Restaurants in Kalamazoo

Beneath the baked bread and vegetable du jour of Restaurant Toulouse's signature cassoulet, pork sausage and duck confit stew with great northern beans, bacon, carrots, onions, and tomatoes into one simmering pot of flavor. A staple of the French countryside, the dish is one of Chef Adam Smith's renditions of dishes from classic French cuisine. His other creations include onion soup and a medley of pan-seared scallops and mushrooms smothered in gruyère cream sauce.

The flavors of each dish are complemented by selections from a revamped wine list curated by staff from East Village Wine Shoppe. Bartenders also mix up an extensive assortment of cocktails, including Kahlua- and tequila-spiked coffee or the French Connection, a slowly stirred blend of cognac and amaretto over ice. Wait staff serve these feasts in a refurbished turn-of-the-century building replete with art deco–style posters and a wood- and screenplay-burning hearth, as well as a heated, enclosed patio.

In 1981, Gelormo and Elvira Parisi saw their dreams become a reality with the opening of Parisi's Ristorante Italiano, an intimate, traditional eatery celebrating their Calabrian legacy. Today, their son, Roberto Parisi, continues his parents' commitment to quality by serving a menu filled with recipes originating with Roberto's grandmother and a handful of magic beans. Chef Ken Bealor adds a slight Irish lilt to the preparation of the dishes, which include homemade pastas and sauces made from scratch. The chef also has the pleasure of working with the freshest herbs and vegetables as the restaurant grows many of their own, and often cooks with meat and seafood bought locally. For a complete Italian dining experience, Roberto has gathered a fine selection of wines from across the globe that, despite their varying allegiances to country, get along quiet well with each other.

In "The Court," diners imbibe views of the University of Notre Dame, or they can opt to enjoy a romantic meal in the dining room where pianist Christoforos Kostantinos Griveas twinkles the ivories to a medley of musical styles. During clement skies, the restaurant keeps the French doors to their patio open, which plays host to a Mediterranean garden, numerous TVs, and a full bar.

After years working as a sous chef and executive chef, Sean Kelley decided to found his own restaurant, where the rich colors and textures of tapas-style dishes are matched with vibrant decor. In the dining room, guests bite into lamb pops and sip hoppy craft beers from the beer list at booths underneath unearthly artwork. Wine bottles stand half-empty on the bright-red bar nearby as guests savor sharp whites and speak in arch tones about the declining quality of the Aquaman monthly series.

A recipient of the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for more than two decades, The Carriage House Dining Room is devoted to both preparation and presentation—they use fresh, gourmet ingredients to craft artfully arranged dishes. Within the Main Dining Room, guests select from a seasonally changing menu of recipes prepared in a traditional French method, in accordance with the vision of the restaurant's founder, Indiana Restaurant Association Hall of Famer Evelyn C. George. Today, her daughter and son-in-law, Judith and Adrian Coté, hold true to Evelyn's focus with dishes such as steak diane: all-natural beef-tenderloin medallions sautéed with shallots, parsley, and cognac and served with creamy dauphinoise potatoes. The Carriage House Dining Room has been a perennial winner of Wine Spectator awards since 1986; in 2012, the magazine honored the restaurant with its most recent Best of Award of Excellence.

The staff gathers fresh, organic herbs and vegetables from the restaurant's gardens, which also bloom with a rotating crop of flowers that includes more than 10,000 peonies. The Carriage House Dining Room, built as a church in 1851, boasts a rich interior of original hand-hewn walnut beams and a selection of decorative antiques, including fine Persian carpets, early-20th-century Impressionist oil paintings, and a butter bust of Louisa May Alcott.

Sometime around the dawn of man, a human discovered that dough is worth more when tied into intricate shapes. Fast-forward a couple millennia to the present, and you’ll find that Nautical Knots has taken the next step in pretzel innovation. Since 2001, the Grand Haven boardwalk has benefited from the skillful tying of the eatery’s pretzel knots, which come in 11 sweet and savory varieties such as asiago cheese, frosted raisin, and sesame seed. In addition to stretching the dough into traditional pretzel shapes, staffers also twist it around frankfurters to make a signature treat they call the Nauti Dog, served with reckless amounts of ketchup and mustard. The waterside stand, which is open from May to September, also loads baked potatoes with cheese, chili, and salsa, and whips up frozen strawberry and mudslide drinks that combat the summer heat nearly as well as turning off the sun.

In an effort to find a healthy alternative to fast food without sacrificing speediness, the creators of Pita Pit began assembling their signature sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. At each location customers can sample thin pitas that encircle lean, grilled meats and fresh veggies. Sandwich selections span the spectrum from gyro meat and falafel to turkey and prime rib. The staff empowers customers to make healthy choices by displaying nutrition information for its bread and meats, and by offering a selection of healthy sandwiches.