A few favorites

Posted by Bill on Monday, September 8, 2008   |   No Comments

From time to time I am asked about a good place to eat in such and such a town. Or what is a must-see in _____. Or what my favorite this or that is. I thought it would be fun to list a few of those. The problem, of course, is picking just a few, but here we go—in no particular order.

Coffee

Caffé Casa. 128 South Kalamazoo Mall. Even though I haven’t worked downtown in quite some time, I still stop by to sample their house Columbian.

The original Water Street Coffee Joint. 315 East Water, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Good, strong coffee in a unique environment. Since the remodeling, it’s roomier. Unless you were a regular in their cramped original quarters, it really doesn’t count as much. Good source of bulk coffee.

Any Panera Bread location. The coffee is consistently good, and they use half and half, not that make-believe stuff that almost everyone peddles nowadays.

Roast & Toast Café and Coffee, 309 E. Lake Street, Petoskey, MI 49770. Just being in Petoskey wins this place bunches of points. The coffee is stout and the signature sandwiches are memorable—and reasonably priced. You can’t miss the place. Just look for the brightly colored cup and saucer fragments that adorn the storefront.

Bakeries

Sarkozy’s Bakery, 335 North Burdick, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Anyone who’s been around Kazoo knows of Judy Sarkozy. I love the place because they always have special holiday things you won’t find anywhere else in town. This is where I found the sweet bread bunnies that are now an Easter tradition in our house. But of all the holidays, Christmastime at Sarkozy’s is the best.

Dutch Oven Bakery, Main Street (U.S. 31), Alanson, MI 49706. Chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons and Dry Bones cookies—mmmm.

Molly’s Cupcakes, 2536 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614. The guy who started Molly’s named it after his first grade teacher who always baked cupcakes for her students’ birthdays. Lots and lots of cupcakes, exotic to more mundane. Go on a weekend and hang around to play the dozens of board games scattered about for your use. Check out the swing seats at the counter—a hit with kids of all ages and a must for pictures.

Eateries

Yeah, I like fine dining as much as anyone, but these tend to be homespun stops. Nothing fancy, just good stuff.

Cunningham’s Restaurant, 312 East Central Avenue, Mackinaw City, MI 49701. Famous for its lake perch and homemade pies. There’s usually a big selection, but get there early. On the way back from Alaska in 1976 (We had come east on U.S. 2.) my dad told the waitress: “We’ve driven 10,000 miles to taste your lake perch.”

Mr. Foisie’s Pasties, 154 Leisure Road, Cadillac, MI 49601. Most people either love pasties or hate ‘em. I’m in the former group. My wife and daughters discovered this place tucked away next to the Clark station. We make it a stop on every trip north and sometimes stop on the way home to pick up frozen pasties.

Erbelli’s Pizza and Italian Cuisine, 8342 Portage Road, Portage, MI 49002. What can I say? Scrumptious.

See, I told you I would be hard to pick just enough to fit into 600 words. I didn’t even get to accommodations—I’ll have to save it for another day.

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