Winter Destinations: Arizona

This winter I began travelling for work. As a fundraiser for a Midwest liberal arts college, I find myself traveling to better weather in the winter. Florida, Arizona, and California are all flooded with Midwestern people this time of year. These destinations all have some things in common, namely; snowbirds, spring breakers and business travelers like me all seeking a little Vitamin D.

While these places bear a lot in common based on their tourist populations, differences struck me the most in the restaurants, bars, the dishes I ate, and the interactions with people who have made these places their home.  

We eat everywhere we go and often our experiences with food are an invitation to curiosity about the differences that led to that day’s menu. 

Here is the first of my reflections about my trips to the desert, the oceans, and cities.

Taking the Desert by Storm:

10 Restaurants in 3 Days

My first trip to the desert gave me goosebumps. One morning as I drove from Phoenix to Tucson. As the sun was rising , I came up on The Sonoran Desert with breathtaking views of ancient cacti with a mountain range backdrop. It is stunning to see something for the first time. To realize that you could have gone a lifetime without knowing this specific brand of beauty.

I started my trip in Phoenix and its suburbs which were sprawling, busy, and neon. It was loud in every way. Huge (and ugly) parking lots taking up space for our convenience. Highways created with a giant population in mind. Flashing bright lights on buildings, water towers, anything. The lights as the cactus blossoms I would later discover. It felt the color scheme was asserting the landscapes’ brightness. Hundreds of suburban downtowns surround the primary city with tourist bars that have little separation between outdoor and indoor spaces make the streets feel alive and united to the businesses around them. I constantly felt like I should be enjoying a beach-y beverage and having fun. I was grateful that although I was on business, I was staying with friends so that i wasn’t drinking alone.

Celebrating Happy Hour in Old Town Scottsdale with a dear friend, we confided our recent successes and failures over Bahama Mamas and a giant pretzel.

I ate at Mojo’s a coffee shop attached to a country club. When we entered, the person insisted that since it was my first day in Arizona that they let us sit in the main dining patio. The view of the golf course and mountains was breathtaking. She explained why she moved to Arizona after growing up in Michigan with a smile that suggested that we should really all live in a place with mountains.

I had my first meal at Shake Shack. I met friends at a wine bar where everyone sat by heat lamps as the desert heat dissipated into the night.

 The next day I had meetings in Scottsdale. While still surrounded by mountains and aloe plants, Scottsdale felt typically suburban. I ate at  two different Fox Concepts restaurants, Olive & Ivy and Culinary Dropout. The food was delicious and creative while clearly in the safety net of a corporate chain. I had a Seared Tuna Salad with cashew, ginger vinaigrette, wasabi pea, cucumber, red pepper, avocado. Fresh and light, it felt west coast and flavorful. I had separate meetings with former college roommates who ended up in Arizona for opposite reasons and were happy to get reconnected.

As I drove to Tucson for a busy final day of meetings, I felt even more invited into the desert, border culture, and incredible hosts. 

I had breakfast with a retired couple at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens. Arriving a little early, I got to sneak a peek at the plants that were so different from my nearby arboretum. Walking into the bistro was as captivating as the food I ate there. Little did I know that my one day love affair with the flavors and spaces in Tuscon was just beginning with my Chul Brunchalada melted together in bursts of flavor. Two Eggs, Red Corn Chorizo Sope, Mexican Cheeses, Shredded Chicken, Red Chile Sauce, Willcox Beans. I was shocked that breakfast could have so much flavor.

The entrance to the Bistro at Tohono Chul.

Lunch at the The Arizona Inn , a luxury hotel and dining experience, was more vibrant than my midwestern expectations. AJ and I celebrate our holidays at The English Inn in Eaton Rapids that while delicious and intimate, is far more serious and dark. Bright blue water glasses, light flooding the room, and incredible and creative salad, left me feeling light and eager to continue exploring.

This bright main dining room is surrounded by beautiful pink cottages.

I met my favorite alum of the day at La Cocina. The sign outside read Bar. Food. Music. and it did not disappoint. This courtyard style restaurant had live music and surrounding shops. After two big meals that day, my prickly pear lemonade was plenty refreshing. Once again, I enjoyed a staple that had been infused with regionally specific flavors. I talked with a retired Spanish teacher from the Pacific Northwest who started wintering in Tucson for the weather, before becoming connected to No Mas Muertos and the migrant community. I told her about seeing my first cactus that morning and we bought a cactus spoon holder to commemorate the experience for me. 

La Cocina displayed the connectedness of food, music and life in the area. These Catholic art pieces were for sale in one of the several shops surrounding the central courtyard eating area.

I ended the day at Seis Kitchen. Another courtyard with live music and local artisans selling their products. Tacos, guacamole, chips, and margaritas can be staples of my diet anywhere but the food took on new life in this space of Latin American influence. I relaxed into the evening with the flavor of a place.

As I look back on this whirlwind trip, the most unique thing was that as i met with 20+ people who all live year round in Arizona, they each shared with me their favorite restaurants and their own story of falling in love with the desert. None of these people grew up there. Their stories were all vastly different of why they moved there: jobs, fighting seasonal depression, a retirement home, a boyfriend who was traded to the Diamondbacks, etc. They differed in politics, personality, and reason for liking Arizona. However they were all proud to witness my first moments of enchantment with the flavors, plants, and geography of place that is now their home.

They were excited to share their favorite place over their favorite meals, and my did we eat well. Many mentioned the place we would go next time. I can’t wait.

Proximo, in Fort Wayne, IN

One of my favorite things to do is to cut a cross-state road-trip into two parts. Start off with some music, hitting up the classic road-trip playlists and trying a new folk album or two when the eyes are fresh.

Three hours in or so, I start getting fidgety and begin to look for a treat. Usually this happen late on a Sunday afternoon – no restaurant or bar is too intense at this time, and they’re happy to have road-weary customers who are looking for something new in a city they are not regularly in.

Last Sunday, we were on our way back from a funeral in Southern Indiana and decided to pull off the road in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne has a surprisingly diverse spread of bars, breweries, steakhouses, and some great new tastes. As we paused our Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors song (Dragons is a phenomenal album) and pulled off the interstate, we had to decide fast where to head for our dinner.

We love the Hoppy Gnome, a restaurant playing to worldly flavors amidst a sea of new microbreweries that highlight a great burger. Featuring a “scratch kitchen” that emphasizes a delicious taco menu, Asian-inspired cuisine, notable seafood options, and some vegetarian selections as well. Hoppy Gnome’s beer list is extensive, and includes the obvious standards, an experimental can/bottle only list, and GnomeTown Brewing Company’s selection as well.

Recently, GnomeTown began offering guided brewing sessions for customers to try brewing their own beer from start to finish in one of eight kettles under the supervision of a brewmaster. Haven’t tried this yet, though I recently tried a homebrew recipe with a Northern Brewer kit Christmas gift. (Stayed tuned for the final result!).

This time around, we parked and began our stop at Hoppy Gnome with a couple Indiana strong brews: “Robert the Bruce” Scottish Ale by 3 Floyds Brewing Company, and “R.I.O.S.” by Chapman’s Brewing Company. Having never tasted a 3 Floyds beer that wasn’t an IPA, I was very happy with the Scottish Ale. It was less brown than “Scotty Karate” (DarkHorse Brewing) and less plum than the wonderful “Loch Down” (Arcadia Brewing) up in our home state of Michigan. “R.I.O.S.”, my guess an acronym for Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout – was delicious as well, and we were glad to try a Chapman beer as we see their sign regularly.

Midway through our beers we decided to step the couple blocks down the street and have some starters at Proximo. Proximo is owned by the same restaurant group as Hoppy Gnome, though we did not know that when we arrived and were seated in the intimate and upscale restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed every part of our experience at Proximo, and would be entirely too excited to go back. Proximo seems to be especially renowned for its brunch, which brings a wider and younger crowd than it’s Sunday early evening dinner bunch.

Forgoing the tempting bottled wine list, I went with a mezcal based “Oaxacan Old-Fashioned” and my wife had the most delicious chardonnay. The cocktail was well-balanced and although I expected a risk, I know to watch for the smoky mezcal in other old-fashions in the future.

We centered our focus on the menu after having a moment of observation on our surroundings – which, at this point, set a high standard for future restaurants in the Fort Wayne area. The most prominent features were a wine wall with a sliding library ladder, the bar, and the subtle variety of textures and neutral colors that created the adult and cozy atmosphere. We especially enjoyed the full comfy booths, providing a counterpoint to the other contemporary furnishings.

As we gathered our thoughts and eagerly expressed our first impressions, we decided on three starters for our dinner, avoiding the (certainly) tempting entrees.

Our first choice was the special, which was clearly articulated by the server, who we enjoyed talking with throughout the meal. This dish, featuring salt cod and potato stuffed peppers with cheese and greens garnishes, was delicious. The salt cod was lost in the potato texture which remained a little doughy upon service, but the flavors melted together very well.

After we decided on one we struggled – and eventually picked two more!

Our second choice was blue crab chilaquiles, with a spicy tomatillo salsa and the classic toppings of pickled onion, radish, avocado, and cilantro. Gently laid above it all was a sunny-side up egg.

For our third choice we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for ceviche in January in Indiana. Made with scallops, we picked the Ecuadorian style, but Proximo serves a Colombian style with shrimp as well.

In the end – plenty of food for two (for real, plenty!), and a delicious way to end a heart-breaking trip downstate.

While talking to the waiter, we discovered that Proximo was opened to tempt adventurous Fort Wayne-ites away from the classic Midwestern steakhouses that have flourished for so long. As visitors ourselves, we recognized the similarities in other post-industrial towns we have visited and were excited to understand that bringing new food to a city like Fort Wayne was a priority. Proximo’s staff is mostly homegrown, and we were blessed to have a taste of the city that we could not have had at any other restaurant.

Where do you stop on your drives? Do you have a city that is the half-way point, or a restaurant with a dish or sampler that you always check on before you begin the ride?

The Southerner: Warm Flavors & Feelings

Isn’t this chicken spunky and fun? So is the restaurant.

As I walked into The Southerner, I immediately felt at home. Home in the way that I breathed a little deeper, I talked a little louder, and I immediately knew I would eat and drink a little more than normal. 

Southern cuisine is a magical tasting palette, rich in smells, and almost always accompanied by sincere hospitality. My grandparents are from Mississippi and growing up Grandma was my standard for all cooking. We eat “cheese and biscuits” for Christmas. Mass amounts of cheese melted together with equal amounts of butter on biscuits. My grandma always special orders the cheese and makes everyone try a bite as she prepares the breakfast. It is my favorite and most celebratory meal.

My grandma was a Methodist pastor’s wife renowned in Mississippi, and then Indiana, for her cookies, her her hugs and her ability to remember everyone’s name. I am amazed how, every time I meet people that find out that I am their granddaughter, people seem to melt as they remember how kind my grandparents are and how their love changed their life in their hardest moments. 

Food was one of my grandma’s favorite ways to love people and to show them they mattered.

The Southerner’s website tells us their purpose, “In the 1950’s many Appalachian families moved to Michigan seeking work in the auto industry. It’s a familiar story to many people with roots in the American South, and we strive to tell part of this story through our meals.” I learned a lot about these people in my first, and hopefully not last meal, at the restaurant.

The Southerner was the culmination of a weekend away in Saugatuck, MI. I recently started a new and stressful job and upon returning from my first work trip in Arizona, my husband planned an impromptu weekend getaway. I immediately packed and within two hours of arriving at the Belvedere Inn and Restaurant we decided that our Friday night to Saturday trip needed to add a Sunday. After a weekend of watching the water, wine pairings, and starting the holiday season just the two of us we walked into The Southerner well rested and meeting a dear friend.

The entrance to the restaurant is so unassuming that it made you question its larger than life reputation. We had been told all weekend that this place was worth an hour plus wait and so we arrived right when they re-opened at 5:00pm Sunday night. Instead, with the sun already setting and our perfect trip coming to a close we were the first people there. We weren’t sure if they were open yet and our waiter came out to invite us in and put up the “Open” flag that all of the Saugatuck stores had. He told us to choose out favorite table and he would be right there.  We chose a table by the water that looked like it once belonged to a family and been loved for generations. Looking out, I realized why the dirt parking lot entrance was so understated, the waterfront communicated the direction our attention should face. With places to dock your boat you could picture the swell of visitors in the summer, with families pouring off boats after full days of fun.

The building feels like a one level home where every room is a dining room. You can tell where rooms used to separate and that they probably kept the wallpaper. The blue mason jar glasses and old flowery china reminded you that you were not here to impress, you were a guest that already belonged. The small and simple Christmas decorations spoke simplicity after a weekend of decadence. 

Walking into a restaurant styled like an old home to find a menu with biscuits, grits, and fried chicken left my decisions easy (check, check, and check). Our waiter heard it was our first time there and excitedly shared all of his favorite items and the specials — a long list.

As people populated the restaurant, the smells, the conversations and the feelings of community and warmth compounded. You realize that this place is more than food. It is the gathering place of Saugatuck, it is a community that forms around a table. Buttery flavors somehow bind our hearts, our conversations and have always bound my home. When our friend, Ellaine, arrived we settled into a dinner of laughter and friendship.

We ordered a bottle of wine from Puglia (red, full, and delicious) and shared our stories from the last month. Ellaine’s dates, our travels, the hard, the good, our future plans. Ellaine was so passionate about the Bloody Mary she ordered that I decided to give it another try and it was so spicy and yummy that now I gained an appreciation for the whole Bloody Mary industry. The “Libations” menu is full of variety and life. You can order fancy boozy punch by the carafe or you can order Hamm’s or PBR for $2 at a time with no shame.

The food arrived; warm, savory, and spicy. My Nashville hot chicken was served in tin foil and as it was unwrapped spices filled the room. The tenderness of the chicken and the messiness it required made me feel like a kid, unselfconscious of my love for and the appearance of my eating. 

Half-eaten and wonderful Nashville hot chicken.

Their flaky biscuits are what they are really known for and they did not disappoint. They are large and dense and served with perfectly sweet honey butter. Many people recommended the Chicken Biscuit Sandwich and next time I would be excited to combine my wonderful meal into one.

The grits were my best surprise. I have always felt guilty for not understanding grits. I would pass them off to my grandma claiming I was full, when really I just didn’t think they tasted like…anything. Now as I ate chicken that racked my mouth with spice, the Buttered Anson Mills Antebellum Grits completely made sense. They absorbed the spices and the butter made everything settle with pleasure.

As the meal came to a close, I realized that like the best conversation, this meal had made me lose all track of time. Two hours had passed and it was completely dark outside. I felt well rested. The meal was indulgent in the most satisfying way. I ate a lot but knew that I would leave some to take home so that this night did not have to end quite yet.

By the end of dinner our view had narrowed into a comfortable and time appropriate darkness. A significant change in scenery that made you aware that time was passing.

If you know me, you know that there is nothing that I love more than places and nights like this. In college my friends and I referred to “sparkly moments.” These are the moments that seem to transcend their parts. If the same people were in the same place doing the same thing again, it might not be the same. In my memory of that night, the way the wine, the ambiance, and our conversation came together, left me with a feeling that is greater than its independent elements. 

The more I think about “sparkly moments,” and the feeling they leave etched in the timeline of my life, the less mysterious they become. The common factor in these moments is the love that is shared not just for the people present, but for the place and the moment in time. A crazy college night out, that ridiculous road trip, singing loudly with friends, and the first “I love you” all live in our hearts forever the moments we fully lived.

The best part of the Southerner is that I can tell that it is place where people have sparkly moments daily. The heightened flavors and views only amplify the love that enters. The staff seemed overjoyed while completely unsurprised at how much fun we had. This is a place where people come with the people they love to discuss the things they care about over their favorite flavors and smells.

I loved this place because of all of the love that has filled it meal after meal. The Southerner made all of my best memories bubble to the surface to join with the legacy, not just of The Southerner, but of Southern food and hospitality. 

Midnight Flight at Albion Malleable Brewing Company

The new “Midnight Flight” at Albion Malleable Brewing Company serves up four dark beers so you can celebrate the end of daylight savings time, and a happy hour that begins when the sun goes down.

The Midnight Flight at Albion Malleable Brewing Company

The president of Albion College sits behind me. He enjoys his recent retirement announcement in school gear and a bowl of tomato soup. Gentle laughter presides under the massively generous ceilings and raw brickwork. Communal tables make this place a modern Valhalla. The warriors do go here.

“Keeping Craft Food Interesting!”

The air is a little chilly, but every stylized tulip glass has a strong white Belgian lace around the rim as it’s emptied. Everything at Malleable exemplifies local craftsmanship, and it’s a deliberate choice made in the middle of Albion’s comeback story. Hand-crafted great-hall tables that lead to a wonderfully communal atmosphere were quickly modified for maximum comfort after opening, and the hot spot has grown to highlight so many local stories, from musicians like Albion College alumni duo F I N K E L (formerly Less Is More) to family-grown hops from Mean Hops. The quality is consistent and stands out in the beer, the food, and the community.

Albion Malleable Brewing Company is named after the Albion Malleable Iron Company – a dominant source of manufacturing jobs and a point of pride in Albion’s history. Pronounced “mal-uh-bull,” a tradition that continues after the namesake merged with the Hayes Corporation, the brewery now remembers many facets of Albion’s interesting stories through its beer, its food, and its marketing. Recently, they named their new Belgian series after an Albion Malleable Iron cast “iron lion” gifted to them.

The high ceilings can echo, and when the space if packed like it is on Monday nights for live music, it can be difficult carry an intimate conversation across the large tables. Sit back and enjoy the music instead – the quality is consistent in the performance as well as the food and beer. This isn’t the place for romance, unless you’re focusing on the deep-seated community pride and the wide friendships observed in the hugs and handshakes from each new customer through the door.

Albion Malleable Brewing Company has big dreams, yet it is a small town bar. It may not be Cheers, but it is Albion.

Albion Malleable Brewing is worth the price – but it can be pricey. I appreciate the work they do to appropriately price their beer. For a quality pint of Belgian or a powerful IPA, prices start at $5.00. Also offering 5 oz. pours and well-stylized take-away growlers, Malleable’s food remains it’s critical price point. If you have the money, the food is worth it, and with a constantly shifting menu due to Chef Joe’s creative energy and seasonal dishes, I keep going back. All dishes are made from scratch, and Chef Joe is always working to add new sauces or unique touches to their American classics. Lunch specials include a $7.00 burger with fries, but specialty burgers start at $13.00 (with a second patty for an addition $2.00).

House made coney sauce.

Coming up soon on December 10, with French Chef Frédéric Thery teaming up with Chef Joe for a Prix Frixe 5-course French Dinner, Albion Malleable is once again trying something new. Tickets start at $80/person, or $150 for a couple, because once again – Albion Malleable is going to do it right.

Last night, I enjoyed the set of four 5 oz. tasters for the aptly named “Midnight Flight.”

Four 5 oz. pours for $7.00?

First off, “American Molder” – Sitting at 5.9% ABV and not as thick as some stouts, this beer prioritizes immense flavor. Solidly stout, this dark beer has defined dark chocolate and black coffee acidity. The quiet creaminess stems from the rolled oats, a classic move for stouts to give a thicker mouthfeel. Sip slowly and you can taste the sweetness.

“Saboteur” – This dark beer is face-warming, with strong thick legs remaining on the taster glass and and spicy haze hovering under the nose. Strong and blended flavors muddle the high the alcohol content of 9.7% ABV. A candied bitterness, it’s an intriguing pairing of crystallized ginger and bitter, dry dark chocolate, reminiscent of spiced rum. Once again, this is a clean and remarkably crisp beer considering how dark it stands in the glass.

“Batch #72” – With surprising though subtle flavors of dates, mulberry, mincemeat pie, and light molasses, this is an immensely drinkable black saison that is appropriately autumnal. At 5.7% ABV, get a full pint.

“Squirrel Smuggler” – This 7.4% ABV beer gets in your nose, spicy and fresh, with strong citrus and smooth black mud. A different animal. One of my favorites and a seasonal oxymoron, this black IPA is too fresh to stay confined to the dog days of winter. Squirrel Smuggler stays crisp and bitter, just like Albion’s black squirrels in November.

Yes, there’s a story.  No, we won’t tell it.

Albion Malleable Brewing Company, on the namesake of Squirrel Smuggler Black IPA

The Crowd

Just like the college campus’ black squirrels, Albion Malleable has well-known regulars.

When I visited this week, it was trivia night, and I was quickly invited to join the team of physic professor and part-owner Charles Moreau. Also on the team were sibling duo John and Val, regulars at Albion Malleable. They are mug-club members, also known affectionately as “Proper Villains” after the Malleable beer by that name. Peridocially released, mug-club membership includes discounted beer and a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted mug by Albion’s own Ken Shenstone.

They shout “science” when the category is called out, and compete not for one of the gift-card prizes, but league points in Team Trivia. Malleable has had a few regular trivia hosts, who all come to know many of the guests by their frequent flyer status and their iconic team names.

Sauces

Water at Malleable comes without lemon, but the burgers and fries come with malt vinegar, ketchup, and “special sauce,” a secret sriracha-mayo flavor offering that’s one of the most ugly delicious things I’ve ever eaten. Sauces tend to be so, and the wing specials are drenched in creative options, all house made. Recently, their rotating “wing week” included Korean gochujang peanut barbecue wings, their home beer-infused 420 Superior sauce, classic barbecue, jalapeno honey mustard, garlic parmesan, and Nashville hot varieties.

Team Trivia’s song plays as we await the right answer for the last question. It’s “Last Christmas” by Wham!, as Moreau brings out classic buffalo wings and offers them to the trivia group. He explains that it took him 30 years develop the buffalo, but the new 420 Hops and Honey sauce is a solid rival. A creation by Chef Joe, the 420 sauce has a unique flavor from the Malleable’s “420 Superior Juice,” a 7.4% ABV hazy IPA named with a smirk after the street address of the brewery in downtown Albion.

My regular beer, Uncle Cousin, is just too drinkable: flavors of tangerine, grapefruit and hops, crisp and hazy but not too bitter. The beer has Centennial and Summit hops, and the bitter Nugget variety.

I pair it with the “true coney sauce made from scratch” – it’s spicy, a little thinner than Kirby’s with a some high-impact flavors. Toppings include classic yellow mustard and onion and the dog sits cozily in a firm bun that doesn’t fall apart halfway through. Most entrees include the hand-cut french fries and a side, choice of the sriracha cole slaw or a house-brined cucumber salad. Food is served on classy white bowls or tin sheet plates with newspaper. Plating emphasizes the food and local traditions.

Iron Lion Belgian Series: Blonde

My seasonal favorite is the Blonde in the Iron Lion Belgian Series. Mellow and yummy, it comes in a special 13 oz. glass. Blonde is a sweet and subtle classic Belgian, with smooth malts and low profile yeast that reminds you of its simplicity while letting you enjoy the prominent tradition of Belgian beer.

We celebrate with a trivia question win of Rhonda Rousey for 1 point. The home team is almost perfect at halftime. Staff are willing to talk about the beer – come often enough and you’ll notice that they hangout at Albion Malleable as well. The widespread ownership and appreciation for the goings-on at the brewery quietly show the steady support for the new business.

The Town of Albion

Albion has more pride than Malleable Brewing has hops in its hoppy IPAs – and that is loads. I’ve come to love this town over the last seven years, and the many changes and battles it has endured only add to its storied history. Here, the vicious Purple Gang of Detroit carried influence. Here, the realities of post-industrial small-town Michigan have led to an appreciation for hard-work, creativity, multiculturalism and diversity, and ultimately a deep pride in the successes and togetherness of the community.

Recently, the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail, the Iron Belle Hiking Trail, and North Country Trail are developing a sense of exploration for local residents, and a quiet surprise as visitors pass through the town. These trails provide a new way to discover Albion and the small towns around it. Nearby, the Falling Waters Trail carries hikers and bikers from the Martin Luther King Jr. Equality Trail in Jackson, Michigan to Concord, Michigan, on a paved 12 foot wide 10.5 mile path through small farms and lakes.

Next time you pass by on I-94, check out Albion – and check out Albion Malleable Brewing Company or one of the many local restaurants. Keep an eye for more restaurant reviews here!

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Review: Tilted Arcade Bar

Tilted Arcade Bar has beers on tap, liquor, snacks, and a myriad of classic arcade games and pinball machines. Tilted is a new gem in Jackson, Michigan.

Located at 146 West Michigan Ave. Jackson, MI 49201, Tilted Arcade Bar is open late every day of the week, providing a space for night owls to have a quick bite and drink, and spend some quarters on some fun.

Tilt

According to Wikipedia’s Pinball Glossary:

The tilt mechanism detects when the machine is being lifted, tilted or shaken beyond an acceptable level. Originally designed to prevent players from lifting the front of the machine to cause balls to roll backwards, it also helps prevent damage to the machine’s hardware, body and legs by discouraging players from shaking the machine too hard. When the mechanism is triggered, the machine “tilts”, ending play for the current ball and usually forfeiting any bonuses earned. Most modern games provide a configurable number of warnings per ball before tilting. Some older games would void the entire game upon tilt.

The arcade bar is a uber-clean, well-lit, spacious and rarely busy joint in Jackson, MI. Tilted provides a venue for both young and old. This is where classic arcade traditions are kept alive, with two pool tables, the classic machines and many of the well-known pinball tables. Here, Tilted provides a unique cheap activity for Jackson County.

The bar remains quiet, even in the middle of a long conversation about food that eventually seeps into religion, like all late-night conversations do. It is well stocked, with three TVs showing University of Michigan Basketball (losing to Louisville) and Michigan State Basketball (losing to Duke). The bar’s wide selection of cans and bottles includes six taps as well.

A pint of Wild Nova by Blake’s Hard Ciders

Tonight, the taps featured Saugatuck Brewing Peanut Butter Porter, BrewDog’s Hazy Jane, Leinenkugel Snowdrift Porter, Alaskan Amber Ale, Blue Moon, and a special new cider by Blake’s Cider Mill called Wild Nova – featuring powerful raspberry flavor.

The bar also has 23 can varietals (from Pabst Blue Ribbon at $1.50 to Old Nation M-43 16 oz at $6.00) and 15 bottles (from Coors Lite at $3.00 to Heineken at $4.00). Tilted also keeps a stocked bar.

Checkout this MLive article about Tilted Arcade Bar!

Staff is engaging. On the three occasions I have hung out for an evening at Tilted, the staff has chatted just the right amount, keeping me engaged and interested and sharing some Jackson Michigan tips and tricks. It has already become the regular haunt of some, and may become mine as well.

A blackboard features the high scores of the most popular machines, from Mario Brothers to Ghostbusters pinball, and many in between. Some scores have been updated a few times, but some have stood the test of time.

I spent my Tuesday night playing Harley Davidson pinball, reaching 130,057,860 – still plenty off the high score on my third night of play. The high score for the Harley Davidson machine is 322,501,960.

My daily high score for Harley Davidson, only a “bit” off of the high score!

The vibes are great, clean black bar, a couple of change machines that can exchange up to $20 bills, Keno play, and an ATM.

I have not tried any snacks, but other customers have been chowing on large plates of nachos and the tacos, though extremely simple, are well-priced and what you’d expect from an arcade-first attitude.

Arcade Machines include…

  • Tapper
  • Mario Bros.
  • Pac Man
  • Mrs. Pac Man
  • Donkey Kong
  • Defender
  • Galaga
  • Mortal Kombat

Pinball Machines…

  • Iron Maiden
  • Harley Davidson
  • Jurassic Park
  • Game of Thrones
  • Star Wars
  • Star Trek
  • Big Buck Hunter
  • Deadpool
  • Spiderman
  • Ghostbusters
  • The Simpsons
  • The Monsters
  • Lethal Weapon
  • ACDC
  • many more…

Pinball and Arcade machines run between $.25 per game and $1.00 per game.

The Crowd

…is young, mostly early twenty-something guys in jeans and flannels, a few plain beanies. On Tuesday is it a chill crowd, a place for curious players – perhaps no regular record-setters, though the blackboard seems unreachable after three intense practice sessions.

After my play, I sat at the bar sipping some prohibition rye by Jim Beam watching the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. I appreciated the individuality of the space as I admired the life-size Spiderman statue looming over three guys playing Super Chexx table hockey. Tilted’s Facebook Page calls him the “friendly neighborhood Spiderman.” I feel like it makes a friendly neighborhood bar – wishing I lived closer.

The bartender is on her phone, but the moment my drink is empty she’ll ask if I’m ready for another. Later, she would chat me up about this blog and about Jackson secrets, recommending I keep an eye out for the 2020 opening of Ogma Brewing around the corner, and the new Ramshackle Brewing in Jonesville, Michigan.

Two middle-aged women came in wearing camo hoodies, asking if Tilted is in the location of the old strip club. It is, read here for the story in MLive. The younger tells “granny” about painting her son’s room to a Fortnite theme, using glow-in-the-dark paint and black lights. A couple more young guys walk in, get some PBR and head to the pool table. A slow, but steady Tuesday night. Those that came in stayed for at least an hour.

Nearby

Within a block, reinvigorated downtown Jackson offers a variety of eats and drinks, at the following places:

About Tilted Arcade Bar

Tilted Arcade Bar has the same owners as The Dirty Bird and The Chase Sports Bar, perhaps the premier wing joint downtown Jackson, so carry some birds over and enjoy at a high top between games at the pinball tables.

Being a Food Warrior

It’s been a few days of blog posts. I realized why I want to write about food today, as I headed to Tilted. Food is new and evolving and natural and connected. I feel like I have something to say about food because it is a consumable for me and for everyone. It is not unapproachable in all settings – though it is, perhaps, in some. Every person has some experience, some standard, with which they approach food.

When understanding increases through travel, listening, tasting, questions, confusion, mixing, building… it is a wonderful thing.

This blog, Valhalla’s Table, is supposed to be an extension of my food diary, my thoughts and confusion and search for the place of food in our lives. It is my wrestling match with what makes food so vital to our experience – vital beyond nutrition and sustenance.

My thoughts today say that food is vital because it is nourishment and art form. Food is easier to observe in its sourcing. Ingredients have a clear origin story when they are sound and whole. It is easier to notice the range of styles, even to an untrained eye, than visual or musical art, and it is clear in the decision to try something “new.” The true food experience is always a consumption of place, of product, and of creation (of tenderness, love, care, and tradition). Do you eat to learn?

Bright Cellars Wine Subscription Tutorial

Yesterday evening, we had the pleasure of drinking a lovely bottle of French Colombard by Batik Wines. We obtained the 2017 bottle through the wine subscription company Bright Cellars – which has amazing variety with pretty great deals on wine.

Recently we purchased a half case of the newly released 2018 Worst Evils Cabernet Sauvignon (valued at $60 dollars on the winery’s website) for $15/bottle. This is a great deal, so we’ll be letting some of the wine age for 2020!

“Hailing from California’s illustrious Napa Valley, [Worst Evils] Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied with aromas of raspberry, black currant, pepper, vanilla, and violets.” Bright Cellars

Batik Wine’s 2017 French Colombard was a refreshing take on a summer white. The light tartness was surprising and worked well as a card-playing wine to kick off December. I’m a regular lover of deep reds with tobacco, berry, black pepper (like the Worst Evils Cab above) so I liked this surprise a little extra due to its change of pace.

I also love the name of the company and it’s simple yet colorful branding. Batik is a wax-resist method for dyeing cloth, and the winery’s branding reflects the traditional patterns and colors of Batik. Best-known in Indonesia, Batik has floral and geometric patterns, and the dye sets in layers. Certain fabric sections are covered by wax so they remain fresh for the next color once the wax is removed. Batik fabric would be worn for ceremonies, and was traded around the world by Dutch traders. Now, Batik fabric is featured in the airline uniforms of three regional companies.

This makes for a uniquely image-driven brand for Batik Wines, and correlates the interweaving patterns of color and tradition, to the intricate flavors of the wine. Perhaps the wine won’t stand up to the same test of time, but I like the inspiring beginnings.

Batik Wine’s Website and Tasting Notes for the 2017 French Colombard

My observations: citrus, hibiscus, kiwi, early pear, sage, low tannins, crisp, tart finish. I’m not a sommelier (yet) and perhaps this is not the mead of Valhalla but it is delicious nonetheless. That’s what matters.

Colombard

Colombard was the most widely planted grape in California until about 1990 when Chardonnay took over the driver’s seat for America’s white wines. It was grown often in southern France as a blending grape for many whites, but can make a delicious simple summery wine by itself.

We like Bright Cellars because their monthly packs (and special orders) include wines like this Colombard (Cole-um-bar, or Kahl-um-BARRD) and other wines not regularly available in rural Michigan. We’ve tried over 25 unique bottles through the company and are impressed by 4/5, happy with nearly all of their choices. Your account and order history provides you a chance to rate your matches, increasing the likelihood they find you the perfect bottle in the future.

If you’re looking for insight into how to write good tasting notes for your wine exploration, checkout how this helpful article from Wine Folly blog: How to Write Excellent Wine Tasting Notes.

Interested in trying Bright Cellars?

Use my link to get $50 off your first order, a huge discount! If you don’t like it, you can cancel after the first order and still have some new wines to try.

What is Bright Cellars’ approach to wine?

“Created by two MIT grads with a passion for wine, the Bright Points algorithm scores each wine by comparing 18 attributes to your preferences, matching you with your monthly experience…

Only 1 in 12 wines we taste at Bright Cellars make it into monthly collections. Your matches are selected from these collections of the best to fit you!

We focus on finding unique, hidden gems from small vineyards from all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, and South America.” – from BrightCellars.com

Quest for the Perfect Bottle

Recent Posts

Ugly Delicious, Thanksgiving, and Home Cooking

Netflix series Ugly Delicious, is chef and restaurateur Dave Chang’s intensely frank search for the gritty realities of food development and is an ingenious personal account of his questions about our favorite foods. Season 1 Episode 3 is titled “Cooking at Home” and it begins with David explaining how he’s only just starting to enjoy cooking at home again.

Dave compares his cooking to Escher paintings and Bach fugues, with intertwining narratives of flavor (or dimensions, or musical lines) competing and blending into something so familiar it takes you home – perhaps to a roast chicken your mom makes, even if you aren’t eating roast chicken.

Dave calls this style “Ugly Delicious.” There is no taxonomy for this expansive approach, but the show examines how food and culture and location and memory all influence our creativity and repertoire in the kitchen. He jokes at one point that he learned to put frozen sirloin steaks in the toaster oven from his mother.

He hesitates, though – he leans in and grins with pride that his mother never taught him how to cook some of their favorite home meals but he knew. He knew from watching her over and over.

Check the official trailer for Netflix and Dave Chang’s show “Ugly Delicious”

The “Home Cooking” episode centers on Thanksgiving Dinner. The quintessentially American ideal meal, Thanksgiving dinner can be a comprehensive show of meats and starches, with gravies and savory stuffing, and all the favorite fixings.

Is Memory More Important Than the Process or the Presentation?

Throughout the episode, the narrative digs into what about food makes them what to eat it – or make it! Increasingly, Danish chef Rene Redzepi says, people want something that tastes like home when they get out of the house. People want a brownie for dessert, after a great steak. Familiarity is easier – that doesn’t make it less delicious. But it might make the meal a little more ugly.

Click to read about Noma, Rene Redzepi’s award-winning restaurant in “50 Best”

Dave agrees – they sit at the Redzepi household. He says that “the thing that can separate a restaurant experience is literally how much someone cares about making THAT food…it has less to do with perfection than I think with intent. The intent is more perfect.”

“The reality is that Good Food is everywhere.” Dave Chang, S1E3 Ugly Delicious

Dave emphasizes that getting people to buy in to caring is the best part of cooking for others, and it’s what is needed at restaurants – not, perhaps the “glossy” presentations and cuisines, of recent TV and celebrity chefs.

Dave and Rene go back and forth on whether the business or home is the “sanity” of their lives. They laugh hesitantly because the reality for both of them is that one can not exist without the other. Home life and restaurant life are heightened in their shared energies.

“Sacrilicious”

The camera pauses over a bookshelf with book titled “Jewish Soul Food” and then changes to Pulitzer Prize Winning Critic Jonathan Gold, and Author and Radio Host Evan Kleiman. Gold calls a knish “sacrilicious” as they work to knead the dough of the classic Jewish snack.

Click to read some of Gold’s notable restaurant reviews in the LA Times

Memories matter. Kleiman laughs that she’s teaching Gold something in the kitchen. The knish turns out to be “so good” and I as the viewer am there with them tasting it, joking about the size of chef’s home ovens and wishing I could actually smell through the screen.

I think the more you know how to cook, the more adaptable you are

Evan Kleiman, “the fairy Godmother of the LA food scene”

How have you learned to adapt your family’s home-cooking style into your own?

“So much f***ing pain for this f***ing dish.” Dave is back at his parents house, working on mashed potatoes. Perhaps one of our most time-consuming classic American side dishes. And perhaps the most valued in traditional households like mine.

Rene gets excited as he brings out his favorite pana cotta. He relishes the slow spoon digging deep into a jar of some long-aged caramel with prunes to top it off.

“That’s Home Cooking,” declares Dave. He says “perhaps the romantic in me…wants to dream impossible goals. The mean is much higher than before, but… It’s harder to find the titans.”

Family Tradition: Making Candy

Thanksgiving weekend in my family includes candy-making. Not an essential part of the American Thanksgiving meal, but a tradition, an anxiety, a wonderful and productive and chaotic bridge between the four generations crowded around the table, making hand-dipped chocolates with cherries, coconut, peanut butter, and trays of fudge and toffee.

Perhaps most of all, although it is ugly and delicious, it is most of all generous in its helping of care. I watch the smiles on all the faces and wonder at the southern heritage and smothering sugars and butter that means love in this family.

This weekend, all four generations participated, with all types of candy in production at once, cast iron on the stove with butter Browning for toffee, the Indiana University Hoosiers playing for the Old Bucket against Purdue University, winning in double overtime, and two children under four climbing up to the table to help dip candies into steaming chocolate.

Grandma carries another handful-sized chocolate across the room to share it with an in-law, as she did with me when I first came with my wife to Thanksgiving. She says “ain’t that good,” with so much powerful tenderness. The “good” extends for a while and her intonation lifts at the end before a quick “mmm” as she returns to the counter.

It is the best candy I have ever tasted, every year. It is gloriously messy. It is Ugly Delicious. And I want to share it with everybody back home. And I want to bring it to every holiday party.

Thanks, Dave Chang, for the inside look at the way you and yours celebrate love and generosity with your food. Will be finishing the series ASAP.

To the food warriors: Good Food is everywhere. Keep looking for the best, but appreciate what is around you.

Recent Posts by Valhalla’s Table

Shared: “Weeknight Dinners Around the World”

Such an interesting article! Enjoy this peek into the scenes of dinnertime around the world. Local sourcing, culture, and habits inform so much of our relationship with food. In this article, we see culture influence condiments, meal preparation, dieting, time of day of dinner, who helps make the meal, the meaning of family gatherings, and other interesting insights. Check it out – great photos too. Credit to The New York Times, September 24, 2019.

Tryptophan and Hangover-Cures

The day after Thanksgiving is a weird day. Even without alcohol, one feels stuffy and sluggish. No warriors here, until breakfast comes around. Why does more food seem to double down and fix the couch potato effects of the Big Meal?

Listen, Warriors. For some reason, breakfast pizza may be a cure-all. It’s cured my sloth and refocused me on today’s tasks: Hallmark movies and online Christmas shopping. What a day.

But first, coffee. My father-in-law is busy taking leaves, wearing his navy sweatshirt that says “World’s Greatest DAD” in big block letters. Here we are in Hoosier-land. The Kelly Clarkson Show is on with a feature for a cop car karaoke duo. We’re stopping at Warm Glow Candle Outlet in Centerville, IN, soon, to do some casual browsing.

Science says, hangovers are caused by… alcohol. Hangover-like feelings may not only come from alcohol, though. We often name our sluggishness and headaches and other bodily aches and pains as hangover-like. The Mayo Clinic says: “Hangovers are caused by drinking too much alcohol. A single alcoholic drink is enough to trigger a hangover for some people, while others may drink heavily and escape a hangover entirely.”

Hangover symptoms include increased urine production, higher inflammatory response, irritated stomach lining (more stomach acid), low blood sugar (signs include shakiness, fatigue, mood disturbances), headaches from expanded blood vessels, sleepiness but disturbed sleep.

In addition, there is something called “congeners” that are the flavors in many alcohol beverages. Congeners can heighten hangovers, and are found more in darker alcohols.

con·ge·ner/kənˈjēnər/ plural noun: congeners. A minor chemical constituent, especially one that gives a distinctive character to a wine or liquor or is responsible for some of its physiological effects.

In no way do I condone the behaviors of over-drinking that leads to hangovers. It is interesting how our cultural phrasing of “food comas” that occur after large meals, especially with heavy carbohydrates and fats, lead to similar feelings of hangover, especially headaches, sluggishness and lower motivation, and most commonly inflammation. Inflammation leads to all sorts of physical aches and pains, and will drastically decrease your perceived energy levels and focus. Many persons have pursued an anti-inflammatory diet (high in omega-3 fatty acids and vegetables, and low in red meat and red wine).

“Turkey does have the makings of a natural sedative in it, an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body can’t manufacture it. The body has to get tryptophan and other essential amino acids from food.”

From “How Stuff Works”

C11H12N2O2 = Tryptophan (The Turkey Chemical)

Alcohol doesn’t always make the difference, but it certainly doesn’t help when paired with a fatty or high carb meal. Greasy meals will slow alcohol absorption if eaten before drinking. Why, then, do we believe a greasy brunch of hash browns and sausage gravy is a “hangover cure?”

This morning’s breakfast pizza had all of the classic hangover cure breakfast foods. It was exactly what I wanted. Now, though, a few hours later – it may not have been what I needed.

Many health websites declare the simple proteins and healthy fats to be the best hangover “cures” as they will help alleviate hangover symptoms. Examples of best foods to eat include eggs cooked cleanly, oats, greens, bananas, fruit juices, electrolyte replenishment, and ultimately – tons of water.

My wife recently tried “Cheers – After-Alcohol Aid” but we have no verdict yet. Cheers declares it is not a “hangover cure” but instead mitigates the effects of alcohol the next day, up to 50%. The pills include some vitamins and natural extracts to reduce the negative effects of alcohol the next morning.

Our national bar night was celebrated a day early this week, on Tuesday at our local in Michigan. A few Long Islands and Seven-Sevens in, we began wondering how our heads would feel for the last few hours of work Wednesday morning. The bartender gave us a treat, as she thought it was our first date (been married 15 months!) and explained her life story.

I ate little the next morning, but drank perhaps 48 ounces of water within thirty minutes of waking up and felt great by 9:00am. I also had an active work day, probably walking two and half miles and standing and stairs within a three hour period. These things combined helped way more than the greasy breakfast pizza this morning.

Best hangover cure: get up, drink water, move your body.

How, then, did the breakfast pizza help me feel “better” at first? Something about grease the morning after a night out (or in the similar realm of achy breaky body land the day after Thanksgiving) serves the soul. Ultimately, comfort food is psychologically important in healing. It probably won’t replenish your body, decrease inflammation, or moderate your energy. But our desire for physical peace has led us to lean on greasy foods to settle back in.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that increases serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep…Tryptophan is also found in other types of poultry, fish, yogurt, kale, bananas, whole grains, honey, nuts, eggs, and white rice.

From “well + good”

Warriors, it’s not worth it. In Valhalla, warriors fought all day and returned to party all night. They celebrated after their day-long discipline.

Ultimately tryptophan may not be the cause of your sleepiness, because of the amount of turkey needed to create even one gram of tryptophan. Perhaps our Thanksgiving sluggishness is our response to over-eating. My Black Friday morning meal of breakfast pizza is probably not a cure-all. But, I enjoyed it – and that matters for something, too.

Food myths live on everywhere. Work hard and don’t make excuses. It is worth investigating your assumptions about food and your body’s reactions to it.

Lego Minifigure Helmet for sale at BrickWarriors

Just like Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets (and most didn’t wear helmets at all, according to BBC), your “cure-all” might not be effective and you should re-examine your food choices both before and after a night at Valhalla’s Tables.

What does food have to do with being a warrior?

Honor + Curiosity + Bravery

Warriors + Food

war·ri·or/ˈwôrēər/ Noun: (especially in former times) a brave or experienced soldier or fighter.

food/fo͞od/ Noun: any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.

In this blog, we hope to encourage the honorable consumption of the Earth’s wildly varietal foods, through courageous and disciplined appreciation of both local and global sources and cuisines. To us, Life and Growth come not only through nutritional value, but through the curious investigation of the most nuanced and experimental dishes, and the soulful gluttony of home-grown and heart-warming comfort foods. We will share our experiences and prompt the wanderlust in you. Taste buds will be yearning.

Warriors fight. Here, we fight for, we fight with, we fight because of, we fight to understand, and we fight in our search for, food.

In this framework, we will discuss sustainability, legendary dishes and chefs, local and regional cuisine, ethical sourcing, crazy new ideas and established traditions. We will tell stories of athletes, dietitians, artists, doctors, mad scientists, gastronomical disasters, restaurant wars, exploding taste buds, quests, Gatsby parties and porridge, ratatouille and rakija, and all the wonderful insanity of the world’s food.

What is Valhalla?

Valhalla/vælˈhælə, vɑːlˈhɑːlə/ Noun: (from Old Norse Valhöll “hall of the slain”) is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin in Norse mythology.

Valhalla – the origin of our blog – was the haven of Norse warriors in the afterlife. It’s halls provided a space for celebrating the courage of the warriors chosen to sit at the hall’s tables. The original roots (including “hall,” “rock,” “hell,” “slaughter,” “battlefield”) may have referred to an underworld, but I like to focus on the idealized spirit of celebration and reward. A grand hall, occupied by all those who had displayed bravery in combat, served as a space for eternal feasting, camaraderie, and good-nature boasting through weapons practice. Interestingly, food and drink came from an everlasting font of meat and mead. A boar or other creature was said to have been killed and eaten and resurrected each day, and mead consumed in Valhalla is produced from the udders of the goat Heiðrún, which fed on a huge tree near the hall.

In addition, Valhalla has been used as inspiration for many stories and interpretations within Norse and Germanic traditions, including in composer Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Similar architecture has been used in fictional stories into the modern era as well. Heorot, the central mead hall in the Old English story Beowulf, was similar to our conception of Valhalla, and was eventually used as inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkein’s great hall in the kingdom of Rohan. The name of this “Golden Hall,” Meduseld, was translated from a Rohirric name meaning “mead hall.”

Espresso at Richard Wagner’s house (now the pricy Caffè Lavena) in Venice off of San Marco square. Great atmosphere to people watch, and an interesting historical environment.

There is much popular iconography around Valhalla and Norse and/or Viking mead halls and celebration culture. Much of this “traditional” Norse iconography is misconstrued, as these societies including strong reliance on female authority, largely agrarian and household economies, and eventually an extended cultural reach through maritime trade.

To our blog, “Valhalla’s Table” refers to the many feelings of courage and nostalgia, excitement and hesitancy, food culture and table manners, family, heritage, traditions, and all the many ideas swept into the celebratory environment we imagine when we think about partying with true warriors.

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