Meeting #4: Comensoli's Italian Bistro & Bar (12/8/12)

10:11 AM |

The Foodventurers chose to dine at Comensoli's Italian Bistro & Bar for the final foodie club date of 2012 on the evening of Saturday, December 8th (and at 6:00pm to be exact).  The Core 5 members were in attendance - Amber, Deidre, Lindsey, Ray, and Sophie - as well as Noheya, who served as a Junior Officer at this meeting!  ;-P


The atmosphere and decor of the restaurant were quite lovely.  However, the tables were very close together where we were dining and when another party was seated next to us, it felt a bit crammed.  Our server was friendly, but a bit on the slow side when it came to bringing out drinks and the checks. 
 
Madame President calls the meeting to order.
 
Lindsey thoughtfully ponders the menu.
 
Ray wonders why he is the only one at the table that watches Vampire Diaries.

 
No appetizers were ordered on this visit.  Complimentary bread was served and came out warm and often after the initial basket was delivered.  However, we found it odd that the bread wasn't served with anything.  Perhaps some butter or some oil for dipping?  Maybe without having to specifically request it?  (Some pre-packaged butter was brought to the table when we asked.) 
 
Drinks:
 
Amber and Lindsey both ordered the Italian Strawberry Soda, which only rated a meh.  Deidre was also disappointed in the wine-by-glass selection, but said she was excited to sample from the impressive martini menu on future visits! 
 
Soups/Salads:
 
Deidre, Lindsey, and Ray each ordered a house salad with their entree.  The Italian dressing is HIGHLY recommended - delicious!  Amber and Sophie both ordered the Wilted Rose soup with their meals and enjoyed it.
 
The Wilted Rose soup - also highly recommended.
 
Entrees: 
 
Amber:  Crab Stuffed Ravioli in a Vodka Sauce - 7
Deidre:  Crimini Ravioli - 10
Lindsey:  Crab Stuffed Ravioli in a Vodka Sauce - 7
Ray:  Exotic Mushroom Pasta - 9 ("But heavily underseasoned - I added lots of salt and pepper")
Sophie:  Crab Stuffed Ravioli in a Vodka Sauce - 7  (Sophie also commented that her entree was underseasoned) 
 


 Crab Stuffed Ravioli in Vodka Sauce.  The striping on the ravioli was neat.
 
Desserts:
 
Amber:  Peanut Butter Cup - 6
Deidre:  Lemon Torte - 4
Lindsey:  Pumpkin Cheesecake - 6 (clearly not made in-house, though) 
Ray:  Molten Chocolate Cake - 4
Sophie:  "Lemon Bar" aka The Server Had No Idea What This Was - 3.75
 

Pumpkin Cheesecake
 
"Lemon Bar" aka Unknown Dessert (with hint of lemon)
 
Our overall impression of Comensoli's is this... fill up on appetizers, salads, soups, and entrees... everything we had in those categories... delicious!  However, their desserts are sub par... so skip dessert all together or go somewhere else.
 
Service Rating:  7
 
Overall Experience Rating (for this visit because it seems that everyone is willing to give the food another chance):  6.43 (an averaging of all ratings)
 

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #4 Minutes by Lindsey

11:33 AM |


The Foodventurers

Meeting Minutes
December 8, 2012

I.                   Call to order
a.   Amber called to order the regular meeting of The Foodventurers at 6:00pm at Comensoli’s Italian Bistro & Bar where we gathered for Saturday evening dinner.

II.                Attendees
a.     Amber
b.     Deidre
c.      Lindsey
d.     Noheya (Junior Officer)
e.     Ray
f.      Sophie

III.             Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting
a.    Lindsey distributed the minutes from the previous meeting – and on festive orange paper, too!  Minutes were reviewed by Amber, Ray, Sophie, and Deidre and were approved with no edits.  Once again, Martell – our beloved sloth-y mascot – was not in attendance at this meeting!  ;-P

IV.             Open Business
a.    The group had some t-shirt business to discuss.  Lindsey documented everyone’s preferred sizes for a unisex tee.  The group all seemed to agree on the dusty purple shirt color that Deidre was playing around with a couple of weeks ago.  Everyone liked the dinner plate, silverware, napkin kind of theme for a logo, but Sophie also suggested looking into something involving wine glasses or a bottle of wine.  The group voted to only have the design be on the front of the t-shirt. 
                                               i.  Amber stated that she plans to get on the website to play around with some design concepts soon as well.
b.    Kyrai was unable to attend tonight’s meeting due to unavailable childcare.  Ricky was informed of the meeting, but lives his life “off the grid” – so it is unclear if he will ever be joining us.  ;-P
c.     Feeding.

V.                Meeting Highlights
a.    We had a special guest this evening!  Noheya joined us for dinner and took some fabulous photographs, too!  J

VI.             Restaurant/Food Establishment-Specific Notes
a.    The server was friendly, but a bit on the slow side.  It took too long to get the drinks and for her to come back with the checks.  Also, it was weird that she did not know what one of the desserts on the dessert tray was when she presented it to the table.  Sophie ordered the dessert item that she seemed unsure about and it definitely was not what she described.
b.    The restaurant is quite lovely inside, but the tables where we were seated were a little crammed together. 
c.     This restaurant shines with regard to the appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees – superb.  However, skip the desserts as they are subpar. 
d.    The bread came out hot and often once our server brought the first round.  However, it really should be served with something – butter or oil for dipping. 
e.     Amber and Lindsey both had the Italian Strawberry Soda, which was only meh.  Deidre was somewhat disappointed by the wine-by-glass selection; however, she is excited to return and try out the impressive looking martini menu! 

VII.          New Business for Next Meeting
a.    We have all been using and enjoying the official Facebook group for The Foodventurers!  Continue to use it and use it often.  ^_^
b.    Madame President created a document on the group page – a master list of the restaurants for us to visit on future foodie club dates.  Please reference this document and feel free to post reactions to restaurants listed or ideas for other places that should be added to the list. 

VIII.       Other News
a.    Sophie is very close to being halfway done with her post-doc internship! 
b.    Ray is now reaping the rewards for his hard work applying to internship sites – the interviews are rolling in, Folks!
c.     Deidre and Lindsey have been beastin’ it at the gym lately! 
d.    Deidre and Noheya are opening up their home to Lindsey, Greg, Amber, and Jon next Saturday, December 15th for a My Little Pony Friendship is Magic viewing party!  Everypony is so excited for this lovely event! 

IX.             Notable Quotes
a.    Ray:  “I’m getting a little more confident slash aggressive in my dining experiences.”
b.    Lindsey:  “I’ll just keep looking at my salad and you guys mime.”
c.     Deidre:  “So, speaking about our thing…”
d.    Lindsey:  “Please let me put blood on your neck!”

X.                Adjournment
a.    Meeting at Comensoli’s Italian Bar & Bistro was adjourned by Madame President.
b.    Ray once again volunteered to create a Doodle in order to schedule our next tasty meeting, which will be the first of the New Year! 


Minutes submitted by:  Lindsey
Minutes approved by:  TBA upon further edits

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #3: Bravo! Restaurant and Cafe (10/21/12)

10:50 AM |


Amber, Deidre, Lindsey, Ray, and Sophie all met up for an official Foodie Club brunch at 11:00am on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at Bravo! Restaurant and Cafe:  http://www.bravokalamazoo.com/

The restaurant was hustlin' and bustlin' at this time, so it was a good thing that we made reservations!  

This is a really nice place, inside and out.  Plenty of seating, though somewhat tight out in the middle of the floor - so we were pleased when we were seated at a corner table.  It felt more private.  And let's face it - we can get a little bit rowdy and/or inappropriate, so being away from people is a good thing, haha.  :-)

We went for Sunday Brunch, which is served buffet-style.  Each person pays the same amount and then you can serve yourself from an array of breakfast items, salads, breads, dinner entrees and side dishes, desserts, and beverages.  While the $18.95 per person seemed a bit steep at first, this did include access to a wide variety of food and drink... even alcoholic drinks... hello, Mimosas!  

Food highlights:  the build-your-own-omelet bar, mini waffles, bread pudding, and white chocolate mousse

Overall Ratings:

Amber - 8
Deidre - 7
Lindsey - 8
Ray - 8
Sophie - 8


Our server was kind enough to snap a picture of The Foodventurers!
From left to right:  Lindsey, Ray, Sophie, Deidre, and Amber

*Please refer to the official meeting minutes published below for more restaurant impressions and comical quotes

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #3 Minutes by Lindsey

10:06 AM |


The Club Formerly Known As “The Foodie Club”
And Henceforth Known As “The Foodventurers”

Meeting Minutes
October 21, 2012

I.                   Call to order
a.    Amber called to order the regular meeting of The Foodventurers at 11:00am at Bravo! Restaurant and Café where we gathered for a delightful Sunday brunch.

II.                Attendees
a.     Amber
b.     Deidre
c.      Lindsey
d.     Ray
e.     Sophie

III.             Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting
a.    Lindsey distributed the minutes from the previous meeting – and on splendiferous green paper, too!  Minutes were reviewed by Amber, Ray, Sophie, and Deidre and were approved with no edits.  Unfortunately, Martell was not in attendance at this meeting and thus was unable to provide any feedback this time.  ;-P

IV.             Open Business
a.     Madame President raised a motion to adopt an official name for the group – The Foodventurers.  This motion was passed unanimously by all members present.
b.     Briefly discussed interested new members – Kyrai and Ricky
c.      Feeding

V.                Meeting Highlights
a.    Lindsey volunteered to take meeting minutes again and will upload them to the official group blog upon completion:  http://foodieclubblog.blogspot.com/
                                                              i.      Remember that all members are free to publish things on the group blog.  The user name is linzy101182@aol.com and the password is foodieclub.
b.     Also, our server was kind enough to snap a fabulous group photo!
c.     Two words:  Stellar Mimosas 

VI.             Restaurant/Food Establishment-Specific Notes
a.    We received good, friendly service and were seated at a nice corner table.
b.    The group was impressed overall by the quality and variety of the buffet-style brunch.  We especially enjoyed the omelet station and the mini waffles!  Though, it was noted that there could have been more light and/or vegetarian options available.  The menu was quite heavy and there was a lot of meat. 
c.     Best desserts:  Bread Pudding and White Chocolate Mousse

VII.          New Business for Next Meeting
a.    We officially have a Facebook group for The Foodventurers!  Use it.  Use it often.
b.    The idea of having an official Foodventurers t-shirt has been proposed and Lindsey has started playing around with some concepts on CustomInk.com.  There is a need to discuss ideas for the shirt design – things like t-shirt color, potential logo, names or nicknames on the back, etc.   

VIII.       Other News
a.    Sophie, our pre-doc intern extraordinaire, provided an update on her new life at Michigan State University’s Counseling Center in Lansing. 
b.    Ray is going through the internship application process this semester.  At this time, all of his application materials are submitted and now he is playing the waiting game.  We all wish him the very best of luck! 
c.     Deidre shared some very exciting personal news! 
d.    Lindsey and Amber have been watching a lot of My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic and now refer to themselves as Pegasisters.
 ;-P 

IX.             Notable Quotes
a.    Ray, referring to the Seafood Salad:  “That looks like it’s swimming in a bucket of mayonnaise.” 
b.    Sophie, talking about her mini waffle:  “That whadn’t no Eggo!”
c.     Deidre:  “And please let it go on the record that Ray has agreed to drop his pants for me.”
d.    Sophie announces that she has been thinking about getting a cat for her Lansing apartment.  Ray:  “You say that like you’re buying a lamp.”  Lindsey:  “But it’s gotta match the couch!  And the cat stays with the apartment, as do the appliances!” 
e.    Sophie:  “I am now a Spartan.  I’ve shed my Bronco identity.  Lindsey:  “Yeah, that doesn’t take long – just leave for a couple days.”
f.     Deidre:  Get the phone!  Get the phone!  Ray:  “That was nervous.” 
g.    Amber, referring to Deidre’s phone case:  “I’ve been wanting to touch that for the past ten minutes.”
h.    Lindsey, doing the word vomit gesture as she says this:  “I can say folks, but as I say it… I’m like, this isn’t me.”

X.                Adjournment
a.    Meeting at Bravo! Restaurant and Café was adjourned by Madame President.
b.    Ray volunteered to create a Doodle in order to schedule our next tasty meeting.


Minutes submitted by:  Lindsey
Minutes approved by:  Amber, Deidre, Ray, and Sophie (12/8/12)



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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Impromptu Foodie Club Meeting at North 11 - 06/01/12

10:19 AM |

Deidre, Sophie, and Lindsey decided to meet up for an impromptu meeting of the Foodie Club on Friday, June 1st at 8:00pm.  Amber (aka Madame President) was also supposed to meet us, but took an "accidental nap" instead.  ;-P

Our restaurant of choice this time was North 11 in Kalamazoo:  http://north11.com/  It was a Friday night, so the restaurant was busy, but not overly crowded.  This place is located in a strip mall and doesn't look like much from the outside, but don't let that fool you.  The inside is great... as was the service.  Both the waitress and manager were very friendly and attentive.


Appetizer:

Asparagus and Eggplant Frites - Lightly battered asparagus and eggplant frites; topped with truffle oil and parmesan served with Romesco sauce  (10)

We loved this!  Not greasy, not too much breading, cooked perfectly, and great seasoning!


Entrees:

Sophie:  Gourmet Mac and Cheese (Four cheese macaroni loaded with garlic, ham, scallions, roasted red peppers, and herbs) with a House Salad (8)

Deidre:  California Style Rueben with turkey, coleslaw, Swiss and Colby-jack on rye and asparagus (7)

Lindsey:  New York Style Rueben with corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island on wheat with vegetable medley on the side (7)


Dessert:

All three of us ordered the Creme Brule (3)

Let's start with the positives... you get a lot of dessert for the price and the flavor and texture was good.  We also appreciated the addition of the fresh blackberries on top.  However, it was painfully obvious that the whip cream wasn't homemade.  And even worse - while the top looked good - it was soft!  When you tapped the top, there was no shatter!  This was disappointing.  There were also warm and cold pockets throughout the dessert.  Deidre thought it was a bit "eggy" and called it "flan brule."  I think we each ate *maybe* half and none of us would order it again.


Drinks:

SUPER impressive martini menu!


Lindsey:  Luau Martini (9)


They put Gummi Bears at the bottom of their drinks!  A fun, sweet surprise!  :-)

Restaurant Atmosphere:  8
Service:  10
Overall Experience:  7.5  (We would come back.)

Notable Quotables:

"She's like a chihuahua..."  ~Lindsey
"We get it, California."  ~Lindsey impersonating Ray talking to Sophie
"It's not like a let's break into this shit kind of thing." ~Deidre about the disappointing Creme Brule
"I just feel like the creme brule has an identity crisis right now and I just wanna help it."  ~Deidre
"This is the first time I've ever lied." ~Lindsey after telling the manager that the dessert was good
"I mean, I'm hilarious - but she didn't have to laugh."  ~Lindsey

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

YoGo Delites - An Amazing New Offering on Westnedge

10:37 AM |

A new frozen yogurt shop opened just two weeks ago on Westnedge next to Kumo's. Let me just say, this is a perfect dessert after a sushi meal next door!


Walking in, I was a bit startled to see the unique chair and table set up. The interior feels modern, creative, and lighthearted. Also, they offer free wifi! The set-up is very similar to White Velvet in Portage, and I can't help but compare and contrast the two. YoGo is much larger and has more yogurt and topping options. Otherwise, they are very much the same. You select between a small cup, large cup, or a waffle bowl. Price is determined by weight.

The attendant explained to us that they offer over 100 different flavors, so the in-store flavors change every week. Each yogurt machine contains two flavors and the center lever creates a swirl of the two flavors.


The topping station offers an impressive array of goodies.


The refrigerated section contains fresh fruit and boba. If you have ever had bubble tea (although it is unpopular in this region), boba are the little balls you find in the drink. They are like little bursts of juice when you squish them in your mouth.

In the end, I decided to go for a summer-oriented combination. I selected a swirl of strawberry and mango yogurt and then topped it with fresh strawberry, mango, and mango boba.


Delicious, 9 out of 10!

There is something decidedly Californian about YoGo Delites. But I think what really matters is the great frozen yogurt, fantastic variety, and fun atmosphere. Do yourself a favor and drop by for a treat sometime!

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Posted by Foodie Fairy

Welcome to Cambodia

3:54 PM |

Fellow foodies, I give you fried silkworms. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. Crunchy on the outside, nutty in the inside. Made by yours truly at Casa Rath.

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Posted by srathgowski
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