Kalamazoo Chili Cook-Off

On Friday, I was chilling at my boyfriend's house, browsing the internet, and decided to search downtown Kalamazoo's website to see if there were any events going on that weekend.
And boy did I hit the jackpot. That Saturday was the ending of Kalamazoo Beer Week, the beginning of Kalamazoo Restaurant Week, and the day of the annual Kalamazoo Chili Cook-Off.

Can you say YES PLEASE??
What intrigued me most out of all three was the Chili Cook-Off. I'd never been to one before, and Kalamazoo's is massive. From 11:30-1:30, 35 locations downtown, some retail and some restaurants, would be serving up 2 oz servings of their most decadent and delicious chili and vying for first prize.
If you do the math, that's 70 oz of chili.
And according to my calculations, that was where I needed to be on Saturday.
So my boyfriend and I headed downtown and started our trek through the city.
The coordinators were nice enough to hand out these Chili Passports so that participants could find their way to all participating locations.

We started out on Kalamazoo Mall at Sticks and Stones.

The chili was mild and beefy. Good, but I was hungry for more.
So we moved across the street to Baird, whose lengthy line evidenced a tasty sample.

Their white bean and turkey chili was creamy, flavorful, and topped with cheese. What's not to love?
Next, we walked down aways and happened upon Taco Bob's. I was eager to see what kinds of spicy robust flavors a mexican restaurant would put in their chili, so we got in line.

After the first bite, I knew I'd underestimated Taco Bob's. This was easily the spiciest chili I've ever eaten. I found a few jalapeno seeds floating in my cup, so I think I know why....

While some more adventurous eaters gobbled up the chili, the trash can next to Taco Bob's was full of uneaten chili cups, so I'm assuming that most people found it too spicy to finish.

Next door, Garden Gate Cafe had a lengthy line, so we popped in to see what all the fuss was about.

I tried the veggie chili, which was naturally sweetened by corn and a lighter alternative to heavy meat chili.
At that point, I went on a hunt to find Nature Connection, the retail store that had dominated the cook-off by placing nearly every year. I wanted to see what made their recipe so special.

This place definitely had the most options, featuring a turkey chili, a beef chili, and a vegan chili (with vegan cheese as a topping).

Pre-cheese

Post-cheese

I can say this much for Nature Connection, it was certainly a flavor I'd never tasted before in chili. Sweet, but not sugary-sweet. And when I got down to the end of the tasting table, I snuck a peak at their recipe card to see what the secret ingredient was.

An entire bottle of Cherry Republic Michigan Cherry Salsa.

Yup, that'll give it an interesting flavor.

Before I left, however, I walked across the arcade to a restaurant that was serving chili with barely any line.

Ahem, did you say wild boar? As in, a new and exotic flavor?
I'm in.

Needless to say, this chili packed a punch of flavor. Tons of spices, and the boar was the texture of ground beef, but with a much gamey-er flavor.
Out of all the ones I tried, this chili was my personal favorite. 
However, it was not the winner, nor did it place overall (which I believe is a testament to the fact that people need to get over their fears and try new things every once in awhile).
Instead, the winners were as follows:

People's Choice: Nature Connection

Retail:1. Nature Connection2. Tempo Vino Winery
3. Baird

Restaurant:
1. Mangia Mangia
2. Zazios
3. The Union Cabaret & Grille

After the event, when I was looking for the winners, I was pleased to discover that the city of Kalamazoo puts together a giant PDF of (most of) the recipes featured during the cook-off.
Literally a foodie's DREAM. Particularly if you've been feeling the chill of this winter weather and been craving some hearty chili, as I have.If any of these sounded good to you, check out the booklet online here.
I have plans to make Baird's white turkey chili later this week!

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Fourth Coast Cafe

I've kept this place a secret for far too long.

Out of all the little local coffee shop's I've ever been to, this one is by far the best. It gets a gold star in all key areas - food, convenience, friendly staff, atmosphere, and, of course, coffee.

Let me put it this way - I've been buying bags of their house roast coffee from this place for the past two years, despite the fact that it's several hours away from where I live.

Situated amongst student and adult housing near downtown Kalamazoo, Fourth Coast Cafe is a little corner coffee shop that packs personality and taste into a delightful and memorable package.

And yes, you read that correctly. This coffee shop is open 24 hours a day. A college student's dream come true, eh? Couple that with their bottomless coffee deal (unlimited refills for $7.50) and anyone can tackle finals week.

On top of Fourth Coast is a delightful cafe called The Crow's Nest, which serves breakfast all day and is open continuously from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon. This town knows how to cater to nocturnals.

Inside, Fourth Coast is a personality-filled shop with plenty of tables and outlets, corner booths to nestle into, and a long espresso bar in the back.
There's also a bakery in the back, so the coffee shop is always churning out fresh pastries and cookies. Much better than the cardboard-y plastic-wrapped scones that the chain coffee shops dole out.

A sampling of the day's fresh goodies:

Despite my continuing addiction to their muffins, I elected not to purchase a sweet that day and went with my usual coffee order: the Sweet Coast Capp. A classic cappuccino topped off with fresh whipped cream.

Since the coffee here is undeniably delicious, all of their lattes and capps are similarly tasty. You can even buy bags of their beans to take home with you if you're as obsessed as I am. And while they only have one or two types of beans available on sale per day, the store purchases from an enormous bean catalog and will order any bag of coffee a customer wants for in-store pickup. GENIUS!
In keeping with the nautical theme of the shop's name, Fourth Coast Cafe names all their specialty drinks after ship parts. One of my boyfriend's favorites is the Walk the Plank - a shaker full of espresso.
Fortunately for his cardiac system, he chose a less caffeinated cappuccino.

His sweet tooth was a little stronger than mine that day, so he also grabbed a vegan brownie.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Fourth Coast has begun selling merchandise. As an avid fan, I couldn't resist without grabbing something to take home with me....

For only $4? How could I not?

If you liked what you saw here, or if you're just a fan of coffee in general, you should follow this link to vote for Fourth Coast to win the Celebrated Service Award (the shop is listed under Portage, MI). 

Getting first prize would earn this shop a well-deserved $5,000 bonus, and you'd get karma points. It's that simple.

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A Blonde at Bimbos

When I spent the past weekend at Kalamazoo, Smashburger wasn't the only restaurant I visited. My boyfriend and I hit up our favorite pizza joint within two hours of my arrival.
It's kind of a funny story how this place ended up as one of our favorites. Last year, when I was making my typical weekend visit, we headed downtown for dinner and a movie. Most of the restaurants were bars, and seeing as we couldn't drink, we were looking for something a little more our style. Running a bit short on time, we popped into a pizza joint called Bimbos. On a whim, we ordered a medium pizza with pineapple, ham, and bacon, and were instantly hooked. We're now regulars here.

The worn look of the old brick building implies that the restaurant has been a family gig for several generations. And sure enough, the counter is covered in old photos signifying how the restaurant has changed hands through relatives.
I assume the original owners came straight from Italy, because this pizza is truly some of the best pizza I've ever had. Crispy crunchy thin crusts piled high with toppings and sliced into squares.

This time, my boyfriend and I took our pizza to go. 

Behold the most amazing combination to ever sit on top of bread. Sweet and juicy pineapple, thick cut ham, and bacon, bacon, bacon.

If you ever find yourself on the west side of the state, head downtown to 338 E. Michigan Ave and grab yourself a pie. 

I'm already having withdrawals.

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Smashburger

Since my last post was a re-creation of the rosemary and olive oil fries served at Smashburger (my all-time favorite chain burger joint), I figured I should pay homage to the original creator.
Smashburger is a fun fresh restaurant that's popping up in random cities across America. Unfortunately, there's none within a 30-mile radius of my location, so I have to travel a ways to get my hands on the deliciousness. Fear not, like all great loves, this restaurant is worth going the distance for.
So, this weekend, I trekked across our fair state to go to Smashburger visit my boyfriend in Kalamazoo, where the lucky inhabitants have access to a Smashburger. Of course, we had to go there at least once to grab a burger. (psst - I went twice)

For those of you unlucky enough to have never been here before, let me break it down for you:

The menu is divided into smashburgers, smashchicken, salads, hot dogs, and sides. If you're going for a burger, you can choose a preset recipe or a build-your-own option. They also come in three different sizes - small, regular, and large.
You walk up to the counter, joyously place your order, and, of course, add on a side of smashfries. Then they hand you a number and bring it to your table.

I opted for the build-your-own smashburger option - it's only $4.29 for a regular-sized burger, and most basic toppings and sauces are free.

When the burger tray arrives at your table, you'll be in awe of its beauty.

Fresh beef 'smashed' together with my generous plethora of toppings - pickles, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, and smashsauce - all held together by a buttery egg bun.

Let me warn you - they're generous with the toppings here. Which means your hands will likely be covered in whatever sauce you put on your burger after the third bite. Dress appropriately, or wear a bib.

And don't let me forget the olive oil and rosemary french fries that I'm so giddy about.

Simply delicious.

The boyfriend opted for a more tame burger than mine - cheese, ketchup, mustard, and smashsauce. 

Is it just me, or does it look like he got more fries than me??
Perhaps I just ate mine too quickly to tell.

If you're looking for a smashburger in your area, they have a great directory here.

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