Another day

Another day ... another restaurant. 

Not that the last few days haven't been interesting enough, but yesterday we had the opportunity to try a new eatery.  The occasion was to celebrate a number of family birthdays and since we'd eaten at every other restaurant in Battle Creek (many times), we decided to try a relatively new one called the Addington Hills Cafe (addingtonhillscafe.com).  Since we grew up in Battle Creek (you know the home of Kellogg's, Post and Chex breakfast cereals) we remembered this building as Greensmith's Florist shop.  Actually it was once owned by the parents of a set of twins I went to high school with, but now has been transformed into a trendy, upscale dining establishment worthy of some attention.  The florist and gift shop continues in operation on the upper level while the dining occurs below at street level. 

Located on a well traveled street near the hospitals and art center, it offers both inside and outside dining (weather permitting).  Depending on your seating choice, it can be subdued and romantic or bright and cheery.  Battle Creek has not supported this type of dining in years past so I am hopeful that the tide has turned and the Addington Hill Cafe will spawn others.  The restaurant has a Mediterranean appearance and chef Salvador will have enough surprises on the menu to keep you coming back.

The seven of us were seated and greeted with a well set table with linen napkins, nice silverware, and stemware.  Our waitress was pleasant and patient as this group had more questions about the menu than the finale on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. 

Steak is the speciality of the house, though the menu had pasta, fish, and chicken entrees as well.  Since today is May 5th, the Mexican celebration of heritage and pride, the special on today's menu was a grilled Cinco De Mayo rib eye steak with a tex-mex rub of spices, fresh asparagus, and a special southwest potato consisting of a blend of mashed potatoes and a mild Spanish sausage.  Between the seven of us we had the special, a fillet Mignon, and chicken Marsala.  The presentation was excellent and the portions were large.  Though the order took a little longer than we anticipated, we were well taken care of with drinks and breads with flavored butter while waiting.  The food arrived hot and was very tasty.  Evidence of enjoyment was seven clean plates at the finish.

They serve breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner only Thursday through Saturday.  So if you're planning on dinner here, you'd better call ahead for a table.  As the word continues to spread about the 'Addington', tables may be hard to get.  The next time we're in Battle Creek I'm going to try their breakfast fare so I'll let you know how that goes.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

ps ... if any of you readers know of interesting restuarants in Southwest Michigan let me know.  We love checking them out.  It's what rv'ers do best.

addingtonhillscafe.com