Have a recommendation? We'd LOVE to hear it!
Salutations Readers!

Kalamazoo has good food.
Great food, in fact. We have made it our mission to check out all the local eateries one at a time - and more for our own poor memories than any other reason, we'll be chronicling our adventures in food here. And some places float our boats way more than others, which is why we have developed the very scientific
five golden forks rating scale. Ok. It is not scientific at all. It is actually quite unscientific. But, it is something. And now, you can search all of our reviews by the forks rating. YAY!


But, wait! There's more!
Kalamazoo Foodies no longer just eat at restaurants then review them. There are recipes posted, some easy, some less easy, all delicious. There are, or will be, book reviews, the new
Foodie Movie Review-y which will focus on movies about food or ones that have a lot of beautiful food in them. There are other food musings, and hopefully soon contests and so much more. But, Foodie Friends, it is all about food. Because we love it!
And, we want to hear from you!

We want to hear your comments on our recipes and reviews. We want to know where you love to eat. And, we are looking for GUEST bloggers to broaden our horizons a bit. And, if you haven't found us on Facebook, you should do that too. Like our page for other fun Foodies stuff like photos, polls, and more.


SO KALAMAZOO PATRONS - where do YOU love to eat? Because we'd love to check it out and share our thoughts here. Give us a comment below, and quickly! Our tummies are grumbling in anticipation.

A Note from the Foodies about our typical fair:
So, you may notice as you read our blog that we often order the same thing wherever we go. OK, maybe not quite, but we do often order similar things. Kristin has her caprese salads and mushroom dishes. Kate has her baked goat cheese and things with tofu. Well, readers, we wanted to let you know that this is absolutely intentional. A) We love those things, so why not order what you love? And, B) It is a lot easier to compare apples to apples than it is to compare apples to comquats. So, we like to order similar things to have a good sense of how to compare them. Just wanted to let you in on that little secret. Bon appetit!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Oakwood Bistro

Kate: Smoked Cheddar Queso and Tilapia en Parchment
Paul and I decided that we deserved a night out. We happened to have a $10 gift certificate to the Oakwood Bistro, so we thought, 'what the heck' and splurged a bit. Boy, are we glad we did. I had been to the Oakwood Bistro once about a year and a half ago when I came to Kalamazoo to interview for my job. I don't remember the experience much, you know, I was nervous. So, this was like trying a new place.
We had read online that the Smoked Cheddar Queso was one of the best things on the menu and perhaps the best queso in Kalamazoo. It is served with pretzel bread strips and tortilla chips. The queso was a little runnier that I am used to queso being, so as I took my first bite, I thought, 'Well, we will see!' And, see we did. It was delicious! The smoked cheddar is what makes this starter. Wow! So rich in flavor. And, the chips and bread are excellent compliments as their saltiness gives the flavors and extra kick. There were several other starters on the menu that sounded good, included the Maytag Root Chips, but it will be difficult to not order the queso on future visits.
Ok, now to dinner. I was looking for something kind of light but fulfilling. The bruschetta pasta (which is served with shrimp) sounded good, but something about the tilapia really grabbed. This meal was just perfect. The tilapia is wrapped in parchment paper and prepared with zucchini, roasted red peppers, asparagus, shallots and garlic with a fresh lemon dill butter. Basmati rice accompanies it on the side. The tilapia was perfectly prepared and flaked on my fork, the vegetables were fresh and crispy, and the lemon dill butter was the perfect compliment to the flavors in the parchment. I was in heaven with this one. The portion sizes were perfect too. Not too much, not too little. Just right! Again, it will be difficult to not order this same thing again as it was just divine.
Paul had one of their specials, a gumbo like dirty rice, and was also extremely happy with his choice. This place is a gem in Kalamazoo. Reading the back of the menu tells you that it was the first martini bar in town as well as the first restaurant with an open, exhibition-type kitchen (I think that is what they called it). We were lucky to be seated right next to the kitchen, so we could keep our eye on what was happening. It was almost like dinner and a show. We loved it. Seeing the energy those men were putting into our food made it taste all the better when it came.
Though the price point may make it difficult for us to visit often, we will definitely be back!

P.S. There is creme brulee on their menu. It was hard to turn it down, but I was trying to be good!

(a very enthusiastic) five golden forks out of five!

1 comment:

Jdubs said...

You have to goto erbellis on stadium! The NEO pizza is by far the most unique pizza I have ever tasted. Whenever I come home for the holidays I always stop by and grab a slice! Can't wait to hear your foodie thoughts!