If you’re like me, you love pizza.  If you’re like me, you love local pizza.  So I thought a good way to start off this three part series would be a comparison of two great pizza places in Kalamazoo: Bimbo’s and Bilbo’s.  The purpose of this series is not to determine the superiority of one aspect of Kalamazoo to another, but rather to give our readers the kind of help they need in varying their morning, afternoon, or evening experiences in the city.  Kalamazoo has a lot to offer; let’s check it out.

Bimbo's Modest Storefront

Bimbo’s Pizza is downtown at 338 East Michigan.  If you’ve ever walked past Olde Peninsula, you’ll see that Kalamazoo has plenty of restaurants the further east you go, including Coney Island, Ouzos’, and Monaco Bay.  Bimbo’s menu sports very little other than pizza; under “sandwiches” are listings like “ham” and “turkey,” so I imagine that the non-pizza foodstuffs aren’t their strong suit.  Despite that, the pizza, if a little pricey, is excellent.  The soft, thin crust and fresh toppings are good, but don’t really compare to the sauce, which is clearly homemade and deserving of some kind of reward (if only the Kosmo gave out awards…).  The aesthetic of the restaurant’s interior is great too.  There are some old fashioned high-booths with large tables in the middle, always crowded on Friday and Saturday nights.  Bimbo’s also boasts their superiority in a storefront preparation area, where employees toss dough back and forth and make their sauce by the gallon.  The whole establishment is understated.  My only complaints are that Bimbo’s is cash-only (there’s an ATM inside) and that they don’t deliver.

Bilbo’s, unlike its downtown counterpart, is a little bit out of the way at 3307 Stadium Drive.  While this may deter the unadventurous college student, worry not, Bilbo’s will deliver your pizza to you at no charge (other than the expectation of a tip for the driver).  Also unlike Bimbo’s, Bilbo’s doesn’t pretend to be anything but a pizza joint: if there’s something other than pizza on their menu, they supplement it with pizza (pizza sandwiches, stuffed pizza, etc.).  Bilbo’s sports some very thick crust, fluffy and filled with air, rather than the thin, concise crust at Bimbo’s.  Here, you can choose between white and whole wheat crust; I chose wheat because I’ve never had such an option before; truly delicious!  Bilbo’s is also a little pricier than some of the mainstream joints and you get a little less (quantity, not quality) than you do for a comparable Bimbo’s price.  Despite that, there’s certainly a reason why Bilbo’s had the money to expand to a second location at 6202 South Westnedge in Portage.

Me, I’m a thin crust guy, and I’d rather walk to get my pizza than have it delivered to me.  So for my buck I’d choose Bimbo’s, but the whole wheat crust and free delivery charge from Bilbo’s makes it a difficult decision.  In the end I feel good supporting either establishment, since both are locally owned and operated.  It all boils down to how you’re feeling the next time you’ve got some extra cash and a rumbling stomach.

Check out Kalamazoo Comparisons, Part 2: Downtown Drink Deals next week.

Rustica is a charming restaurant from the get-go, sporting a unique storefront on the Kalamazoo Mall; obvious, yet understated.  The bicycle logo relates that this European cuisine will be more attuned to the romantic parts of the continent, that of Italy and Northern France, rather than the robustness of fine Greek food (such as that which is served at Ouzos or The Blue Dolphin).  In true European fashion Rustica adorns their front window with a complete menu, including the wine list, the diversity of which is intriguing and inviting.

Like other European-flavor Kalamazoo dining, Rustica is a small space with tightly packed tables.  I should have made a reservation; there was only one table available when I arrived.  The diners were mostly elderly townies who frequented restaurant openings as though they were art exhibitions.  Since Rustica had only been open for a month, I was surprised to hear my host/waiter ask me if I had dined there before.  I was seated next to the dessert station, separate from the kitchen, which turned out to be a delightful locale.  The dessert chefs were clearly aware of their proximity with the customers: they wore their chef duds proudly and only dabbled with pleasant smelling cookeries.

Rustica offered an interesting array of appetizers.  The cauliflower gratin and Rustica Salad were certainly the least impressive parts of the meal, but this was probably because of a poor wine choice on my part.  The wine itself was delicious, Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, but it overpowered the meatless starters.  Also interesting was the use of the wine aerator, something which I’ve used before but never seen used in the official capacity at a restaurant.  I was poured my taste of wine after it was aerated.

Bread from Roland’s Bakery was served between firsts and the main course, a plate of Potato Gnocchi served with buttered squash in a light butter sauce.  I’ve never eaten sautéed potato pasta, only boiled, and the difference was startling.  The main was delicious and complemented well even with the medium red wine.

The chef of Rustica is Adam Watts, who has worked at the absolutely phenomenal Tapawingo, a four-star restaurant in Ellsworth, Michigan.  Although certain dietary restrictions disallow me from reviewing the restaurant in full, my partner tells me that their experience was of equal quality.  The wine list is as extensive as one would expect for a restaurant which boasts “European cuisine,” and the beer list pays homage to some of the better beers of the world (and Michigan) at the sacrifice of the more conglomerated breweries of Wisconsin.  (That is not to say that Wisconsin does not also have some excellent microbreweries.)  The beer list also boasts some charming quotations which remind one not to take beer quite as seriously as wine, although some would chastise me for saying so.

The mains of Rustica are mainly seafood-oriented, but there is plenty on the menu which accommodates other tastes.  Generous portions and prices to boot make Rustica the premier European dining in downtown, and perhaps greater area, Kalamazoo.

Rustica is located at 236 Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.

To whom it may concern:

Short’s Brewing Company,

Bellaire, MI

I just wanted to thank you for your Soft Parade High Gravity Ale, as I sit here alone on this cold winter’s night succumbing to its aromas, wrapped in a fleece blanket holding myself tight.  I think: summer ale in the dark sacred confines of winter months?  Who am I to say when to what potions may quell the lonely demons inside?

It’s all Jim’s fault, really.  The question of the only beer to give a good wine a run for its money had come up in an earlier conversation that afternoon over steamy music, as I step into my car and wait the five minutes it will take for my defrost to make driving even a remotely safe possibility.

I peer through beautiful crystals of cracks and spangles resting comfortably amongst the fog, as I peel around the corner and up the hill to Tiffany’s.  Amongst the plethora of lovers, my decision is brief as I lunge for the sunset pink carton with redhead on front, slumbering peacefully in a silken hammock.  I am with that woman now, curled up underneath the April sun, music playing, book in hand.  We discuss butterflies, slip wafer crackers into each other’s mouths, pausing only to look at each other, and smile.

I love her, this woman on the package and the bottles of Soft Parade, the nameless restless beauty resting under the warm breath of the sun. What song can I sing to her?  What melody dare pierce her serenity buried so beautifully under her wavy assumptions of hair, the tips wrestling in the soft breeze that comes by, toying with the leafed pages of her book.  I wrap these tips around my finger.  She loves me though she pays me no mind as I bend down to kiss her burning like a small child dancing in a bed of leaves.

She glances over and says “Shoo!” blowing me away like a candle.

Who is this spirit?  Is she a friend of yours? Why does she now sleep? Is she weary?  Forever have I known her, but forever may she be nameless in my heart.  I love her, but to hoard her would be to withhold a most precious gift from under the tree of living love.

So please, free her to spread whimsy about the world, for her to fly about sprinkling the golden dust of sunshine upon the drudgery for the poor soul trudging through the deep snows to obligations and matters of personal interest.

Should you see my love, however, please give her this message from me, for when I uttered these words to her, she fled, not in tears, but upon the wings of a great swan headed South to Tucson.

farewell,

Thomas Gilchrist

Kalamazoo, MI

The time I have spent defending Tiffany’s Wine Shoppe to friends as more than a just a liquor store finally paid off at the opening night of Zooroona Restaurant and Lounge, a new middle-eastern restaurant in the Tiffany’s Village Plaza on W. Main.  With a long standing appreciation for Tiffany’s deli and selection of cheeses, olive oils and middle-eastern delicacies such as Turkish delight, I was looking forward to seeing what the Mandwee brothers (who own both establishments) would do with a restaurant. I was not let down.

Just stepping in the door transports you entirely away from the strip-mall atmosphere. The central floor space has scattering of intricate lamps above dark tables, backed by a mural and flanked by raised booths with cushion seating around low tables that manage to feel both romantic and comfortable- as though you were having a firelit date in your living room. I appreciated the option of curtaining the booth: it is a bit like being in a department store window. A private corner table is hidden behind a panel of old wooden doors, a touch I found charming. The lighting was bright enough to see your food, but didn’t sacrifice the cosy, intimate quality of the booth. Our service for the evening was friendly and prompt, and with impressive menu knowledge for the first night.

To get the most for the least, so to speak, I recommend gathering some friends and sharing. The appetizer platter for 2-3 comfortably served 4, and at $30 for the plate plus an entree or two to share, you have a $10-15 meal that lets you sample at least 7 or 8 different options. Only the chicken wings disappointed—  an appeal, I guessed, to the stereotype of the skeptical Midwest palette, they were a goopy oddball among otherwise expertly crafted Middle Eastern standards such as kibbeh and falafel, panfried patties of lamb and garbanzo. Ask if you can swap them for something else. The highlight of the “Mazza Collection” (appetizer platter) was the dolmeh: melty-soft grapeleaves stuffed with rice and vegetables. Lemon juice tempered with olive oil lifted the dark, woodsy flavor of the seasonings, and paired with the thin, tangy yogurt sauce, it was an experience akin to walking barefoot along a mountain stream.

The house tray dinner option offered less variety than the appetizers and uneven quality. The dry, rotisserie-cooked shawermah-style beef and chicken options were a let down next to the outrageous juiciness of the chicken kafta kabob, seasoned ground-chicken on a skewer that’s as succulent as an advertisement for a burger might promise. The beef and lamb kabob was a handful of seasonings and a bun away from being that burger: tasty, but the chicken was my first choice. I didn’t sample the lunch menu, but it is competitively priced with area Middle-Eastern restaurants at 6-7$ a sandwich. A kabob wrap would be perfect paired with the chicken lemon rice soup, a bright, creamy wake-your-mouth-up soup that’s a nice warm-up to a meal. Alternatively, try Zooroona’s take on the classic house salad—no dressing options, but you don’t need them with this crunchy, easy to eat, breezy mix of Syrian cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers over mixed greens.

In summary: a great date spot if you bring some gum to combat the garlic breath you’re sure to leave with, romantic and affordable. Perfect for medium sized groups. Keeping my fingers crossed for Zooroona’s success. Hours: Mon-Thurs 11-10pm, Fri-Sat 11-11pm.

One note: despite the word “lounge” prominently displayed on the sign, there are no alcoholic beverages on the menu. Looks like you’ll have to head over to the Tiff after dinner and get one of their endlessly knowledgeable employees to pick out a wine for you.