Eating BIG in Southwest Michigan

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- The Beauty and Bounties of Southwest Michigan 

Summer is here and with it so are trips to Southwest Michigan - one of my absolute favorite places this time of the year. When you cross the state line from Indiana on 94 you’ve officially entered Harbor Country - a region consisting of eight small towns along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan: New Buffalo, Grand Beach, Michiana, Union Pier, Three Oaks, Lakeside, Harbert, and Sawyer. The area is popular with Chicagoans like myself some of whom have been visiting for the majority of our lives. It’s crazy how close it is and also also how far away it seems from the hustle and bustle of the big city. 

Michigan's Harbor Country

Though Southwest Michigan consists of more than just Harbor Country - in total it makes up seven counties incl. Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren. The area is home to some of the best beaches in the country - full stop. If somebody tells you the Midwest doesn’t have beaches bc it’s landlocked they have clearly never been to a beach in West Michigan. The sand is soft and the water is clear and it's shark free at that. Along with the beaches you also have access to great beer, bud, biking and berries as the area is home to some of the Midwests best breweries, an independent cannabis industry and one of the largest crops of blueberries in the nation. Today’s post is a few years in the making and it will include spots not just along the lake but also visits to some of the cute little towns away from the lake. I love driving around or biking this part of the state - it’s such a relaxing place. There's an indescribable aura to the area and a big part of it is the lake and the Dunes that overlook it but you'll find just as much natural beauty inland along the St. Joseph River and such. SW Michigan has long been a favorite playground of mine as far as outdoor fun but the food and drinks part has taken off too. Every year there’s new spots worth a stop. I've put together a google maps guide linked at the end and I included a few of my favorite breweries, a good blueberry farm, and the areas best dispensary. As always your trip begins at S'C'&C.  

Pics from Southwest Michigan (click to enhance)
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Oaks Eatery (Three Oaks)

Three Oaks is a cute town 10 minutes east of New Buffalo. It’s home to Drier’s Meat Market which was featured back in 2012. The butcher shop is a national historic landmark dating back to the late 1800’s that’s known for its Liverwurst or Liverbest as they call it. Oaks Eatery is also worth a stop for breakfast in the area. They call themselves a farm to table restaurant which is a bit played out but the quality of the ingredients is a cut above most other breakfast and lunch spots. I recommend a couple of classics in the form of buttermilk pancakes and corned beef hash - both are excellent renditions.

Breakfast at Oaks Eatery 
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Ray & Al's (Galien) 

Speaking of liverwurst - the sandwich at Ray & Al’s is wonderful for those of you that mess with liver. I fell in love with this bakery slash sandwich shop as soon as we first pulled up on it. It’s one of those spots where you just kind of know everything is going to be good but whatever you choose to get make sure to add some donuts to your order. They’re some of the absolute best in the Midwest.

Sandwich and Donuts at Ray & Al's
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Red Arrow Roasters (Harbart)

There’s lots of coffee spots in the area. I’m not a coffee drinker so I can’t tell you which one has the best beans but do visit Red Arrow Roasters for a delicious buttermilk biscuit. These may be the best of their kind north of the Mason Dixon line though it's a BYOJ establishment (bring your own jam). 

Buttermilk Biscuit with Honey Butter at Red Arrow Roasters
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Jovani's Kitchen (Sawyer)

The Spicy Fish Kathi at Jovani’s Kitchen is served out of a walkup window connected to a wine bar and it’s a welcome addition to the area. I wish we had a street food option like this in my hood. Fried chunks of hake go into paratha rolled out by an Indian mother who works the register while her son in-law does the cooking. The fish is well seasoned and the sauces take it all over the top. Good samosas too.

Spicy Fish Kathi at Jovani's Kitchen 
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Susan's Sawyer (Sawyer)

If you're looking for a nice place for a date night type of dinner check out Susan's in Sawyer. It's got a beautiful bright dining room with a large outdoor patio area and Chicago connections. I like to sit at the bar for Happy Hour and drink local brewed beers (Greenbush Brewing Co. is next door) and eat whatever sounds good as the menu is seasonal taking full advantage of the summer bounty. I did just that on my recent visit and I couldn't resist the smell of the smoke coming from the back where they had Berkshire baby backs on the smoker. Upon my first bite I felt like summer had officially begun.

Smoked Baby Backs at Susan's Sawyer
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Zo's Mini Donuts (Sawyer)

While getting ready to head home on a recent visit I passed this stand selling mini donuts along Red Arrow Highway. I figured that would be a perfect little snack before heading back and that was a good call by me. They fry mini donuts to order and dress them one of three ways and so I was told by the friendly young owner and her friend "glazed are by far the best" so that's what I got. Cute little spot. 

Mini Donuts at Zo's Mini Donuts 
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Red Coach Donuts (Stevensville)

Two things you’ll always find in cute up and coming and often gentrifying areas - boutique donuts and craft breweries often signal that change is imminent in up and coming areas. But on a serious note what towns on Lake Michigan haven’t seen major change over the last couple of decades? Stevensville is a very small town with less than 2000 people - but it hits above it's weight with places like Welcome Inn, a dive bar with a bomb burger that was featured HERE back in 2021. It’s also home to the Watermark Brewing Company and Red Coach Donuts. The former is a great place for a beer on a warm and sunny day and the latter is a great place to start your day regardless of the weather. 

Donuts at Red Coach Donuts 
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Grande Mere Inn (Stevensville)

Head to this old school supper club sitting atop the Covert Ridge for a picture perfect plate of lake perch. Your fish at Grand Mere Inn is preceded with some house made breads and spreads. If there’s a single dish that best represents the Great Lakes Region this is it and as someone who has ate his weight in lake perch I can assure you this is one of the best places in all of Michigan to get it. It’s all about the quality of the fish and here they use yellow lake perch which produces a much more tender filet that should be lightly breaded and preferably pan fried. There was a time when lake perch was prevalent in both the lake and on dinner plates at places like the late great Phil Smidt’s in Whiting but those days are a thing of the past save for a few places like this. If you plan to visit over the summer get reservations or be prepared to wait - it’s a popular place with stunning views of the lake.

Lake Perch Dinner at Grand Mere Inn 
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Clementine's Too (St. Joseph)

We ended up at this tourist friendly spot by the beach a few fourth of Julys back. There was a long wait at my preferred lake perch place so Clementine's Too would have to do. This is the second outlet of a popular spot in South Haven which is about 30 minutes north up the lake. They make their own onion rings and they carry lake perch and have cold locally brewed beer on tap so no major complaints but I didn't like how they season the breading with all sorts of dried rosemary. 

Lake Perch Plate at Clementine's Too
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Anemel (Benton Harbor)

This is perhaps my favorite place to open out here in the last few years which is kind of surprising because places like it often fail to deliver on the food end. But Anemel was able to put the "Big Star Blueprint" to use with a great open air location right in the heart of Benton Harbor just a short walk from the beach. The menu is described as "Tex Mex meets the Midwest" with a couple sandwiches and a handful of tacos along with a handful of other options including a cheeseburger quesadilla that was clearly crafted by someone who wanted to make something fun and fantastic. I loved the well seasoned meat mixed with fried potatoes, oozy cheese and the cheese skirt crust was a nice touch as was the delicious burger forward dipping sauce. The tacos are also good. They have a more upscale place called Houndstooth but I’ve been turned away upon arrival at opening twice now. 

Cheeseburger Quesadilla at Anemel Torta 
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DiMaggio's Pizza and Burgers (Coloma)

I’d long wondered about this old school pizzeria found along M63. I stopped in a couple summers ago and was served a pizza that looked similar to that from the Quad Cities, at least in terms of slicing style (long rectangular strips). DYK that Quad Cities style pizza is originally from the Northwest Indiana region, which isn’t far from here? DiMaggio’s lay the toppings on thick. Sausage isn’t crumbled but it’s a nice blend with big hints of fennel throughout. This is a thicker pizza than I prefer but not bad at all ate fresh from the oven, nice and sturdy too. A nice change of pace pizza if you will. Since 1957.

Large Sausage Pizza at DiMaggio's Pizza and Burgers 
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Weekend Taco Stand (Benton Harbor)

I was sad to see that the original location of La Perla had moved (featured HERE in 2013). The mini grocery chain with three locations ditched their original space at the corner of M-140 and Napier in favor of bigger digs 8 minutes up the road in Sister Lakes so it’s not a total bummer. But the best thing about that original location was the street taco stand they setup on the weekends and the good news is it’s still there! Google won’t help you find it but you can plug in the intersections or use 8151 E Napier to help get you there. My most recent visit came just last week but it was later in the day and they were sold out of tripas but still had some barbacoa which is their top taco as far as I’m concerned. A huge stock pot with chunks of shredded beef sitting in a pool of liquid sits front and center. Upon placing your order the taquero reaches into the pot and pulls out a chunks of it which he chops and throws onto the flattop to crisp it up just a bit. Tortillas are dipped in the lard laced stock and toasted on the flattop before being filled with barbacoa, onions and cilantro. From there you dress your tacos at the DIY salsa bar and you got what might be the best tacos in Michigan. 

Barbacoa Taco at La Perla's Roadside Stand
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Caruso's Candy & Soda Fountain

I've always liked the small town charm of Dowagiac which isn't far from Sister Lakes - a place I've been visiting on and off over summer for two decades. I have some longtime friends who's parents have a place up there and sometimes we would go into Dowagiac for food or beer or other stuff including chocolate and malts from Caruso's Candy Shop. This 100+ year old confectionary slash soda fountain has been owned by the same family since it first opened and it still sits in the same place as it did on day one. Going somewhere like here is about as close to time travel as we have. It's a real treat and I always get a chocolate phosphate as you just don't see those at too many places anymore. Caruso's also has a sandwich menu including the regional nut olive which you can read about in my recent roundup from the South Bend area. I opted for the shaved ham sandwich on my last visit and it very much tasted like home by which I mean it was a typical ham sandwich with my choice of toppings on my choice of bread - simple but perfect paired with a chocolate phosphate. Since 1922. 

Ham Sandwich at Caruso's Candy & Soda Fountain
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Baguette de France (Berrian Springs) 

Baguette de France has two locations with the other one being in downtown St. Joseph - making it a great option as far as grabbing food before or after the beach. The second location in Berrian Springs is inland about 20 mins southeast of St. Joseph. They stand by their bread and I'll stand with them - it's good. The fillings aren't quite as up to par but when the bread is this good it can elevate whatever’s inside of it. I like their tuna salad sandwich which pairs well with the beach and warm weather. 

Tuna Sandwich at Baguette de France
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Old Tavern Inn (Niles)

One day last summer I happened to be passing by the oldest business in Michigan which happens to be a bar - how could I not stop for a beer and a bite? So they say Old Tavern Inn is the oldest continued business in the same space going back to 1835. It’s in Niles but it's on the outskirts of town down an old country road. They make massive ham and cheese sandwiches served warm and American Goulash which is one of those dishes that goes by different names in different regions (Johnny Marzetti, New England Chop Suey etc). They’re all some form of pasta mixed with ground beef, tomatoes, onions. Cool dive with cheap beer and decent bar food but nothing special so to say. 

Bar Food at Old Tavern Inn 
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Veni's Sweet Shop (Niles)

Niles has a great little Main street which is where Veni's can be found. This local treasure has been a town tradition dating back to 1910. They make some fantastic turtles and their chocolate covered orange peels are also a favorite. You can't go wrong with any of their homemade confectionaries. 

Candy at Veni's Sweet Shop
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River Saint Joe (Buchanan)

This is perhaps my favorite brewery in Southwest Michigan but that doesn't have to much to do with the beer at River St. Joe which is pretty good. But what I really like about this place is how it feels like a winery in terms of its size and peaceful surroundings. I tend to go to breweries not just for the beer, which you can get anywhere, but for the atmosphere. The breweries around here all have a great setup as far as a large outdoor space with this place having enough to host weddings and such. The menu switches up often as it puts to use both seasonal and local ingredients and they do special events on the weekends like barbecues and such. On my most recent visit I had a delicious house smoked Polish Sausage that came dressed with Chicago style condiments. Good spot for groups.  

Polish Sausage at River St. Joe 
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Click HERE for a google maps guide to all the spots featured in this post. 

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If you liked this post you might also be interested in:

Eating Up Lake Michigan (2012)

Eating Up Lake Michigan Pt. 2 (2020)

Eating Up Lake Michigan Pt. 3 (2021) 

Eating BIG in South Bend (and beyond) (2023)

See ya next time @chibbqking

Cairo Kebab

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Egyptian Food in University Village

There’s a popular social media account attempting to go around town and eat the cuisine of all 195 recognized countries around the world. It’s not possible to find food from all of them but as regular readers know there’s a ton of international eating options to be found around the Chicagoland area. Today we’re heading off to one of them near UIC - Cairo Kebab is the city’s only Egyptian restaurant.

Locals Favorite in University Village 

Cairo Kebab made the right call when they decided to move from their old location on Fullerton in Lincoln Park over to Maxwell street near UIC. I drove by their old location often and never saw people inside but it’s been busy with a diverse clientele on my two visits to their current address. Egyptian food relies heavily on vegetables and legumes but it’s also influenced by the Ottoman empire as well Lebanon and Syria. All of this influence can be seen on their menu which has hummus, falafel, shawarma, kebabs, and baklava among other things. But I zoomed in on two beloved Egyptian dishes. First up is the Hawawshi sandwich - a popular street food in Cairo and elsewhere around Egypt. It starts with pita stuffed with a mixture of ground beef mixed with onions, garlic, hot peppers, fresh herbs and spices. Hawawshi is said to have been invented in 1971 by an Egyptian butcher named Ahmed al-Hawawsh who sold them from a stall in Cairo before they eventually spread through the rest of Egypt. But food origin stories are always murky and Hawawshi is pretty similar to the Lebanese stuffed pita called Arayes which is said to have originated in ancient Middle Eastern cultures. So it’s more likely that Hawawshi is a rendition of Arayes but what I liked about the Hawawshi here was the flavorful combination of steamed beef and onions. It tasted like a well seasoned beirock.

Hawawshi at Cairo Kebab

Koshary, Egypt’s national dish, is the other menu item that caught my eye. This Egyptian staple mixes pasta, fried rice, vermicelli, lentils, and chickpeas with a garlicky tomato sauce. It comes topped with crispy fried onions plus the option to add garlic vinegar and hot sauce. I have no other experience with this dish to compare with the version I’ve had at Cairo Kebab but if online reviews are to be believed this is one of the best versions you can find in the States. Despite the overload of carbs I thought it was pretty great. It’s almost like a recipe out of one of those spiral bound church cookbooks and the likes except with lots of flavor. Both of the sauces offered on the side are outstanding with the hot sauce packing some real deal heat. It’s one of the better versions that I’ve found around town.

Koshary at Cairo Kebab

Cairo Kebab
730 W Maxwell St
Chicago, IL 60607
(224) 521-0649
Website

Recent Openings Roundup

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Openings in Noble Square / West Town

This months ‘Five of a Kind’ post is going to focus on five newly opened restaurants in the Noble Square and West Town areas. Chicago Avenue in particular has seen a handful of openings over the last year as four of today’s featured spots call the street home. I’m not going to declare that the local restaurant scene has totally recovered from COVID but there’s been good openings of late in terms of hip and modern chef driven restaurants like Maxwell’s Trading, Gaoku, Tama and more. I liked my visit to all five places featured in this post but money and time and stomach space may not allow me to fully explore the menu at each spot. Though I’d be cool going back to all five of these spots. 

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Gemma Foods

Gemma Foods isn’t brand new but the two year old pasta purveyor at 1117 W. Grand Avenue recently introduced a lunch menu served Tues-Sat. It has a handful of pastas including a couple of rotating ones based on what’s in season and what not. I recently tried the current stuffed pasta special which is a pasta tipica of Bologna called Balanzoni. It’s a green tortellini filled with a mortadella mousse and garnished with ground fava beans, mint, and fried pistachio. Typically this dish is served with a brown butter and sage sauce but Gemma served theirs with a simple sauce of melted spring leeks. Aside from the little part where the tortellini was pinched together being undercooked these were pretty well made. I always enjoy trying regional pasta dishes like this so I look forward to seeing what other specials they come up with. You can add a single meatball to your order so I tried one of them and it was excellent. I liked the sausage like texture on it while a garnish of giardineria is a pro Chicago move. They also put little cups of Calabrian chili oil at the tables which I thought was a nice touch as it’s a great way to give your pasta some extra oomph. Another good lunch option on Grand avenue. 

Lunch at Gemma Foods 
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Un Amor

I’ve neither heard nor read much on this Latin forward brunch spot at 1450 W. Chicago Avenue. Un Amor started doing dinner a couple months after opening and there’s some intriguing taco options but all signs pointed towards the steak sandwich so I decided to go with that. They start off with tender outer cut skirt steak that’s cooked until medium rare and sliced and added to a toasted sub roll along with grilled onions and sautéed strips of poblano peppers plus a chihuahua cheese skirt crust which is achieved by cooking a bunch of shredded cheese on a hot flattop until it forms a crisp and glistening crust. They also add sliced hard boiled eggs and chimichurri making for a glorious mess.

Steak Sandwich at Un Amor
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Brasero

Chef John Manion of El Che Steakhouse has brought his live fire cooking skills to 1709 W. Chicago Avenue in West Town. Brasero is a South American grill with a Brazilian leaning menu. Most of the dishes get a kiss of smoke from that live fire grill and you can sample a handful of options at a daily happy hour running from 5p-6p. We sat at the bar one early evening and enjoyed a trio of happy hour specials including a half rack of ribs with a lip licking guava barbecue sauce. I thought about making that a full rack but wanted to try a few other things including a fire grilled prawn bathed in garlicky green curry sauce and garnished with toasted coconut and pickled Fresno peppers. The Paulista Pork Fried Rice was my favorite dish of the three. It’s described as “pure porky goodness with peanuts” and is made with chunks of smoky bacon plus tons of green onion, scrambled egg, and a chunk of butter and it’s heavenly. Hopefully they keep the happy hour in place as it's a good one for food. 

Happy Hour at Brasero
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Nettare

You’ll find this next stop just down the block at 1953 W Chicago Avenue. Nettare is an all day cafe / bar / restaurant / market. This do it all West Town restaurant is a project of restauranteur Conner O’Byrne and exec chef John Dahlstrom, previously of BLVD and Table, Donkey, and Stick. The menu is seasonal but it zooms is on Mediterranean inspired dishes with Midwest ingredients. The drink menu is also Midwest forward with booze from local Midwest distilleries next to Michigan made wines and so forth. Me and Erica stopped in a month or so ago following happy hour at the previously featured spot. I wanted to check out the menu and see what type of Midwest treats they were working with and the walleye sounded really good so we decided to have a drink and try it. I don’t know why more spots in town don’t cook with fresh lake fish like this. The skin was cooked to a perfect crisp.

Walleye (crispy skin, braised greens, brodo) at Nettare
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Jook Sing

The building at 1329 W. Chicago Avenue has seen a handful of restaurants come and go over the last decade or so. Jook Sing is the latest tenant. Their menu is an ode to the Night Markets across Asia and they also sport a bar and serve food and drink until midnight on the weekend. Jook Sing is probably the oldest spot of these five featured as it opened in December of 2023. They’ve switched up the menu a few times already so a few of the things we had on our visit are no longer available but I enjoyed their rendition of the famous New Orleans noodle dish Yaka Mein. It had a bit of a Taiwanese beef noodle soup element to it that I really liked but it’s not on the current menu which has options like Singapore style Char Kway Teow and Indonesian Internet Noodles which is a dish made with instant ramen, corned beef and poached egg. Hong Kong style Chow Mein is the one dish we tried on our visit that remains on the menu to this day. I thought it was a good rendition even though we ended up with it on accident after our waiter heard me say chow mein when I said yaka mein.

Dinner at Jook Sing (click pics to enhance)
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See ya next time @chibbqking