Meeting #2: Lee's Garden (04/21/12)

9:08 AM |

The Foodie Club chose to dine at Lee's Garden Bibimbop:  Healthy Korean Food in Kalamazoo for this meeting.

Menu

Amber, Lindsey, Ray, and Sophie met up at the restaurant at 6pm.  It was somewhat surprising to find that we were the only patrons on a Saturday evening.  (Though it was actually fun to have the restaurant to ourselves so we could goof around and not get funny stares based on Martell, the slow-ass sloth, having her own chair and menu and posing for pictures with Scooby Doo and Curious George stuffed animals that were sitting on a nearby organ, haha.  But I digress...)  Therefore, we were greeted immediately and got our first choice of table - round, with 5 chairs, and a lazy susan turntable in the middle - convenient for sharing.  The waitress, the only member of the wait staff working, was quick to bring us menus, hot tea, and water.  However, the service steadily declined after that - not good for an empty (and near empty toward the end) restaurant (Service Rating:  3).

Oh, Martell - how we love thee!

Appetizers:

Amber:  Haemul Pajeon, a seafood pancake with shrimp, crab meat, green onions, and carrots - 7
Lindsey:  Mandoo, Korean dumplings filled with vegetables and noodles - 7
Ray:  Kimchijeon, a Kimchi pancake with green onions and sliced kimchi - 4

Mandoo

Sophie and Ray enjoying their appetizers

Entrees:

Lindsey:  Bibimbop - tofu and vegetables over rice (6.5)
Amber:  Bibimbop - beef and vegetables over rice (7)
Ray:  Jobchebop - clear noodles with sauteed vegetables and tofu (5)
Sophie:  Galbeebop - beef short ribs cooked with Korean BBQ sauce (6.5)

Bibimbop with tofu

Overall rating of Lee's Garden experience:  5.75

And as the four of us sat talking, laughing, and digesting - the urge for dessert grew stronger and stronger.  As Lee's Garden did not offer dessert, it was decided that we would need to venture out to another establishment.  Once Sticky Toffee Pudding at London Grill was mentioned - we were all sold on it.  So, we all traveled downtown in search of yummy dessert.  Ray got awesome street parking in front of the restaurant while the rest of us ended up on the top freakin' floor of the nearby parking garage - but wow, what a view of the city!  

Outside the restaurant

Menu

We were seated immediately at London Grill and a complimentary appetizer was brought to the table.  We each ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and something to drink:  Ray had ice water, Sophie had tea, and Amber and Lindsey both had coffee.  

 Appetizer and coffee

The Sticky Toffee Pudding was rich and delicious - definitely hit the spot!  Our rating for it... a solid 8.  

Sticky Toffee Pudding

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #2 Minutes by Lindsey

8:39 AM |


The Club Currently Known As “The Foodie Club”

Meeting Minutes
April 21, 2012


I.                   Call to order
a.    Amber called to order the regular meeting of the Foodie Club at 6:00 PM at Lee’s Garden Bibimbop:  Healthy Korean Food.

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

III.             Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting
a.    Sophie distributed the minutes from the inaugural meeting of the Foodie Club – and on fabulous neon yellow cardstock, might I add!  Minutes were reviewed by Amber, Lindsey, Martell, and Ray and were approved with no edits. 

IV.             Open Business
a.    Decided that we are not yet ready to decide on an official name for the Foodie Club (and we could not make such a big decision without Deidre present anyhow!)  Please continue submitting name suggestions.  Perhaps we can bring a list of potential names to our next meeting for debate. 
b.    Briefly discussed potential new members (e.g., Katherine, Michele, and Brandon)
c.     Feeding

V.                Meeting Highlights
a.    Martell, the official Foodie Club mascot, was in attendance at the second meeting and had her own chair at the table.  It was very exciting for Martell when she discovered two other furry friends at the restaurant – Scooby Doo and Curious George!  Let’s just say it was very nice to have the restaurant to ourselves for most of the meal! 
b.    Lindsey volunteered to take meeting minutes this time around and will submit them to her Blog Manager self upon completion. 
c.     We chose to sit at the one table that had a lazy susan on it, which made it very convenient to share the appetizers purchased by Lindsey, Amber, and Ray and also to take bites of each other’s entrees. 

VI.             Restaurant/Food Establishment-Specific Notes
a.    Plenty of seating inside the restaurant – not that it mattered when we visited as we were the only patrons for the majority of our meal. 
b.    The restaurant is situated on a corner on a hill, making for an odd-shaped parking lot.  Amber and I parked in front of a chain-link fence featuring some brutal-looking barbed wire. 
c.     An offensive beeping sound plays when you enter and exit the front door of the restaurant to alert the staff of your comings and goings. 

VII.          New Business for Next Meeting
a.     Generation of an official name for the Foodie Club. 
b.     Continue discussion about new members. 

VIII.       Other News
a.    Deidre had to be out of town and therefore was unable to attend this second meeting of the Foodie Club.  Condolences to Deidre and her family on the loss of their beloved grandfather.
b.    Ray and Sophie celebrated the class means of their KVCC final exams being a 79 and 80 – much improved over the course of the semester. 
c.     Amber very likely just completed the final draft of her Work Sample paper.
d.    Lindsey will be receiving her Knowledge Competency questions on May 7th and will go right into Work Sample mode after that. 

IX.             Notable Quotes
a.    Ray, very loudly in an empty restaurant, while looking over the minutes from the inaugural meeting of the Foodie Club:  “This is fucking hilarious!”
b.    Sophie talking to herself while taking a picture of Martell with her little slow-ass sloth arm around a stuffed Scooby Doo:  “That’s genius.” 
c.     Ray, while shaking his head, said with disdain:  “Fucking Applebee’s…”
d.    Lindsey:  “Sophie ain’t afraid of no bone.” 
e.    Sophie:  “Spicy chicken – I don’t know why I just said that.”
f.     Ray:  “Oh – have I been abusing substances?” 
g.    Ray:  “I can’t help it – I’m an anxious bitch.” 
h.    Amber after one of Sophie’s Korean BBQ bones came flying toward her:  “Sophie’s trying to assassinate Madame President so she can take over!”
i.      Amber:  “I have a rage…”
j.     Sophie:  “I will kill my dinner and I will kill that Sticky Toffee Pudding, too!”

X.                Adjournment
a.    Meeting at Lee’s Garden adjourned by Madame President – only to reconvene downtown at The London Grill for some Sticky Toffee Pudding dessert! 


Minutes submitted by:  Lindsey
Minutes approved by:  Amber, Deidre, Ray, and Sophie (10/21/12)

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #1: Martell's (04/01/12)

2:07 PM |

Amber, Deidre, Lindsey, Ray, and Sophie chose Martell's restaurant in Kalamazoo to serve as the spot for the inaugural Foodie Club meeting!

(When you see a number next to a food, that is our rating of it out of 10 - with 10 being amazing!)


Appetizers:

Ray:  Polenta Fries - 7
Lindsey:  Baked Brie - 8

Filo-crusted Bake Brie with cherry compote.

Entrees:  

Deidre, Lindsey, Ray, and Sophie:  Stuffed Portobello with spinach, ricotta, and roasted garlic served on a 3-cheese ravioli and topped with provolone and a sweet pepper basil sauce - 7.5
Amber:  Beet Salad - 6; Crab Cakes - 6.5

 Stuffed Portobello

Desserts:  

Lindsey and Sophie:  Classic Creme Brulee - 8
Ray:  Bread Pudding - 7
Deidre:  Apple Strudel - 7
Amber:  Raspberry Ricotta Cheesecake - 9

Creme Brulee served with whip cream and a strawberry.

Wine:  

2010 Italian Mezzacorona Moscato - 8



We found the staff of Martell's to be exceptionally friendly, especially our server - Cathy - who was great and also wearing a fabulous hat!  (Service Rating:  8)  The dining area was nice and had a great view overlooking a pond and trees - and a very nice outside patio to dine on when the weather warms up!  The waitress split our bottle of wine 5 ways on our bills, which was very nice.  The prices were good considering the quality of the food.  We went on a Sunday evening, so it was not very busy and we did not have to wait to be seated.  The manager even came over to take our picture to put on Martell's Facebook page because they loved that we were having so much fun!

Overall Ratings:

Amber - 7.5
Lindsey - 7.5
Deidre - 7
Ray - 7
Sophie - 7.5

Ray and Sophie with our Foodie Club mascot - Martell, the Slowass Sloth!

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training

Meeting #1 Minutes by Sophie

1:41 PM |



The Club Currently Known As “The Foodie Club”

Meeting Minutes
April 1, 2012


I.                  Call to order
a.    Amber called to order the regular meeting of the Foodie Club at 5:30 PM at Martell’s.

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

III.             Approval of Minutes from Last Meeting
a.    Due to the inaugural nature of the April 1 meeting, there were no minutes to review.

IV.             Open Business
a.      Designation of officers
b.      Blog organization
c.       Feeding

V.                Meeting Highlights
a.       The following offices were designated:
                                                              i.      Amber – President
                                                            ii.      Deidre – Wine Specialist
                                                          iii.      Ray – Public Relations
                      1.      Martell - Mascot
                                                          iv.      Lindsey – Blog Manager
                                                            v.      Sophie – Photographer
b.    It was unanimously agreed that all officers will take turns taking meeting minutes. Meeting minutes will be submitted to the Blog Manager.
c.     It was also agreed that all officers will have access to a blog that the Blog Manager will create in due time. Blog Manager will post meeting minutes onto the blog. All are encouraged to post submissions onto the blog (e.g., restaurant/food/service ratings, future dining recommendations, nominations for new membership).
d.     Initiation of new membership was discussed. Potential initiates will be invited to an evaluative meal. Items for evaluation will be reviewed at the next meeting. We will also revisit initiation rites.
e.     It was suggested that for future meals, each present member shall endeavor to order a different appetizer and/or entrĂ©e and/or dessert. Dishes will then be shared family-style in order to support more diversified food experiences amongst Club Members.

VI.             Restaurant/Food Establishment-Specific Notes
a.    Outdoor seating is available and will be very pleasant when the weather warms sufficiently. Patio overlooks the lake and is canopied by trees. Very romantical.

VII.          New Business for Next Meeting
a.      Generation of official name for our Organization.
b.      Continuing dialogue of new membership procedures (e.g.,
  evaluation measures, initiation rites).

VIII.       Other News
a.    Deidre and family’s move back to New Mexico is postponed. The Club shall endeavor to make this bittersweet development SO WORTH IT. She also passed her knowledge comps (whoot-whoot!!). Condolences to Deidre and family on the loss of their beloved grandfather.
b.   Ray is getting old. Like, officially mid-30s. Relatedly, the birthday introduction of Martell the Slowass Sloth prompted the passionate motion of her induction into The Club as its Mascot. Motion unanimously approved and carried.
c.     Lindsey has recently welcomed the establishment of her Dissertation Station.

IX.             Notable Quotes
a.    Deidre to Amber: “You’ve got mad recorking skills.”
Lindsey: “It’s not my first rodeo, kids.”
b.   Sophie to server Cathy-with-a-C: “That is one cool purple sparkly hat.”
Cathy: (looks at Martell) “Not as cool as your awesome sloth!”
c.    Sophie: “I think the ravioli is almost too much.”
Ray: “Not at all. I can eat six more of them.”

X.                Adjournment
a.      Meeting adjourned by Madame President.


Minutes submitted by:  Sophie
Minutes approved by:  Amber, Lindsey, and Ray (04/21/12)

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Posted by Foodie-In-Training
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