You have two choices; either sit around complaining about the cold or sit around complaining while proactively indulging in Kalamazoo's best comfort foods. Personally I'm going to use this weather as a good excuse to put on some winter weight in preparation for hibernating season and bulk-up, Michigander-style. I'm not worried about a few extra pounds; it's about time I bust out my oversized sweaters anyhow.
If you'd like to join me in my wintery binge-eating endeavors, you'll find me at places around Kzoo where my hands may be cold, but oh, my heart will be warm.
You've heard me talk about Harvey's on the Mall (416 S. Burdick St) before, but I've never discussed the menu. Home to great sandwiches and freshly-made pizzas, The Harv (as I like to call it) is a comfort-food seekers oasis.
Of its vast and plentiful selection, two items stand out for me. First and foremost, Harvey's is the best place in Kalamazoo to grab a bowl of chili. Not only will this chili warm your fingers and toes, it will warm your heart as well. So much so, you might want to grab the emergency TUMS from your glove compartment.
The second pleasing plate you should order is its pesto Harvey's sticks - breadsticks with cheese and pesto sauce. This buttery, cheesey, warm-bready goodness makes me drool just thinking about it. Sharing a plate of pesto Harvey's sticks with my friends is like introducing fillet mignon to a pack of wild dogs; it gets pretty aggressive.
Just down the road from Harvey's is a pasta-lovers paradise, Mangia Mangia Italian Ristorante (209 S. Kalamazoo Mall) where they encourage you to "Eat Italian... Enjoy Life!" Don't mind if I do!
If your taste buds are leading you to Italian food, Mangia Mangia is where you need to go. Whether you want Mussels Marinara, Eggplant Parmesan al forno or a nice Veal Chop, you'll be able to survive the season with plump contentedness.
I recommend enjoying life by ordering some classic comforts like Mama's Meatballs, a plate of meatballs that can feed up to three people as an appetizer. You could also enjoy life ordering their Baked Meat Lasagne which has so many layers of meat and melted cheeses that cold weather will not even enter your psyche, though the sausage may seep into your soul.
The recipes that Mangia Mangia serves up are made with generations of love, some dating back to the 1930s. If decades of tried and true family recipes aren't the ultimate in comfort foods, I just don't know what is.
Another staple to a good comfort food is a happy start to the day. Battle the chills with a warm breakfast at Maggie's Campus Café (2715 W. Michigan Ave.) where Kzooers have been waking up and feeding their faces for years. Going to Maggie's for breakfast makes anything bad that might happen throughout the day or from the night before seem so much more tolerable.
I recommend the breakfast stew, the breakfast burrito or the breakfast bowl, but really, you can't go wrong. A friend of mine ordered a ham and cheese omelet the first time he visited Maggie's and has never looked back, ordering the same omelet every time he goes.
If you're more of a night owl, check out Chicago Subs & Grill (1408 Portage St) on the corner of Portage and Stockbridge. Closing right at 2 a.m., the diamond-in-the-rough take-out place has a full menu of mouth-watering grilled and fried comfort foods sure to help you out of the winter blues.
For the price of a Value Meal, you can get burgers, French fries, onion rings or fried mushrooms that are so much tastier and are cooked right when you order. But I recommend getting a gyro. Their gyro meat is the best in town, as they pile it high, like three or four inches high, between burger buns, creating a sandwich so filling it's worth missing last-call for.
Besides all of the cheap bought-in-bulk Halloween candy, you can get your palate in the October mood adult-style by swinging down to Olde Peninsula Brew Pub (200 E. Michigan Ave.) and sip on its famous Pumpkin Ale.
Oberon is to Bell's as Pumpkin Ale is to Olde Peninsula. Vicki Bolen, manager of Olde Peninsula said "Our Pumpkin Ale is by far our most popular seasonal beer," and it's easy to understand why once you taste the pumpkiny-cinnamony goodness of this golden ale. The pub will be filled throughout the month with people who understand how remarkable Olde Peninsula's Pumpkin Ale is. But don't worry if you can't find a seat; you can buy a glass jug to take home with you straight from the tap.
Olde Peninsula also serves up great pub-style food and has plenty of vegetarian dishes. So have some food with your ale and enjoy the old-world pub atmosphere.
If you still need some October flavor but are looking for a more traditional approach, go to Verhage Fruit Farms (8619 West ML Ave.). It's more than just an apple orchard, it's an apple wonderland.
The Verhage Fruit Farms has a cider mill where guests can see how the cider is made. It also sells fresh-baked, homemade doughnuts and has plenty of other attractions like a kids' carnival, hayrides, craft shows, jams, jellies, candy apples, pumpkin patches, and of course, freshly-picked or u-pick apples. This farm has it all, and keeps coming up with creative ways to add more fun. Last time I went, they had a good ole fashion barbershop quartet.
The best part about this farm is the roam-free attitude. The Verhage family has owned this farm for more than 100 years and they've opened it up for everyone to enjoy. Feel free to roam, find a spot on the farm that makes you feel peaceful, and set up an afternoon picnic. The family will be glad to have you.
If local history and ghosts tickle your fancy, the Ghosts of Kalamazoo Tour is back, growing in popularity each year, proving that "nothing ever truly dies."
The Ghosts of Kalamazoo Tour, put on by the Kalamazoo Jaycees, offers creepy glimpses into Kalamazoo's haunted history by guided walking tours of cemeteries, the streets of downtown, and places that have been haunted for ages.
These tours delight and fright attendees, offering little-known facts and a few good myths about the paranormal of Kalamazoo. Not only are the Ghosts of Kalamazoo Tours fun for attendees, but ticket proceeds go to Warm Kids Project, Inc. which provides under-privileged Kalamazoo kids with warm coats and hats in preparation for the winter months. Tickets are $7 a night per person or attend three tours for $18 per person. Go to ghostsofkalamazoo.com for more information.
If you prefer a haunted house to haunted history, then go to the Phobia House (921 Portage St.). Voted one of Michigan's best haunted house attractions, Phobia House is more than just a haunted house and offers more than just a scary experience. Whether you have a fear of clowns, spiders, or darkness, the Phobia House will exploit your phobia and add fright to your night.
Its theme for 2009 is "Torment and Torture: 13 Centuries of Pain." Sounds fun! The tour time is approximately 20-30 minutes, depending how long you cower in the corner or how fast you run out of there. The Phobia House costs $15 and a free pair of 3D glasses is included.
