Fireside Tap & Grill

This evening seemed like such a perfect day for an outdoor meal, so we had planned to get fries and root beer from Simonton Lake Drive In, but as we approached, the amount of people who had the same idea was overwhelming, so we just kept driving. We ended up in Michigan, Edwardsburg to be exact and decided to try a restaurant that I had heard about a few times, Fireside Tap & Grill. From the outside it doesn't look like much, and with the amount of cars parked outside and across the street, I wasn't sure that we would even find a seat, but it was getting late so I persisted. Inside I was greeted with a "seat yourself" sign and about twice as much seating as I had expected from the outside, there was a bar in the middle, but otherwise all of the seating is family friendly. We started with hand batter pickle chips as an appetizer and they were great, we both could have gone for more batter, but they were still tasty. Our little man got the pretzel bites appetizer for his meal, they were filled with cheese and he was in heaven. Our waiter admitted that they pretzels weren't handmade, but considering our son ate the entire order (which he never does) we can't complain about that.

Despite the fact that the burgers were on special (every Wednesday) for $2.00 and $2.50 for a cheeseburger, my hubby opted for one of their many specialty burgers, The Santa Fe. His burger was topped with guacamole (an Albert family favorite), batter fried jalapeño slices, pico de gallo, sour cream and pepper jack cheese and I'm fairly certain he finished it in less than 5 minutes if that tells you how good it was. He really loved the fries, too, which were seasoned and as he says "hard to describe."

I ordered an old standard, a fried pork tenderloin, I mean it has the word "famous" in it, how could I resist? When this giant morsel came to my table it was evident that it was hand pounded and battered, I cut it in half and proceeded with vigor. It was a delicious sandwich, I even tried a few bites with the honey mustard that came with my kiddo's pretzel bites and that was a killer combination. My sandwich came with housemate potato chips and those were delicious as well.

Michigan is so close, but we never seem to make our way up there to eat! That changes today as we found this gem that we will HAVE visit again soon, because there too many awesome looking dishes on the menu not to go back. So if you are looking for delicious, affordable American food that the whole family can enjoy check out Fireside Tap & Grill off of State Road 12 in Edwardsburg!

Morgan's & Little Black Dog Tavern

The area off of Lincolnway East in Mishawaka called The 100 Center has some incredible, charming old buildings that I think are often ignored, but trust me, you should get back there to check out Morgan's and Little Black Dog Tavern. The building housing this Euro-style tavern has a rich history, which got us even more excited about it! It was built in the late 19th, early 20th century as part of the Kamm brewery and was actually the stable housing the horses, so make sure to check out the historic pictures donated by the original owner's great, great granddaughter hanging around the restaurant. There is also an old wagon around back from the stables that has been repurposed as an herb garden, that alone should tell you that great things are happening here. If that isn't enough though, perhaps the international dishes will get you excited. Each week Morgan & LBD features a special menu, on top of their house menu, that highlights a different European country, which was Spain during our visit, we love the fact that each time we visit there will be something new to try!

 We started with one of the special entrees (on the blackboard) that was a fun fusion dish, BLT Bruschetta, which was a house made pesto aioli, topped with diced tomatoes and bacon, served alongside a nice peppery arugala with lightly toasted bread. My hubby loved EVERY aspect of this dish, but what set it apart from every other bruschetta for him was the fact that the toast it was served with was still soft on the inside, instead of being crunchy. This is definitely an app we would recommend if it's available when you visit.

Next we had side portions of the hot bacon spinach salad, which I had no intention of ordering until I tried my hubby's and then I couldn't resist. This is a spinach salad topped with tomato, onion, boiled egg, a sweet, warm dressing, and bacon in the form of a pancetta round. This salad is very unique and delicious, the dressing is a little sweeter than what we are used to, but is balanced out well by the salty pancetta and other toppings.

Dinner was a pretty tough decision between the house menu and the blackboard specials from Spain, but we decided on sandwiches to leave room for dessert. I ordered the grouper that was coated with a batter made with "Hair of the Dog" beer, which is an EPA made by Iechyd Da in Elkhart specifically for Morgan & LBD (we love locals helping locals!), that you can't get anywhere else, not even Iechyd Da. The fish was cooked perfectly, with the right amount of batter and was served alongside made to order chips. My only complaint is that I would have liked more salt on my chips, but that is a personal preference as I tend to be heavy handed with the salt. My hubby had the asiago chicken sliders, which was slider sized portions of chicken breast coated with asiago and parmesan cheese, cooked to order, served on a baguette topped with mozzarella, marinara, and basil. Again my hubby loved the bread this was served on, the chicken was cooked just right, and every ingredient on these sliders came together perfectly for him.

As we inquired about dessert, we were informed that they do in fact have a pastry chef, so we knew it was going to be good! The plated dessert was a lemon cake, but we opted for the dessert flight as it was a smaller slice of the lemon cake accompanied with a chocolate cake pop and a piece of baklava. This was the perfect little dessert to share, the cake pop wasn't too rich or sweet, but was so moist; the baklava had whole nuts, crispy pastry, was not overly sweet, and may be the best baklava I have ever had; and the lemon cake was just a little tart and complimented with a sweet icing which we both really liked.



As if the culinary experience didn't exceed every expectation that we had, the customer service was phenomenal as well! Jordan, our waiter took time to explain any dish we had questions about and was gracious enough to stop and talk about and listen to our thoughts on everything that we ate. We also got the chance to chat with the owner Scott, which is one of the things we love about dining locally, getting to hear the vision and passion that local restaurateurs have. Scott, and his wife Mary Lou, have really created a welcoming atmosphere, that will make any diner feel at ease, along with a unique culinary experience, in a beautiful historic building. For your next date night, girls night out, or special occasion make sure to get a reservation to try the delicious food at Morgan's & Little Black Dog.r