Coral Gables: Saugatuck, MI

Kristin: Caprese Salad & Tomato Florentine Soup

What, like you think we never travel outside the bounds of Kalamazoo? Well, let me tell you how wrong you are my friend. We took a little time on Labor Day to venture out to clear skies,

beautiful water, super intriguing art, and even some wine tasting. But first - first we knew our duty to our readers and investigate the good eats of this lovely tourist trap called Saugatuck.

I had the Caprese Salad. Because as Kate can attest, I have been craving Caprese since... well since before I even moved here. And I saw it on the menu about the same nano-second that Kate said "Hey look! There's caprese on the menu! I know what YOU'RE getting!" OH how correct she was.

Now, caprese, for those readers out there who are unaware, is traditionally not so much a salad as hearty slices of tomato topped with hearty slices of fresh mozzarella, topped with fresh basil, topped with a little olive oil. Sometimes it's by itself like this, sometimes it's on little toasted breads. Being originally from Wisconsin, that much mozzarella cheese is ALWAYS a good idea. And Coral Gables did not disappoint with the amount of cheese they served up. Where I was a little confused, was the basil. Instead of basil topping my little slices of awesome, the tomatoes and cheese were served atop a bed of greens with a really yummy vinaigrette drizzled on top - effectively making it an actual salad. Don't get me wrong, it was still fantastic, but the taste of fresh basil really makes that dish. So that was a little sad.

As an afterthought, I also had the tomato florentine soup before the caprese, which was wicked good, but I should have had the foresight to think "it's hot outside. we're sitting outside. I do not need hot soup." Que Ser Ah.

I also liked the atmosphere - sitting outside on the banks of the water, watching the gigantic boats go by. All in all a wonderful start to our explorations to the rest of Saugatuck.

four golden forks out of five.

Kate: Greek Grilled Panini and a side salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Yes! The Foodies got out of Kalamazoo for a day, while they still could. I had visited Saugatuck a few weeks earlier, and thought it would be a fun place to spend Labor Day, so we hopped in the car, put the top down (yay convertible!) and made the hour long trek to Lake MI. What a beautiful day! When we arrived, we were pretty hungry, so we knew the first order of business was food. I had seen Coral Gables when I was there a few weeks ago, but did not go in. This seemed like a good opportunity, so we took it.
The outdoor seating area is great. Overlooking the harbor, boats going by, perfect way to unwind. On the menu, I was instantly drawn to the Greek Grilled Panini, I mean, you say 'feta' and I am pretty much there. Was not excited as the fries for a side, so I went for the side salad instead, you know, trying to save a few calories. The Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette was wonderful. Really light, fat free, I believe, and would be a perfect compliment to many salads. The panini was alright. Nothing to outstanding. And, the feta was pretty much lost in everything else. So, I would definitely say that the salad was the best part of the meal. Kristin's looked delicious, and I was a little jealous, actually!
For decent food and a beautiful view, this place is definitely worth stopping in if you are in the Saugatuck area. Though, if memory serves, there are some intriguing places in Douglas too. Stay tuned for more Foodies on Vacay...

three golden forks out of five.