Cafe '36 - Kalamazoo

This is the first restaurant I propose to the people in Kalamazoo. I think Café 36 is the top restaurant when you look at service and food. The ambience is wonderful. The mixture of black stands and white chairs makes the room clean and modern. The settings are white mats and black napkins. The Ying Yang of simple challenging colors is soothing and elegant. The silence calms you as soon as you get in. It could be the low ceiling or other irradiation, but this restaurant is quieter than other restaurants in Kalamazoo – you can interact with your dining room partners without fear of losing your voice the next day. But there is a potential to be down above a grocery store and you can be different depending on the mood and where you sit. We sat in search of the grocery store that you just placed above commercial neon lighting. On a bad day, it could easily give someone a migraine. Luckily, our party of four quickly adapted and we enjoyed looking at the islands and make jokes about the island marker for local honey and wonders, the island with honey from Vermont in stock. Another comment on the atmosphere The gentle way of setting is mirror in the friendly and grace of the staff. Everyone we interact with is welcome and enthusiastic about what they are doing. During my first visit, the chef who went through the restaurant was easily pulled by a server to explain the intricacies shrimps and their diving sauce (which are fantastic btw). The food we had at Café 36 was wonderful. I have a special for the week, a beef tenderloin with blue cheese sauce, garlic potatoes and asparagus. The meat was seldom boiled to a perfect pink medium and the blue cheese on top added a salty tan. The grilled asparagus gave the dish a smoky element and was cooked to the point where there was an al dente snap. My wife and mother-in-law had the other weekly speciality: beef cheeks with pasta and cream sauce. I don't remember all the components, but I ate their plates as much as I tried to keep them before my meal. My father-in-law had the hanger Steak with Pommes. Again the steak was perfectly cooked and the Moroccan spices were well paired with this tasty meat cut. Overall, Café 36 is a great culinary experience and you can still have it casual. The staff is dressed, but I don't think I'm telling a customer with a jacket and just a few with a button-up shirt. The food and the staff are not pretentious. They just seem to love what they do and that means that I love what they do. And I will take part in the enthusiasm again.

The Pommes were really good. All we ordered was delicious. Pricey, but they make it worth it!

(Disclaimer) We know the cook at a personal level and my wife and I decided to make the trip of Grand Rapids to review his new excavations. Somehow Sawall has successfully combined a gourmet dinner with a great culinary experience. The staff was professional and friendly, Chris was our waiter and Max delivered 3 wonderful courses at our table. We started with the grilled asparagus w/charcoal, shared the baby iceberg salad, I had the short rib for my main course (all pictured), and my wife enjoyed the charcoal steak. The food was fabulous and worth the ride. Chef Jason Tilmann and his creations are a rare find in Michigan. Put this place on your list as a must try!

I've been looking forward to tasting the Cafe 36 for some time and finally had my chance to eat here. I was in a group of 7 people. The restaurant is very interesting. It is about Sawall's Health Food Store and overlooks the islands of the goods while buyers browse. It is not a huge area but a cozy area to eat and visit with friends. We started with drinks and the laundry board. I highly recommend this as it was abundant and varied with cheese, fruit, meat, olives, etc. Very delicious. The bread was a rosemary seasoned pita-like bread that was warm and quite tasty. We also had shrimps that are fried spring rolls with a sauce that is for dying! I ordered the short ribs. Large part of meat-atop potatoes with sawed root vegetables and garnished with some types of spores. The taste was great and the meat was not too fat as it can often occur with short ribs. My colleague ordered the chicken pots. This court came out and his preparation was ready. The server poured steam engraving from a boat over the bowl and then added a large piece of puff pastries and then finished the rest of the engraving above. It looked fantastic. Other guests ordered the Mussels, Wild caught Sockeye salmon, Atlantic Char and Filet mignon. All Entrees looked excellent and no complaint was heard by this writer when we dined. The dessert menu looked great and they also had a selection of Tawney Port wines to choose. We didn't order desserts when we were stuffed from dinner. My only complaint is the noise level. The area is open and with high ceilings, the floor is concrete and there are many echoes of other Diner's voices, chairs moving over the floor etc., etc. It made it difficult for us all to entertain and listen during our visit.

Delicious food and great service! Menu changes seasonally. Wine, beer, and cocktails. My Mom has a number of food restrictions and there are lots of options for her here.