Kollen Park in Holland Michigan

If you need a break from the crowds of tulip time in Holland, or any time you want to stop shopping or dining in Holland, we recommend a visit to Kollen Park. Located on Lake Macatawa, a short drive from downtown Holland and about 35 minutes from our inn.


Ruth and I frequently visit the park to spend some quiet time together. For us, it brings back many memories of the time we lived a few blocks away and would often walk there. We even visited this park when we we dating, so many years ago. Ruth's relatives would often spend a summer evening on lawn chairs neat the bandshell listening to concerts. The bandshell can be seen in the photo above and is still used for concerts. There is a statue set giving tributes to the Dutch (something we are happy to see, since both Ruth and I are children of dutch immigrants.)


There is an extensive system of boardwalks and sidewalks in both directions along Lake Macatawa from the Park so you can stroll along, catching the breeze from the lake. Very Romantic.

Please share your experiences of Kollen Park with us.


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Review of Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant, Holland, MI

The best thing about Boatwerks Restaurant in Holland is the view. They are located on Lake Macatawa, next to Kollen Park, about 35 minutes from our inn. Their food is good, service-also good, but we go there for the view. This visit was in April so it was too cold for seating on the deck, but when it warms up, this is the best place to be if you like water:

The service has always been good, the atmosphere is nautical (what else?) in a speedboat/waterskiing kind of way. The food quality has really improved. We used to recommend this place for lunch only, but now dinner would be good as well.

We had a sampler of appetizers due to our tight schedule, very good. The Asian sauce-kind of a combination Hoisin and duck sauce-went well with everything.





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Review of London Grill Bombay, Plainwell Restaurant near Kalamazoo

Ruth, Liz, and I went to The London Grill Bombay, a Reastaurant in Plainwell, near Kalamazoo, Michigan last Saturday evening. This is about 20 minutes from our Inn.

Themed as "British Empire", which means a combination of Indian foods including curries, tandoori chicken (made without the tandoori oven but still good) and so forth PLUS more traditional British offerings such as stilton steak, fish & chips, shepherd's pie etc. Decor matches accordingly-think of a british gentleman's club with exotic trophies and other items from "the colonies." Bar includes a rather extensive lising of british beers/ales and single malts. Small and cozy pub atmosphere, with the kitchen in plain view of the dining area. We often visit on a Sunday evenings, which is our favorite time to go since they are less busy and even more laid back than their usual warm and friendly selves. Food quality and service are consistantly good.


Service starts with their version of chips and salsa-papadams-a crispy and spicy indian-style wafer with mango chutney:

Ruth and I both had the Pretzel-Crusted Walleye with a mustard/mayo sauce:

If you are looking for something a little different than the usual, maybe with more spice, than this is the place. The only caution I would offer is that they can fill up due to limited seating, so expect to have a drink at the bar while waiting for a table to open during peak times.

(Also, if it isn't too late, we recommend a visit to Plainwell Ice Cream for desert, located just a little further east on Bridge Street. They are open seasonally until 9pm most evenings. One of 4 creameries in Allegan County-but that's another blog.)



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Have you experienced this restaurant? Your comments are appreciated.

New Releases for April, 2010 at Fenn Valley Winery

We stopped by Fenn Valley Winery, a leading West Michigan Winery offering tours, tasting, and lots of advice in the tasting room. I really like visiting these folks because they are located close to our inn, in the vineyard from which their wine is made. They offer a variety of cellar and vineyard tours throughout the year-see their website or follow our twitter account for a schedule. Reservations are strongly recommended because they fill up early.

This visit, I tasted four of their new releases: 2009 Pinot Grigio, 2009 Cabaret Rose, and 2008 Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvingnon.

The Pinot is crisp yet sweet. I don't really go for sweet white wines, but many people like this and it is usually featured in our picnic basket-goes with many things and is good all by itself.

The biggest surprise is the Cabaret Rose. Most Rose wines are very sweet (I am thinking of White Zinn, the Koolaide of wines.) They made this wine with the "free run" juice of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvingnon grapes. I was told the term "free run" means the juice that naturally comes out of the grape as it is harvested before it gets crushed. So basically it is what is left in the container after the grapes have been removed to the crusher. These are wines with a lot of the red grape character but not the tannins. The result is a dry blush wine with some complexity, yet still light and crisp. Perfect chilled for summer barbeques.

The two reds, Pinot Noir and Cab Sauvingnon, were really good as well. I used to agree with the more snobby of my friends who would automatically reject any red wine from Michigan. Time to give these a try. According to them, most of the improvements with reds at Fenn Valley have been accomplished in the vineyard, not in the cellar. For example, the Pinot grapes are now aggressively thinned prior to ripening. Both have a balanced and tannin base, the Pinot being more fruity and the Cab being more spicy. Certainly better the the cheap reds from lands far away, these are worth a try.

The tasting room at the winery is open year-round seven days a week until at least 5pm, 6pm on some days during the summer and fall.


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Let everyone know your opinion about these wines by commenting on this blog.

Restaurant in Saugatuck area- Salt of the Earth in Fennville, Michigan

Why would an Innkeeper and owner of a Bed and Breakfast in Allegan write a review for a restaurant in Fennville Michigan? Well, because we care about every aspect of our guest's stay at our Inn and we want to share with them the best spots around for great local food! We know it really does reflect back on their visit with us if we helped them find a memorable dining experience while they were here. So, here's some "food for thought" about a restaurant located about 20 minutes driving distance from our Inn and definately one of our favorites currently appearing on our Adventure Map.
Salt of the Earth describes themselves as "Rustic American Eatery" and we think the phrase fits them perfectly. Located on the south side of M-89 in the middle of a one block town, Fennville Michigan, it's Americana at it's best.


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The atmosphere is welcoming and unpretentious with a huge bakery counter (featuring their signature bread and other tempting offerings) and a small coffee cafe right at the entrance. Throughout the restaurant space there's warmly stained concrete floors and simply elegant wooden table tops. The adjacent side of the building is the Pub area with a small stage space for live music performers. The lighting throughout the space is soft and inviting. Every server has been both friendly and knowledgeable about their menu and although there is a great deal of expertise behind the scenes, the over-riding value seems to be on presenting simple, local food with extraordinary taste.
On our most recent visit we ordered the Salad for 4-5 and easily finished it with just 3 of us. And, let's not forget the amazing bread with butter accompanied by their darling little salt and pepper dips.
We've tried almost everything on their menu from burgers to hanger steaks over several visits in the last 6 months, and we've never found an entree that we didn't rave about and relish every bite. One of the highlight side dishes for me is the fried brussel sprouts but don't worry if you are not a vegetable fan, there's always lots of choices. For those of you who share your adventures in Foodie experiences with a less adventurous partner, you'll be able to suggest a "safe" selection of their Stone Oven pizzas.
Over the next couple of weeks they'll be hosting great events with local wineries and breweries so hop onto their web site to see if the scheduled dates will work for you, but even without a special event don't miss the chance to experience your own Romantic Rambling out to the country at Salt of the Earth.

Your comments about your own experiences here help keep this blog real.

Review of Gringo's Grill, a Holland MI Restaurant

Ruth and I discovered Gringo's Grill in Holland, Michigan last fall. We advise you don't pass this one by, which is easy enough to do. It is located in a strip mall in what I think of as the "generica" area in northern Holland, along the highway among chain restaurants and big box retailers, about 35 minutes north of our Inn. Rumor has it they are planning a move to the downtown Holland area, which would improve their visibility and image, I think.View Larger Map

The theme here is Mexican, but this is not the usual "wet burrito" place. These folks emphasize using fresh and seasonally excellent ingredients which are creatively put together into interesting and unique items. We usually order the Guacamole prepared tableside for starters

For the salad, try the grilled head of Romaine with caramelized onions, goat cheese, and a shell of parmesian.


A full head of romaine was enough for both of us, so we ordered one entree to share. There are too many interesting choices to share here-we can recommend the fish tacos, chicken empanadas, pork tenderloin with cocoa and dried chile.... This time, we ordered from the "Lighter Fare" section of the menu and chose the sticky shrimp tacos. The main reason was my curiosity about them being sticky and all. The subtext stated the shrimp are tossed in something called a "gastric" which turns out to be a sweet glaze. This came with choice of soup, salad, or beans & rice.
Full wine/beer and mixed drinks available, live music on Thursday nights. Full menu available on their website.

Have you experienced this restaurant? Your comments help keep this blog real.