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
