Third best meal I had this year: Zazio's

Last spring I headed to Kalamazoo to visit my grandparents. I also informed my cousin Kevin, my main competitor in the quest for Grandma's love, that he would be taking me out to dinner that night. Kevin gamely agreed, and I spent the afternoon looking forward to dinner at Zazio's.

While I have been visiting Kalamazoo several times a year for my entire life, I'd never eaten at Zazio's. It had, of course, been on my Restaurant Wish List for years. As I waited for Kevin and his girlfriend Kimmie, I admired the colorful decor.

 When Kevin and Kim arrived, I learned that he is friends with the chef and several members of the staff. I couldn't believe my good fortune, and the fact that my own cousin had been sandbagging me for all these years.

After much deliberation and several rounds of making up my mind just to change it again, I placed my order. I had seared scallops- one of my favorite dishes, which I can rarely resist.

 For my entree I chose the duck- so juicy, so perfectly complimented with tart berries and a crispy, salty polenta cake. Heaven.

 We hadn't eaten enough. We were starving. Out rolled a platter of chocolate.

The meal was perfect. The restaurant is beautiful, the food is to die for and much of it is locally sourced. Zazio's offers Chef's Tables, tickets to which would make a wonderful gift for the serious eater. If you make the drive to Kalamazoo, the restaurant is conveniently located downtown in the Radisson- you can spend the night and have breakfast the next morning at Food Dance, one of my other Kalamazoo favorites, or get a coffee at Water Street Coffee Joint. My grandparents will likely be at mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, stop and give them a shout and you might find yourself in the next issue of the Johnson Jottings.

No, I'm not an agent of the Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce, but maybe I should be.