Breakfast was first priority upon arriving in Kalamazoo this weekend to visit Todd. I'd gotten up early Saturday and hit the road right away, without so much as a stop for coffee. He suggested Food Dance Cafe, where we had gone for breakfast during my last trip. The service was lackluster, but the food was tasty, so I thought I'd give it another shot. This time around: the service was lackluster, but the food was tasty. At least they're consistent.
Food Dance is located in downtown Kalamazoo--it's a very touchy-feely, granola, organic, all-natural kind of place, with exposed brick along one wall and murals of giant fruits and vegetables on the others. It's very bright and breezy, with high ceilings and exposed ductwork. The cafe prides itself on using local produce and baked goods, and guarantees the quality of its products--as well it should.
Unfortunately, despite the great food, service is unbearable. The last time we went, we waited at least 10 minutes for our server to bring the coffees we'd ordered. We waited so long that I just got up and poured two cups of coffee from the complimentary carafes that were in the waiting area. This time, I was still taking off my jacket when our server came asking for our drink orders. My coffee came fairly quickly, but I was never offered a refill until I had already finished my meal. Having frequented many hip, popular restaurants in Detroit, I'm pretty accustomed to inattentive servers--guess we're not very unique on this side of the state!
Poor service aside, the food was terrific. Todd ordered the Mexican Scramble, which were two eggs scrambled with "New Mexican" sausage (?), black beans, potatoes, onions, and cheese, then topped with ranchero sauce. I had the Woodland Omelette, with sherried mushrooms, green onions, and lots and lots of Swiss cheese. Each was served with crispy home fries and two thick slices of hearty rye bread.
Their menu offers many breakfast classics, from Julia's French Toast made from thick-cut challa, Blueberry Pancakes, Huevos Rancheros, and Fruited Waffles. On the lunch menu were grilled sandwiches like the Zydeco Crab Cake, Reuben Rhumba, and the Saltarello--pesto, roasted peppers, tapenade, artichokes, and provolone on grilled sourdough. It also features cold and open faced sandwiches, quesadillas, salads, burgers, and a great looking mac-n-cheese. The dinner menu features several appetizers, such as Bruschetta and Grilled Halloumi Cheese. Entrees include Sesame-Ginger Wild Salmon, Seared Niman Ranch Sirloin, Portuguese Fish Stew, and a vegetarian Moroccan Squash, with Israeli couscous, artichokes, chickpeas, and feta. Pastas, salads, burgers, and sandwiches round out the rest of the dinner menu. Desserts feature the Cat's Meow: baked flourless chocolate mousse (?) glazed with ganache; and the Sticky Nut Boogie Woogie: Plainwell vanilla ice cream with caramel, whipped cream, and almonds.
Overall, I don't think I could be disappointed with anything I could eat at Food Dance. The menu is creative, inspired, and inventive. Based on two separate experiences, however, I would never be able to commend the service. Inattentiveness is my biggest pet peeve, and our servers each time appeared to be experts. Also, I must comment on the prices. Our breakfasts yesterday cost $8.50 and $7.95 (excluding coffee), respectively, and lunch sandwiches were running $8-9. At dinnertime, sandwiche prices jump up to as high as $11.95! Dinner entrees run between $16 and $22. Granted, Food Dance prides itself on the quality, seasonality, and localness of its ingredients, which typically run higher in cost than the usual ingredients. I'm willing to look beyond that in exchange for a really good meal. However, I'll have to reserve final judgment for my next visit, and see whether service the third time is a charm or a bust.
For more information, visit www.fooddancecafe.com
No comments:
Post a Comment