheese and terrific dulce de leche gelato. Also, it's worth mentioning that the bread they put on the table was excellent, as was the service.

For me it doesn't get much better than sustainable barbecue. It really was a perfect meal with some great company. And the pic is from their website.

Leftover Sausage

One more Montreal post to enjoy being about a week ahead of the New York Times. They may have better writers and photographers, but they just can't keep up. Here's this blog's take on dining in the city.

Pictured above is Toulouse sausage (as previously mentioned, from the Jean-Talon Market), Cameo Apples, Sage from the garden, and some Ohio heavy cream. More on this later . . .

. . . It's been a while, but here's the quick narrative. Prepare pasta as usual. While that's going saute chopped apples and sage in a good amount of butter with salt and pepper. Once apples are getting tender add some cream to the pan with the apples and cook it all together till you're good with the thickness. Add sliced sausage and pasta, stir, check seasoning, and serve.

Montreal in a (food focused) Weekend

What a place, and what a long post. If this guy's tour isn't inspiring enough, I hope this post helps. Heavy food, light snacks, offal, and everything else. Reasonably priced food is everywhere, and the folks up there know how to enjoy it.

First, Frite Alors! Tintin at its finest--horse meat tartare, poutine with onions, mushrooms, and bacon, and the first of a few Boreale beers. A great introduction to Montreal. We went to the original location on Ave Du Park, walking all the way there from downtown. It was a decent length of a walk along a beautiful snow covered park, but if I did it again I think I'd go with the very efficient bus. This was our first meal in Montreal and we were hungry--it was the perfect spot. The tartare had a good heat and fresh taste (Admittedly, it is an odd location to eat raw meat, but they say horse is safer than beef.). It came with what was our first taste of Quebec-style fries, which were different from the Belgian style frites I was expecting, but very enjoyable. The poutine was great, as expected. Growing up eating here (The pictures do no justice--The Sunrise was my spot, Fat Koko my sandwich.) The CFT is no stranger to greasy and good regional cuisine. The poutine was gut warming goodness (Here's my previous post on the subject--by no means authentic or well researched.). Along with the blond Boreale, the trip was off to a great start.

Next was Au Pied de Cochon. Fried liquid foie gras starter (foie gras cromesquis), foie gras torchon appetizer (foie gras on a tart), duck in can and "foot of the pig" entrees, an incredibly enjoyable bread pudding (pudding chômeur), and a house beer. The starter, appetizers, and desserts were great--those plus the entrees may have been a bit over the top. The cromesquis could have been at a molecular gastronomy place. A food runner sets down perfectly fried cubes and tells you to eat them in one bite keeping your mouth closed. No truer words were ever spoken, and loose lips here could result in your tablemate receiving a liver shower. The foie gras inside the fried packet is completely liquid, and it's delicious. The tart consisted of a great tart shell filled with super rich garlic/poutine cheese mashed potatoes with a balsamic glaze and ample slices of torchon. It too was delicious.

Next came the duck in can--duck parts in a house sealed metal can opened up at the table. A little disappointing in that the duck was very average with clumps of fat not having rendered in the cooking process. It wasn't bad, but after the appetizers it fell a bit flat . . . as did the pied de cochon. That was braised pig pieces in a trotter package (see video below) covered with a gravy that was a little too close to cream of something soup for me. It also came with the amazing mashed potatoes and a perfectly fried (potato?) croquette. The braised pork was tender, but again, after those appetizers any texture seemed tough compared to the foie gras. The beer was served at around room temperature. It was a good beer. And the dessert was terrific. I would guess the dessert, which is kind of like a bread pudding, is more than ample for two and contained about 50 pounds (or 20 something kilos for them) of butter, and about seventy three gallons of maple syrup. Maybe a little hyperbole there, but it was rich and it was great. Overall a great meal at a fair price (and the staff was great too).

Not sure how the companion and me were the only folks at the restaurant in food comas. Everyone else was lively through the completion of their meal--we were out on our chairs. Either the rest of the folks knew how to order smart or they were just used to it. No picture as I could not get to my camera as I was rolling out the door. This video should suffice:[While we were waiting for our reservation time--we were early and the place packed, we watched the end of a Canadians game at a bar on, I believe, St. Hubert. We saw the Habs send a game against Buffalo to overtime by scoring two goals in the last five minutes of regulation. They love the Canadians up there. This time I tried the Cheval Blanc.]

Saturday morning was Duc De Lorraine. Great croissants and cafe au laits. It's a must go. Three sizes of cafe au laits, from small cup to good sized bowl. Decent espresso--not the thick crema we all know and love, but it works for an allonge (an Americano to me). There is a pleasant tea room to enjoy your snack, which can be well beyond the ridiculously good pastries (they have great cheeses and charcuterie). Some locals shared a table and we learned that Montrealers are generally rooting for Hillary and are not too sure what Ohio is.

Saturday afternoon was L'Express. Bone marrow app, frisee salad and calf liver with tarragon mains. A mixed gelato type dessert with pistachio was especially great, as was the bread and butter, red wine, and espresso after the meal. The place is marked with a street number and by black and white tiles extending onto the sidewalk. The food was very good, but likely not the best in town. It was my first marrow and calf liver experiences, and while both were very good, the marrow could have come with a few more crutons, and the liver--and I know I'm not an expert--could have been a little rarer (they said it'd be pink on the inside--it's wasn't). As for comments around the internet about them not being nice, that wasn't my experience. For a 1:00 lunch on a Saturday the companion and I were in jeans and sweaters with outdoor type jackets on. Hardly looking the jet set, I greeted our server with "Parlez vous Anglais ?" She said "Yes, thank you so much for asking," and I think she meant it. The service was very good from there, which was the start. One strange thing at L'Express, as at Au Pied de Cochon, was that there were no bread plates. Must be cultural. No picture of the place--that might have been pushing it.

Before and after L'Express we visited the Jean-Talon Market. Awesome place where we picked up some Toulouse sausage and cold smoked coho salmon. Also enjoyed some frozen maple syrup lollypops (that's what the guy is making below), and pined over some great looking grilled meat on a stick. The cheese shops there couldn't have been better. We visited two--one focusing mostly on Quebec cheeses (Qui Lait Cru), and the other cheeses in general (Hamel). The folks at Hamel were nicer and the cheese less expensive. Regardless of which we were at, it's pretty rough waiting for your number to be called (you take a numbered ticked to be served) when you don't speak the language. Luckily, there were visual displays, and our monger at Hamel was happy to spend time with us allowing us to try some of Quebec's raw milk cheeses.

Saturday night--Schwartz's (the picture was from the next day). I didn't think I was hungry when we were getting ready to go in, but after the meal there wasn't anything left of the sandwich or half sours, and just a few fries. All very good, and the only place I saw where English was the primary language. Also, coming from Cleveland I'm embarrassed to say that it was slightly refreshing to see appropriately sized smoked meat sandwiches. Everyone was nice and it was a great eating experience on an eclectic street.Sunday morning brought us to St. Viateur Bagel, the original shop. Great bagels from great people. Upon the bagel lady's suggestion, we made bagel sandwiches with some cream cheese we picked up there and the smoked salmon we had bought at Jean-Talon on an out of the way table in the bagel shop (that was there for people just like us) and enjoyed them with cafe au laits and espressos in an Italian cafe down the street. The people at the cafe didn't even blink when we brought the outside food in. Soccer was on the screen at the cafe, but they were talking about the Hab's previous night's loss to Toronto, switching seemingly randomly between English and French. One more thing regarding the bagels, as reported elsewhere on the internet, these are not New York style bagels. They are thinner with larger holes, and taste very different. They are sweeter and, at least the ones we had, seemingly contain very little (if any) salt. Here's the NY Times' take on it. As noted above, the bagels were great, but I'd take a good one from NY over the MTL version. I still like Montreal (the city, not the bagels) more.Sunday afternoon led us to Atwater Market. I picked up some horse meat to take home (prices sound scary when they are in kilos) and the companion picked up some marzipan for snacking. It was a great market. No Jean-Talon, but enjoyable nonetheless, if not just for their variety of meats and sausages and the friendly people at the import shop on the corner of the market. The market has tons of different meats, sausages, and terrines. After the market it was a nice walk to Crescent Street and St. Catherine for some crepes and window shopping.

Post crepe snack on Sunday was in Chinatown. It was very lively on Sunday, and we enjoyed some steamed buns, one with bbq pork and another with fantastic curried beef. The place we got the buns at was on a corner and was busy with a very mixed clientele. The business ensured that everything was fresh. While the buns are available on the weekends here in Cleveland, this shop in Montreal was cleaner and had better labels than any similar place I'd been to.

Sunday night = La Banquise for some more poutine. We enjoyed poutine with merguez sausage and various other accouterments. Washed down with a more Belgian style Canadian brew, it was quite good. While the cheese at La Banquise seemed extra fresh, to this poutine novice it was comparable with Frite Alors! Again the companion and I were the only two people in the place who were in obvious food comas, and it's not like the other diners at the packed place were just picking at their frites. The Montrealers know how to eat--I just wished they'd share their secret. Bring cash if you go if your plastic is from the States (local debit cards only I believe).

Sunday night night was Billy Kun. A nice bar with an ostrich theme and generous pours of house wine in carafes.

Monday morning was back to Duc De Lorraine. It was that good, especially with the cheese plate we got that second time. It was nice to sit in the tea room while the snow was falling and enjoy warm drinks with great French cheese. We also got a great piece of brioche and some cookies for the plane ride back (they did get a little stale during the long trip back).

Finally, on Monday afternoon we went to a Vietnamese place (Pho Do Thi) by UQAM. Great food with reasonably priced lunch specials, but similar to good places in the states. May have been the first crisp green vegetables we saw on the trip.

Other spots we checked out included their bread chains Au Pain Dore and Premiere Moisson. We had a servicable treat at Moisson, but what was really amazing was their selection of terrines and jarred provisions to go. From pickled pigs tongue (more on that below) to cassoulet, this place had some serious stuff. I can't comment on the quality, but the ingredients looked pure and the food good.

I can't wait to make it back. There are tons of ethnic food places and BYOB spots that were packed and looked great, but stomach space was at a premium and we felt like we had to go to the above spots. There will be another trip. I just hope it's soon.

And if you don't believe me that they're serious about poutine, look at this (We had to check out the menu--and while this very respectable blogger likes their fries, we did not partake.):

The Montreal fallout continued back in Cleveland. I brought the horse meat (which customs was very unconcerned about) to Bar Cento where Jonathon Sawyer seared some of it and ground the rest for tartare. Along with sides including pickled watermelon rind, chili mayo, fresh grated horseradish, Tabasco sauce, and due to some crazy coincidence, leftover pickled pig tongue from Chris Cosentino's visit to Cleveland last week, it made for the perfect happy hour meal. It was also kids pizza night at Cento. Luckily no one asked too many questions about what was going into Jonathon's grandmother's meat grinder.

Montreal Bound

In a mere seven days. One reservation has already been made. Au Pied de Cochon--check it out. The picture is from their website.

And Frite Alors, serious fast food.

With The CFT's unhealthy obsession with poutine and anything cheese curd, this trip was only a matter of time. Now to practice "Parlez vous Anglais?"

Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Traverse City

Absentee for the hundredth post. How sad.

Pictured via cell phone is a bag of dried Balaton cherries, yogurt covered dried red tart cherries, and M. Lawrence FIZZ sparkling wine, all sourced from the Traverse City, MI, area. Also pictured is a t-shirt for the niece, and the bag everything came in. It is National Cherry Month after all (and Black History Month), with today being Cherry Pie Day, and I found myself on a work trip in Traverse City. There was no avoiding a trip to The Cherry Stop.

It was a nice trip to Northern Michigan, with lunch at the Omelette Shoppe, dinner at the North Peak Brewing Company, and drinks at Mackinaw Brewing Company, the latter of which had very respectable oatmeal and vanilla stouts. If you're in the area, here are some other dining opinions.

Day three

The Mackinac Bridge: five miles long, two dollars and fifty cents each way, and only two cars have wound up in the water.

Continued from the last post.

Day 3 - Lunch: Pellston Market (again). It's just that good, and convenient to where I was working. This time I had the pork tenderloin sandwich. It didn't have the caramelized onions that were part of what made yesterday's steak sandwich so great, but it definitely did not disappoint. The pork was perfectly cooked, and there was a fennel/cumin combination that was a pleasant change from what I've been eating recently. And of course, the greens on the sandwich were fresh and organic. I wish there was a place like this back in C-town.

Day 3 - Snack: Mackinac Island, one of the many fudge shops by a ferry drop off. I did not, however, get fudge, but instead went for a sugar cone of Mackinac Fudge ice cream. The one generous scoop full of Island fudge (according to the lady behind the counter, actual Island fudge is sent away to be incorporated into the ice cream) mixed with vanilla ice cream was terrific. I forgot the name of the place I went to, but all of the places seemed to serve the same brand of ice cream, and most of it looked good. Between Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, and the U.P. I saw more fudge shops than I had in my entire life. None looked bad, and it's fun to watch them make the fudge. Still, a few samples and the ice cream was all I needed. The Island itself was amazing, but this is a food blog, not a tourist bureau.

Day 3 - Dinner: Mitchell St. Pub & Cafe in Petoskey, MI(http://www.mitchellstreetpub.com/). I wasn't expecting much from the town I never heard of, but I guess I should have expected more. A great town with a New England/Coastal/Ski area/Midwest feel loaded with restaurants, galleries, great views, and great houses (really, this isn't a tourist bureau). Method for choosing a place to eat--stopping a random nice looking lady walking a not-pure-bred dog and asking for a good affordable place. She, along with others we had previously spoken to, recommended the Pub, and also Roast & Toast (http://www.roastandtoast.com/). Unfortunately, there was no time for Roast and Toast, but the Pub was perfect. I had a bowl of chicken and white bean chile and a some fried cheese curds (which were much better than the U.P. cheese curds). Both were very good, and I'm not a chicken chile person. The coworker had a great looking veggie sandwich. Also, for drink I had a pint of Huma-Lupa-Licious IPA brewed by Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire, MI (http://www.shortsbrewing.com/brews.htm). It was pleasantly hoppy, but was by no means overboard (Disclosure: In college I worked for a PA brewpub that produced Hops Infusion, and I didn't think that was too over the top either.). Also, the Pub had a nice no smoking section, so both huffers and nonhuffers were accommodated.

Another day of good food in Northern Michigan. But, it was a working trip, and the job out here is done, for now. Hopefully I'll run low on gas near The Jerky Outlet tomorrow, but it's not looking good.

And here's why I'm a fudgie (That's me in the reflection, but not my bike. And the pictured marble tables and fudge theatrics were de rigeur in the area.):

I am a Fudgie

And you probably are too. If you don't know what a fudgie is, ask someone who has been to Northern Michigan. The first two days of traveling in way Northern Michigan were productive for both working and eating. Some helpful locals and lucky stops led to the following:

Day 1 - Drive up from Cleveland: Stopped for gas and ran into The Jerky Outlet at a gas station (Pure coincidence, I swear.). The Outlet purported to have the second largest jerky selection in the United States. Not sure of the exact location, but I imagine all seven are similar. Surprisingly, I left empty handed, but the selection for a small gas station market was ridiculous. Also present were various smoked and hacked up fish. See http://www.thejerkyoutlet.com/ for more information.

Day 1 - Dinner: The Village Inn at the Pellston Regional Airport. I've never gone to an airport just to eat. Some airports have surprisingly good food, but to actually go to an airport to dine was a whole new experience for me. It was worth it, although the place bordered on too swanky. There are about twelve thousand Village Inns in the area, and I imagine the quality varies. I think the one I went to is part of this Village Inn conglomerate: http://www.viofmackinac.com/. It was not at a typical airport, and there was no need to go through security. I got Planked Whitefish, which appears to be one of the official dishes of the area. It was great. A large fillet of fresh Whitefish (Actually a fish called "Whitefish," not the generic term--http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958-45680--,00.html, purportedly delivered daily.) on a maple plank/platter surrounded by duchesse potatoes (mashed, mixed with stuff, and piped), a neat broiled tomato thing, and some more carefully cut vegetables. Also nice was that they accommodated my vegetarian companion graciously. Finally, they served a great draft of Stout from Michigan. Overall a great, if not a little different, experience. May not be the local hole in the wall, but really enjoyable nonetheless.

Day 2 - Lunch: Pellston Market (http://pellstonmarket.com/). Amazing. Pellston is a small strip of a town with a 40 mph limit on the main street, but if you don't blow by it, Pellston Market is a great gourmet market/sandwich shop. The first thing I noticed walking in was a table full of heirloom tomatoes and a cooler with things like racks of lamb and gourmet cheeses. Then there was the lovely proprietor, who recommended a steak sandwich (I asked her to choose between the steak, pork tenderloin, and turkey for me.). While the sandwich choices may sound somewhat ordinary, this place was also serving a delicious sounding duck soup, and everything came with organic greens-- all in a town with a population of less than 800, and it's not a pretentious town. The sandwich was great, as was the service. I can't say enough.

Day 2 - Snack: Suzy's Pasties, St. Ignace (over the Mackinac Bridge). Admittedly not my first choice, but the time of day limited the choices. It did, however, fit my criteria--it had cheese curds and smoked fish. The cheese curds were from Wisconsin, and while they weren't bad, it was no Tillamook factory (http://www.tillamookcheese.com/). As for the smoked fish, the jury is still out. Is it okay to smoke fish with maple? Who knows. Only trout was available when I was there. Also, back on the Lower Peninsula, I had some free sample fudge in Mackinaw City--it was good, but I don't think I could handle a pound of it.

Day 2 - Dinner: Keyhole Bar. Right in downtown Mackinaw City, a town that exemplifies the unique Great Lake lakeside town atmosphere, it may look like the least family friendly place short of the tattoo parlor, but it was great. Flawless--no, but definitely great. Again very accommodating to the veggie companion, and also another purveyor of fine Whitefish. This time, the Whitefish was blackened Jamaican style (For more on the Jamaican-Northern Michigan connection, apparently the place to check out is the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island. I was informed that it may not be so "grand" for everyone.). The Whitefish couldn't have been better, but I could have done without the canned veggie mixture on the side. The seemingly premade coleslaw was fine, and the fries were good. The atmosphere could be slightly off-putting, or welcome, depending on what you're looking for. Either way, the service is friendly, and they seem like they really want you to enjoy the meal, which isn't hard to do. I'd go back, and hope I have the chance.

Day 3 - . . .

Not incidentally, the picture is from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Peninsula_of_Michigan), and Wisconsin is not as close as it looks (to the Lower Peninsula).