Midwest Guest

Made in the Midwest: Here are a Few More of our Favorite Things

Tim and I are deep in to holiday shopping and came up with a few more "Made in the Midwest" shopping suggestions for your gift lists:

Are you near a larger city? Many Convention and Visitors Bureaus have nice local shopping sites highlighting local boutiques, small businesses and other places offering locally made products and services like the site for Columbus, Ohio which I highlighted in a recent blog here and, one of my favorites, Detroit's fab shopping section.

Visit Detroit's shopping section includes a few of my favorite places for Detroit themed gifts like City Bird in Midtown Detroit and the Pure Detroit stores in places like the Fisher Building and the Guardian Building (where I purchased Tim's City of Detroit coffee mug last year). The Detroit Shoppe also has an outlet in Troy's Somerset Collection near us where you can also get Detroit-branded wear and gifts.

Call up "pure Detroit" at Amazon and check out some cool things like a Michigan Midwest Mitten T-shirt that pictures the state with the Great Lakes and the site tells me is "designed and printed with pride in Ann Arbor, Michigan".   

 

 

In a pickle when it comes to choosing a holiday gift? There are plenty of options here in the Midwest when it comes to getting a few cool pickle-oriented gifts!

Framed and signed hot dog buns at Tony Packos riverfront location

We often head on down to Toledo in Ohio for great pickles and relishes at the in-house stores at the Tony Packo's Restaurants on the riverfront near the Mud Hens ball park downtown. Our favorites at Packo's include the classic pickles and peppers, and Tim is a big fan of Packos' relishes like the mustard relish for using with hot dogs. We also like the "Super Charged Chili Recipe" if we want to spend a little more time to make our own spicy pot of chili at home. We ordered a Packos gift pack with pickles and relishes to send to one of Tim's siblings a year or so ago, and it was a real hit!

 

 

Sechler's in northern Indiana is another favorite when it comes to pickles, especially when it comes to sweet varieties like the sweet orange strip pickles. We've visited the Sechler's factory store a couple of times and bought a ton of pickled goods like some of the more off-the-wall varieties that I prefer like pickled hot cauliflower.

Pickle bar at Sechlers in Fremont, Indiana

 

 

 

Want some more pickles? Try heading to a hardware store in the Midwest! I found another favorite pickle brand at a small meat butcher in Carmel, Indiana...I picked them up on a whim after the clerk raved about them, and I've since shopped for them at hardware stores in Chagrin Falls (Ohio), Put-in-Bay (Ohio) and at several hardware stores near where Tim's father lives in Grand Rapids (Michigan). The pickles have a unique spicy punch and, as their Web site proudly proclaims, the product is "Proudly Made in the USA" (in this case, the product comes from Indiana and western Michigan). Now that I've discovered a little more about Rickle's online, I really want to find, and try, some of the company's pickled asparagus!  

 

 

Speaking of spicy, if you like spicy spears, Detroit's McClure's Pickles should be especially to your taste. We can find them all over town, including at Detroit's great outdoor farmers market (Eastern Market), local produce stores and major grocery outlets. Out of town? No problem as you can find the company's classic garlic dills, sweet and spicy pickle chips, pickle relish and a great Bloody Mary mix at Amazon.    

 

 

Check out my most recent post for more Made in the Midwest suggestions that include more chili, some sweet cherry goodness and some crunchy pretzels to help fill up your pantry!

Do you have any other Midwest favorites I missed? Let me know as I'll be adding more Made in the Midwest suggestions in upcoming posts this month.

Made in the Midwest (a.k.a. These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things!)

With all of the talk floating around this year about "jobs" and how politicians aren't doing enough to preserve and promote jobs in this country and how they should punish those who send jobs elsewhere at the expense of our own friends, neighbors and local businesses, I'd like to take a more positive tack by encouraging others to support, and buy from, Midwestern businesses.

So, I'll be posting a few short lists of suggestions for your holiday shopping consideration over the next couple of weeks.  

My most recent shopping expedition was to the Miners Den, a local jewelry store where I've shopped for years and that creates a lot of nice pieces in-house. For the record, I grabbed a great deal on a Fordite pendant for myself.

Illness in the family forced me to do more of my shopping online in recent years, but I make it a habit to search out local and indie places throughout the Midwest when I'm shopping online as well. The most recent package that arrived here was from Gwen Frostic's paper goods place in Benzonia (Michigan), which I promptly wrapped and put under my tree!

So, if you need to do a little shopping online, take a look at a few of these places if you're in the market for a real Midwestern holiday:

Tim and I both love shopping at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, Michigan and made sure we made an online stop at the store for a couple of gifts for his dad, a cousin and for ourselves. Our purchases this year included all sorts of cherry goodness that include dark chocolate covered cherries, milk chocolate covered cherries and sour patches (my favorite from their candy department). I've had good luck shopping their retail stores, ordering online and placing my orders by phone. I placed my most recent Cherry Republic order via phone to the Glen Arbor store, which is a 5-hour drive from here, and it arrived here in metro Detroit the next evening!    

 

 

We're also big fans of Skyline Chili, which is a Cincinnati favorite. It isn't readily available outside of Ohio, but you can easily grab some of the canned version online. They have 4-can and 8-can packs, and if you have an Amazon Prime account, you order them and have your own Skyline dinner in a couple of days. We had Skyline 3-Way meals, with the chili over spaghetti and smothered with grated cheese. Tim skipped the hot sauce, but I opted for some of that and a beer as well!

 

 

I discovered Dot's Homestyle Pretzels earlier this year when I heard a couple of folks rave about them. Problem is, they're from North Dakota, and I've yet to find them here in Michigan. Again, you can managed readily find them on Amazon, and I've already ordered them a couple of different times. These are hearty pretzel twists with a unique mustard-style taste.

 

 

Check back here soon for more Midwestern gourmet goodie suggestions and some other non-food gift suggestions!   

Made in the Midwest: A Round-up of some great home-grown and homemade products

As I see more and more stories about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and shopping until I drop, I'd love to remind folks to make the extra effort to support their Midwestern neighbors and their businesses by shopping locally and buying local products and services.

I asked some fellow Midwestern travel bloggers for some suggestions, and here are some fun ideas for creating a real Midwestern holiday as you shop for your loved ones...or just if you want to grab a little something for yourself this holiday season!

Exploration of The Wildbird Shack in Mt. Prospect Reveals Locally Made Items and Sense of Community-Mel urges readers of the A Little Time and a Keyboard blog to check out a cute local store in the Chicago area as they shop for seeds and other supplies and help their local avian friends weather the winter. Even as the temperatures plunge, The Wildbird Shack is a warm and welcoming place, as well as a community center for bird lovers that highlights local product and the store's own special blends of seed and other feed.

Anderson's Candy Shop (Barrington)-Working up an appetite while feeding your feathered friends? Mel says to stop by this local candy company in suburban Chicago and get a treat for yourself! Anderson's is a three-generation family business with gorgeous house-made chocolate treats in more than 30 different flavors with creamy, crunchy, chewy centers and more. Mel particularly Anderson's chocolate-dipped ginger bars and tells us that the Barrington store also participates in the town's Wine Walk events.

Made in CBUS-The Experience Columbus Web site devotes a lot of space to highlighting local dining, attractions and shopping for folks heading to Ohio's capital city for a few days. The city takes a special pride in their local businesses that include independent restaurants and locally owned boutiques, many of which offer locally made product created by Columbus artisans, craftspeople and designers. Columbus is #3 on a list of Fashionable Destinations from USA Today, and recent ranked as top Midwest Destination for visitors. Columbus has a number of special shopping districts in town like Short North Arts District and German Village, and these are just a few things you can learn more about at Experience Columbus. 

Motor City Brew Tours-If you're a beer drinker and live near Detroit as I do, you know that the Motor City has a wealth of great local brews! Aimee West tells us that Motor City Beer Tours put together a package that includes a gift certificate, a Detroit Beer Book (why have I yet to see this one?) and a few other tools like a can koozie and coaster to help you experience your tasting tour knowledgeably and in style!

Holen One Farms and Preferred Popcorn from Nebraska-Check out Gretchen's story at the Odyssey Through Nebraska blog to find out about a couple of companies owned by Nebraskans  who create and package local food products to sell at fairs (like the State Fair where Gretchen discovered them) and other outlets. Holen One Farms offer a range of grilling products like marinades, dipping sauces and seasoning rubs to help you put a little zip into your meals (Gretchen and her family like their Java Rib and Roast Rub). Gretchen also discovered some zippy microwavable jalapeno popcorn from Nebraska's Preferred Popcorn, which is a company run by several Nebraskan farm families.

Holiday Adventures with Adventure Santa-Cindy shares a story about a couple in Minnesota who created a toy and book combo to help share holiday adventures with the jolly holiday fellow  and your children while spending time together! Baking cookies? Cutting down your own Christmas tree? Or creating a new holiday tradition with your family? This is a fun way to get  your children involved and using their own imaginations to help create holiday happiness! Check it out at Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.

More ideas about regional holiday products, services other things Made in the Midwest? Share them here or let me know as I'll continue to share more ideas this month about how you can support local sites and businesses as you complete your holiday shopping!

Where I Live: Supporting Forgotten Harvest's August 19 Benefit to Drive Hunger and Waste Out of Detroit

Viewing vintage vehicles while sampling some of our area's tastiest new cuisine strikes me as one of the best ways to enjoy Detroit's legendary Dream Cruise, that and the chance to support one of my favorite charities is what brings us back year after year to Forgotten Harvest's Cruisin' to Drive out Hunger party.

I remember Forgotten Harvest's humble beginning in 1990 as a group tackling two tough problems: ending hunger and rescuing potentially wasted food in the Detroit area. The group operated with a few panel vans and volunteers, and I remember donating to their first drive to purchase a refrigerated truck in the early 90s. Today Forgotten Harvest fields a fleet of "Harvey the Harvester" trucks that cruise around Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to deliver food to nearly 300 agencies like emergency food panties, soup kitchens, senior centers and others who feed the hungry and make pick-ups from businesses and other groups that donate their excess food to help feed folks.   

The Woodward Dream Cruise had similarly humble beginnings. It started as an idea to raise some funds for a local soccer field in Ferndale, Michigan in 1995, and the event quickly morphed into the world's largest one-day automotive event (although locals will tell you it actually spills through to most of the summer) in the world. Today it draws something like 1.5 million people to watch as 40,000 classic cars travel to the cruise from around the world each year.    

The Forgotten Harvest party is a lot of fun (see previous article here about it in 2012, 2011, 2010 with images from previous years), but we never lose sight of the fact that it is a major component of the charity's ongoing effort that averages rescuing more than 3.4 million pounds of food each month to help address food insecurity in the area. That amounts to an equivalent of 40.9 million meals each year.

It's also impressive that Forgotten Harvest earns a four-star rating (nine years in a row) from Charity Navigator, which helps potential donors by publishing current information about rated charity's financials, accountability and transparency.

Join us on August 19 for Forgotten Harvest's Crusin' to Drive Out Hunger party at Berkley's Westborn Market. Tickets are $150, but it will be the best $150 you can spend this year!

Dream Cruise fans should also check out the new Woodward Dream Cruise app for the iPhone or iPad. You can keep up with the latest Cruise-related events, check out the event's Facebook page or check out a massive gallery of classic car images with the app. Best of all, it's free!

© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for June 2016

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Remembering Red Wings Legend Gordie Howe-Detroit hockey fans mourned the death of Red Wing legend Gordie Howe in early June. Farlane shares an overview of Howe's career with the Wings (which dated back to the 1940s) from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Check it out at the Michigan in Pictures blog. Long-time Wings fans (Tim and I included) all seem to have some sort of personal memory of Howe and remember him for his love of the game, respect for the fans and, especially, the joy he showed interacting with his youngest fans. Truly a class act!

An historical stay at the Old Mission Inn-We've visited the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, Michigan many times, but we've never stayed at this inn. Even so, I especially enjoyed reading about Ted's visit here and about the inn's history. Check it out on the Traveling Ted blog.  

Sky-high Chicago-This is a nice photo essay about one of Glenn's favorite cities, which includes, as the title promises, some sky-high views of the city. We "met" early in my own blogging days when Glenn was sharing many of my stories about Ohio and we were both comparing notes about our favorite hockey teams! Check out the story at the Travels In Progress blog.

Chicago's Advantages-Aaron lists some of Chicago's most distinguishing and positive features, which he says includes its beautiful lake front with an endless string of parks and (one of my favorites) the city's fantastic architecture. Check out Aaron's list at his eponymous blog, and let him know what you like most about the city.

Midwest Travel Experts on 50 Best Coffee Roasters You Need to Know-It's obvious that Jessie loves coffee, and she shares this list of some of the best coffee roasters in the Midwest that she put together with the help of other coffee lovers in the region. Stay awake on the road! Check out this list at the Wandering Educators blog.

Schuil's in Grand Rapids, MI

Little Indiana: Jasper County Torchbearer for Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay-I wrote about Indiana's Bicentennial Torch Relay earlier this year as planning for the state's 200th started switching into high gear. Jessica offers readers an inside track on the relay as she recently learned she is one of the torch bearers for Jasper County! Check out her at the little Indiana blog. (Also be sure to check out Jessica's newly published guide book to small-town Indiana).

Tour a Lustron Home in Columbus-I love vintage architecture and home furnishings. Tonya takes readers on a trip through time to tour a vintage Lustron home on display at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Lustron company produced these pre-fabricated homes of porcelain enamel and steel just after World War II to house veterans returning home at the end of their military service. The house reminds me a bit of the then-futuristic Dymaxion House, built of stainless steel during the late 1940s, on permanent display at The Henry Ford Museum here in metro Detroit. Check out the Lustron display at the Traveling Praters blog.   

7 Amazing Experiences you wouldn't Expect to have in Ann Arbor, Michigan-but totally can!-The home to University of Michigan has the sort of vibrant foodie scene and great museums that you expect to see a college town, and we're lucky to live within an hour drive from this southeastern Michigan town. We love this list that includes some Ann Arbor favorites like Zingerman's family of foodie businesses, the cool and retro Fleetwood Diner and Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. Check out Mary's post at the Traveling Mom blog.

Kelsey Museum of Archeaology

On Top of the World at Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine, Wisconsin-We've visited many lighthouses along Lake Michigan, although we've yet to really explore the light stations on the lake's western shore in Wisconsin. We hope to rectify that one of these days, but meanwhile, I'll enjoy this story about the Wind Point light at Racine with its expansive Lake Michigan views from Mel at A Little Time and a Keyboard blog.

Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center: An Attraction in Itself-A visit to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center offers the chance to pick up travel information about North Dakota, but Connie found that it also offers the opportunity to get a photo taken with the wood chipper made famous in the movie "Fargo". Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.

Valley City Historic Bridges Tour: Exploring Bridges over the Sheyenne River-Here's a second story from Connie this month as I don't see many posts about North Dakota cross my desk and I'm a big bridge fan. Find out about several different spans in Valley City (about 60 miles west of Fargo in eastern North Dakota). Check it out at the Midwest Wanderer blog.  

Oz Trivia in the Great Lakes State-Did you know that author L. Frank Baum lived in Chicago and summered with his wife and family at Lake Macatawa near Holland in western Michigan? Kath looks at Baum's "Wizard of Oz" book series, the classic movie and possible connections to people and places at his summer home in Michigan. Check it out at the Great Lakes Gazette blog.

One Tank Trip: Wooster, Ohio-Wooster is a cool college town in northeast Ohio. We've driven through the area more than once and most recently visited Lehman's in Kidron (I agree with Charity that this retro department/hardware store is pretty incredible!). Hoping to head back to the area soon and check out some of the sites mentioned in this story. Check it out at the I heart ( ♥ ) Cleveland blog.

The Dayton Arcade-We're familiar with Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor and I only recall seeing a similar architectural arcade in Cleveland, so I enjoyed Ronny's story about this arcade, now sadly abandoned, in Dayton, Ohio. Check it out at the Queen City Discovery blog (and a bit of an update about a possible new life for the arcade).

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for May 2016

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

20 great spring drives-I love Beth's round up of scenic drives throughout the Midwest. I have fond memories of traveling along the North Shore of Minnesota, where we visited Gooseberry Falls many years ago, and the Illinois section of the Lincoln Highway, where we managed to get as far as Joliet a few years ago during some heavy construction. The list concludes with the suggestion of traveling through northwestern Michigan with a stop at the Mission Point Lighthouse, a stop we've made many times ourselves. Check it out at the Midwest Weekends blog.

 

 

A Little Swedish Utopia on the Illinois Prairie-Scandinavian immigrants have a rich history and presence in parts of the Midwest like the Swedish enclave of Bishop Hill, which is about 150 miles southwest of Chicago. Terri finds plenty of great food, learns about the history and culture of the Swedes and enjoys some quality time with Pippi Longstocking! Check out her story on the Off the Beaten Page blog.

20 years of Pasty Central and the Pasty Cam-We're lucky enough to have a great, and pretty authentic, pasty place a couple of miles from our home in metro Detroit (Barb's in Clawson). If you want to learn more about these hearty meat-and-vegetable pies that are pretty much the official food of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, check out this story by Farlane at the Michigan in Pictures blog and see some of the UP miners who helped popularize pasties here in Michigan.    

30 Things to do in Columbus, Ohio-We've driven through Columbus several times, but we've definitely missed a lot by not making time to visit Columbus itself! I think touring the Ohio state capitol and stopping by to see the manatees at the Columbus Zoo or, if its hockey season, taking in a Blue Jackets game to see if any players I remember from our old Plymouth Whalers days (like Jared Boll or Sonny Milano) take the ice for Columbus would be fun. Read Karyn's story at the Sand and Snow blog.

Weekend Getaway Guide: Athens, Ohio-We loved visiting Athens, home to Ohio University. The college campus isn't far from the Hocking Hills area, and it's a beautiful place to visit as a photographer. Ohio history, early 1800s architecture, a thriving foodie scene and more...what's not to like? Check out Heather's story at the Ohio Girl Travels blog.

 

 

Detroit Agate: Auto Factory Paints Accidentally-People who me well, know about my affection for wearing jewelry made of unusual "rocks". Check out this story of an especially intriguing variety of Detroit "rocks"-Fordite! I've wanted a necklace made from a piece of Fordite for ages (Tim-yes, that's a hint for Christmas). Meanwhile, check out this Urbanist-authored story about Fordite at the Web Urbanist blog. 

Why you don't want to miss an Early Morning Walk at Maumee Bay State Park-I enjoy walking the boardwalk trail at Maumee Bay State Park. The easy terrain along the two-mile trail is accessible and a great way to see the meadows, swamp and marshes at this Toledo-area nature center while viewing the birds, deer, butterflies and other wildlife along Lake Erie. Check out Tonya's story about this trail at The Traveling Praters blog. 

National Center for Nature Photography at Secor Metropark-We loved visiting the National Center for Nature Photography at Toledo Ohio's Metropark when it reopened after a lengthy closure for renovation a couple of years ago. The center has plenty of rotating exhibitions and displays images that continue to inspire others and educate aspiring nature photographers. Check out Bob's story about the center and its current exhibits at the TrekOhio blog.  

 

 

Top 15 Best Architects in Detroit History-Detroit's architectural wonders never cease to amaze me, and it's great to see so many of my favorite Detroit architectural gems in Dale's round-up story at the I Love Detroit Michigan blog. Check out this article to learn more about architects Albert Kahn, C. Howard Crane, Eliel & Eero Saarinen, Minoru Yamasaki, Louis Kamper and others beloved by fans of classic Detroit architectural history.

On Magee Marsh's Famous Boardwalk, I Spotted Warblers, Blackbirds and Kenn Kaufman-We've enjoyed visiting Magee Marsh multiple times ourselves. Check out Betsy's report on this northern Ohio wildlife refuge and this year's Biggest Week in American Birding activities at her beesfirstappearance blog.

 

Quirky Attraction: The Indianapolis 500 Museum-Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that we love visiting car museums, so I loved seeing Scott's story about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. We went to an Indy 500 race many years ago, and I have memories of the parades, venturing into the crush of the infield and the streaks of color zooming by as cars circled around the track, but the museum looks like a great place to more fully appreciate the history of the iconic race and cars through the years. Check out the story at The Quirky Travel Guy's blog.

One of the best Places to Visit in Minnesota for Savoring Gourmet Cheese-Shanna takes readers to The Cheese Cave in Faribault, Minnesota. Sandstone caves under the hills near his southern Minnesota city started out by housing beer and barley for a German beer making business starting during the 1850s before Prohibition put a stop to that operation in 1919. Subsequent owners repurposed the caves as a place to age cheese. Check out Shanna's story about it at A Midwest Travel Companion blog.

Be sure to also check out Shanna's recent guest post at Midwest Guest about some of her favorite places to visit, shop and eat in Grand Marais on Minnesota's north shore along Lake Superior!

Tuesday Trivia: New Navy Pier Ferris Wheel Statistics-Chicago's new Centennial Wheel debuted last month. I remember the outsized Ferris wheel being pretty impressive when we saw it more than half-dozen years ago, but the new Centennial Wheel looks even more impressive these days if the list of stats I saw for it is any indication. Check out the story about it at the Chicago Architecture blog.

8 Ways to Celebrate Vernors' 150th Birthday-Vernors is an iconic and uniquely memorable Detroit ginger ale. This snappy yet sweet soft drink is definitely one of our favorites! Vernors is the oldest continuously produced soda pop in the country...isn't it time to give it a try? Check out Heidi's story at the Experiences in the D, Visit Detroit's blog. I'm pretty fond of an ice-cold Vernors simply on the rocks, but I admit having a special place in my heart for Boston Coolers (a Vernors-and-vanilla-ice-cream drink!).  

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

Want more Midwest news and links? Subscribe to my bi-monthly Midwest Guest newsletter!

© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved

Exploring Cincinnati's Findlay Market

We love farmers markets, and I love this trip that Jessie Voigts shares with readers here at Midwest Guest. It makes my mouth water just looking at these images and reminds me that it has been way too long since we last visited Cincinnati, Ohio! Check out what Jessie found at the Findlay Market!

The one thing I always try to find when I travel? Great markets! There's something about the markets that teaches you much about a place - maybe it's the friendly people, who care about the food they share. Maybe it's the essence of being in a place - you discover the area through what is important at the market. And maybe it's just the great food - always a given! 

We recently visited Findlay Market, in Cincinnati, Ohio. We'd been scoping out the Second Street Market in Dayton (love the bread from Rahn's), and a friendly barista in the downtown Boston Stoker coffeeshop pointed us south to Cincinnati. Only an hour from Dayton, this was doable. We went the day before it officially opened for the season, so it was not packed and several vendors were not there yet. I also asked about the mustaches everywhere - yes, it's for the baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. 

Mustaches everywhere at Cincinnati's Findlay Market

  Come the weekend, it would NOT look like this:

The structure of Findlay Market is beautiful and historic - it's an iron-framed building that is rare to see. There are a few streets surrounding the main building that house excellent shops and restaurants, making it a several-block complex. The tower bell is rung at the start of each market day. The market consists of several buildings: the Farm shed, store fronts, an open market (on the two side streets), the market house (in the old, original building). 

This tile floor welcomed us to the main building:

The history of Findlay market is interesting - it's Ohio's oldest surviving municipal market house, and dates from 1852 (!!). It is located in Over-the-Rhine, a renowned downtown neighborhood. General Findlay was an important part of Cincinnati's history - an early settler and entrepreneur, he was also the mayor, established a public library, was elected to Congress, and also served as a Major General of the State Militia's first division. His wife, Jane, was also an important civic player, even residing in the White House to help her niece, Jane Irwin, assist her father-in-law, President William Henry Harrison, by providing First Lady duties.

But once you go, you'll see why countless visitors come to shop - and eat - at Findlay market. It's brightly colored, making you smile. There are plenty of parking spaces, and there's a city-wide bike sharing system if you want to get there that way. The streets bracketing the market on two sides are pedestrian-only. There are tables for picnicking, and the entire area is handicap accessible.

     And the food... take a look at what we discovered at Findlay Market.

We loved the delicious smoked meats at Eckerlin Meats - and discovered a local delicacy - Goetta. Let me tell you: TRY IT. It's worth a trip to Cincinnati just for that! And the people are SO friendly and kind. My favorite store at the market!

and enormous dog bones! 

Olives galore at Silverglades

Gelato at Dojo Gelato

Bouchard's

more olives

  fudge!

  cookies and tarts and macaroons, oh my!

did someone say crepes? 

and a sense of humor: sid and snuffleupagus in vegetable form

        let us meat your needs

  fresh vegetables and fruit

  a Vietnamese cafe

Findlay Market details:

Hours:

The market is open Tues-Friday 9am-6pm, Sat 8am-6pm, and Sun 10am-4pm
Note: Not all merchants are open every day. Please check the website for details. Some merchants are open on Mondays.

Location:

1801 Race Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
http://www.findlaymarket.org/

Parking:

There are pay meters all around the market, including in some lots and on the street. The parking is very inexpensive - 50 cents per hour, first hour free on the weekdays, $1 an hour on the weekends, 2 hour minimum (that will NOT be a problem).

Get inspired:

https://www.instagram.com/findlaymarket/
https://twitter.com/FindlayMarket
https://www.facebook.com/FindlayMarket

Merchant categories include:

•     Weekend
•     Farmers Market
•     Artisan Gifts
•     Baked Goods
•     Beer & Wine
•     Catering
•     Cheese & Dairy
•     Delivery
•     Desserts & Chocolate
•     Flowers
•     Fresh Seafood
•     Meat & Poultry
•     Prepared Foods
•     Produce & Organic Produce
•     Specialty Groceries

 

 

Jessie Voigts is the publisher of WanderingEducators.com, and loves travel, eating, and coffee (they go together!). All photos courtesy and copyright Wandering Educators

 

Eats in Ludington, Michigan

One of our favorite ways of exploring a new (to us) destination is by finding new, unique and local places to eat...and our recent trip to Ludington, Michigan gave us a couple of great ways to learn more about the town and its culture.

We find where we'd like to have a meal or spend a bit of time by reading travel sites, articles, checking out Yelp, asking locals and, one of our favorite ways of exploring, by just following our noses!

We arrived in Ludington cold, not really knowing much about life in Ludington that didn't revolve around the busy summertime tourist season. Many places close for the winter, making checking out some of the well-loved summer favorites impossible.

We soon found, however, that there were plenty of places where we would find a warm welcome during a cold January.

Here, then, is where I celebrated my recent birthday weekend!

Jamesport Brewing Company

The warm pub-like atmosphere and cold, craft beer made for a perfect dinner after a cold day of exploring the beach at Ludington.

Jamesport opened in 2000 and continues to keep its pledge of "helping Michigan's economy, one beer at a time!" by creating about a dozen and a half (at last count) craft beers that include traditional- and German-style beers for its James Street restaurant.

 

 

Jamesport Brewing Company is in six-storefront complex in downtown Ludington, with the first part of the complex built in 1890 and subsequent parts of the complex built in 1892 and 1905, giving the restaurant a vintage vibe of a long-established eatery in the center of town.

Our friendly server offered to bring me a couple of samples when I asked about the beers so that I could taste the brews before ordering. He took the time to find out the type of beer that I liked and we found a winner in the pub's Altbier, traditional German-style amber, although I also enjoyed the sample of Koelsch, a lighter golden brew that he brought me to try.

 

 

Customers who want to take their time deciding can always get a flight of beer and enjoy a few apps with it.

We opted for a couple of hot pretzels with, what else, bar cheese dip before heading straight to the entrees for dinner.

It was a cold night, so comfort food it was for us!

Tim had a heaping helping of classic Michigan Lake Perch with fries, while I ordered the Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese. Both left us debating about a making return trip during this short stay in the city, but we stuck to our plan of eating at a different place each day and putting Jamesport on our list for a return trip during the summer season.

 

 

Summer diners can enjoy dining on a covered outdoor patio, and weekend often brings live music to Jamemsport.

The Q Smokehouse

Both Tim and I are big fans of barbecue and decided to try one of Ludington's newer eateries for dinner on my birthday.

The Q Smokehouse opened in September of 2015 offering a variety of barbequed and smoked proteins and Southern-style sides in a casual diner or for take-out.

 

 

David Diephouse earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management at Grand Rapids Community College and worked in restaurants for 15 years before opting for a change of careers and landing in Ludington to work as an electrician!

He met his soon-to-be wife in town when he worked as an in-house electrician for the Harbor Terrance Condos for a couple of years.

His wife, who has an engineering degree from Michigan Tech and a master's in accounting from Grand Valley State University, knew about Diephouse's deep-held desire to have his own restaurant and encouraged him to follow his dream in Ludington.

Diephouse spent time developing his concept of a barbecue place offering a "meat and three" or "meat and two" (an idea common in Southern states where diners choose among daily smoked meat selections and two or three sides) as he searched for a site.

He eventually selected a spot on James Street just down the road from Jamesport Brewery and built a brand new building for his new eatery.

Local folks we talked with seemed excited about the food, even as they questioned the timing of the restaurant's opening in the off-season.

I think it may be the best idea as it should allow Diephouse to get to really know his customers and tweak his menus as he works toward gaining a tavern license before the busy summer season hits.

Diephouse, always on the move behind The Q's counter

We love the emphasis on local sources for product and homemade menu items at The Q Smokehouse, where customers can check the list of local farms, grocery stores and bakeries listed on blackboards hung over the counter where they order food.

Diephouse also used cherry wood and other local fruit wood to produce the unique smoky flavor of his cooked meats. We're big fans of Memphis-style dry rubbed meat and really appreciated Diephouse's approach to offering the meats dry rubbed and smoked so that the flavor of the meat stands out.

Want a saucier entree? You can choose one of the homemade barbecue sauces at the restaurant's self-serve sauce station. We both enjoyed the mustard-and-vinegar based Carolina Sauce and I was a real fan of The Q Sauce, a house-made tomato-based sweet sauce with a little extra spice for heat.

The chicken looked pretty amazing, but we opted for the more traditional chopped pork and beef brisket (which it looks like Tim got the last of that night, judging from the diners who followed us and had to order something else!).

 

 

We both enjoyed our entrees, but I'm making a note to myself to try the chicken next time..."brined, rubbed with the Q's own Simon and Garfunkel rub" according to the menu, it sounds as good as it looked!

I got collard greens and pasta shells with cheese as sides and fresh cucumber pickles, while Tim had baked beans, collard greens and a pickled garlic condiment. Servings were tasty and plentiful, although given our taste for the mixture of hot and spicy foods, I always say that it's a good thing we love each other!

 

 

Choose from Michigan favorites like bottles of Faygo or craft pop on draft from Traverse City. Tim went for a classic orange pop, while I opted for a spicy ginger ale, which was, as advertised!

We decided it was my birthday and that we should try the house-made Key Lime Pie for dessert. Key Lime is one of my favorites, and Diephouse's version didn't let me down as he is also a trained pastry chef.

The restaurant seats about three dozen, although summer plans call for seating in patios in front of the place and behind it.

Diephouse also wants to support the local community. In lieu of tips, he asks diners to toss a bit of change into a bucket at the order counter, where he collected $392 during the January we visited for the local Habitat for Humanity group.

The Q Smokehouse offered the perfect spicy and sweet coda for our day, and we hope to return soon!

© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved

Check out chocolate, bacon and other tasty treats in South Bend, Indiana

Chocolate and bacon? Together? Why not?

At least that was my thought when we recently visited the South Bend Chocolate Company Cafe in South Bend, Indiana.

I'm not a huge fan of bacon, but I couldn't resist trying a couple of pieces of chocolate-covered bacon when I saw it on the cafe's lunch menu.

"It tastes like bacon-flavored candy" the woman behind the cafe's counter enthusiastically assured me, and it turned out to be surprisingly good as I tried a bit of it on my burger and ate the rest as a side to my lunch.

Tim, who likes bacon a lot more than I do, didn't seem too sure about the combo, but he seemed to have no problem helping me eat my order of chocolate-covered bacon.

We originally discovered the South Bend confectioner in one of its franchise locations in Put-in-Bay, Ohio as I looked for a coffee shop where I could get some ice tea on a hot summer day. The Chocolate Cafe outlet had great ice tea to go, and they had a nice selection of sweet treats like a bag of "Crunch" that I bought at the same time.

Fast forward two years...I remembered that original visit to a South Bent Chocolate Company outlet and decided that it sounded like a good place to stop for lunch as we came home from central Indiana last year.

The South Bend Chocolate Cafe boasts of its status as the fastest-growing chocolate company in the nation, even as the company retains its strong roots in the South Bend community and its 10,000-square-foot flagship store and training center in the northern Indiana city's downtown.

Mark Tarner founded the company in 1991 with a desire to make largely locally sourced premium candies and other sweets and offer them at a more reasonable price.

Tarner got his start making chocolates for the University of Norte Dame in South Bend. The chocolate company's first products included university-themed chocolates with names like Domer, Rockne and Nuts for ND.

Today the company has about a dozen locations throughout Indiana, as well as a couple of locations in southwestern Michigan and a few places in Ohio that include the store we visited in Put-in-Bay.

The South Bend Chocolate Company also produces over 500 different types of items these days.

The company's chocolate factory, which employs more than 50 people and is on Sample Street in the west side of town, offers tours to chocolate-loving visitors. The 60,000-square-foot factory offers a basic 20-minute tour for free, and charges $4 for adults ($1 per child 11 and under) for the extended Inside Scoop Tour. (Sounds like a good enough excuse to schedule another visit to South Bend to me!)

We had a great lunch at the downtown store we visited. chocolate-covered bacon and all.

We ordered our burgers and went to select our beverages from a rack that included a bunch of retro drinks like Frostie, Bubble Up and Cheerwine before picking up our order and dining in the cafe.

The menu includes soups, sandwiches, hot drinks and breakfast food. The downtown location invites local musicians to entertain visitors during weekend evenings and during occasional lunch-time performances over the holidays.

The store's gift shop is also a "don't-miss".

We particularly liked the "crunches", which are caramel corn confections that include a variety of flavors and happened to be on sale the day we ate lunch there.

We took home a selection that included flavors like Sea Salt, Summer Crunch, Caramel Apple Crunch and Maple Pecan Crunch...but they're long gone now, so we need to go back soon!

Be sure to check out some of my other stories about South Bend attractions: Visiting Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana; Back to School at Indiana's University of Notre Dame; Indiana's University of Notre Dame embraces "Touchdown Jesus" and Don't Miss the Northern Indiana Center for History.

© Dominique King 2016 All Rights Reserved

Grand Rapids, Michigan eats revisited

We visit Grand Rapids in western Michigan several times a year to see Tim's family, and we have several favorite restaurants that we often visit when we're there.

We increasingly keep hearing about the city's great foodie scene in recent years, so we decided to try several new eateries during our most recent visit for the ArtPrize festival earlier this fall.

Here are a few impressions from our recent culinary adventures in Grand Rapids:

The Electric Cheetah

I've heard many times about this restaurant and determined that this would be the trip where we finally sampled this place on Wealthy St. in one of the older sections of town.

Tim is a real root beer fan, so it was pretty easy to finally convince him that we needed to visit the Electric Cheetah for lunch one day when I told him that the restaurant's offerings included a two-page menu of different types of root beer.

 

 

I heard that the restaurant was pretty popular, so we timed our visit for a late lunch/early dinner during the mid-afternoon of a weekday.

The root beer list was pretty impressive and included draft root beer from the historic Berghoff restaurant in downtown Chicago (a place we've eaten a couple of times over the years).

I was initially disappointed that it was late enough in the afternoon that they were out of the shrimp and grits special, and then vacillated between choosing the restaurant's Mac 'n' Cheese and an Electric Cheetah Grilled Cheese sandwich (with several types of cheese on grilled sourdough). I opted for the sandwich as Tim chose the Rueben Gonzalez (featuring house-roasted corned beef brisket on a pumpernickel roll) because we also wanted to split and order of the fries I'd heard so much about.

 

 

We were not disappointed!

Our server was helpful and enthusiastic about the menu. Plus, the couple seated at the table next to us gave us the hot tip about visiting a (new to us) ArtPrize venue.

You can learn more about the Electric Cheetah at its Web page and connect with it on Facebook.

Marie Catrib's

A friend of Tim's insisted that we needed to eat at Marie Catrib's.

Marie Catrib's eclectic menu offers plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, but meat-meat-and-potatoes fans will also find plenty to like here! The menu draws from several of owner Marie Catrib's culinary influences over the years that include her Lebanese background, time living in the Upper Peninsula and love of experimentation.

Tim's friend warned us that visiting the popular restaurant might mean a bit of a wait for a table.

Again, we timed our visit for mid-afternoon on a weekday and had no problem getting a seat and service.

I love salmon and opted for the Salmon Surprise, which was a maple-ginger salmon with spinach and feta sauce on grilled challah bread, and we split an order of the restaurant's seasoned fries.

 

 

I fell in love with the pickles served with my sandwich and asked our server about them. He told me the restaurant brines the spicy pickles in-house.

Better yet, the restaurant has a small deli next door where you can get the pickles, house-made spice mixes, order entrees, salads and sandwiches to-go or pick up many of the restaurant's cookies, granola or pastries.  

Our server brought us a large deli container of pickles to-go and add it to our restaurant bill, and we luckily travel with a small cooler in the car for just such occasions. The convenience of having the deli right next to the restaurant also makes it possible to grab some goodies to-go from Marie Catrib's even if there is a long wait at the restaurant.

Connect with Marie Catrib's on the restaurant's Web site or Facebook page.

The Bull's Head Tavern

We visited this place, which was within walking distance of our downtown hotel, with Tim's brother Brian.

 

 

Sandwiches, appetizers, burgers, pasta, steaks, seafood and more make a great place for an informal meal or something a little more substantial.

The Bull's Head won first place honors in the Grandwich 2015 competition with the Pulled Bacon Dutch Crunch, a creation of pulled pork bacon belly topped with avocado, lettuce, jalapenos, red cabbage slaw, tomatoes and Dijon Sriracha aioli on a toasted rosemary focaccia bun. Brian opted for the award-winning sandwich, which he said was good.

Tim likes rare tuna (a taste I'm afraid I haven't acquired) and decided to have the sesame crusted sashimi tuna, which he said passed the rare tuna test with flying colors.

Check out The Bull's Head Tavern on the Web or Facebook.

The Pearl Street Grill

We've found it best to stay in downtown Grand Rapids during ArtPrize because it is pretty easy to get around to the competition venues and restaurants by walking, riding the bus or taking a special event shuttle to get around town.

We stay at the downtown Holiday Inn because it is a reasonable price for its location, and parking for the car is included with the room rate.

We've visited the Pearl Street Grill at the hotel, usually for at least one breakfast or, as we did this trip, for a late snack.

We were hungry, but really just wanted a couple of appetizers after a long day of walking around town, plus I felt in the mood for a cold beer on the warm evening.

The Pearl Street Grill had just what we wanted to suit our appetites that evening with a Pale Ale from Grand Rapid's own Founders Brewery, a small pizza and several hot pretzel bread sticks with a beer-cheese dipping sauce.

 

 

Sweet dreams!

Connect with the Pearl Street Grill on the hotel's Web site or the Grill's Facebook page.

Do you have any favorite eateries in Grand Rapids, Michigan that we should check out the next time we head out to western Michigan?

© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved