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Hansen Foods Deli
It’s been a hot minute, and a few technical issues with the website, but I’m back to talk to you about some good food!
More often than not, on my office days I’m grabbing lunch at Hansen Food’s Deli. It’s my go-to, because if nothing sounds good, their chicken strips (made in-house, not premade, frozen stuff), homemade ranch, and creamy broccoli salad will always hit the spot. Not to mention I get to enjoy the company of Jamie, Sam, Christina, and the rest of the deli crew while I’m there. Not to leave out the entire lovely staff at Hansen’s, of course. They are like extended family to me at this point.
Depending on what time you get there for lunch, it can be pretty hoppin’, as everyone loves to get lunch there.
Every day is a different special. Typically, Mondays you’ll see Don’s hot beef sandwiches, Wednesdays are brisket mac n cheese, and Fridays are fish days. There are so many specials, though, you have to check their Facebook page every day to see what fun stuff they’re offering. Some of my favorites have been the Cajun seafood bake, pulled pork loaded waffle fries, crab rangoon nachos, crab bisque, brisket tacos, and so many more. Not to mention all the delicious soups and sides, including their new, DELCIOUS, poblano and hatch chile mac and cheese. They are always thinking up awesome ideas that make my belly happy.
Get down to Hansen Foods Deli for lunch as soon as you get the chance. You won’t regret it!
The Gnarly Heifer (Finally!)
This one has been a long time coming!
I’ve known Kara, the owner of The Gnarly Heifer, for several years now. She used to manage another local bar/restaurant that I would eat at every week while my girls were in ballet. From the first time I met her, I knew she was an amazing, awesome person. She has a huge heart, has an incredible taste for good food, and knows how to put a smile on everyone’s face. When she was no longer managing that establishment, I didn’t even want to go there anymore. It just wasn’t the same. She brings so much to anywhere she is.
The Gnarly Heifer is in Whitehall, in the old Taqueria Diaz building, for those familiar with the area. They have the most amazing burgers, hand-cut fries, hot dogs, salads, and wraps. They even have house-made hummus, and some pretty amazing Moo Mac – loaded mac n cheese. I am a sucker for a good burger and fries, and this has quickly gone to my short list for favorite places to get them!
I usually go for their weekly special for a burger, but I did get the Olive This Burger this last time. I am not a green olive fan at all, but there is just something about an olive burger! I also got the hummus, Moo Mac, and Truffle Fries. I shared, and even then, it was WAY too much food for the two of us. Kara does not let anyone go hungry! These are GENEROUS portions.
If you have not tried The Gnarly Heifer, what are you waiting for? You need to make the trip here, just for this experience! To visit their Facebook page and view their menu, click here The Gnarly Heifer
*I’ve been holding out on posting until I could get an ussie with Kara and I, but she either has the day off (how dare she!), or when she is in, she had her white glasses and not her red ones LOL! So I will update this blog when I can finally sneak in and get one with her beautiful face!
Delicious Truffle Fries. The dip for these is out of this world!!
This was a weekly special I got quite awhile ago! I cannot even remember everything on it, but it was so perfect, and spicy!!
Some good ol’ hand-cut fries. So good in their house-made Gnarly Sauce!
Moo Mac. This is something you definitely need to experience. Creamy mac n cheese, brisket, bbq sauce, and french fried onions. There is nothing bad anyone can say about this!!
Hummus with naan and fresh cut veggies. The hummus is creamy, slightly garlicky, with a balsamic reduction. Just perfection!
Olive This Burger! If you think you don’t like green olives, like myself, you might like this! For some reason green olives make me gag, but I could eat this all day long.
Silver Scoops in Mears, MI
It’s a rough life living right next to Silver Lake and Silver Lake Sand Dunes. All summer long I have to deal with the pain of living near not one, but two beautiful lakes, and have to withstand the agony of gorgeous sunsets and priceless views. I can hardly handle it. To make matters excruciatingly worse, we have several outstanding restaurants and bakeries that endlessly call my name. I don’t know how I even survive it all.
One place in particular is pretty special to my family. Once known as Village Ice Cream when it was under the ownership of Gary Dunham, Silver Scoops, now owned by Derrick and Andrea Woodland, has become pretty iconic in our little speck on the map.
For the past 10 summers, at least one of my children has been employed here. Needless to say, I have spent more time here than most anyone who isn’t an employee or owner! There have been countless trips for ice cream or dinner, and many seemingly endless nights waiting for the kids to get all their crap done inside so I can hurry up and go home and get to bed. It’s been a decade full of lessons, experience, friendships, and sometimes frustration.
One thing is consistent, however, and that is good things to eat. Some menu items are gone that I miss so much, like the sandwiches. They were so good! At the same time, new things have come along, specifically the smoked meats that are just amazing, especially Derrick’s smoked brisket. Last summer I ate more brisket there than I probably have in my life. It’s just that good. I keep suggesting they make a brisket taco, because their brisket with their guac and salsa on a tortilla is just perfection. However, right now your options are brisket nachos, and a brisket sandwich, which are both delicious.
Silver Scoops has many lunch/dinner options, as well as many ice cream options. Hard serve, soft serve, dole whip, vegan, flurries, floats, malts, shakes, sundaes, and more! Scoops is THE place to be when you get back from the dunes and you need something to hit the spot. My personal ice cream favorite is the Bananas Foster Cheesecake Flurry. It has vanilla soft serve, cheesecake pieces, grahams, caramel, and bananas. I’ve already had way too many since they’ve opened this season. Its my weakness.
If you haven’t visited Silver Scoops, you are missing out! They have a new covered eating area this year, and plenty of outdoor seating! They occasionally have live music as well. You can visit their Facebook page and view their menu by clicking this link Silver Scoops
Dole float with pineapple and strawberry Dole whip. These are amazingly refreshing:
Today I got half brisket, half chicken nachos. I haven’t tried the chicken ones yet, so Doug hooked me up. The chicken has a little bit of a spicy kick to it, which is perfect for someone like me who loves spicy food. 
My favorite, Bananas Foster Cheesecake flurry. Best thing ever. You must try it.
This one is some sort of sundae with peanut butter and brownies! I cannot have peanuts, so it’s not mine, but my daughter’s. It’s one of her favorites.
Spicy deep fried green beans with homemade ranch. These are SOOOO good! (Excuse the bonus side of brisket. Doug knows what I like, haha!)
Just one of my girls enjoying her superman cone (with sprinkles and a cherry, every time)
Brisket Sandwich and fries. I must have all the sauces always with my fries 🙂
The amazing Apple Pie Sundae. The apple pie comes from Woodland Farm Market, which will be reviewed in another post, another day. They are one of my absolute favorite bakeries, that I highly recommend. Best pies, tarts, and apple fritters!
Merten’s Farmhouse Market and National Asparagus Festival!
For those that don’t know, I live in asparagus country, literally! Oceana county is considered the asparagus capital of the nation, as we are one of the leaders in the country for asparagus production. We take it quite seriously here. In fact, we have an entire festival, complete with parade, queen pageant, food competition, and 5k in honor of asparagus! That’s happening this Saturday and Sunday, June 11th and 12th. Come on out!
To be completely honest, I’ve *gasp* never liked asparagus. Like, at all. This bothered me, because I love to love food. I don’t like it when I don’t care for a food that’s nutritious. To be fair, when I would have it served to me when I was younger, it was always very mushy and gross, and left much to be desired. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize I really enjoy it served many different ways, just not mushy and slimy.
I was asked if I would like to be a judge in the Taste of Asparagus food competition coming up this Saturday, and I nearly jumped out my chair with excitement. HECK YES I WOULD. In fact, anyone that wants me to judge any food, anywhere, you just go ahead and reach out to me anytime, and I will be all over that. Just no peanuts. Allergic. Boo.
You can guess I’ve been gearing up for this taste testing. I attended the Asparagus Queen Pageant over the weekend, where Merten’s Farmhouse Market provided snacks. There were these absolutely amazing asparagus and artichoke danishes, as well as asparagus cookies. That’s right, cookies with asparagus! I have to admit I was a little nervous, but excited to try them. Last year, Hansen Foods entered and asparagus cake in the competition, and it was flat out delicious, so I was more open minded to this asparagus-in-dessert idea than I had been before. There were small chunks of asparagus, as well as raisins in these cookies, and they were oh-so-soft and delectable. I could not get enough of them or the danishes.
When I left there, I knew I had to head out to Merten’s farmstand this week to see what other tasty asparagus creations they came up with.
Every time I head out there, I’m a little overwhelmed with choices. I always want to buy everything! There are lunch options, pies, pastries, cookies, and you can even purchase meat that was raised on their farm, as well as honey, syrup, coffee, ice cream treats, and more! During the harvest seasons, fresh produce is available as well. I told myself I had to act in moderation, and snagged some asparagus wraps, made with ham and cream cheese, as well as a honey mustard asparagus pasta salad, and a cherry cream cheese danish, which had nothing to do with asparagus, but a girl needs her sweets.
The wraps, while pretty basic, were perfect. They weren’t tough or stringy, and had the right balance of all the ingredients. The pasta salad was tangy and refreshing. Of course the danish was amazing. I would expect nothing less.
These folks know how to create some awesome asparagus dishes. I shouldn’t be surprised, because Lindsey Merten never disappoints when it comes to creating wonderful food. Last year, she baked all the cupcakes for my oldest daughter’s wedding, as well as all the buns to go with dinner at the reception. I am usually very type A, and take on way more than I can handle. It takes a lot for me to hand over cupcake responsibilities, as that’s a specialty of my own. I knew I was handing it over to a pro, though. Not only are her cupcakes delicious, but she has countless combinations for cake flavor, fillings, and frosting options, and her prices are very fair.
I highly recommend everyone head out to Merten’s. It’s located at 230 E Polk rd. It’s a little bit out of the way of town, but completely worth it! To find more information about Merten’s farmhouse, click on the following text: Merten’s Farmhouse Market
For more information about the National Asparagus Festival, and to find out more about how to enter your food, click on National Asparagus Festival or visit them on Facebook. Bring me your favorite asparagus dishes!
Cupcakes below were ordered from Merten’s for my daughter’s wedding. They did a fantastic job. The lemon with blueberry filling was my favorite!!
The Homestead Restaurant and Bakery
Hey Everyone! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve reviewed anything. I’ve been quite busy, and the couple of times I’ve ordered somewhere with the intention of doing a review, I ended up disappointed, and didn’t want to be completely negative. I don’t want to write a review that’s more negative than positive, so I give those places another chance later, in case it was just a bad day for them. We all have bad days.
There’s been a lot of chatter about this new place in Whitehall called The Homestead. It’s located where The Dive used to be. I’ve seen post after post about how great they are, but I haven’t had the chance to get down there when they’re open, as they close at 2pm. I’m always drooling over the pictures of their many baked goods, or delicious breakfast and lunch items. This week they posted their special, a Monte Cristo sandwich, and I knew I needed to make it happen, as it’s one of my favorites.
I remember years ago, when Bennigan’s was open on Alpine Ave near Grand Rapids. They had the best Monte Cristo. It was battered and deep fried, and sooo good. Many that I’ve had are ham, turkey, and cheese between 2 pieces of french toast. That just doesn’t hit the spot for me. So when I saw the post for this one this week, I knew I had to try it.
Being completely transparent, my colleague picked this up for me a couple hours before I got to the office, so I had to rewarm it. I was not going to be in the area today, and she was, and offered to get them for us girls at the office. She also grabbed cinnamon rolls and a delicious chocolate chip cookie/brownie combination. I was a little concerned that I would compromise the integrity of the sandwich by warming it up, but it was still very, very good!
The sandwich consists of roasted turkey, Bavarian ham, and colby jack cheese on molasses bread. It’s then battered and deep fried, dusted with powdered sugar, then served with freshly made black raspberry preserves. This is a top notch sandwich. You need to bring your whole appetite, because this is a filling meal in itself. If it was this delicious warmed up, I can only imagine how heavenly it was fresh out of the kitchen.
I will definitely be eating at The Homestead more often! I cannot wait to try the sticky buns next *drool*.
Sandwich Battle – Lakeside Coffee/Smoothie/Bagel Bar
Throughout May, Lakeside Family Fitness Coffee/Smoothie/Bagel Bar in Hart is holding a sandwich battle. Let me tell you, it’s pretty intense! We have Team A, the smoothie bar team, which is Austin and Kelsey, and Team B, the kitchen team, consisting of Travis and Beth. The competition is fierce!
For the past several weeks, there has been a lot of hype about this contest every time I venture in. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the smack talk going on whenever Travis walks out of the kitchen. I’m telling you, the staff there is not only great at what they do, but they’re fun as well! It’s always good conversation when I’m picking up my lunch or drink.
Before I tell you my personal verdict, let me tell you a little bit about Lakeside. They are located in the back of Lakeside Fitness, next to La Probadita (another day, another blog post….soooo good). They have an ever-expanding menu lately. They have enormous salads with anything you want on them, New Yorker bagels, bagel sandwiches, waffles with all the toppings, and new parfaits, either protein pudding or yogurt base, with all sorts of add-ins. The kitchen is always thinking up new, awesome menu items. Travis has many more ideas in the works as well! At the bar, they have an expansive smoothie and shake menu, from fruity and refreshing, to rich and chocolatey. There are also a ton of Tea Bombs and coffees to choose from. It’s so hard for me to decide what I want most days!
So back to the battle of the bagel sandwiches. Sandwich A and B have a lot of similarities. They both have bacon, balsamic aioli guacamole, tomato, and spinach. The difference in the 2 is that A has roasted turkey and cheddar, and B has smoked turkey and pepper jack. You can get them on your choice of bagel, and they have a lot of choices! I told Travis to pick what he thought was best, and I ended up with garlic bagels, which complimented the other flavors well.
My favorite part about sandwich A was the cheddar cheese. The sharpness really went well with the rest of the sandwich.
With sandwich B, I love that they used smoked turkey, as I far prefer it over roasted turkey. I also love the kick of the pepper jack.
The toppings on the sandwich made it feel very fresh. I prefer to have some sort of green as well as tomato added to any sandwich or burger to offset the richness. Those things, combined with the amazing sauce, really made all the elements balance out.
That being said……Sandwich B is my winner!
I’m going to add, though, that I honestly would love sort of a combination of both, by adding the cheddar to Sandwich B, along with the pepper jack. If there were fresh jalapeno slices, that would be a bonus as well, because I like spicy!
So congratulations Travis and Beth, you’ve got my vote! Don’t hate me Austin and Kelsey, I love yours too!
Go out and try them for yourself, and let me know what you think! Lakeside Family Fitness and Smoothie/Coffee/Bagel Bar
Big Hart Brewing Company
Not reviewing the beer today, sorry!
While I’m not a beer gal, by any stretch (but would take a good amaretto sour any day!), I AM a huge fan of food, if it isn’t already obvious. Leslie Hansen is the owner of this place, along with Hansen Foods, the local grocery store, and he knows good food!
I ordered one of my 2 regular lunches from there, the cheeseburger. Over the past few years, I have a constant hankering for cheeseburgers for some reason. On this particular week, they had poutine on the menu as a special, so it’s a no-brainer that I got that too. There’s just something about fries, cheese, and gravy that I cannot say no to. It’s like a Klondike bar for me, if you catch my drift. Was it the best decision I could have made? Probably not. I’m in a wedding in 6 weeks, summer is coming, and should really be making better choices right now. Between being swamped with work, continuing cold weather, and general compounding stress, food is always the constant comfort through it all, but I digress.
While Big Hart has a smaller menu than some other places, what they lack in variety, they make up for in quality. My absolute favorite sandwich is the Brisket Cheesesteak. It’s massive and so flavorful. They have this one perfected for sure. Sautéed mushrooms and onions, horsey sauce, pepper jack, on a brioche bun…perfection all the way. However, this time I got the cheeseburger, since I was getting a large order of poutine, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance at finishing that. Not that I could find room for the burger, either. This was definitely a day where I overestimated myself, oof. You’ll see a pattern in my cheeseburger orders. Ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and pepper jack cheese, are the staples for me. Depending on where I go, I’ll add grilled onions, haystack onions, fried jalapeno caps, or whatever that particular place offers. This day, it was the basics.
The burgers here are always great. Seared and a little crispy on the outside, juicy inside, like a burger should be. They are pretty huge, too, and come with their house-made chips. You can add brisket or pulled pork for an upcharge, but I was definitely not down for that today with adding an order of poutine! Speaking of, WOW, this was pretty fantastic! The gravy used tasted more like a thickened french onion soup, and since that is my favorite soup ever, I thoroughly enjoyed it. They have very good fries on their own, and adding the gravy and cheese to them just took them to another level completely. Hopefully this is added as a full time menu item at some point, because they would be a hit!
If you’re in Hart, and you’re looking for a place to enjoy some incredible food, and brewery-made beer, wine, and spirits (they make several!), check out Big Hart Brewing Company. Let them know I sent you! Link —> Big Hart Brewing Company
Stuffing my face with Carniceria La Conasupo Taqueria El Paisano
It’s no secret to anyone close to me that Mexican food is on the top of my list of food I want to eat at any given moment of the day. We are very blessed in my area to have several Mexican restaurants with authentic Mexican food. None of that Taco Bell nonsense. All of them will be on my blog at some point, so stay tuned!
Today I decided on Carniceria La Conasupo Taqueria El Paisano for lunch. If this place goes by a shorter name, please let me know, because that’s a mouthful! This restaurant has the largest variety of Mexican food in our area. The menu has everything from breakfast foods, to tacos and burritos, to sopas, gorditas, tortas, various soups, and a lot more! Their prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get in your meal. It is located inside of a small grocery store, with an amazing meat counter. They have delicious homemade tamales and guacamole in their cold case, which I’ve gotten several times! Every time I go there, I’m waited on by the most friendly staff. I’ve never had a negative experience.
My order today consisted of their chicken flauta meal, chips, and their spicy guacamole. This was my first time trying their flautas, and they did not disappoint. They are twice the size of flautas I have ordered anywhere else. Each one is made up of 2 corn tortillas, and filled with deliciously seasoned, shredded chicken. They’re topped with sour cream and cheese, and comes with a side of beans, rice, and a blend of lettuce, tomato, and onion. The flautas were cooked perfectly, and the chicken inside was perfectly seasoned and moist. They were very filling! I’m never overly wow’d by beans and rice anywhere. I usually just mix them together, dump some salsa on them, and scoop it up with chips. I enjoy them, but it’s not like it’s something I get super excited over. It is no different here. I’m just in it for the main dish. I DO get very excited over good guacamole, though. You can get it spicy, or not spicy there. I always opt for caliente! If you don’t love jalapenos, this is not for you. Go for the non-spicy, because this has a good bit of heat to it, and a lot of jalapenos.
Other dishes I’ve had from here that I enjoy, are the gorditas, tacos, and the carne asada y 2 sopes. They have family meals that are so affordable and delicious. I have brought 2 of my teenagers to the office with me, and fed all 3 of us until we were stuffed, for under $30. Check out their menu here. Carniceria La Conasupo Taqueria El Paisano
A couple people have told me I need to include a picture of myself. Who on earth would want to see me stuffing my face? At any rate, here is my lunch, as well as a bonus photo of my face-stuffing. One day I may graduate to videos, but…baby steps.
Introduction, and review of Kristi’s Pour House
Why Food Reviews?
Hi friends! Thanks for visiting my blog, and listening to me ramble about food! If you know much about me at all, you know that food is nearly an obsession for me. I love to prepare it, serve it, and mostly EAT IT. I always dream of having my own restaurant or bakery, or being a food critic. In fact, every time I’m out and about having a meal, I create a whole food review in my head as I’m eating. I’m a bit of a weirdo. I was brainstorming with a colleague and mentor the other day, and he said to me “Mindie, WHY aren’t you doing this?!”, or something to that effect. And I thought, why am I not???
Living and working in and near small towns, we have a ton of family owned restaurants that have so much to offer. I love to try new things, but also find comfort in the familiar, consistent goodness of certain foods as well. So, I’m going to be reviewing restaurants local and semi-local to my area, from Ludington to Whitehall, and throwing other meals in that give me tingles when I’m eating out of the area. I am going to be very honest. If I don’t care for it, I’m going to say it. If I absolutely love it, you’ll know it. I may even throw in an occasional recipe!
Link to Kristi’s Facebook Page
Today I hit Kristi’s Pour House in Hart. My usual there is a cheeseburger with pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno, ketchup, and mayo, or a club sandwich (they’re huge!!). I also very much enjoy going there on all-you-can-eat perch nights. Kristi’s has very large portions, at a great price. They also make a great margarita. The service is always friendly and welcoming. Link to Kristi’s Facebook Page
Today I ordered a Reuben Sandwich because it’s still March, so I figured why not! When I order a Reuben, I expect it to be corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss, thousand island, grilled on some kind of rye bread. When I opened this up, it appeared to be corned beef, swiss, sauce that tasted like honey mustard, and what seemed to be a pretzel sub bun. Today was probably not the best day for this for me, as I just had oral surgery very recently, and my mouth and jaw are not 100% yet. The bread is very delicious, just tough. After coming to terms with the fact that it was going to take work to chew this, and consoling myself that I won’t be like this forever, I really enjoyed this sandwich. The corned beef was tender and not dry, and the slaw that comes with it compliments the sandwich well, since it doesn’t have the cabbage element of sauerkraut. I wasn’t sure how I felt with the first bite, but by the last bite, I was very happy with it. Not your typical Reuben, but a very good corned beef sandwich.
Bonus mini-review of Lakeside Fitness Smoothie Bar. I frequent this place far more than I would like to admit to anyone! Right now I’m in love with their Mocha Melt Protein Shake. I tweak it by adding banana, and having them make it with chocolate protein mix and chocolate almond milk. It’s divine! They have amazing smoothies, shakes, and teas. They also have great food, but I will save that for another blog post! Link to Lakeside Fitness
Since probably 25% of all photos on my phone are of food, I’m including a bonus photo of the Club Sandwich I order from Kristi’s fairly often.
Is there a restaurant you want me to try? Let me know!
