Dance Food Dance! V2

Dance Food Dance!

With its high unfinished ceilings, earthy paint-job, and minimalist modern furniture, Food Dance, Kalamazoo's top-rated restaurant, is as hip(ster) as it comes. According to Food Dance's website, their menu is entirely local, and entirely free-ranged: this will clearly be a meal with a conscience.

Housed in a large red brick building, Food Dance is located towards the more industrial southeastern end of downtown Kalamazoo: don't worry though, there's plenty of parking within the immediate area. The inside is well-lit, and boasts a small waiting area, a sleek and well stocked bar, and a small store where eaters and non-eaters alike can shop for cheese, wine, olive oil, sweetmeats, and Kalamazoo paraphernalia. Shopping at Food Dance's general store on an empty stomach is not advisable: it is much safer to survey a $15 dollar pint of ice-cream after a well-proportioned meal. 

My initial impression of Food Dance is that it is not a quiet place. The bright paint and open interior   means raised voices well before sitting down, though the constant buzz did facilitate energetic and animated conversation for the duration of the meal. The atmosphere has a classy sort of vibe to it: immaculately clean and professional, yet far from the stuffy, quiet, and overly formal settings of traditional upscale restaurants.

In the name of keeping the prices down, me and my dining companion opted to steer clear of the drinks menu, and explore an appetizer salad instead. We settled on the Fruited Chicken Salad, which arrived promptly. Let it be said, Food Dance makes one hell of a Fruited Chicken Salad. The dish is huge, with mountains of crunchy, watery spinach that support well-sliced chicken strips seasoned with a tiny hint of lemon and topped with a tangy red wine vinaigrette. By no means an afterthought, the  strawberries, oranges, pecans, and crumbled blue-cheese, gave the dish a perfect blend of sweetness and saltiness. From a visual standpoint, the salad's presentation was just as appealing as its taste: lots of colors, and a good mixture of chicken, fruits, nuts and cheese to balance the look of the dish. Best salad I've ever had, no exaggeration.

Having had such an incredible salad, I was understandably excited to try Food Dance's staple dish, the Ultimate Macaroni. Although I had been advised to try the Ultimate Macaroni by one of friends, I will say that the dinner sells itself well enough on paper: pasta with caramelized onions, bacon, and fresh spinach, in a rich aged-cheddar sauce, topped with toasted bread crumbs.

As great as the fruited chicken salad is, the Ultimate Macaroni ($16) falls short of Food Dance's stellar reputation. Every spoonful was saturated with grease, and did not sit well in the stomach.  To be fair, each individual ingredient was fairly tasty. The bacon was perfectly sweetened by the onions, and it had a nice, solid texture that went well with the soft macaroni. Although the sharp cheddar provided all the necessary flavor for the dish, it was too oily and left a sticky feeling in the mouth. The most telling failure of this dish is that when left in a refrigerator, the grease from the dish solidified into pure fat. Imagine a soup cup full of noodles, suspended in grease. When reheated, the top half of the container looked like cancerous chicken noodle soup, and managed to clog the drain of a certain dormitory when poured down the sink, much to the author's chagrin. 

Thankfully, a well cooked Alaskan Salmon ($17), textured with spinach and accented with a citrus based dressing can do wonders for clearing the macaroni out of the mouth. I only had a few bites, as my dining companion expressed, in no uncertain terms, her desire to finish the dish herself. The Fruited Salad left more of an impression, but the Alaskan Salmon is a fine choice for those looking for a less-than-heavy dining experience.

Having surveyed the stores, eaten the food, the only thing left to do is pay the bill. Verdict?

1 Alaskan Salmon $17

1 Ultimate Macaroni $16

1 Fruited Chicken Salad $14

-----------------------------

Dinner                        $47

Tip                             $15 (cheapskates, please take note)

____________________

Total                          $62

While the prices aren't unfathomably steep, a casual eating habit at Food Dance could prove fatal to the average bank account. Two people can eat very well and keep the damage to around $60 bucks, but cocktails, desserts, and appetizers, can complicate the situation.

With so many good things going for it, and such a solid reputation (often referred to as one of Kalamazoo's finest restaurants) Food Dance should be held to the highest of standards. The building, the service, and the meals are all indicative of Food Dance's potential for being a truly special place to eat, but it falls short of being excellent simply by having such a bad dish featured so prominently on the menu ( the Ultimate Mac is listed under Great Plates on their menu). While this stance may seem harsh, this restaurant deserves to be taken seriously by merit of its amazing food. This, coupled with a commitment to local economy in a market swamped with faceless corporations, propels Food Dance to standard of which it falls just short.   B+

Organic whaaa?

Organic is a pretty tricky word to nail down. Small scale, local- more farms, less industry. Having said that, I pose a question to you-my beloved food and travel class-why in the hell is there such a thing as organic ice cream? It's not that organic ice cream is necessarily referenced in the book, so much as ice cream is just a useful example.  Something as fatty, and sugar loaded as ice cream needs to be sustainable and "free range" why exactly? Seems to me that it's more of a marketing ploy (something Pollan mentions about organic foods) than a lifestyle. The same thing can be said for virtually any dessert or pie: if it's fatty and unhealthy, what's the point of organic anything? I'm not saying that having fresh cherries is a bad thing-far from it-but there seems to be some kind of contradiction between organic cherries and the and butter laden crust on the cherry pie that will be served after dinner. Just some...food for thought.

What about Food Dance?

I've heard it's the best place to eat around the city, I've heard it's really expensive, I've heard it's unforgettable, and I've heard that I'm getting graded to write about it. Food Dance sounds it's going to be a tasty, unconventional place with lots of things for me to blow my money on. I expect to order something bizarre but very tasty. If the menu is indeed all local I wonder if the menu selection is going to suffer for it? I would assume so. I'm going into this assignment with very high expectations, and I am going to be bummed if any of them aren't met. I want my local, organic food to taste fresh and perfect. It has to if we as a society are going to take our agriculture out of the hands of corporations. This one's on you Food Dance, don't mess up.

Dance Food Dance!

With its high unfinished ceilings, earthy paint job, and minimalist modern furniture, Food Dance is as hipster it comes. The menu is stocked with locally grown fruits and vegetables, and most of the meat and cheese comes from Michigan as well. This restaurant is as contemporary as anything out on the market, and if half of the accolades are true, this is not a meal that can be missed.
Housed in a large red brick building, Food Dance is located towards the more industrial end of downtown Kalamazoo: don't worry though, there is plenty of parking within the immediate area. The inside is well lit, and boasts a small waiting area, a sleek and well stocked bar, and a small store where eaters and non eaters alike can shop for cheese, wine, olive oil, sweetmeats, and Kalamazoo paraphernalia. Shopping on an empty stomach is not advisable: it is much more intelligent, and hence much safer to survey a large block of artisan cheese after a well proportioned meal. Their usage of space is excellent: plenty of seating, but enough space to have some degree of separation between tables. Maneuvering around the tables and and chairs is simple, and there is never too much traffic.

Food Dance is not a quiet place. The bright paint and the well lit interior facilitate energetic and animated conversation for the duration of the meal, but quite frankly, the noise from the store necessitates raised voices well before sitting down. The atmosphere has a classy sort of vibe to it: immaculately clean and professional, yet far from the stuffy, quiet, overly formal settings of traditional upscale restaurants.

Thankfully, for all their emphasis on local ingredients, organic THIS and free range THAT, Food Dance makes one hell of a Fruited Chicken Salad($13.95). The dish is huge, with mountains of crunchy, watery spinach that support well sliced chicken strips that have a tiny hint of lemon in them that works well with a topping of red wine vinaigrette. The various fruits-oranges, apples, strawberries, etc- were both vibrantly colored and incredibly juicy; the dish looked more like a paint palette than an entree salad, making the presentation accurate as well as artful. Score one for the local farmers, this salad is everything people love about organic food.

As great as the fruited chicken salad is, the Ultimate Macaroni ($16) falls short of Food Dance's stellar reputation. Every spoonful was saturated with grease, and did not sit well in the stomach. A well placed red-raspberry lemonade beverage makes the dish a little more palatable, if not enjoyable. This is truly a pity because the dinner sells itself well enough on paper: pasta with caramelized onions, bacon, fresh spinach in a rich aged cheddar sauce, topped with toasted bread crumbs. Served with a salad. To be fair, each individual ingredient was fairly tasty. The bacon was perfectly sweetened by the onions, and it had a nice, solid texture that went well with the soft macaroni. Although the sharp cheddar provided all the necessary flavor for the dish, it was too oily and left a sticky feeling in the mouth. The most telling failure of this dish is that when left in a refrigerator, the grease from the dish solidified into pure fat. Imagine a soup cup full of noodles suspended in grease. When reheated, the top half of the container looked like cancerous chicken noodle soup, and managed to clog the drain of a certain dormitory when poured down the sink. Don't try and reheat this dish, please.

Thankfully, a well cooked Alaskan Salmon ($17), textured with spinach and accented with a citrus based dressing can do wonders for clearing the Macaroni out of the mouth. The Fruited Salad left more of an impression, but the Alaskan Salmon is a fine choice for fish lovers or those looking for a less than heavy dining experience.

Having surveyed the stores, eaten the amazing food, and (perhaps) finished a bottle of wine, the only thing left to do is pay the bill. Verdict?
1 Alaskan Salmon $17
1 Ultimate Macaroni $16
1 Fruited Chicken Salad $14
-----------------------------
Dinner                        $47
Tip                             $15 (cheapskates, please take note)
____________________
Total                          $62

While the prices aren't unfathomably steep, a casual eating habit at Food Dance could prove fatal for the average bank account. Two people can eat very well and keep the damage to around $60 bucks, but a breakdown of cocktails, desserts, and appetizers can complicate the situation.

With so many good things going for it, and such a solid reputation (often referred to as one of Kalamazoo's finest restaurants) Food Dance should be held to the highest of standards. The building, the service, and the meals are all indicative of Food Dance's potential for being a truly special place to eat, but it falls short of being excellent simply by having such a bad dish featured so prominently on the menu ( listed under Great Plates on their menu). While this stance may seem harsh, this restaurant deserves to be taken so seriously by merit of its amazing food. This, coupled with a commitment to local economy in a market swamped with faceless corporations propels Food Dance to standard of which it just falls short.   B+

Food and Gender

Fellow men, and no less importantly, fellow women, I pose a question to you, what kind of foods are manly, and what kind of foods are womanly? Hamburgers? no, I've seen plenty of gals eat hamburgers. Not hamburgers then. Soy? I eat a ton of soy, but I don't think it'd qualify as manly. My mom loves soy, so does my stepmom, and my dad, and my grandma. I don't think it's manly. Real Men don't eat Quiche?...Are you kidding? I love quiche and I've never even considered it to be off limits. I guess the point is, I have no idea what it is to have gendered food. I'd love some feedback from you guys on what kinds foods you think are gendered.

Guess What?

So I am pretty uncomfortable writing about this, but I think it's worth sharing so try not to judge me too hard. I had another encounter with Sesame Chicken the other day. And my father. And my brother. Go figure...
I spent most of last Thursday on the phone with my stepmother, dealing with some glorious family issues. After I hung up the phone, the only thing I wanted to do was sit in my room and sulk. Hey, we all have our means of coping. Luckily, my friends were having none of that shit. We decided to get into some...ahh...illicit fun. I spent the next five hours travelling. I traveled across my mind, my childhood, my present, and hell, my future too. I tried to figure out why things with my dad were so complicated, and why I wasn't good enough to fix it. I bounced questions off all of my friends, but to my immense irritation, they didn't seem to be able to understand me, my father, all of my problems, and how to fix them. So I left and walked off to be alone. I sat on the benches in front of Stenson, and just started to bawl like I was a toddler. I was bawling like a toddler that just wanted some attention. But, like I said about Rick and Spice Rice, I was in college now; there was not crying shoulder. Then, of all things, if you guys can believe it, I thought of the taste a meal. It was one of my birthday meal's at J.C Alexanders. I had Gnocchi, and half of my father's veal. It was one of the best dinners I have ever had in my life: the Gnocchi was very rich, and Veal worked well it because it was so tender (sorry little calf). I remembered the conversations we had at the table about Roman History, the Spanish American War, The Medcci, and growing up in Argentina under Perón. Point is, the food I ate stuck with me, and it served as a stepping stone to remembering that I shared that meal with my father. In that moment, as much as I wanted to clobber my father with a blunt object, I realized that at I also wanted to throw my arms around my dad and just be that same kid at J.C Alexanders. That's some serious stuff to be mulling over under the influence. I decided then and there that I was going to call my father and talk through this seemingly infinite mountain of bullshit.
It was an exhausting night, but it wasn't over. I went back to my room to shower and freshen up. I was still a little salty, and even more morose. Again, my friends were having none of that shit. They showed up at my door with what else? Yup, you got it, Spice Rice. We sat on the floor of my room, and didn't really say much. We didn't need to.